This easy cheesy, creamy grits recipe is sure to become a family favorite! This version is made with stone ground grits and cheddar cheese. It’s perfect for breakfast or in the southern dish shrimp and grits. It’s also great served along slow cooked meats such as Instant Pot Brisket, or pot roast.
I have to admit that I didn't grow up eating grits, but that sure hasn't stopped me from growing to love them! The more time I spend in the South, the more I come to love this creamy and versatile accompaniment.
What's good to eat with grits?
Many folks eat grits with breakfast in place of hash browns. I certainly love them this way, especially with bacon and a poached egg on top. One of my favorite ways to serve them is with seafood, like shrimp or scallops. It's also delicious with pot roast and other slow cooked meats like brisket and pork tenderloin.
What can you mix with grits?
Grits can be eaten with just some butter, salt and pepper. This Grits recipe calls for adding butter as well as sharp cheddar and heavy cream. If you love creamy, then you will love this recipe! Since I love Tex-Mex recipes, I think the spice from jalepeños would make a great addition. I'll work on that recipe next!
What is chaff?
Chaff is made up of hard bits of corn hulls. When using heirloom grits, you'll want to skim these hard pieces off because they will never soften up when cooking. To remove the chaff, pour your grits in the cooking water. Let the grits settle a bit, then skim off the pieces that float to the top. I use a small mesh strainer to do this, but a spoon could work as well.
Do I have to soak grits before I cook them?
You don't have to soak grits before cooking them, but if you happen to have some extra time or can think to do it several hours or the night before, you will have some pretty tender, amazing grits! Soak them for 2 hours on the counter top, or longer in the refrigerator. Use the soaking liquid to cook the grits.
How do I make grits?
Grits aren't hard to make, but they do require some stirring and checking on. After removing the chaff and soaking (if doing these steps):
- Bring water, salt, and grits to a gentle boil over med-high heat. Stir constantly for the first 2 or 3 minutes. You want to be sure to keep the grits form clumping together.
- Turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. Let the grits simmer for at least 30 minutes (preferably 45-60 minutes) stirring every 5-10 minutes to prevent the grits from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Try not to stir in any hardened grits that may have accumulated on the side of the pan.
- After 30 minutes of cooking and stirring, taste the grits. Be sure they are creamy and tender. Cooking times for stone ground grits will vary, so it's important to taste, taste, taste! If the texture hasn't turned creamy, continue to cook until they are!
- If grits are drying out-add a little warm water. If grits are too watery, let them cook uncovered until desired consistency.
- When grits are done, remove from heat.
- Stir in cream, then add butter and cheeses.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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📖 Recipe
Grits Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups water 3 cups will produce stiffer grits, 4 cups be looser in consistency
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt ½ - 1 teaspoon if using table salt; adjust based on your taste preference.
- 1 cup stone ground grits
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar experiment with white cheddar or pepper jack!
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese optional
- 2 tablespoon butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Dissolve 3 teaspoons kosher salt in the water and turn the heat to medium-high.
- Add grits, stirring constantly for the first 2-3 minutes to be sure it doesn’t clump.
- Turn heat to low and cover the pot. Cook grits for 30 minutes (preferably 45-60 minutes) stirring occasionally to keep the grits from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- If grits start to dry out---add a little warm water (about an ⅛ of a cup at a time) to the pan and stir to incorporate.
- After grits reach a creamy texture (30-60 minutes) remove from heat. Stir in ¼ cup heavy cream.
- Add butter, cheddar and parmesan cheese, stirring to combine.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
Nutrition
If you made this Grits Recipe, or any other recipe on the blog, don't forget to leave a rating and a comment below. I love hearing from my readers! You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!
jC
Creamy and delicious but WAY to much salt (and I used kosher) needs to cut at least in 1/2x
M. Stevens
Outstanding recipe. The commenter stating theirs turned out way to salty most likely used the table salt amount that was implied?? for the kosher salt. Thank you.
Kaslyn
I am avoiding corn product and decided to substituted corn for puffed millet and tbh.. I did not sacrifice taste. Great recipe.
Nikole
Thank you for this great tip Kaslyn! I'm sure this will be helpful to those who love grits but need to avoid corn!
Ellie Black
These grits are delicious AND SO SALTY!! Is the 3 teaspoons a real quantity?! Made per the recipe, these grits are delicious and inedibly salty.
Nikole
Hi Ellie! Thanks so much for reaching out! I'm so sorry the grits were too salty! I have tested this recipe many times and didn't think they were too salty. I will make a note in the recipe for future use!
Mandy
Here on the Gulf Coast, we love our Grits Ya Ya. Cook your grits as usual but with chicken broth instead of water. Add a pinch of Cajun seasoning if desired.
When still good and hot, stir in your favorite cheese, preferably one that melts easily, and cooked, chopped shrimp. Top with crumbled bacon and chopped green onions. Some recipes call for half chicken broth, half milk or cream to make the grits super creamy. I like my grits gritty. I had this for the first time at a seafood festival and hesitated to spend $6.00 on a helping of grits. Worth every penny.
Nikole
Such great ideas for making grits Mandy! Thanks for your comment! Sounds delicious!