Instant Pot Grits just might be the creamiest, most delicious grits you ever tasted. No more standing over the stove stirring. The pressure cooker does all of the work for you. And no lumps!
Whether served for breakfast or as a base for Shrimp and Grits, this is the easiest, most delicious way to cook grits. The texture is out of this world.
This Instant Pot Grits recipe uses stone ground grits. They are by far the most flavorful grits but they take the longest to cook. Thankfully the Instant Pot reduces the cooking time.
In order to keep them from sticking to the Instant Pot, you’ll need to saute them first in some bacon grease or oil. Use bacon grease if you have some. It adds wonderful flavor.
Next, add water, some half-and-half or milk, salt, and butter. Set the Pressure Cooker on HIGH for 10 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 15 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually before removing the lid. Stir in a little cheddar cheese and your grits are ready to serve.
I’m a huge fan of Palmetto Grits which can easily be purchased online.
More Ways to Cook Grits
- Jambalaya Grits
- Pimento Cheese Grits
- Cream Cheese Grits
- Grits Fritters
- Cheesy Grits Casserole with Smoked Sausage
- Crock Pot Grits
Watch the short video below to see how to make Instant Pot Grits.
Instant Pot Grits
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil
- 1 cup stone ground grits
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons butter,, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add bacon grease or oil to inner pot of Instant Pot. Turn "Saute" mode on. Once hot, add grits and cook and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add water, half-and-half, salt, and butter. Turn Instant Pot off, place lid on with valve in "sealing" position. Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes.
- Allow a 15 minute Natural Release and then manually release the remaining pressure. Remove lid and stir in cheese. Stir well. Grits will thicken up some as they cool slightly.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from: This Old Gal
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
will this work with old fashioned grits as well as stone ground? I have old fashioned grits I need to use up.
Yes, I just did that this morning. DELICIOUS. I also didn’t use salt, since there’s plenty in the cheese (aged cheddar) and the butter (didn’t have unsalted). ENJOY!!
I made 1/2 the recipe in my 3 qt instant pot. Turned out great. TFS.
I am so eager to try this. I have a two quart pressure cooker I got on QVC, will this recipe work in my pressure cooker?
I used the same exact grits! I doubled the recipe, only used about a teaspoon of salt and used organic skim milk! They turned out PERFECT!! Yummy goodness!! **TIP: Regular grits will NOT WORK for this recipe! Stone Ground Grits are what you need!! If your brand of grits says Quaker anywhere on them, those grits have been parboiled and blanched of all nutritional value…trash them and get the real deal!
Not so. I used Quaker Five Minute Grits (all I had) and it came out very good. I used canola oil instead of bacon grease, no cheese, low-fat milk for half the liquid. No high pressure setting on my IP, so I set time to 12 minutes, did the 15 minute natural cool down. A quick stir and the grits were perfectly creamy, not runny.
Now I’m sure stone ground grits or non quick might be even better, but I was very happy with the outcome, using what I had.
Forgot to add that like others, I reduced the salt. I only used 1/2 tsp, as I do not like very salty food. I would normally top grits with lots of butter, but I used none on these as the amount used in cooking seemed enough.
I just made these in my IP. So easy, delicious and creamy! I followed the recipe exactly, except for adding a lot more cheese 😁
I am in the process of making it now. I’m loving that I can use stone-ground grits instead of quick grits. My husband, who ran a stone ground grits mill at a local history museum, really prefers stone ground grits but they just took me too long and too much attention on the stove. I left out the salt completely. He will add what he needs from the salt shaker. He is on a salt-restrictive diet.
I am a true southerner and I recently purchased an instant pot. I first made this recipe 2 weeks ago and it turned out perfectly!!. I did not saute the grits as I did not have bacon grease I also live with a vegetarian so bacon grease is out. I use McEwen & Sons organic stone ground white grits!! So delicious!!! I recommend this recipe wholeheartedly!
I love this recipe when it works but that is about 50% of the time. It keeps burning the grits to the bottom of my instant pot.
We tried this last night and the liquid required was way too much. We had to boil the grits on the sauce setting for a half hour to get them anywhere near edible.
Did you use instant grits? They don’t have as much fiber, so may have been watery. Just a guess.
My IP does not have a high setting. It refers to foods. So what should I set it on? I am new to this.
Some Instant Pots have a high setting while the rest of them have a Manual setting. Just press Manual and set it to 10 mins and you should be good 😊