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Cheesy Southern Grits – Southern grits are cooked in chicken stock, cream, and tons of spices to make them incredibly flavorful and finished with two kinds of cheeses to make them extra gooey and rich
Hi! It’s Certified Pastry Aficionady back with a new recipe! Moving to the South almost 7 years ago has been the greatest thing for many reasons. But I have to say – my tastebuds have become the biggest winner in this move. I’ve gotten to try the most incredible foods that I just didn’t get exposed to in Florida – fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, the best biscuits in the world, country gravy, and, my favorite, Cheesy Southern Grits.
Sure, in Florida, we had grits. But I had only seen plain, boring grits without any seasoning and a yucky, gritty, watery texture. Yuck.
When I got to Atlanta, almost every breakfast spot served their own version of delicious, creamy grits. Everyone raved about grits so I decided to give them another shot. After one bite, I was shocked – what is this thick, flavorful, starchy side? These cannot be the same CHEESY Southern Grits that I scoffed at back at home!
But even after enjoying grits for years, I hadn’t made them for myself until last year. I thought I needed to have the “Southern edge” in the kitchen to make great Southern food. But I found, with the right recipe and a passion for great food, I could easily tackle any classic Southern recipe.
And boy was I right! Just look at how thick and cheesy these grits came out!
How to Make Grits at Home
Now, don’t let these grits fool you – they may look complicated, but, man, are they simple! To make them at home, all you’re doing is:
- boiling cream, broth, and water together with spices
- adding the grits
- cooking until the liquid is absorbed
- Finishing with shredded cheese.
That’s it! Are you shocked?? It’s basically like cooking rice. Who knew!
Tips for Cheesy Grits
In case you’re still a little hesitant about attempting cheesy Southern grits at home, here are a few tips to help you along:
- Freshly shredded cheese ALWAYS melts and combines much easier than the pre-shredded stuff. So I HIGHLY recommend you buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself for this recipe to obtain maximum gooey-ness
What Kind of Grits to Buy
- Make sure you buy stone-ground grits – not instant grits! These grits are meant to cook slowly so they have time to incorporate all those yummy flavors.
Once you make these once, you’re going to want to see what other kinds of grits you can make. I’ve already got tons of variations floating around in my head: garlic parmesan grits, goat cheese grits, pimento cheese grits, the opportunities are endless!
Cheesy Southern Grits
Cheesy Southern Grits
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Water
- 4 Ounces Butter, salted
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Cup Grits, not quick-cooking!
- 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, sharp, shredded
- 1 Cup Cheese, Monterrey Jack, shredded
Instructions
- Pour the chicken both, heavy cream, and water into a medium sauce pan. Add butter and seasonings and whisk together. Heat mixture over medium-high heat until it begins to boil.3 Cups Chicken Broth, 1 Cup Heavy Cream, 1 Cup Water, 4 Ounces Butter, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Once it's boiling, very very slowly pour in the grits while whisking quickly for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.1 Cup Grits
- Once grits have cooked and thickened, add shredded cheese and whisk together until combined. Taste grits and add hot sauce or salt, if needed.1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, 1 Cup Cheese
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More recipes you’ll love:
SHRIMP & GRIT CAKE BITES
Ultra creamy grit patties are fried and served with a buttery sauteed shrimp and crispy bacon to create an appetizer that your guests will go crazy for.
SOUTHERN MACARONI & CHEESE
When we think of macaroni and cheese we always think of Grandma Carol’s ultimate comfort food, her cheesy Southern Macaroni and Cheese!
Or if you want a classic shrimp and grits recipe, try this one!
Ok, so I live in Estonia and want to try this. What is a grit? We don’t have “grits” in the supermarket. Any advice?
Jenna Sayman
https://www.itscalendar.com/
Hey Jenna! Wow, Estonia! I’ve always wanted to go there! Grits are kind of a hard product to substitute, but if you can find polenta, that will be your best option.
Question on the “nutrition” – I’m going to assume you meant 100g servings, correct? Otherwise that ONE gram packs a HUGE punch… 😉
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 1144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
Yes, you’re right!
I don’t know where you lived in Florida, but I can name dozens of places just in Daytona that serve the grits you’re talking about. That being said, this recipe is almost exactly the same as my mom’s. Use old bay instead of creole seasoning and use velveeta for the cheese. Sounds crazy, but it’s the secret to getting that homemade taste.
Yessss…so good! Thank you for the feedback!
Unreal, I just gave the same advice without reading your review! Velveeta is a must, and Old Bay goes with everything. A dash of Frank’s is a good finish.
Ok, so I live in Estonia and want to try this. What is a grit? We don’t have “grits” in the supermarket. Any advice?
I had grits years ago in a Crater Barrel and really enjoyed it!
Hi Ben! There are a wide variety of different grits out there. They are all corn based. It will be hard to recreate this recipe with something other than grits, but ground cornmeal will be your best substitute. Cornmeal is finer, so it will have a smoother texture than grits would.
I live in Switzerland and we have a perfectly suitable product called Bramata Polenta (Italian origin). It is essentially the same things as grits (coarsely ground, dried corn) and works exactly the same way. Grits = Polenta 🙂
Hey Helene! They aren’t exactly the same but pretty close! Thanks for the feedback!
grits aren’t even listed as an ingredient 🤔
Doh! We have been converting all our recipes to a new format and the conversion process has been giving us some problems. It has been fixed! Thank you for bringing that to our attention!
no problem! I was excited to try your recipe but was unsure of the ratio with grits so I referenced another and winged it. I’ll be making yours next time, thanks for updating!
I have to say, I laughed my butt off to read someone from Florida moved North in order to live in “the South.”
Hahahah! I guess it is a pretty funny way of putting it!
This article and recipe is very nice
Thank you!
I actually just bought grits (for the first time) to cook….love how creamy this looks!!
Enjoy!! Grits are so good!!
I made these this weekend and then saw your recipe this morning. I always you the stone-ground grits that take about 25 min to cook. One heaping teaspoon of minced garlic and 1 lbs of crawfish tails. Wow what a treat. Those that have never made grits before need to try your recipe. They will be instant converts!
Thank you for leaving a comment!! Crawfish tails…we will have to try that!!
I have never tried to make grits, but I love them order them all the time in restaurants. Guess I was just scared! This recipe sounds so simple….it can’t really be that easy! I am headed to the store right now to get all the ingredients so I can tackle this once and for all!! I will let you know how they turn out, fingers crossed!!! LOL
Yesssssss!! Please let us know and my fingers are crossed!!
I think it is charming and fabulous that so many people are trying grits – and it is also VERY strange for me to hear people say they don’t know what they are, but then again I am certain there are many northern staples I haven’t tried (Cream of wheat? Huh?). In the South, grits are savory. Not sweet – do not add syrup! Butter and salt will do ya for plain grits. Cheese grits are a lovely alternative. Not many Southerners know this, but grits should be thick enough to be eaten with a fork. Love and Good Grits from GA! – Shannon