Southern Grits
Learn the easiest way to make the ultimate Southern comfort food – a big bowl of buttery, scrumptious, and soothing Southern grits.
We love our Southern grits. Creamy, hot, soothing, and delicious with cheese, bacon, or a simple stirring of butter and sugar, grits have been and continue to be the South’s ultimate comfort food.
Apparently many Southerners also see it as a dish that can actually bring out world peace! The Post and Courier, the oldest newspaper in the South, once declared: “an inexpensive, simple, and thoroughly digestible food, grits should be made popular throughout the world. Given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of grits is a man of peace.”
I consider myself fortunate to be able to get real stone ground grits where I live. Real stone ground grits are truly Southern grits at their finest! But whatever grits you get your hands on will be fine for this Southern grits recipe. All we need is grits, water, salt, and butter. The ingredients are as simple as can be. Add all of the ingredients to a saucepot, let them reach a boil, and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Then you’ll have a big serving of homemade grits to share with your family.
If you’ve ever wondered how exactly you serve grits, fear no more! I’ve included lots of serving suggestions down below, so let’s get cooking!
Recipe Ingredients
- Grits
- Water
- Salt
- Butter
How to Make Southern Grits
Now, sometimes I skip this step (I’m a rebel that way). But if you like, you can rinse the grits before boiling them. If you want to do that, go ahead and measure the desired amount of grits into a medium bowl.
Add some water and stir, as this causes the light bran to float to the top. Once that happens, pour off the water, allowing the bran to go with it.
Next, place grits and water in the saucepot.
The secret to ultimately creamy Southern grits is to add more water than your directions call for and don’t try to cook them too fast. For these, my directions called for 2 cups of water but I added 2 1/2 – 2 3/4 of a cup.
Add salt…
And butter or margarine to the saucepot.
Give the grits a stir before bringing to a boil and then lowering the heat.
Simmer on low heat, covered, until grits are done (about 25 to 30 minutes).
That’s it! This easy grits recipe is complete – how quick and simple was that?
Serve however you like them best!
Some folks like to stir in cheese, others crumble up bacon in them. I like my old-fashioned grits simply with butter and a touch of sweetener.
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat either in the microwave or on the stovetop for best results.
Recipe Notes
- For creamy grits, stir in heavy cream, half and half, or milk before serving.
- For more flavor, substitute the water for chicken broth.
- You can also add flavor with different seasonings and sauces, like garlic powder, Creole seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, and your favorite hot sauce.
Recipe FAQs
What are Southern grits?
Grits are most similar to polenta and are made from stone ground dried corn. However, polenta is made from more finely ground corn or cornmeal, and grits are slightly coarser. When slow-cooked, grits release their starch to become a creamy porridge you can serve for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can get stone ground grits (also labeled as old-fashioned grits), instant grits, hominy grits, and quick grits.
How do you make grits cakes?
Turn leftover grits into grits cake by chilling grits in a loaf pan in the fridge until hardened. Then slice the grits and fry them in oil until crispy.
How do you serve Southern grits?
There are so many ways to serve grits, as both a side dish and main meal. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Make cheese grits by stirring in the cheese of your choice at the end, like shredded sharp cheddar cheese, homemade pimento cheese, or parmesan cheese.
- You can also stir in crumbled bacon bits, green onion, caramelized onion, diced bell pepper, or sausage.
- Shrimp and grits is a classic Southern main dish, but you can serve it with other seafood too, including crab, lobster, oysters, or Southern fried catfish.
- Serve them as a side dish with chicken or turkey and gravy.
- In Louisiana, grillades and grits is a popular main dish. Grits are often used as a substitute for mashed potato and served with Creole-style braised beef, veal, and stews.
- Enjoy them as a breakfast side dish with eggs, bacon, and toast (bonus points if you swap the toast for a buttermilk biscuit).
- How about a sweet breakfast combination? Enjoy your grits with your favorite fresh fruit, honey or maple syrup for sweetness, ground cinnamon for spice, and chopped nuts for texture.
You may also like these sensational Southern recipes:
Southern Deviled Eggs Recipe (Keto-Friendly)
Southern Fried Chicken Recipe (Fuss-Free)
Hush Puppies Recipe, Southern-Style
Southern Biscuit Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Southern Dressing With Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup grits
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- If using stone ground grits, place them in a bowl, cover with water, and stir. Pour off the water and light bran, which has floated to the top.1 cup grits
- Place grits in a saucepot and add water, salt, and butter.1 cup grits, 2 1/2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon butter
- Stir ingredients together, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
- Cook, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes or until done.
Video
Nutrition
I’ve never made grits so I’m interested to try. Do you stir them often during the 30 minutes of cooking? Thanks! =^..^=
Stir occasionally should be fine.
my mama had a standing breakfast that she cooked every day that my brothers were at home- bacon, eggs, oven toast or fried bread, and grits. We also had coffee if we wanted. She was from western Tennessee and was raised up on a farm. My brothers were only going off to school but she believed in getting a big breakfast in us kids. I used to wake up and hear the farm report and livestock futures on the radio, smell the coffee, and hear Mama and Daddy talking quietly before they came to get us up for the day.
My father learned a different way to cook grits from a native American. You take your dry stone ground grits and put them in a skillet (cast iron best) and toast them over low/med. low heat. It takes a few minutes before you start to see the browning take place on the bottom of the skillet but once it start stir them frequently, 10-20 minutes, until you see browned grits throughout. Don’t overdo it! You’ll smell toasted corn/popcorn. I do a whole bag and then put in a container after they cool for later use. Cook them like normal. They’ll look, smell and taste amazing, so much so you may never go back to “plain” grits! Much more flavor and more corn-like.
Oh my goodness, I am going to have to give that a try and soon!! Thank you for sharing that with us David!!!
I do love me some grits. My Daddy would cook them for us sometimes when we were kids. Thanks for “stirring” up some fond memories for me this morning.
I’m a northern boy with a southern heart – and grits have always been on my table. 50 some years ago my Iowa gramma taught me to cook grits in a way similar to yours. I stir my grits into lots of cold water until loose, then put them on the stove at a simmer. Sometimes I add a little milk at the end, and always lots of butter. We use them with milk, butter and sugar for breakfast. And leftovers are turned into cheesy grits, as a side for dinner.
🙂 I love that, northern boy with a southern heart!!! It sounds like your grandmother was a wonderful woman!!