Y’all know I’m a sucker for any Southern soul food recipe, and this one is no exception. Whenever we do a big Southern-style breakfast, grit cakes are a must. And honestly, I love to serve them as a side with fried chicken or fried catfish. The versatility of grit cakes doesn’t stop there either. There are a million ways to dress up these savory little cakes to make them as fancy or as flavorful as your heart desires.
Recipe Ingredients
How to Make Grit Cakes
Cook the Grits
Prep – Grease a 9×12-inch cooking pan with baking spray. Set aside.Heat the Liquid – Add water, milk, bay leaf, and salt to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.Add Grits – Gradually whisk in the grits until you have added them all to the pot.Simmer – Reduce heat to low and cook grits at a bare simmer, covered, frequently stirring, until water is fully absorbed and grits thickened. This will take you about 15 minutes.Add Cheese – Then, remove grits from heat; add butter and cheese. Stir with a whisk until cheese completely melts.Spread out the grits onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread evenly across the bottom of the pan using an offset rubber spatula. Let the grits sheet pan sit out until they have cooled to room temperature.Cover with foil and refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours to overnight.
Fry the Grit Cakes
Heat Skillet – When chilled grits are ready to fry, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat.Cut the grits into circular shapes, in whatever size you desire.Egg Wash – Whisk egg in a small dish and brush on grit cake tops.Fry each side of the cakes until golden in color, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Don’t forget to brush the other side of the grit cakes with the egg wash when you flip it over.Serve immediately with shrimp or ham.
Recipe Variations
Tips and Tricks
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make grits ahead, spread them in a prepared pan, and chill them for three days before frying. That’s a big win for all of you who love make-ahead dishes! 🤩
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve grit cakes immediately topped with shrimp, ham, or the toppings of your choice. Like most fried foods, these lovelies taste the best fresh out of the skillet. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Store toppings separately and assemble them when you are ready to serve the leftovers. I prefer reheating them in the oven, air-fryer, or a countertop toaster oven. To me, that’s the best way to reheat anything fried if you want to get some of the crispiness back. That said, microwaving grit cakes to reheat is also totally acceptable.
What to Serve with Grit Cakes
If I’m making grit cakes as a side to my dinner, I usually pair them with oven-fried chicken and collard greens or Southern fried catfish and green beans and bacon. If I’m doing grit cakes for breakfast, then I love to serve them alongside either sweet plantain hash and eggs or the traditional American breakfast items: fried eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits. 🤤
More Gratifying Grits Recipes to Try
Fish and GritsCajun Shrimp and GritsSouthern Style Smoked Gouda GritsBasic GritsCheese Grits
Conclusion
Go ahead and whip up some grit cakes this weekend and enjoy some classic Southern comfort food; bless your heart. What toppings are you going to use? Don’t forget to leave a comment below to let me know what you thought and any creative toppings you tried!
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”EQ6VR3l6″ upload-date=”2022-06-14T15:09:19.000Z” name=”GRITS CAKE.mp4″ description=”Grit Cakes are cheesy, crunchy, soul-satisfying Southern comfort food your whole family will enjoy for breakfast, a side dish, or an appetizer” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]
