Rich & Creamy Grits Recipe (and What Are Grits Anyway?)
Posted: 05/15/23
Updated: 09/01/23
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Decadent and deliciously rich, this Southerner’s simple recipe for classic creamy grits will make you forget about all the others. The perfect side whether stone-ground or quick; made for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; and served with shrimp, cheese & bacon, or even maple syrup. Don’t worry if you’re new to the dish – I’ll fill you in on what grits are, why we love them, and how to cook them perfectly.
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🌽 What ARE Grits, Anyway?
Being raised in the South means I have vivid childhood memories that involve food, and especially grits. Heaping, massive spoonfuls of creamy breakfast grits at grandma’s, sometimes loaded with cheese and bacon, sometimes piled high with fruit and a drizzle of honey. However you dress them up, they’re a Southern culinary staple.
Made from ground corn, grits are cooked in water or broth to release their natural starches, then mixed with cream to create a thick porridge-like dish. The result you get depends on the type you use – scroll down this post a little for more about each type!
When it comes to flavor, grits are pretty neutral-tasting, making them super versatile. They can be rich and sweet, or buttery and savory. Served with shrimp, infused with rosemary, or topped with andouille sausage and white cheddar. They’re similar to oatmeal in that you can put anything with them and it’ll be delicious, but they’re way better than oatmeal if you ask me. There’s something about a bowl of hot, creamy grits that just makes me feel super warm and cozy. Talk about a comfort food!
🧈 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Take it from a Southern girl, this recipe for creamy grits is basically foolproof. Thick and rich, never watery or runny, and the perfect side for bacon, ham, sausage, shrimp, fresh fruit, veggies, or anything else you can think of.
- Grits themselves are relatively inexpensive, so this dish is a great option for budget-conscious cooks. They’re also extremely hearty and filling, making them a more-satisfying option than something less substantial, like a bowl of cereal or a pack of pop-tarts.
🥣 Our Favorite Ways to Enjoy Grits
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- Grits are pretty starchy, and they’ll be on the stovetop for a little while – especially if you’re using stone-ground grits. To ensure you don’t end up with a pot of scorched food, stir the grits frequently so they don’t stick. Also, be careful with your temperature. If your stove runs hot, reduce your heat down to medium-low instead of just medium. If you’re not sure whether your stove runs hot or not, err on the side of caution.
- Make sure you’re using either stone-ground or quick grits for this recipe. Instant grits won’t work well here. They’re already cooked and then dehydrated, so they have a significantly shorter cook time
🍳 What Are the Different Types of Grits?
- Stone-ground grits (our personal favorite) are just recently becoming more widely available outside of the South. They are ground, literally, between stones. They’re less processed and have a rich corn flavor, but because they’re larger than other varieties, they take longer to cook.
- Quick grits are ground very finely, which makes them take much less time to cook. They’re also pretty easy to find at grocery stores.
- Regular grits are similar to quick grits, but are just a little bit larger, and take just a little bit longer to cook. Quick and regular grits have the longest shelf life.
- Instant grits are usually found in a package, and while they’re easy to find and cook quickly, they don’t have the rich taste that other varieties do.
- Hominy is soaked in a solution that causes the hull of the corn to soften. After that, the hull is removed, and the kernels are stone-ground. Hominy is pretty big on its own (it’s basically a corn kernel), but can be ground to be used in more traditional grits recipes.
🥘 More Southern-Inspired Recipes
- Memphis-Style Cheese & Sausage Plate
- Healthy Authentic Seafood Gumbo (Gluten Free, Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Southern Fried Potatoes
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- BBQ Chicken Bowls with Sweet Potatoes and Coleslaw (Whole30)
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
- Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
- 3-Ingredient Banana Pudding
Rich & Creamy Grits Recipe
The creamiest and richest grits, perfect for breakfast, with shrimp, loaded with cheese or bacon, or even sweetened.
servings
Ingredients
For Stone-Ground Grits
- 4 cups water
- ½ tablespoon salt plus more to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 cup stone-ground grits
- ½ cup heavy cream or half and half; at room temperature, divided
For Quick Grits
- 4 cups water
- ½ tablespoon salt plus more to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 cup quick grits
- ½ cup heavy cream or half and half; at room temperature, divided
Suggested Toppings (All Optional)
- butter for classic grits
- freshly ground black pepper for classic grits
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheese of choice for cheese grits
- cooked & crumbled bacon for cheese grits
- maple syrup for sweetened grits
- brown sugar or white sugar, for sweetened grits
Equipment
- medium pot with lid
- Large wooden spoon or whisk
Instructions
For Stone-Ground Grits
- Fill pot with 4 cups of water. Add ½ tablespoon salt and stir to incorporate, then place pot on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and bring water to boil.
- Once water begins to boil rapidly, add stone-ground grits and stir 30 seconds.
- Partially cover pot with lid. Reduce heat to medium and simmer grits 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Note: if your stove runs hot, reduce heat to medium-low.
- After 15 minutes, uncover pot. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and stir to incorporate.
- While stirring, add 2 tablespoons room-temperature heavy cream and stir until cream is incorporated. Once incorporated, slowly add remaining cream in 2-tablespoon increments, incorporating each addition of cream fully before adding more.
- Stir constantly until grits thicken and begin to "sputter", approximately 15 minutes.
- Once grits are ready, remove pot from heat. Taste grits and stir in additional salt if necessary.
- Divide grits into serving bowls, then add desired toppings and stir to incorporate. Serve warm.
For Quick Grits
- Fill pot with 4 cups of water. Add ½ tablespoon salt and stir to incorporate, then place pot on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and bring water to boil.
- Once water begins to boil rapidly, add quick grits and stir 30 seconds.
- Partially cover pot with lid. Reduce heat to medium and simmer grits 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Note: if your stove runs hot, reduce heat to medium-low.
- After 5 minutes, uncover pot. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and stir to incorporate.
- While stirring, add 2 tablespoons room-temperature heavy cream and stir until cream is incorporated. Once incorporated, slowly add remaining cream in 2-tablespoon increments, incorporating each addition of cream fully before adding more.
- Stir constantly until grits thicken and begin to "sputter", approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
- Once grits are ready, remove pot from heat. Taste grits and stir in additional salt if necessary.
- Divide grits into serving bowls, then add desired toppings and stir to incorporate. Serve warm.
Notes
- Water: Feel free to replace the water with low-sodium chicken broth for even more savory grits. I don’t recommend using chicken broth if you plan to sweeten your grits, though.
- Grits: Stone-ground grits are more coarse than quick grits. For the creamiest grits, use quick grits.
- Quick Grits: These are not the same as instant grits! I don’t recommend using instant grits with this recipe – they just won’t turn out well.
- Consistency: If your grits are too thick, you can add a little more heavy cream to thin them out. If you’ve added too much liquid and ended up with runny grits, let them simmer a little while, stirring frequently so they don’t stick or burn, until they’ve thickened up.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 346kcal, Protein: 4g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 1766mg, Potassium: 85mg, Total Carbs: 32g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Net Carbs: 31g, Vitamin A: 871IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
In the first step, do you add 1/2 tablespoon of salt or 1 tablespoon? The ingredients say 1/2 listed but wanted to clarify!
Ooops – great catch, Kassidy! Thanks so much for bringing that to our attention! It should’ve been 1/2 tablespoon, though you can certainly use more if you want to. We’ve updated the recipe to include the correct amount!
This recipe is a salt bomb!!! It should have read half a teaspoon and not half a tablespoon.
I’m so sorry this wasn’t to your liking, Amy! Did you happen to use salted butter along with the salted water? That could definitely make a difference.
As always, we encourage our readers to adjust spices and seasonings to their liking, since everyone’s palates are so different.
A ½ tablespoon of salt is the same as 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, so you could easily scale that back to just ½ teaspoon if you prefer that. I’d definitely reduce the added salt if you’re using salted butter instead of unsalted, too.
I hope you’ll give it another try with those adjustments!
Will this Quick Grit recipe serve 4 adults? I don’t see the total number of servings. But most likely I’m missing it somewhere.
Thank you.
Hi, Lori! The number of servings is on the recipe card, just below the photo of the dish. This recipe is written to feed 4, though the number of servings you’ll get out of it depends on your preferred portion sizes. I hope that helps!
Can heavy whipping cream be used?
Hi, Kassidy! Heavy whipping cream would totally work in this recipe, it just may not be as rich and creamy as it would be with heavy cream. You can also use half & half if you don’t have heavy cream on hand. Let us know if you try it! 😊
Best grits ever!!!
Yay! Thanks so much for the review, Tina!
OMG! I made these using stone ground grits for Christmas brunch for 12 and they were a HUGE hit!! Several people had second helpings that day and my niece had leftovers for the next two days. LOL I had her use cream to rewarm them and she was so glad that I did. I’m about to forward the recipe to one of my sisters with my rave review of it. Thank you.
You know a recipe is good when kids ask for more of it! So glad y’all enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
As a Yankee in the South, I brought these to a work breakfast and everyone raved. Was even told they were the best grits they ever ate.
What a compliment! Thanks for sharing, Robin!
This post is excellent—clear and easy to read, contains both the basics and the narrative with opinion, and offers options to augment the recipe! I’m going to follow you!
I am FLOORED by these grits….. I will eat them every day for the REST OF MY LIFE.
That’s awesome!! Thank you for the great review!