Cornmeal Porridge
Ingredients
2 servings
- Corn grits (fine) 1 cup (160 g)
- Milk (2.5%) 2 cups (400 ml)
- Water 2 cups (400 ml)
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Sugar a scant 1 tbsp (14 g)
- Salt a pinch
- Butter, nuts, condensed milk, honey, vanilla for serving
Step-by-step recipe
Milk and water
Homemade cornmeal porridge can be cooked in lots of ways. Basically, it’s grits simmered to the doneness you like, and the liquid can be anything – water, milk or a mix of the two. It’s very handy to cook it in equal parts water and milk, with a little salt and sugar. If you use only water, add a bit of butter right at the start.
Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. First, this lets you make sure the milk won’t curdle. Second, it will already be hot by the time you add the grits – no time wasted.
While the milk is heating, pour 2 cups of water (400 ml) into a larger pot, add a pinch of salt and a scant tablespoon of sugar (11 g) – if you’re making savory porridge, skip the sugar. Also add a small knob of butter.
When the water in the pot comes to a boil, pour in the boiling milk and stir. This milk and water mix is what the cornmeal porridge will cook in.
The liquid should be at a gentle simmer. Make sure the salt and sugar have fully dissolved and the butter has melted.
Cooking the porridge
It’s easier to stir cornmeal porridge with a wooden spatula rather than a spoon – it sits flat against the bottom of the pot and keeps the grits from sticking and burning.
Stirring constantly, slowly pour the grits into the simmering liquid. Keep stirring the whole time so the porridge doesn’t stick or scorch.
Keep stirring and cook the grits over low heat at a gentle simmer. At first the porridge will seem too runny, but it thickens a lot as it cooks. By the way, be careful – thick porridge tends to spatter as it bubbles.
If needed, add some hot water to get the consistency you like.
Cook until done. The cooking time depends a lot on how fine the grits are and can be 10–20 mins. The grits swell well and soak up the liquid, and with longer cooking they turn smooth and soft. We like the grits almost done, with a slight bite. We usually cook them for 12–15 mins – that’s enough.
If you like, turn off the heat at the very end and let the porridge rest under a lid for 5 mins.
Serving
Spoon the porridge into bowls. From here, it’s up to you. Usually a knob of butter goes in.
You can add 1 tbsp of honey (21 g) or condensed milk, or sprinkle with grated cheese or nuts. A little vanilla is nice in the sweet version.
If the porridge is savory, it’s perfectly fine to top it with fried onion and pork cracklings. Serve while hot.
Calories and macros
515 kcal
Serving ≈ 500 g
- Protein12 g10% of kcal
- Fat14 g25% of kcal
- Carbs81 g65% of kcal
100 g102 kcalProtein 2.5 gFat 2.7 gCarbs 16 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.
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To Get It Right
Which grits to use
Fine or polished grits, close to semolina in size: even, free of debris and bright yellow. Coarse grits take longer to cook and don’t give such a smooth porridge.
Consistency
The porridge thickens a lot both as it cooks and as it cools in the bowl. Adjust it at the very end with hot milk or water only: pour in a little, stir and heat for 1–2 minutes.
Savory porridge
Leave out the sugar, and instead of honey and condensed milk top the bowl with fried onion and pork cracklings or grated cheese. This porridge also works as a side for meat with gravy.
Leftovers
Keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days. Cold porridge sets into a firm mass: reheat it over low heat with 2–3 tbsp of milk, stirring, or slice it and fry in butter.
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Questions and answers
How long to cook cornmeal porridge?
10–20 minutes after the grits go into the boiling liquid, depending on how fine they are. We cook fine grits for 12–15 minutes so they keep a slight bite, then let the porridge rest under a lid for 5 minutes.
How much milk do you need for 1 cup of corn grits?
In this recipe it’s 2 cups of milk (400 ml) and 2 cups of water (400 ml) – 4 cups of liquid (800 ml) in total for a cup of fine grits. In the finished porridge the milk and water mix tastes just like pure milk.
How to make cornmeal porridge with water?
The same way, just use water instead of milk – 4 cups (800 ml) per cup of grits. In this case add the butter right at the start of cooking, not only to the bowl.
Do you need to rinse corn grits before cooking?
Fine grits are neither rinsed nor soaked: they cook quickly, and wet grits clump. If there is any debris, it’s better to pick it out or sift the grits.
Can you make cornmeal porridge in a multicooker?
Yes: put the grits and the hot milk and water mix in the bowl in the same proportions, add butter, salt and sugar and cook on the “Milk porridge” setting for about 30 minutes, then leave it on keep-warm for another 10 minutes.