Grits are a southern classic that are served year-round & can be eaten any time of the day. Make this easy grits recipe in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.
PIN FOR LATER
What Are Grits?
Originating from Native American communities, grits are widely known these days as being a southern food. Grits are made from dent corn which is a less sweet than the corn you would normally eat as corn-on-the-cob. After they’re dried and ground down, grits are cooked with a liquid like milk or water until they resemble a creamy texture.
before (slow cooker)
What Type Of Grits Should You Use?
The short answer is anything but instant. There are 3 main types of grits: stone-ground grits, quick grits, and instant grits. The main difference between stone-ground grits & quick grits are how much they are granulated. Stone-grits are not ground as much as quick grits which results in them having a cook time that’s twice as long. For example, if quick grits are done in 20 minutes then you’ll need 40 for stone-ground. Instant grits have previously been cooked and dehydrated so all you need to do is add water. While good in a pinch, they’re not for this recipe. A lot of people will tell you that you have to use stone-ground grits in the slow cooker. I do not find this to be true. While I prefer stone-ground grits, I make this recipe using quick grits fairly frequently and it always works out just fine. I follow the grits/liquid ratio of 1/2 cup of grits = 2 cups of liquid. Since the recipe uses 1 1/2 cups of grits that means 6 cups of liquid. For the liquid I use a combination of water and milk. You can get use all milk, all water, water and heavy cream, etc.
after (slow cooker)
How To Serve Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Grits
Once the grits are done cooking, you can eat them as-is but most people add some sort of topping. What do grits taste like? To me, they’re a little bland to be honest. Hence it’s common to load grits up with ingredients like butter, bacon, cheese…heck I know people who put sugar or maple syrup in their grits. For the record, I do not eat sweet grits. Of course you can go a bit further – shrimp & grits is a popular combo.
after (slow cooker)
Adding Cheese
As you can see in the pics, you can easily make these cheese grits by adding the cheese directly to the slow cooker or electric pressure cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. This is of course optional. If you don’t want to add cheese, simply omit them. You don’t need to make any modifications to the menu.
Storing Grits
Store your leftover grits in the refrigerator. Let the leftovers cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Cooked grits will keep in the frig for up to 5 days.
I used a 3.5-quart slow cooker for this recipe. This isn’t an overnight recipe since it will done in 6 hours or less on LOW. Keep in mind that grits thicken as they cool.
PIN FOR LATER
Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Grits
Description
- 1 1/2 cups grits
-
3 cups milk of your choice
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons butter (or ghee)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Ingredients
Slow Cooker
- Spray slow cooker generously with cooking spray. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
- Cook HIGH 2–4 or LOW 4-6.
- Stir before serving.
Electric Pressure Cooker
- Spray the pressure cooker generously with cooking spray. Stir in grits, milk, water, salt, pepper, and butter.
- Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 10 minutes, When done cooking, natural release 15 minutes then quick release remaining pressure.
- Stir in cheese.
Instructions
grits will thicken as they cool
cold grits in the pressure cooker
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