Grits Recipe – A Southern staple breakfast or side dish that is creamy, cheesy and so versatile. Best served with eggs, sausages for breakfast and with other meaty proteins!
Our Black History Month food celebration won’t be complete without this Southern staple GRITS. If you miss our Black History Month Virtual Potluck blog post, you can check out other delicious African cuisine recipes from my fellow black food blogger right HERE.
What are Grits?
Those who came from the South are no strangers to grits. Grits are actually made from corn that is ground into a coarse meal. And then boiled and usually mixed with butter and milk.
Furthermore, it is also said to have originated from a Native American Muskogee tribe’s recipe during the 16th century. In which they would grind the corn in a stone mill to achieve that gritty texture. In case you’re wondering, grits can either be white or yellow; depending on the color of the corn used.
Types of Grits
Now before you put your head down for a big bowl of grits, you should know which type of grits to choose from. And you don’t need to be a Southerner to learn all of this.
1. Stone-ground Grits. This is the less-processed type of grits as it is made from whole dried corn that have been coarsely ground between two stones of a grist mill. Generally speaking, they are more like the old-fashioned grits – more toothsome texture and rich corn flavor.
2. Quick or Regular Grits. These two are more processed compared with the first one. You see, the only difference between quick and regular grits is its granulation. Quick grits are finely ground and can be cooked in just 5 minutes while regular grits are medium grind and cooks in 10 minutes.
3. Instant Grits. Like instant oatmeal, instant grits are quickly cooked with a boiling water. But the downside is they’re not as flavorful compared to those mentioned above.
4. Hominy Grits. Hominy is made from corn kernels that have been soaked in a solution that softens and removes its outer hulls and germs. They are dried and ground into hominy grits.
What Does Grits Taste Like?
That’s a good question! After all, we swear by how over-the-top this Shrimp and Grits is. But actually, grits don’t have a taste on their own. Instead, they become well-seasoned depending on what you simmered it in. In other news, they need to be well-seasoned for your palate to appreciate it.
Are Grits and Polenta the Same?
There’s a thin line that separates between polenta AND grits. And they are both made from corn; ground corn to be exact. But they are made from two different types of corns and its granulation. And of course, there’s also the taste and texture difference.
Most grits from the South are made from what is called dent corn (a starchy variety of corn), whereas in Italy, polenta are made from flint corn (has a hard starch in the center). These differences makes grits almost mushy and polenta as toothsome. However, polenta is more prone to hold a cake-like shape when it cools down and grainier compared to grits.
Like this Polenta the “Caribbean-style” aka Cornmeal Coo Coo down below.
Can you use cornmeal for grits?
Yes, you can. While cornmeal and grits can be substituted for each other. Cornmeal somehow yields to a finer and much smoother dish than grits.
How to cook grits?
Grits have always been a breakfast staple in the Southern part of the U.S. You can go as plain as boiling and simmering them in a liquid with a dab of milk and butter or as fancy as topping it with juicy flavorful bacon and to-die-for gravy.
You can probably try any of those recipes above, using cornmeal, polenta or grits alternately. In this way, you’ll be able to discover what suits your taste bud and include the one you like best into your recipe box. Meanwhile, you can start the most basic recipe of them all- this creamy, cheesy GRITS recipe.
Enjoy!
Tips and Notes:
- You can top grits with almost anything – from eggs to sausages and shrimps to simply butter.
- Yes, you can substitute grits with cornmeal.
- Grits thicken as they sit, so serve immediately or stir in a bit more of milk before serving.
Grits Recipe - A Southern staple breakfast or side dish that is creamy, cheesy and so versatile. Best served with eggs, sausages for breakfast and with other meaty proteins!
- 1 cup Quick Grits
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups milk , sub with water
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1-2 cups white sharp cheddar cheese , preferably smoked
- salt to taste
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Start by adding water, milk, bay leaf and salt to a heavy sauce- pan. Bring to a boil.
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Gradually whisk in the grits, until you have added the whole thing in the pot, a little at a time. Keep stirring with a whisk to prevent any lumps.
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You may have to remove sauce- pan from heat while trying to get rid of lumps – if needed.
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Reduce heat and cook grits at a bare simmer, covered, stirring frequently, until water is fully absorbed and grits thickened. This will take you about 15 minutes.
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Remove grits from heat; add butter and cheese, stirring with a whisk until cheese melts.
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Assemble the dish by placing the grits at the bottom of a shallow bowl, Cajun shrimp and it’s sauce. Enjoy piping hot!
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
How to Cook Grits
Start by adding water, milk, bay leaf and salt to a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil.
Gradually whisk in the grits, until you have added the whole thing in the pot, a little at a time. Keep stirring with a whisk to prevent any lumps. You may have to remove sauce- pan from heat while trying to get rid of lumps – if needed.
Reduce heat and cook grits at a bare simmer. Frequently stir until water is fully absorbed and grits thickened. This will take you about 15 minutes.
Remove grits from heat; add butter and cheese.
Stirring with a whisk until cheese melts. Assemble the dish by placing the grits at the bottom of a shallow bowl, Cajun shrimp and it’s sauce. Enjoy piping hot!
I recently found out that in different contrites people prepare grits, but not how I’m used to it here in Bulgaria. Apparently most people like to have them savoury, in Bulgaria we prepare them sweet. It’s a simple recepy and ratios depend on personal prrfrtence, I like to make mine more sweet and more mushy. All you need is one liter milk after it starts to simmer you add half a cup or a full cup of sugar, a few drops of vanilla and then you add your grits. Its simple and very tasty desert. I recommend : )
Hi Alex. Thank you for sharing your tips for the Bulgarian version. Will definitely try it soon :).
That is just like cornmeal porridge we do in Jamaica, only difference is that we add sugar and or condensed milk.
Oh I love that one, too. And yes, they are closely related.
am in east africa…kenya to be exact, do we have anything close to grits here? I really wanna make it
Maybe someone in Kenya can chime in. Wouldn’t know for sure.
My bag of dried corn grits actually say Safari The Taste of Africa on them.
By Capital Distributors here in my state of Minnesota. http://www.capitaldistri.com
As we say in New Orleans, “you can’t eat one grit”.
Some Grits Recipes from the “Big Easy” and Quaker Quick Grits®
Very simple recipes, but exactly the grits this 78 year old man’s Mama and Memere made for him as a child in the Irish Channel of New Orleans
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Ingredients: (Serves 1)
• 1 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons Quaker Quick Grits®
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup Quaker Quick Grits®
• ¼ teaspoon salt
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
• 3 cups water
• ¾ cup Quaker Quick Grits®
• ¼ teaspoon salt
Ingredients: (Serves 6)
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup Quaker Quick Grits®
• ½ teaspoon salt
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Method:
1. Slowly stir grits and salt into briskly boiling water.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover.
3. Cook 5 –7 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Serve immediately with salt and butter.
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Grits and Eggs
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Serves 1 little one
When our son was a little boy, he didn’t like eggs. His dad thought this was such a deficiency in his diet that he created a version of grits in which eggs are cleverly hidden. He liked grits, so he downed this with delight.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons Quaker Quick Grits®
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ Tablespoon butter
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
Method:
1. Slowly stir grits and salt into briskly boiling water.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover.
3. Cook 5 –7 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. When the grits are cooked, remove them from the heat and rapidly stir in the egg yolks, until the grits are uniformly yellow.
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Note: The heat of the grits will cook the eggs instantly.
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5. Serve immediately with salt and butter.
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Okay! I am from the south and immediately looked to see if you were going to add sugar (which is a NO NO lol) Usually for traditional dishes, such as grits, I do not stray away from the way I was taught. Adding a bay leaf is not apart of my tradition but I want to try it! I love bay leaves and think this will be a great touch. My grits are pretty famous around my area so I will give a secret. If you are looking for your grits to be a little bit more savory, add Liptons (or your favorite) onion power. Just a little. This goes well with shrimp and grits. It will be a HIT!
Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing those tips. Will have to try that soon!
What is another name for grits? Is it available in South Africa?
Yes, it is. The dish itself is also called Mieliepap or Pap in South Africa made form mielie meal as far as I know.
Woah. Miele pap? Aw, didn’t know that would work for grits. Will HV to give it a try as I am also in SA.