Southern Grits are a simple pot of four ingredients: 1 cup of grits, 2 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of butter, cooked slowly and covered until soft and creamy. It serves 4 in about 35 minutes, and it goes with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
How to make them: If you’re using stone-ground grits, rinse them first and pour off the bran that floats up. Put the grits, water, salt and butter in a saucepot, bring it to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cover and cook 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grits have soaked up nearly all the water and are soft with a little bite.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Four pantry ingredients: grits, water, salt and butter.
- Mostly hands-off: the pot cooks covered on low while you make the rest of the meal.
- Any time of day: serve them with eggs and bacon, fried fish, shrimp or beans.
- A blank canvas: stir in cheese or cream, or keep them plain and buttery.
What Are Southern Grits Made Of?
Grits are dried corn that has been ground, much like polenta. Stone-ground grits are milled the old way and keep more of the corn’s texture. Cooked slowly in water, grits release their starch and turn into a creamy porridge.
A basic Southern pot needs nothing more than grits, water, salt and butter. Richer pots add milk, heavy cream or cheese, but those are finishing choices, not the base.
Ingredient Notes
Grits: 1 cup. Stone-ground or regular grits both work with the times here. For quick-cooking grits, follow the package directions instead, since they cook much faster. Instant grits are a different product.
Water: 2 1/2 cups. For more flavor, swap half the water for chicken broth.
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon, added at the start so it cooks into the grits.
Butter: 1 tablespoon. It goes into the pot with everything else.
Ingredients
- 1 cup grits (stone-ground or regular)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
How to Make Southern Grits
1. Rinse stone-ground grits. If you are using stone-ground grits, put them in a bowl, cover them with water and stir. Pour off the water and the light bran that has floated to the top.
2. Combine. Put the grits, 2 1/2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepot.
3. Bring to a boil. Stir everything together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
4. Cook covered. Cook, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the water is absorbed and the grits are tender with a bit of bite (al dente).
How to Make Grits the Southern Way
The Southern way is slow and gentle. The grits cook covered on low heat, so the corn has time to soften and thicken the water into a creamy pot. A few habits make the difference:
- Rinse stone-ground grits. Stirring them in a bowl of water lets the light bran float to the top so you can pour it off.
- Stir to stop lumps. Whisk the grits as they come to a boil, and stir now and then while they cook, scraping the bottom of the pot so nothing sticks or burns.
- Judge by texture. Taste a spoonful: ready grits are tender with a toothsome bite, and only a little liquid is left in the pot.
- Loosen if needed. If the pot gets too thick, stir in a little water or milk.
Stone-Ground vs. Quick Grits
Stone-ground grits take the longest. Rinse them first. Soaking them overnight helps them cook faster and makes them creamier. For a quicker soak, bring them to a boil, take the pot off the heat, cover it and let it rest anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour before finishing them on the stove. Fans of stone-ground grits say quick grits lack their depth of flavor.
Quick grits (not instant) are done in minutes. Whisk 1 cup of quick grits slowly into 4 cups of boiling water and cook on low, stirring occasionally, 6 to 7 minutes until thickened. Plenty of Southern cooks happily use them.
Both make a good pot of grits. Use what you have, and follow the package for anything other than stone-ground or regular.
Do Southern Grits Have Cheese?
It’s a friendly argument. Plenty of Southern kitchens always stir in Parmesan or sharp cheddar, while others keep their grits plain with butter. The recipe here is the plain buttery pot, and cheese is an easy add-on:
- Cheddar: stir in 5 ounces of grated sharp cheddar with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder once the grits are done.
- Parmesan and cream: stir in about 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan along with more butter and a splash of heavy cream just before serving.
Variations
- Creamy grits: finish the pot with heavy cream and extra butter just before serving.
- Broth grits: use half chicken broth in place of water.
- Baked cheese grits: mix cooked grits with beaten eggs, butter and shredded cheese and bake at 350°F in a 2-quart dish until the center reaches 165°F.
- Toppings: sliced scallions, crumbled bacon, extra cheese, hot sauce, sautéed shrimp or a fried or poached egg.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: Cook the grits, cool and refrigerate them, then warm them over low heat and stir in butter and a little cream just before serving to loosen them.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Frozen leftovers stay safe for 3 to 4 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, never on the counter.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven until they reach 165°F, adding a splash of liquid if needed. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker. For a crowd, freshly cooked hot grits can be held in a preheated slow cooker on WARM, at 140°F or warmer.
What to Serve With Them
Grits belong at breakfast with eggs and bacon, so set them beside a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit casserole. At dinner they go with fried fish like golden fried catfish or Southern fried salmon patties, and they make a bed for shrimp, such as Cajun shrimp in foil.
They also work under stove-cooked beans, like slow cooker black-eyed peas with bacon, or next to smothered cheesy sour cream chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Southern grits made of?
Dried, ground corn. A basic pot is grits cooked in water with salt and butter.
How do you make grits the Southern way?
Rinse stone-ground grits, bring them to a boil with water, salt and butter, then cook them covered on low for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then.
How much water do you use for 1 cup of grits?
2 1/2 cups for stone-ground or regular grits. Quick grits take 4 cups; check the package.
How do you keep grits from getting lumpy?
Whisk them as they come to a boil and stir regularly while they cook, scraping the bottom of the pot.
How do you know when grits are done?
When nearly all the water has been soaked up and the grits are tender but still have a little bite.
Final Notes
Give the pot time on low heat and a stir now and then, and you’ll have a bowl of creamy, buttery grits. If you try them with cheddar stirred in, tell me in the comments which way you liked better.
Southern Grits
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Ingredients
- 1 cup grits stone-ground or regular; for quick-cooking grits follow the package directions
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- If you are using stone-ground grits, put them in a bowl, cover them with water and stir. Pour off the water and the light bran that has floated to the top.
- Put the grits, 2 1/2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepot.
- Stir everything together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- Cook, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the water is absorbed and the grits are tender with a bit of bite (al dente).
