Fried Grit Cakes Recipe

No Saturday breakfast is complete without GRITS!

Fried Grit Cakes on a white plate garnished with green onion.

There, I said it. Having been raised in California, I had never heard of ‘a grit’ until I settled in the South.

Even then, I was wary and untrusting of this breakfast staple that everybody swore was a required component of a decent breakfast.

After years of swearing them away, denouncing them as devilry, my long-suffering wife finally got me to try them. First, one bite, then another. By the third bite, I was born again Southern.

I lamented the years gone by and countless breakfasts have gone awry by my unwillingness to try something new.

We always have an extra serving or two of grits when we make ours now, or sometimes we don’t make enough. Sometimes you just want a little; sometimes, you want a full bowl.

Everybody is different and the directions tell you how to make enough for one or an Army unless you incorporate some math skills, which are hard to come by on a bleary-eyed Saturday morning.

I knew there had to be a way to use the extra grits in some fun and fabulous ways. All Hail Google Search!

Try our Pumpkin Muffins!

The Fried Grit Cake!

Well well well … this had to be attempted and consumed hungrily and with relish!

The first try we did was with just some plain ole grits. It was good, satisfying. But I wanted to put a bit more flavor into it.

Adding ground sausage and cheese … well, that would certainly do it. And it did. And it was AMAZING!

A crispy outer shell with soft seasoned cheesy sausage grits inside … Manna from Heaven!! It was good. It was REAL good.

You can use your leftover grits to make a basic fried cake, or perhaps do it up right by adding whatever you want. It’s super easy to do and the tastes and textures are just wonderful.

I urge you all to give it a whirl. You may find that fried grits cakes become a regular dish in your breakfast offerings.

How To Make Fried Grits (Grit Cakes)

Fried Grit Cakes - grit mixture in a sauce pan

Brown up some sausage and grate some cheddar cheese, you may want to throw in a bit of onion with the sausage, as we did.

Grab some grits and put them on the boil. We did 4 servings, more than enough to feed a hungry family.

Once the grits are done, combine the sausage and cheese to the grits.

Fried Grit Cakes - grit mixture being poured into a sheet pan

Grease a baking sheet and pour grits into the pan.

Fried Grit Cakes - grit mixture in the sheet pan

Now comes the hard part … put it in the refrigerator until tomorrow morning.

Fried Grit Cakes - chilled grit mixture in the sheet pan sliced

Now that the grits are set up, you can cut them with a knife into reasonable serving sizes.

Fried Grit Cakes - flour, eggs, and bread crumbs on paper plates

Next, dredge the grit cake in egg wash, dip them in seasoned (black pepper and salt) flour, dredge again in egg, and cover them with breadcrumbs.

Check out our Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole!

Fried Grit Cakes in a frying pan

Place the battered grit cakes in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry them up. It takes about 4-5 minutes each side, until golden brown, yummy crispy!

Drain on paper towels. Garnish with some diced green onions if desired.

Fried Grit Cakes on a white plate garnished with diced green onions

What you’re left with is a golden crust of crispy goodness, with a creamy, cheesy interior. GIVE ME A FORK NOW!

Fried Grit Cakes on a white plate with bacon, scrambles eggs, and a bagl

Serve the grit cakes with some eggs, bacon, and some sort of toasted bread ( the biscuits would have been off the hook here! ) and you are food coma-bound! You have to try this!

Fried Grit Cakes Recipe

Fried Grit Cakes on a white plate garnished with green onion.

Fried Grit Cakes

Fried Grit Cakes – A delicious alternative to how you enjoy your grits in the morning.
4.85 from 20 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 341kcal
Author: Don’t Sweat The Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 4 Servings Regular Grits
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 2 cups Sharp Cheddar, shredded
  • 1/2 lb Breakfast Sausage
  • 1/2 small Onion
  • 4 Tbs Vegetable Oil

For dredge

  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Pepper Freshly ground
  • 1 cup Breadcrumbs

Garnish

  • 2 Green Onion

Instructions

  • Cook grits, according to package
  • Brown sausage, add onion. Cook until translucent
  • Mix cheese, sausage, and onions with grits
  • Grease 10×15 cooking sheet, pour grits onto a sheet.
  • Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
  • Next day, cut into serving size
  • Heat pan, medium-high heat, add oil
  • Dredge in egg, then the flour (with salt and pepper added), dredge again in the egg and cover in breadcrumbs
  • Fry each side app. 4-5 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Add green onion for garnish.

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1308mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 2mg

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41 Comments

  1. I’ve made this before without the sausage and onion and then topped with red pepper jelly. Goes great with steak and eggs Matt5 stars

  2. Funny reading some of these comments. I was raised in Tn and not fond of grits as they were always just served with butter, salt, and pepper. However, my husband (from MA) grew up with cheese grits, which I like…big difference. Just yesterday I was wondering what I can do with this leftovers and this seems to be a great idea. Can’t wait to try. Thanks for posting.

    1. So good ! Funny thing is that my husband , born & raised in Calif pretty much had the same idea about grits . It wasn’t just this year he started eating them & just wait until he gets up to these! ( unless I eat them all! )

  3. I was raised on fried mush. Where you put your grits in a loaf pan and let set in fridge till set. Thin you slice thin and dredge in cornstarch ( makes a crispier crust) and fry. Then serve with butter and syrup 😋! These above would be delicious too!5 stars

  4. Thanks for submitting your recipe to the RTSTH community! It will be published April 5th and will be a part of our social media sharing! Feel free to submit any recipes or tutorials you’d like shared with our readers!

  5. You have taken me back to my southern roots here! I’m a Georgia bred girl :). As many times as I’ve had grits over the years, I’ve never had them like this. I’ll definitely have to try frying them. These look amazing!

  6. Thanks again for linking up at You Link It, We Make It. I can’t wait give these a try.. I think my husband is more excited than I am!

  7. Oh my goodness, we are going to just love your Fried Grit Cakes! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again soon!
    Miz Helen5 stars

  8. Thanks again for linking up at You Link It, We Make It Leigh! I am pinning to our group board, these look so yummy!

  9. Growing up in California too, I have never had grits either! …and it’s not a thing here in Kansas! lol!! I so want to try them…this recipe looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday! Hope to see you again tomorrow! Pinned!!

  10. Not sure I’ve ever made grits before. Always wanted to, though! Thanks for linking up at Welcome Home Wednesdays! See you tomorrow!

  11. These brought back memories as I used to have them going to visit my brother in georgia! Looks great. Thanks for linking up to #ShareWithMe.5 stars

  12. I’ve always hesitated to try grits too – but I’ll have to next time the opportunity presents itself! I like the idea of a Fried Grit Cake too – your recipe looks delicious. Sharing. Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Hop.5 stars

  13. I’m really excited about this recipe! Especially since I looked and found that most grits are gluten free. We love breakfast anytime of the day and this would be a great accompaniment to an omelette or scrambled eggs for dinner. I’ve pinned and yummed this recipe so I can come back to it again and again. Thanks so much.5 stars

  14. I was born and raised in the south, but both my parents were from up north. I was deprived of grits as a child. I love them. This looks so yummy! I can’t wait to try it.

  15. I have always thought there was a way to reused left over grits but never knew. Thanks for sharing. I will be trying this!
    Lisa4 stars

  16. Oh my goodness this looks absolutely divine! I especially love your foot-tography 🙂 Totally pinning, have a great day! xo5 stars

  17. Way cool! I bet these are awesome and we can’t wait to give them a try! Thanks for sharing with us at Brag About It! Pinning and tweeting to share.

  18. I’m so sorry for all the years you lost not eating grits. What a pity! However, the sharing of this completely sinful and delicious-looking recipe restored my faith in you, once lost by your admission of not eating grits. I WILL be trying this! With the sausage and cheese, no doubt. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    1. LOL Martie, this post was cooked and written by my husband. I had to beg the man to just try them…he was hooked!

  19. Wow! In all my life I have never heard of fried grit cakes and I live in the south where we eat lots of grits!!!
    Thank you for sharing. I need to try it.5 stars

  20. Oh, I never thought to fry it! A bit indulgent, but what a crowd pleaser this would be! I love all things breakfast…. (visiting from BragAboutit!)

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