These Creamy Instant Pot Grits with Cheddar and Jalapeño are a delicious addition to your breakfast table. This recipe is so easy to make in your Electric Pressure Cooker.
This post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclaimer here.
Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I love making breakfast recipes in my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. From this egg bite recipe, to pumpkin oatmeal, to even bread pudding.
One of my favorite items to eat for breakfast is a good bowl of southern style creamy grits. I like my grits salty and cheesy and served with a side of bacon. I found that the Pressure Cooker was the perfect vessel to make grits.
Wait, pressure cooked grits? Yes, it seems bizarre but it works beautifully. You can check out my Ninja Foodi Fish and Grits where I also make grits in a pressure cooker.
How to make Grits in a Pressure Cooker
Making grits in your pressure cooker is easy as pie and always comes out smooth and creamy. I tend to follow three common rules when making grits in my Pressure Cooker:
- Always use stone ground grits. They take a little longer to cook but they are creamy and produce the right texture for good Southern Style grits. I don’t use quick cooking grits as I don’t like the texture of them at all.
- Remeber 1:3:1. Use 1 part grits, 3 parts water or broth, and 1 part heavy cream to the pressure cooker cycle.
- Allow grits to cool for at least 5 minutes once done pressure cooking. This will allow your grits to thicken up to a nice consistency.
How to make Jalapeño Cheddar Grits in your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
First, I prepare my ingredients by doing what's called mise en place. I grab a block of sharp cheddar cheese and I shred it, then set aside.
I tend to buy block cheese rather than pre-grated cheese for all my recipes because I find it melts a little better. However, pre-grated sharp cheddar cheese will work fine in this recipe.
Then prepare your jalapeños by removing the seeds and white membranes and chopping it. The spices of a pepper live in the seeds and the white membrane, removing them will remove the extra spice.
Add chopped bacon to your Instant pot insert. Then turn your Instant Pot sauté function on the "Normal" setting by pressing the "Sauté" button a few times.
Bacon cooks best when it's added to a cold pan and is cooked over a low temperature. I usually crank that Sauté function up to the highest setting but that would actually result in burnt bacon. So for this recipe, reduce the the sauté function.
You can reduce the Sauté function on your Instant Pot by pressing the Sauté button a few times.
Once your bacon is cooked and crispy, which takes about 15 minutes, remove it and place it on a paper towel to drain. Remove the excess grease from the Instant Pot, leavung about 2 tablespoon in the pot.
Add jalapeño and sauté for about two minutes.
Add stone ground grits, and stir for about 10 seconds. Add water and use a wooden spoon to get up any brown bacon bits on the bottom of the pot. Then stir in your heavy cream and a little salt.
Cover and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, allow to natural release for 10 minutes, the manually release any remaining pressure.
Open lid and add cheddar cheese and cream cheese and stir until incorporated.
Your grits will look a bit watery initially. Allow them to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Oh, don't forget those bacon pieces....place them on top of your grits and Enjoy 🙂
If you don't want to make a huge batch of grits, pot in pot works fine for this recipe. Just cut it in half and use a smaller bowl with a trivet.
You could also store this recipe in your refrigerator and reheat it the next day. I put mine in the microwave for about 1-1:30 minutes.
Pin Instant Pot Grits for Later
Creamy Instant Pot Grits with Cheddar and Jalapeño
Ingredients
- 4 slices of bacon chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers chopped with seeds removed
- 1 cup stone ground grits
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 oz cream cheese
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add bacon to insert. Turn on Sauté function and select “Normal” heat. Allow bacon to sit undisturbed until it gets cooked on one side, about 8 minutes. Then stir your bacon pieces until all pieces are cooked. Remove from insert and place on a paper towel to drain.
- Remove excess bacon grease from Instant Pot, leaving about 2 Tbsp.
- Add chopped jalapeño to the insert and stir until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add grits and stir for about 10 seconds.
- Add water and use wooden spoon to stir up any brown bacon bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in heavy cream and salt.
- Press Cancel on your instant Pot. Then select “Pressure Cook” and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. Once done, allow your Pressure Cooker to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Open lid and stir in cheddar cheese and cream cheese.
- Allow grits to cool for 5 minutes.
- Top with pieces of bacon. Enjoy 🙂
Video
Notes
Notes for Jalapeño Cheddar Grits
- Block cheese that is grated by hand works best.
- When cutting jalapeño, remove the seeds and white mebrane. The spice lives there. You can leave a few seeds if you want your grits spicy but I use the jalapeño for flavor, not for the added spice.
- I know there is a ton of different info on whether you can add heavy cream to a pressure cooker during the pressure cooker cycle. That will always depend on the recipe and the fat content of your cream. I recommend full fat heavy cream. The cream in this recipe will not curdle in your pot.
- You can skip the bacon step and use 2 tablespoon of butter if you like.
Karla says
I made this with my new IP the other day for breakfast and it turned out perfect! I used coconut milk for cream and sour cream for cream cheese. The only thing is... when I doubled it the next time, I kept getting the burn warning and it was SO FRUSTRATING! I stopped it and restarted it a few times, only to eventually try the Pot in Pot method. Since the ratios were the same, I'm not sure why doubling it would cause a problem... but I'll definitely be making it again. My husband grows, harvests, and grinds cornmeal locally so I'm always looking for ways to use it.
Merle says
This is the best recipe for grits that I have found, and it makes the best grits I have ever eaten! Bless you for this culinary masterpiece! I was blown away by the presence of the seeded, diced jalapeño -- it gave a citrus-like presence that lightened the grits and made my Sunday breakfast of sausage, fried eggs and grits with juice and coffee way better than usual (so much better that we ate seconds and thirds of the grits!). I'm following you, girl!
Tanya says
Thanks Merle!
Michelle says
I am asking these questions because I am so far an instapot failure. So after the saute part, add ingredients then you close the lid and set pot to high pressure at 10 minutes once it beeps the pot reads L 01. I'm guessing this means lower level pressure at 1 minute and it keeps counting up for however long you leave it untouched. So let it rest till reads L 10 ?? Then do I left the steam out and its ready??
Tanya says
Hi Michelle. The L 01 means that the machine is naturally releasing pressure, not really lower pressure. Either way, you wait for 10 minutes to allow the natural pressure to release (Until the machine says L 10). Once it does, you may have some steam left in the machine so you move the valve to release any remaing steam. Then you open and enjoy.
Elina says
The best grits I have ever made. But the bad thing is...that I ate too much! 😀 Thank you!
Kate says
Do these ever get lumpy? I hate lumpy grits. Worried about this since there is not much stirring with the instant pot.
Tanya says
Hi Kate, no they don't get lumpy. They come out as smooth as they appear in the video.
Beverly Heinritz says
I never really liked grits but always try what’s on my plate. Well at Brunch at Blue Ribbon Grill in Tucker GA I had grits that were creamy and flavorful and dare I say not “gritty”. I have set out to make this kind of grits and found out number one difference is stone ground as you say. I did some in the crockpot overnight. They were very tasty but left a huge cooked on mess in the crockpot. I am so excited to try your recipe. It looks to be just what I am looking for. I even still have some jalapeños in the garden.
Laura says
Love this recipe as does my family but I keep getting the burn warning from my instant pot. When I still have time left to get up to pressure or when there is still time left in cooking. Normal? What am I doing wrong? The grits have never burned (made this twice now) but it is disconcerting.
Tanya says
Hi Laura, it's probably the kind of pot you have that is giving you the trouble. Some pots give off burn or overheating signals while others don't. A good alternative may be to do the pot in pot method. That's where you would add water to the pot, then add your grits mixture in a bowl on a trivet in the pot and follow the same cook times. The only negative is you won't be able to make as much at the same time.
Laura Barbour says
I like to add crumbled breakfast sausage into my cheesy grits. So yummy! Thanks for the Instant Pot recipe!
Tanya says
Hi Laura, crumbled breakfast sausage is a great addition. Thank you for the suggestion 🙂
Peggy says
I would love to try cheesy grits in my Instant Pot. However, I cannot eat the bacon and jalapeños. What modifications do you advise without sautéing the grits in bacon grease? Would I need to add more liquid? I want to make these for houseguests this weekend. Thank you!
Tanya says
Hi Peggy, you can omit the bacon and jalapeños and leave all the other measurements the same. It will still be delicious and creamy 🙂
Stacy says
Super easy & delicious!
Luci says
Yum, my mom loves grits so I think I'll have to make these for her.I know she would love this.
Kathi says
Be still my grits loving heart! Great step by step instructions. Can't wait to try these!
Elaine Benoit says
Instant pot grits? Omg, this looks so delicious and perfect. I love the creaminess and need to make this asap!
Sues says
Oh yum!! Definitely pinning these!! I don't make grits very often, but this recipe is making my stomach growl, it looks so delicious. I also love any excuse to break out my Instant Pot!
Kate Hackworthy says
I've never actually had grits, but always been intrigued. I love the sound of the jalapeno there to jazz it up!