Grits is simply dried corn that has been ground into a fine porridge. It’s not too dissimilar from polenta. When I think of grits, I think of southern comfort cooking. But you don’t have to be from the south to enjoy this easy, delicious food. Grits can be made savory and sweet and served at breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s a super versatile food.
Sometimes folks are intimidated about making grits, assuming there’s a right way and a wrong way, but this really isn’t true. Like most foods, there are more or less traditional ways to make and serve it, but in the end it comes down more to your own taste and preferences. In this post, I will show you how to make basic, delicious grits you can then customize all sorts of ways.
Related: If you like grits for dinner, next up learn how to make risotto—another creamy, tasty grain that can be served with all sorts of meals.
Ingredients
- Grits
- Water
- Chicken bouillon
- Butter
- Salt
- Black pepper
I usually stir some cream (half and half) and shredded or grated cheese into my grits as well. But it depends what I am serving alongside it. I use water and chicken bouillon when making savory grits (which is most of the time).
How to Make Grits
Bring the water to a boil. Add the chicken bouillon cube and stir to dissolve.
While whisking, stir in the grits and continue to cook on medium/high heat for 12-14 minutes. Stir occasionally so the grits do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter, salt and pepper. Grits are done when they have a smooth and creamy texture and the grains feel softened, not gritty. If adding cream and cheese, add this now so everything can melt together and get warm.
Tips and Notes
- Grits are made with a 4:1 ratio of water (or stock) to grits. In the recipe card here I’ve listed 2 cups of water to 1/2 cup of grits (in order to make two servings). You can cut this in half, double it, etc. Just use the 4:1 ratio as your guide.
- Grits are usually labeled as simply grits, stone-ground or old fashioned. If the package says “instant,” this means the grits have been pre-cooked and the preparation is different (only need to add boiling water).
- You can substitute the water and chicken bouillon cube for chicken stock or broth. You can also use other types of stock (beef, seafood, etc.), depending how you want to flavor your grits and what you are serving them with.
- If you want to make the grits richer, add more butter, cream or cheese. If you want the grits to be thinner, add more liquid when cooking.
- If I am wanting to make sweet grits, I skip the bouillon cube and black pepper and will usually add a little brown sugar and cinnamon to flavor and sweeten the grits. Cream and butter are still great additions, or you can add a little bit of cream cheese. 🙂
What to Serve with Grits
- Shrimp
- Baked Chicken
- BBQ Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken
- How to Make Steak
- How to Broil Steak
- Air Fryer Steak
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Fried Egg – for breakfast grits!
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Ingredients
- ½ cup grits
- 2 cups water
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup cream
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Add the chicken bouillon cube and stir to dissolve.
- While whisking, stir in the grits and continue to cook on medium/high heat for 12-14 minutes. Stir occasionally so the grits do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter, salt and pepper. Grits are done when they have a smooth and creamy texture and the grains feel softened, not gritty.
- If adding cream and cheese, add this now so everything can melt together and get warm.
Notes
- Grits are made with a 4:1 ratio of water (or stock) to grits. In the recipe card here I’ve listed 2 cups of water to 1/2 cup of grits (in order to make two servings). You can cut this in half, double it, etc. Just use the 4:1 ratio as your guide.
- Grits are usually labeled as simply grits, stone-ground or old fashioned. If the package says “instant,” this means the grits have been pre-cooked and the preparation is different (only need to add boiling water).
- You can substitute the water and chicken bouillon cube for chicken stock or broth. You can also use other types of stock (beef, seafood, etc.), depending how you want to flavor your grits and what you are serving them with.
- If you want to make the grits richer, add more butter, cream or cheese. If you want the grits to be thinner, add more liquid when cooking.
- If I am wanting to make sweet grits, I skip the bouillon cube and black pepper and will usually add a little brown sugar and cinnamon to flavor and sweeten the grits. Cream and butter are still great additions, or you can add a little bit of cream cheese.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I’m gonna add hatch chiles to this! Can’t wait!
I am still intrigued by this versatile dish. As a non-native English speaker I struggle to understand the difference between bouillon, stock and broth (personally interested in vegetarian options). Maybe that could be a subject for a post?
This looks some comforting. Can’t wait to try soon.
Yum! I recently had a grits dish at a restaurant with shrimp, corn, and fried eggs – so good!! Now I can recreate at home 🙂
So easy and delicious!
Yum! 🌽
I didn’t know that grits were so easy to make! Thanks for the recipe.
Such an interesting recipe. I will try to find grits here in Germany. It looks similar to our beloved “Grießbrei”, made from semolina, but we only eat the sweet version.
This is one of my kids favorite breakfasts!
Grits always make me think of My Cousin Vinny! I would love to make these — thanks for a solid, old-fashioned recipe.
I love that movie!
Love this easy recipe!