Guys! That is it. The best healthy and easy vegan Christmas dessert right there. This sweet polenta pudding with Christmassy pineapple has no added sugar, gluten-free, oil-free, no-bake and quick. I couldn’t wish better. If you have guests over surprise them how tasty simple things can be! I did not even have to run to the grocery shop for this recipe as I usually have these basic staple foods on hand. I do stock up on instant polenta for my savory dishes as when I am dealing too long with the sauce, a quick polenta as a side dish serves me a good job. But let’s not forget that it is also great for sweets like this sweet polenta pudding “under the right sauce”!
What is Polenta?
Polenta is ground cornmeal that originated in northern Italy. You can find mostly two types of polenta in supermarkets – instant one and usual. Instant polenta has been pre-processed to decrease the cooking time and can be done in 1 minute. The usual polenta takes about 30 minutes to cook. Both of them have very similar, if not the same taste and can be used for this recipe. I happened to have the instant one this time. Polenta is a good alternative to white flour and rich in Vitamins C and A. It is not a superfood and as healthy as legumes, but great and non-harmful for occasional treats! Read more about polenta here.
How to cook the Polenta for this Recipe?
The key of cooking polenta (either instant or regular) is to stir well in the beginning, just when you pour it in the water with the whist so that it doesn’t clamp and creates a creamy smooth porridge-like consistency. However, for this sweet polenta pudding, we need to make it creamy, soft and get the texture of pudding I recommend cooking it in plant milk of choice (coconut, cashew or almond) with some almond butter. It is best to make the pudding one day in advance or at least a couple of hours in advance to let the polenta cool down and firm up. To achieve that round shape, I have used one of my silicon baking forms-tray ( which I used before for baby meal preps). It is BPA-free, microwave, and oven-friendly.
If you are polenta lover like I am, check out my Soy Protein Stew with Garlic and Herb Polenta recipe and my Italian Polenta Casserole recipe.
Please share, like and leave your comments down below! I would be happy to hear your feedback and how my recipe turned out for you!a
Thank you,
Victoria.
Ingredients
100 g. Polenta
250 ml. Almond milk
200 ml. Water
2 tbsp. Almond butter
1 tbsp. Maple syrup
1 medium Pineapple (fresh)
1 tbsp. Maple syrup
2 tbsp. Christmas Spices (Cinnamon, Anis, Cloves, Cardamon etc. )
Instructions
PREPARE POLENTA PUDDING FIRST
- In a small pan add the almond butter, water, and plant milk and bring to a light boil. Slowly add the polenta into the pot while constantly whisking it until the smooth even porridge-like consistency is achieved. Depending on which polenta type you use: with the instant polenta - turn off the heat immediately; with the regular one -simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
- As soon as you turned off the heat under the polenta pot, take the silicon form and add the polenta to each shape with a teaspoon. We need to do this step right away as the polenta firms up quickly. Set the silicon shape aside to cool ( in-room temperature - 3 hours, outside or in the fridge - 1,5 hours, or overnight.
LET'S MAKE THE COMPOTE
- Peel the fresh pineapple and remove the hard middle part. Cut into small cubes. Get a medium pan and heat it up. Add the pineapple cubes, maple syrup and your spices ( I had cinnamon, clove, and anis). Simmer all together on medium heat until the pineapple releases liquid, around 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring.
SERVE
Cooled polenta is easy to pop up from the silicon shape right on the serving plate! Be creative and pour the pineapple compote over it, on the sides or however you prefer.
Enjoy!
