Instant Pot Cheese Grits
Instant pot cheese grits are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a side item to your favorite seafood. Here is how I make mine.
Ingredients
For cooking
- 3 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup Stone ground grits (I am using Trader Joe's)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Add after cooking
- 1/2 cups milk (I am using 2%, but any type works. Start with 1/2 cup, and add more until desired consistency)
- 2 tablespoons sated butter (or more, to taste)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (or more, to taste)
Instructions
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Add grits, garlic powder, water, salt and pepper to the inner pot.
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Place the lid on, and set the pressure valve to sealing; cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes.
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Allow the pot to naturally release - mine took about 16 minutes
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Stir the grits, and use the back of your spoon pressed against the pot to break up any lumps.
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Stir in milk, butter and cheese.
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If the grits are too thin, you can turn on sauté to cook them a little longer, stirring frequently. If the grits are too thick, add more milk or water, and stir to combine until desired consistency.
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Taste test, and add more salt, pepper, cheese or butter as you wish.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
The grain size of stone ground grits can vary from different brands, and even different bags of the same brand. The great thing about the Instant Pot is that it is very easy to cook them a little longer.
If you want to use finer grained grits, such as Quaker Old Fashioned Grits (not instant), you can (1) increase the water to 3 3/4 cups, and (2) adjust cook time to two minutes manual high pressure with full natural release. These tend to clump a little more, but we still use them often.
You can use other types of cheese. I recommend one that you know you like that melts super smooth. I also recommend using a block of cheese and grating it yourself. The pre-shredded kind often has anti-stick ingredients that affect how well it melts. Some great options: cheddar, gouda, gruyere, fontina
For extra decadent grits, you can use half and half or heavy cream in place of the milk.