Grits With Cream Cheese

Breakfast with cream cheese grits
kirin_photo / Getty Images
Prep: 0 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Grits are a Southern food icon, usually served for breakfast, and not surprisingly, are mostly eaten in the South, from the Carolinas to Texas. But like so many wholly American foods, grits actually originated with Indigenous peoples—the Muskogee, or Creek, tribe—as part of how the tribe prepared corn; they ground the corn in a stone mill, and that resulted in a "gritty" texture, just the coarseness found in what's now called grits in the raw form. The Muskogee are descendants of the Creek Confederacy, a group of Indigenous tribes from the Southeast woodland areas. So it's no surprise that grits evolved as a key part of Southern cooking.

Grits are generally boiled in water, but if milk is used, the consistency is creamier, as it is in this recipe. The secret of these grits is the inclusion of cream cheese, which offers additional sultry creaminess to the grits, which benefit from a bolt of flavor from the salt, butter, and cheese. 

Ingredients

  • 4 cups milk

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional

  • 1 cup quick-cooking grits

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup cream cheese

  • 1 cup cheddar cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Mix milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in a medium-sized pot. Bring the liquid to a slight boil over medium-high heat.

  3. When the milk is bubbling, whisk in the grits. Reduce the heat, letting grits cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

  4. Add the butter, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese to the grits, stirring until they are melted into the grits. Taste, adjust seasonings, if necessary, and serve. ​

  5. Enjoy.

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs poses a risk of foodborne illness.

Recipe Variations

  • Serve grits as a side for breakfast with bacon and eggs instead of hash browns. Doctor them up with cheddar cheese, butter, and sausage. Or serve grits with country-style ham and red-eye gravy. Add bacon or onions for more flavor. Mix in all three types of meat for meat-lovers' grits or top with a fried egg.
  • Shrimp and grits is a South Carolina Lowcountry specialty that typically also includes bacon, bell peppers, cheddar cheese, and hot sauce or hot spices. More upscale versions add Parmesan cheese and mushrooms and turn into a casual dinner entree. Shrimp and grits has spread out from its Southern roots to gain a national following and was a "dish of the month" in San Francisco in 2014.
  • Besides changing up what you add to grits, you can cook them differently. Although they are most often boiled, you can also fry or bake them for a twist on the dish.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
386 Calories
26g Fat
22g Carbs
17g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 386
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 15g 77%
Cholesterol 80mg 27%
Sodium 519mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 527mg 41%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 400mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)