Pimento Cheese Grits
Pimento cheese grits will tickle any southern food lover. This creamy, cheesy side is so good served as a side dish to a big breakfast or even a barbecue. Whenever you make them, you won’t be able to wait to dive right in!
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Few things make my southern girl heart flutter just a bit faster like grits and pimento cheese.
This down home combination is pretty much as southern and as comforting as it gets.
And as delicious too.
I’m not the only one who enjoys this genius combination- my boys can’t get enough either!
And let me tell you with the creamy, lightly garlicky, cheese flavor, you’ll definitely understand why!
Ingredients
To make this southern combination staple, you’ll need:
- Water– To cook the grits in
- Grits– Make sure you go for regular stone ground grits and not the quick cooking variety. More on this in a minute.
- Cream– Optional.
- Butter– Use softened, room temperature butter.
- Pimento cheese– Either store bought or homemade.
- Seasonings– Salt and pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika.
- Garnish– Shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives.
What’s the difference between stone ground grits and quick cooking grits?
Stone ground or whole ground grits are coarsely ground. They take longer to cook to creamy perfection.
Quick grits are finely ground and cook in 5 minutes.
Instant grits are the most finely ground and are precooked and dehydrated.
Somewhere in between stone ground grits and quick grits are regular grits. These are medium grind and cook in 10 minutes.
Where can I find stone ground grits?
If you don’t live in the South, it might be kind of tough to find them in the grocery store but you can try to find them in the breakfast aisle near the pancake mix.
However, you can always order them online. I highly recommend these.
How to Make
Making these is easy but does take a few minutes. Trust me, though, it will be so well worth it!
To do it, add the water to a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Bring the pot to a boil and stir in the grits.
Then, lower the heat to medium low, cover, and let the grits simmer for 15-20 minutes or until they are tender. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the butter, a splash of cream, and season the grits with salt and pepper to taste.
Then, stir in the pimento cheese, paprika, and garlic powder until the cheese is melted and evenly incorporated.
Spoon into bowls, and top with shredded cheese and chives before serving. Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove top or in the microwave until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- While cooking, add a bit of water if needed to prevent the grits from sticking to the pot and burning if too much cooks off. You only need a bit, and only to prevent burning.
- Yes, you can sub the quick cooking kind BUT they only take roughly 5 minutes to cook and no extra liquid should be required- even the cream.
- These aren’t only delicious at breakfast, but make a yummy side any time of the day!
Recipes to Serve with Grits
These pimento cheese grits are a life changing experience for any southern food fan! Make them today and enjoy!
Looking for some delicious recipes to serve with grits? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- Open Faced Denver Sandwiches
- Sausage Balls
- Copycat Cracker Barrel Roast Beef
- The Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs
- Beef Tips In Gravy
If you’ve tried these PIMENTO CHEESE GRITS or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Pimento Cheese Grits
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup grits NOT the quick cooking variety
- salt & pepper to taste
- cream if needed
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter softened
- 1/2 cup pimento cheese
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch smoked paprika
- shredded cheddar cheese for garnish
- chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottoms pot, or Dutch oven, add the water. Bring the pot to a boil, and once boiling stir in the grits.
- Lower the heat to medium low, cover, and let the grits simmer for 15-20 minutes (stirring occasionally) until they're tender. Add a bit of water if needed to prevent the grits from sticking to the pot and burning if too much cooks off- just a bit, and only if needed to prevent burning.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the butter, a splash of cream, and season the grits with salt & pepper to taste.
- Add the pimento cheese, paprika, and garlic powder, stirring until the cheese is melted and evenly incorporated.
- Spoon into bowls, and top with shredded cheese and chives before serving.
Notes
- While cooking, add a bit of water if needed to prevent the grits from sticking to the pot and burning if too much cooks off. You only need a bit, and only to prevent burning.
- Yes, you can sub the quick cooking kind BUT they only take roughly 5 minutes to cook and no extra liquid should be required- even the cream.
- These aren't only delicious at breakfast, but make a yummy side any time of the day!
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Quiche My Grits
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.
