The Best Thick and Creamy Grits Recipe - caramel and cashews (2024)

FAQs

How to make grits thicker? ›

(If your grits are fully cooked but too thin, you can speed up the thickening by cooking them uncovered, which will allow steam to escape more quickly.) Whisk in butter until fully melted and incorporated, then remove from heat. Season with additional salt, if needed. Serve as desired.

Southern Living Test Kitchen Director Robby Melvin prefers to cook grits in a mixture of water and heavy cream. "I use mostly water with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cream. The water does the trick to tenderize the grits, and the cream adds an obvious richness and creaminess to the finished product," he says.

Grits are kinda bland in their natural state. Butter, salt, and pepper wakes them up and bring out that wonderful light corn flavor. Adding cheddar cheese, hot sauce, bacon bits, garlic, and other spices is also great!

Bring the milk to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir so it doesn't scorch. Whisk in grits, salt and pepper into the milk and cook, stirring rapidly, for 4 minutes or until the grits thicken.

Even if you buy 5-minute grits, don't cook your grits for only five minutes. Part of what makes the grits all creamy is the time they get to soak in the water. Making them softer and allowing them to merge together to form all the creamy goodness. I repeat creamy grits are not made in five minutes.

It doesn't taste like egg, not really, but it makes the grits taste richer, with a more cohesive, rib-sticking texture. It's also an easy way to sneak a little more protein in there—six grams per egg—and I've found it amplifies the cheesiness of cheese grits, without adding any extra dairy.

Whole milk: You can do all water with just a splash of milk if you like, as long as there is some. It provides a creaminess that you can't get with just water. You can also use anything from whole to skim milk, but for quick grits I don't recommend using anything heavier than half-and-half because it's too thick.

Serving Southern Grits

We always add cheese to our grits — either Parmesan or sharp cheddar. But you can certainly skip the cheese altogether; some people prefer theirs without. We often eat these grits as-is for breakfast (or topped with a fried egg or crumbled sausage).

Grits are often cooked in either milk or water; we prefer a combination of the two for silky grits that aren't too heavy. For additional flavor, substitute water with chicken or vegetable stock. Grits require a 1:4 cup ratio of grain to liquid.

It's a mystery to Southerners as to why Northerners often call grits Cream of Wheat.

What if my grits are too watery? ›

FoodsGuy recommends recooking the grits and bringing them to a medium simmer until the excess liquid evaporates, which might take another half-hour.

Adding an egg is another option. Foodsguy recommends beating an egg in a medium-sized bowl until it's thoroughly combined, then stirring a small portion of cooked grits into the bowl. Be careful — adding too much will cook your eggs.

The key to cooking old-fashioned grits is going low and slow—use a low heat so the grits simmer and slowly release their starches, which creates a decadent, silky texture. Whisking constantly during the first couple of minutes, and frequently throughout the rest of the cooking process, will prevent lumps from forming.

Spoon the leftover grits into the pan, and add a small drizzle of water, milk, or broth to the grits. Allow the dish to heat on low, constantly stirring and breaking up lumps as you stir. If the grits become too thick or clumpy, add more liquid to the mix while stirring.