Creamy Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge + Tutorial {Gluten-Free, Vegan}

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Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge is an easy and delicious way to start your day! This rich creamy polenta porridge topped with maple syrup and chopped nuts is just the thing to warm you up on chilly winter mornings. Suitable for Vegan and Gluten-Free diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

Folks, as you probably know by now, I am a huuuuuge fan of the Instant Pot. It makes so many different meals turn out perfectly without a whole lot of effort. Which is exactly what I need, especially on hectic weekday mornings.

Instant Pot Polenta

The Instant Pot is the perfect solution for whipping up a warm, comforting Instant Pot polenta porridge that turns out rich and luxuriously creamy every time. This recipe is that good.

My family loooooves polenta, and I love polenta. But quite frankly I sometimes find it a bit of a hassle to make on the stovetop. Being stuck there standing and stirring the whole time, keeping a watchful eye on the clock for 40 minutes.

I don’t always have the time. Especially in the morning when we are frantically rushing around looking for that extra shoe before we rush out the door.

Luckily, making your polenta in the Instant Pot means it does all the work for you. Just add the ingredients to the pot (or in the case of this recipe, a separate oven-safe dish, more on that below). Then give it a quick stir, set it and forget it until it’s done and ready to serve. Yeap, it really is that easy.  #winningatthis.instant pot polenta breakfast porridge topped with nuts and served in a blue ceramic bowl with a gold spoon

I feel so accomplished on those mornings when I serve up with a tasty, hearty and satisfying breakfast that will keep my family energized till lunch. The Instant Pot makes it entirely possible to start the day with a meal that’s not only good for you and tastes great, but comes together in just minutes.

This is one amaaaaazing recipe that I will be making all winter long.

Instant Pot Polenta Tools

KITCHEN TOOLS, UTENSILS & APPLIANCES  NEEDED

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my disclosure.

Here are some of the items you will need to make this recipe.

So, are you ready to learn how to make Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge? Gather up your ingredients and I will show you….

How To Make Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge Using the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) Method

  1. Coat your oven-safe pyrex dish with cooking spray or olive oil to reduce sticking of the polenta.
  2. Add the polenta, 2 cups of milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix well.
  3. Add 1 cup of water to Instant Pot insert, then place the trivet in the bottom and set the bowl of polenta on top of the trivet.
  4. Cover the Instant Pot and set the valve to seal, select the manual/pressure cook function at high pressure, and set the timer for 9 mins.
  5. Switch off the Instant Pot to avoid further cooking. Allow for a 3 min NPR (natural pressure release) before performing manually releasing any remaining pressure.
  6. Open lid and whisk the polenta until ingredients are fully blended and the mixture us nice and creamy. Next, stir in the rest of the milk.
  7. Carefully remove the bowl of Instant Pot polenta porridge, decant into serving dishes and top with maple syrup and nuts.

image collage showing the steps for making polenta porridge

This Pressure Cooker Polenta Breakfast Porridge is best served warm!

completed instant pot polenta breakfast porridge ready to be served

Polenta Instant Pot Porridge Tips

Use these tips to make polenta in instant pot really, really easily:

  • Use the pot-in-pot cooking method to avoid getting a burn message (see more information about PIP below). As a bonus, the PIP method makes cleaning up a breeze!
  • This recipe calls for regular polenta, NOT the quick-cooking variety.
  • Do not let the polenta stand after cooking or it will solidify. As soon as the manual pressure release is finished, give it a mix and decant into serving bowls while still warm.
  • You can vary the flavoring to suit your taste. For example, swap the maple syrup for honey.
  • Top Instant Pot polenta porridge with yoghurt, fruit preserves, fresh berries or a handful of granola. Yum!
  • Please note that cook time listed does not include time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, or for the pressure to release.

What is the Pot-in-Pot Cooking Method?

Pot-in-Pot simply means cooking food in a separate dish (or pot) that sits on a raised trivet inside the Instant Pot inner pot. The steam created from the water below the trivet in the inner pot is used to build pressure and cook the food inside the dish.

You can use an oven-safe container made from stainless steel, glass, ceramic or porcelain. And a lid is not required. Do make sure the sides of the container are not touching the inner pot, and that there is plenty of room for the Instant Pot lid to close and lock.

How to Cook with the Pot-in-Pot Method

  1. Peeps, it is suuuuuper important to make sure you add water to the inner pot. I recommend doing this as the very first step so you don’t forget about it later.
  2. Add water to the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.
  3. Next, add your ingredients to the oven-safe dish and use the trivet to carefully lower the dish onto the trivet.
  4. When the time comes, remove the lid and use the trivet to remove the oven-safe dish from the Instant Pot.

Chef’s Tip: use oven mitts to remove the trivet, since the cooking process can make it hot and slippery.

close up of instant pot polenta breakfast porridge topped with nuts

What is Polenta?

Polenta is a dish made from ground cornmeal. Originating from Italy, polenta is typically cooked slowly over low heat. Polenta can be served warm as a creamy porridge. Polenta can also be chilled and cut into squares that can then be baked, fried or grilled.

What is Instant Polenta?

Instant polenta, or quick-cooking polenta, is an extremely fine grind of cornmeal. The small size of the grains allows the polenta to reach a fully cooked stage faster than the more traditional larger grind variety

There are also versions of instant polenta made by pre-cooking regular polenta, drying it and then processing it into flour. This flour can then be quickly reconstituted in just a few minutes by adding hot water.

Is Instant Polenta Healthy?

  • Polenta is a low calorie choice compared to other grains. There are about 70 calories per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of cooked polenta.
  • A 100g serving of instant polenta contains only 15 grams of carbs.
  • Polenta is gluten free, which makes it a good alternative to other grains.

Can You Make Instant Pot Polenta Vegan?

Yeap! Polenta is frequently used in vegan cooking. And this version is a vegan version of this Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge since it used nut milk or soy milk. You can also add some vegan butter for extra flavor. If not vegan you can use regular milk.

three bowls filled with instant pot polenta breakfast porridge and topped with nuts set next to a bottle of maple syrup

Pressure Cooker Polenta – Savory Polenta

To make a savory version of this pressure cooker polenta, use broth instead of water and stir in some Parmesan cheese after cook time is complete.

Some of my very favorite toppings and mix-in combinations are:

  • Pesto + sautéed mushrooms + sliced tomato
  • Sundried tomato paste + olives + feta cheese
  • Drizzle of olive oil + roasted veggies + toasted pine nuts

Instant Pot Polenta With Shrimp

Instant Pot Polenta with Shrimp is a delicious supper that comes together easily. Simply prepare the savory polenta as described above and top with cooked shrimp. My family loves when I make it using this delectable Quick Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe. Soooooo good!

Polenta Cakes

You can easily turn this recipe into tasty polenta cakes for a delicious breakfast on the go, or to serve up as a sweet afternoon snack. Simply follow this recipe and instead of serving up the porridge, pour it into a baking dish or onto a baking mat and allow the polenta to cool and solidify.

Then just cut the polenta into squares or use a baking ring to create round cakes. Before serving, fry the cakes in the Instant Pot using the sauté mode, or in a frying pan or grill pan on the stovetop. Delicious!

Polenta cakes are a great meal prep solution since you can make the polenta ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for a couple of days before frying. Put them in an airtight storage container with sheets of parchment or wax paper in between layers of cakes to prevent them from sticking together.

And speaking of meal prep, make sure to grab your copy of this Free Meal Planning Kit that will help you whip up all sorts of great tasting recipes.

More Instant Pot Breakfast Recipes:

Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

Easy Instant Pot Egg Bites

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Oatmeal with Chocolate

Instant Pot Brussel Sprouts.

And

Gluten Free Quinoa Porridge Recipe.

Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge Weight Watchers Points

There are 8 Freestyle SmartPoints in a serving of Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge.

Thank you for reading my Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, UK food blog.

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Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge

Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge is tasty, hearty, satisfying way to start your day!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time9 minutes
Total Time14 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American, Western
Servings: 4
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • ½ cup polenta not the quick-cook variety
  • 2 cups (500ml) almond milk + 3 tbsp for mixing in after cooking is complete
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup + extra for topping
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (250ml) water for the Instant Pot

Instructions

Instant Pot Polenta Porridge

  • 1. Coat your oven-safe dish with cooking spray or olive oil to reduce sticking of the polenta.
  • 2. Add the polenta, 2 cups of almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix well.
  • 3. Add 1 cup of water to Instant Pot insert, then place the trivet in the bottom and set the bowl of polenta on top of the trivet.
  • 4. Cover the pot and set the valve to seal, select the manual/pressure cook function at high pressure, and set the timer for 9 mins.
  • 5. Switch off the Instant Pot to avoid further cooking. Allow for a 3 min NPR (natural pressure release) before performing manually releasing any remaining pressure. 
  • 6. Open lid and whisk the polenta until ingredients are fully blended and the mixture us nice and creamy. Next, stir in the rest of the milk.
  • 7. Carefully remove bowl of Instant Pot polenta, decant into serving dishes and add top with maple syrup and nuts.
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Notes

Instant Pot Polenta Tips

  • Use the pot-in-pot (PIP) cooking method to avoid getting a burn message. As a bonus, the PIP method makes cleaning up a breeze!
  • This recipe calls for regular polenta, NOT the quick-cooking variety.
  • Do not let the polenta stand after cooking or it will solidify. As soon as the natural pressure release is finished, give it a mix and decant into serving bowls while still warm.
  • You can vary the flavoring to suit your taste. For example, you can swap in honey for the maple syrup.
  • Try topping your Instant Pot polenta porridge with yoghurt, fruit preserves, fresh berries or a handful of granola. Yum!
  • Please note that cook time listed does not include time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, or for the pressure to release.

Pressure Cooker Polenta Weight Watchers Points

There are 8 Freestyle SmartPoints in a serving of Instant Pot Polenta Breakfast Porridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 222mg | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 0.2mg

 

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11 Comments

  1. . . . . or do what i just did. Having never eaten polenta and seeing some instant polenta the other day, I bought it. One minute in the microwave, a bit of powdered milk and sweetener later and I’m changed for life. ❤

  2. I’m not really a breakfast person but this looks amazing – good recipe for a spot of brunch! xo

  3. This sounds so good and a great change from regular oat porridge. I love polenta but would never have thought to have it for breakfast.