If you've never had Cheese Grits, you're truly missing out on a southern classic! These savory morsels are sure to become part of your regular breakfast after you've tried them.
What Makes These Air Fryer Cheese Grits So Good?
- Fast. Done in less than 30 minutes. 17 minutes to be exact.
- Easy. Just mix, pour and cook.
- Convenient. No need to dirty a bunch of dishes with this Air Fryer recipe.
- Comfort Food. A southern classic that is perfectly filling.
- Customizable. Add butter, cheese, spinach, or any spices of your choice to make it a perfect breakfast.
This cheese grits recipe is an absolute breeze. Serve with eggs, bacon, or toast to make this a complete breakfast experience with very little effort.
How to Make Delicious Cheese Grits
- Mix. Add together the water, grits, beaten egg, butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and mix well in a 6-inch heatproof pan. Fold in the shredded cheese. You will have a soupy mixture.
- Cook. Place the pan in the air fryer basket and set the air fryer to 400F for 10-12 minutes until the grits have cooked and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Rest. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- Eat. That's it! Enjoy this deliciously simplistic dish!
Tips to Making the Perfect Air Fryer Breakfast
- It's ok to make grits with water, which is what I did in this recipe. However, they are a lot creamier using milk or a milk substitute. The cream isn't easily absorbed unless watered down.
- These grits can be saved in the fridge for a couple of days.
- I would suggest eating them soon after cooking them. As much as I love a great freezer meal, this one doesn't reheat from frozen well.
These Cheese Grits are a great breakfast or even brunch recipe to have on hand simply because they're so easy and they're definitely satisfying. So the next time you're looking for a quick and breakfast, make some of these delicious grits!
What Are Grits Made Of?
Well, you've got corn, polenta, masa, grits, and hominy, all of which seem to run together in my mind sometimes.
Grits are basically ground corn, but you use a special kind of corn called dent corn, which is less sweet, and more creamy than regular corn , in order to make grits.
Instant Grits take about 10 minutes to cook vs. their stoneground cousins that need about 45 minutes to cook. For this recipe, you are using Instant Grits.
In contrast, Polenta is made with Flint corn, and has a harder, starchy kernel in the middle. It tends to be a lot grainier than grits.
If you can't find grits, you could try roughly ground cornmeal, but just know that it will be a lot smoother than grits, without that rough texture that grits provide.
What Do Cheese Grits Taste Like?
Grits are delightfully savory with the perfect bite. They are made from ground corn, so they have a sweet and nutty taste that is mild enough to take on the flavor or anything they are paired with. They have a texture similar to Cream of Wheat.
Are Grits The Same As Polenta?
No. So, they're both made from ground corn, so you may think they're the same thing. But, they're not quite the same thing.
Here are the differences:
- One is Italian and the other is a traditional Southern American recipe.
- One is made from yellow corn and the other is made from white corn.
- Grits are a more finely ground corn, while polenta is a coarsely ground ingredient.
Craving Grit Cakes?
You can use this grits recipe to make grit cakes. In my opinion, this is the best way to eat these cheese grits. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Use the most shallow pan you have that will fit inside your air fryer.
- Once they're cooked following the instructions in the recipe, let them cool.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut them into the shape you expect grit cakes to be.
How To Reheat Grit Cakes
- Heat air fryer to 390F
- Cook for 3-5 minutes
- Enjoy!
Other Yummy Recipes to Try
- No-stir polenta recipe
- Spanish Proscuitto Wrapped Shrimp recipe.
- Tex Mex Corn Pudding
- Instant Pot Cranberry Millet Porridge
- Savory Bread Pudding
- Keto Breakfast
- Shrimp and Grits
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (187.5 g) hot water
- 2/3 cup (104 g) instant grits, 2 packages
- 1 (1) Eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) minced garlic
- 1/2-1 teaspoon (1/2-1 teaspoon) red pepper flakes
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, or jalapeno jack cheese (4 ounces)
Instructions
- In a 6-inch heatproof pan, mix together thewater, grits, beaten egg, butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes and mix well. Fold in the shredded cheese. You will have a soupy mixture.
- Place the pan in the air fryer basket.
- Set the airfryer to 400°F for 10-12 minutes until the grits have cooked and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving to allow the grits to thicken.
- If you want to make these in the oven, cook at 400F for 15-18 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center emerges clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving to allow the grits to thicken.
- It's definitely ok to make grits with water, which is what I did in this recipe. However, they are a lot creamier using milk or a milk substitute. Cream isn't easily absorbed though, unless watered down.
- These grits can be saved in the fridge for a couple of days.
- However, they won't be near as good as right after they finish cooking. I wouldn't suggest freezing them for later use.
- This recipe uses INSTANT grits. Stoneground grits will take a lot longer to cook and will need more water. In other words, that's an entirely different recipe!
- Read the article for potential subs for grits.
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Nutrition
And don't forget to check out my air fryer cookbooks! Every day easy air fryer, and Air Fryer Revolution.
Ellen
Quick, easy and really good grits recipe.