Dry polenta is coarsely ground yellow cornmeal, the traditional Italian grain preparation. Like other maize products it provides lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids, useful iron, and B vitamins. It is gluten-free, has a warming, comforting flavour, and is versatile — served as a soft porridge or set and sliced.
Stir continuously into boiling salted water (4 parts water to 1 part polenta) for 35-40 minutes until it pulls from the sides; finish with olive oil or a knob of butter. Instant polenta cooks in 5 minutes but has a less developed flavour.
Where Polenta (Dry) Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glutamic acid | 2.55 g | — | |
| Aspartic acid | 0.638 g | — | |
| Leucine | 0.587 g | — | |
| Proline | 0.468 g | — | |
| Valine | 0.434 g | — | |
| Arginine | 0.425 g | — | |
| Phenylalanine | 0.417 g | — | |
| Serine | 0.383 g | — | |
| Isoleucine | 0.340 g | — | |
| Alanine | 0.340 g | — | |
| Glycine | 0.298 g | — | |
| Tyrosine | 0.298 g | — | |
| Threonine | 0.281 g | — | |
| Lysine | 0.255 g | — | |
| Methionine | 0.221 g | — | |
| Histidine | 0.204 g | — | |
| Cysteine | 0.153 g | — | |
| Tryptophan | 0.102 g | — |
* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult
EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food.
NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on
food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label.
They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they
sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg
where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the
reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.
Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK
Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two
are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead.
How we source and normalise our data →