Five Alternatives to Cornmeal

Often used as a morning cereal, cornmeal is an ingredient that may be added to a variety of recipes to give them taste, texture, and thickness. While cornmeal may appear to be an item that cannot be substituted in many recipes, it is actually a popular component that can be found in a variety of colors and fineness levels for Mexican and Italian cooking.

There are a number of substitutes that will yield a fantastic result without sacrificing flavor or texture the next time your recipe calls for cornmeal and you’ve either run out or are just seeking for ideas for the next time you don’t have any on hand.

There are non-corn substitutes that will satisfy those who could be allergic to corn or who just don’t like the taste, even though many cornmeal stand-ins are likewise composed of maize. See our list of the top 5 cornmeal alternatives to ensure that none of your favorite cornmeal-based recipes ever again suffer.

1. Corn Grits

In a pinch, corn grits can be a perfect alternative to cornmeal because they are derived from white corn and are a coarser variant of the grain. If you use this in place of something else, the biggest distinction will be in the texture rather than the taste because the grits will give your dishes a grainier and thicker liquid consistency.

Start with ¾ cup of grits for every cup of cornmeal due to the greater grain size alternatively, you can use a 1:1 exchange and grind the grits in a food processor or blender to get finer granules.

2. Polenta

Although corn grits and polenta are sometimes confused for one another, polenta is made from yellow corn rather than white corn and has a coarser grind, which gives it a somewhat sweeter taste when cooked. If you ground polenta in a food processor or blender to give it a more cornmeal-like texture, it works well as a 1:1 cornmeal substitution.

3. Corn Flour

Corn flour is one of the greatest substitutes in a 1:1 swap for fine cornmeal if your recipe calls for it. It comes near in flavor and texture. Because corn flour has a larger surface area than something like polenta, you may anticipate a more intense corn taste in your finished product when using it as a cornmeal substitute.

Read Also: The Top 5 Alternatives to Almond Flour

4. Semolina

Semolina is not a corn product, but it resembles cornmeal in texture, so it works well in most recipes as a stand-in. Grinding up durum wheat kernels produces semolina, a flour that resembles corn meal and is coarser than regular flour. Due to its fine texture, semolina should be used at a ratio of ¼ cup more in the recipe to ensure a thicker texture, akin to that of corn meal.

5. Corn Chips

Even while it might seem like an odd substitute for corn meal, grinding up corn chips will definitely give your dish the desired corn taste. Use in a 1:1 swap after pulsing the chips in a food processor or blender until they have the consistency of corn meal.

To avoid oversalting the dish, consider using unsalted corn chips or reducing the quantity of salt used in other parts of the recipe as many corn chips are strongly salted.