The Best Bacon Cheese Grits
The best bacon cheese grits are soft, creamy, and full of flavor, and that’s exactly what you get with this recipe. They’re perfect for breakfast or alongside your main dish at supper. You’ll be surprised how quick and easy these grits are to make!
This post may contain affiliate links of items I know and love. Read our disclosure policy for more information.
After my husband and I moved near Nashville, Tennessee, we fell in love with a restaurant called Hattie B’s. They have not only the best hot chicken around, but the best grits I’ve ever had!
Growing up in Northeastern Indiana, I never had grits until I moved south. I didn’t think I liked them and always heard they weren’t very good. That was all until I had the cheesy bacon grits at Hattie B’s. Ever since I’ve been hooked!
So I learned the best way to make grits and developed a recipe of my own at home. I’m so excited to share it with you!
Why You Will Love This Bacon Cheese Grits Recipe
- Easy to Make: The steps of this recipe are simple to follow along so even beginners can make them.
- Made with Milk: The half and half makes these grits creamy.
- Soft Texture: These grits come out soft and tender, just like you hope for.
- Plenty of Cheese and Bacon: There’s a lot of cheese and bacon in this grits recipe, so you get some in every bite.
The Secret to Good Grits
- Soak the Grits: Soaking grits overnight makes them soft and tender when you cook them.
- Don’t Just Use Water: Using half and half or cream gives grits a creamy delicious texture!
- Cook Them Low and Slow: It’s always best to cook grits low and slow for the best results. Never rush them.
Ingredients for Cheese Bacon Grits
- water
- half and half
- Optional: milk (to thin)
- sea salt
- regular corn grits (my favorite is organic)
- salted butter
- uncured bacon
- shredded cheddar cheese
- ground black pepper
- optional: chives (or green onions)
Kitchen Tools You May Need
This section contains Amazon affiliate links of items I know and love. Read our disclosure policy for more information.
How to Make Cheesy Bacon Grits
Optional – Soak Grits
Optional – soak grits in water overnight for a softer texture.
Bake the Bacon (you can do this while grits cook)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the bacon on the pan, make sure the slices aren’t touching.
Sprinkle bacon with 1/4 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.
Once oven is preheated bake bacon for 14-16 minutes until cooked fully and crunchy.
Set aside on a wire rack or paper towel to get off excess grease and cool.
Once cooled, chop bacon into small pieces and set aside.
Cook the Grits
Add water, half and half, and 3/4 tsp salt to a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once it begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and SLOWLY whisk in the grits a little at a time.
Cook grits uncovered for 20-25 minutes, whisking for the first 30 seconds then occasionally after that.
(Note: Cook for 20 minutes for thinner grits or 30 minutes for a thicker consistency. Cook 5-10 minutes even longer if you prefer even thicker grits.)
Once grits are soft, add in shredded cheese, butter, cooked bacon pieces, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
Stir to combine and heat on low-medium until cheese is combined and melted completely into the grits. About 5 minutes.
Serve with fresh chives or green onion slices on top of desired. Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover bacon cheese grits in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. You can also freeze them up to 1 month and thaw in the fridge overnight.
Best Way to Reheat Grits
The best way to reheat grits is in a pan on the stovetop on low-medium heat. Add a little extra butter and milk. Slowly reheat them until the warmth you desire.
How to Serve with Grits
You can serve grits many different ways! You can serve them for breakfast, lunch, or supper. Serve them alongside meatloaf, hot chicken nuggets, ham, or any other main dish of your choosing.
FAQs
Regular corn grits are the best to use for this recipe. Not instant or stone ground.
You can but I don’t recommend it. The half and half makes them creamy!
No, you don’t have to soak the grits. It just makes them a little softer.
More Side Dish Recipes Made From Scratch
- Old-Fashioned Baked Mac and Cheese
- Old Fashioned Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Sourdough Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Better Than Red Lobsters)
If you made this recipe, give it a 5-star rating below and share a photo of your muffins on social media stories! Be sure to tag @plumbranchhome
Recipe
The Best Bacon Cheese Grits
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup half and half
- 3/4 tsp salt (I like sea salt)
- 1/2 cup regular corn grits (my favorite is organic)
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 LB. uncured bacon
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use mild cheddar)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- optional: fresh chives/green onions
Instructions
Optional – Soak Grits
- Optional but highly recommend! – soak grits in water overnight for a softer texture.
Bake the Bacon (you can do this while grits cook)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place the bacon on the pan, make sure the slices aren’t touching.
- Sprinkle bacon with 1/4 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.
- Once oven is preheated bake bacon for 14-16 minutes until cooked fully and crunchy.
- Set aside on a wire rack or paper towel to get off excess grease and cool.
- Once cooled, chop bacon into small pieces and set aside.
Cook the Grits
- Add water, half and half, and 3/4 tsp salt to a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once it begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and SLOWLY whisk in the grits a little at a time.
- Cook grits uncovered for 20-30 minutes on low heat, whisking for the first 30 seconds then occasionally after that.(Note: Cook for 20 minutes for thinner grits or 30 minutes for a thicker consistency. Cook 5-10 minutes even longer if you prefer even thicker grits.)
- Once grits are soft, add in shredded cheese, butter, cooked bacon pieces, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Stir to combine and heat on low-medium until cheese is combined and melted completely into the grits. About 5 minutes. (This will thicken your grits a little more.)
- Serve with fresh chives or green onion slices on top of desired. Enjoy!
I haven’t ever had grits but I have heard they are super popular in some parts of the country. I feel like you can’t go wrong with bacon and cheese though!! This would be the perfect recipe for me to try first! 🙂
I grew up in the Midwest and never had grits but then I moved to Tennessee and the first ones I had were bacon and cheese. Ever since I’ve loved them!