These Instant Pot Grits are a creamy, rich and delicious classic Southern favorite made in minutes using the Instant Pot.
There are few things as quintessentially southern as a bowl of grits. I’ve always loved them for breakfast alongside some scrambled eggs or even topped with an easy garlic shrimp for lunch or supper. They are a definite workhorse to keep in your pantry!
For years, I’ve made my easy grits recipe on the stovetop or in my slow cooker, but recently have loved making them in my Instant Pot. They turn out perfectly every single time!
What are Grits?
Grits are mature corn kernels that have been ground into coarse pieces. There are a few different types available on the market.
Types of Grits
- Stone-Ground – Made by coarsely grinding whole dried corn kernels between the two stones of a grist mill. When ground using this method, a few larger pieces of the corn hull, called the chaff, remains and gives a signature appearance when cooked.
- Hominy Grits – are a type made from hominy. Hominy is corn that has been processed where the hull and germ have been removed. For this type, the hominy is coarsely ground into grits.
- Regular and Quick Grits – are processed to cook quickly and easily and to last for an extended period. Regular grits have a medium grind while Quick grits have a finer grind for smaller bits.
- Instant Grits – have been even further processed by being finely ground, precooked and dehydrated.
How to Make Instant Pot Grits
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
Ingredients
- stone ground grits – you can also use the hominy type
- water
- salt
- cream or half and half
- butter
Step by Step Instructions
- Prepare your Instant Pot by spraying with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Add water to the Instant Pot, followed by the grits and salt.
- Stir well to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to HIGH setting.
- Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes, then allow them to naturally release pressure, which will be about 15 minutes.
- Once they’ve cooked and the pressure has released naturally, carefully remove the lid.
- Add the cream (or half and half) and butter to the cooked grits. Stir well to combine.
- Serve with additional butter and shredded cheese if desired.
Note: If your grits are a bit too “soupy” for your taste after cooking them, you can use the Sauté option on the Instant Pot. Cook them with the top off just until the excess water releases.
Your grits will be creamy, buttery and delicious! And they are so versatile, they are perfect for breakfast or supper.
Optional Add-Ins
I think you’ll love these optional additions – they are some of our favorites!
- Cheese – Cheese grits are absolutely delicious. Depending on how you are serving them, they are delicious with various cheeses. Add cheddar cheese for breakfast or brunch. Gouda and Parmesan are perfect additions when served with fish or seafood. When making one of these, stir in about 1/2 – 1 cup of cheese at the same time as adding butter.
- Pimento Cheese – A classic Southern dish, Pimento Cheese Grits are absolutely out of this world! Simply add 1/2 cup of pimento cheese at the end of cooking at the same time you add the butter.
- Bacon – Stir in chopped cooked bacon along with a bit of cheese, if you like, for a full meal in one!
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
Eggs Benedict with Easy Hollandaise Sauce
Here’s my Instant Pot Grits recipe. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Instant Pot Grits Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups stone ground grits
- 8 cups water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups cream or half and half
- 6 tablespoons butter, + more for serving
Instructions
- Spray inside of Instant Pot with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Add water, grits and salt. Stir well to combine. Secure the lid to the Instant Pot and set to HIGH setting for 10 minutes with natural pressure release, about 15 minutes.
- Once the grits have cooked and the pressure has released naturally, carefully remove the lid to the Instant Pot. Stir in the cream and add the butter. Serve with additional butter and cheese if desired.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
We tried this recipe tonight in part because my husband is southern and was craving morning grits but also because of some dietary allergies to wheat/oats so we needed an alternative to normal breakfast warm cereal.
Ours also ended up soupy. Upon reading the reviews and theorizing we have found that the disconnect on why peoples are ending up soupy is likely because, like we did, we turned off the ‘Keep warm’ setting that triggers upon the end of the cook cycle. I figured it should be turned off because of the natural venting option. We always set it to sealing so, aside from the ‘Keep Warm’ setting, we followed the recipe exactly.
Sauté did help firm them up though. So, if we try this again we will be leaving the ‘Keep Warm’ setting on. We figured the keep warm setting would help cook off some of the excess moisture while it releases pressure – we have seen this with other pressure cooker recipes we have made and if you leave it on everything usually turns out well.
That’s the only edit I would make to the recipe is to clarify that aspect.
Thank you!
I tried this recipe today but my instapot keep saying burn, so I had to move them to the stove. I followed the recipe as written but it didn’t work out for me.
LaToya, I’m sorry you had problems making this recipe. When you get the Burn notice on your Instant Pot, it means that the sensor thinks the inner pot has gotten too hot. It could mean that food like small grains of grits is between the inner pot and the Instant Pot, there is not enough liquid, the food is sticking to the bottom of the pot, or the inner pot is not positioned correctly inside the Instant Pot. One suggestion to prevent the Burn notice is to place a trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot and then place the inner pot on it, especially for pasta or grits.