Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite ingredients. They’re inexpensive, packed full of nutrients, and, most importantly, DELICIOUS. So, when my coworker told me about seeing someone make sweet potato grits on a chef reality TV show, I was all like, “Yes ma’am, I will be making those IMMEDIATELY.”
I tasted these grits throughout the cooking process and I have to say, there are about a million different ways they could be prepared. I ended up adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg, but leaving the sweetener out because they were so rich and delicious already. You can serve it with brown sugar or maple syrup if you’d like, but they’re also good without. Even before adding the spices, these grits were so delicious that I could have eaten a whole bowl. You could even take them the savory route and add a little cheese and savory spice, which would also be awesome. The sky’s the limit.
And the cherry on top? I got a 2 lb. bag of grits for $1.53. That’s a lot of breakfast for a little money!
Sweet Potato Grits
Sweet Potato Grits
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/4 lb sweet potato ($0.78)
- 4 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 cup uncooked yellow grits ($0.27)
- 1 cup milk ($0.25)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.24)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg ($0.02)
Instructions
- Rinse the sweet potato to remove any dirt and then prick with a fork. Loosely wrap the sweet potato in a paper towel, place on a microwave safe plate, and then microwave for 5 minutes on high. Squeeze the sweet potato to see if it is soft all the way through, and microwave for a few minutes longer if it isn’t. Allow the sweet potato to cool slightly, and then scoop out the cooked flesh.
- Cook the grits according to the package directions. (Add four cups of water and one teaspoon of salt to a medium sauce pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a rolling boil, pour in the uncooked grits. Stir the mixture until it comes back up to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting, place a lid on top, and let simmer for ten minutes.)
- Meanwhile, add the cooked sweet potato flesh to a blender and add just enough milk to allow the sweet potato to blend into a puree. I used about one cup of milk. It’s okay if there are a few sweet potato chunks.
- After the grits have cooked, remove the lid and give them a good stir to help them finish absorbing the water. Add the sweet potatoes and stir until well mixed. Next add the butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir again until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, butter, or other seasonings to your liking. Serve hot.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Rinse off the sweet potato and prick it with a fork. Wrap it loosely in a paper towel, place on a microwave safe plate, and the microwave on high for 5 minutes. Squeeze the sweet potato to make sure it is soft all the way through, and microwave longer if needed.
Allow the sweet potato to cool slightly, then cut it open and scoop out the flesh.
Cook the grits according to the package directions (instant grits will have different instructions than regular grits, etc. You can use either). Mine said to bring 4 cups of water to a boil along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Someone once asked what type of salt I use, so here it is :)
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, pour in the grits…
Stir the grits into the boiling water and then allow it to come back up to a full boil (this happened almost instantly for me). Then turn the burner down to its lowest setting, place a lid on top, and let it simmer for ten minutes.
While the grits are simmering, puree the sweet potato with some milk. Only use enough milk to allow the sweet potato to blend… it’s okay if there are a few chunks, you’re just trying to get rid of the slightly stringy texture and make them easy to stir into the grits.
Once the grits have simmered for ten minutes, give them a good stir. They may seem watery at first, but as you stir they’ll thicken up nicely.
Add the sweet potato puree and stir to combine.
Next add the butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg (or whatever spices you’d like). Stir to combine. The sweet potatoes are already so creamy that you barely need any butter at all. I tasted the mixture before the butter and spices and it was already deeeelish.
I left mine unsweetened, but you could certainly add some brown sugar or maple syrup if you’d like.
Enjoy!
Has anyone tried freezing these in single portions?
I’m starting grad school next month so I’m in search of a bunch of good freezable/thawable/reheatable meals that I can stock my fridge with so that I hopefully do not have to cook much during the quarter, yet do not spend a ton of money on take out and prepared food items. Is there a tag somewhere around here for recipes that are especially freezer friendly?
Thanks!
This should freeze pretty well :) I haven’t made a tag for freezable because it’s not always a definite line between what does and what doesn’t freeze well. It’s subjective most of the time.
ahh..these look so good.Wish I had a blender
Not a breakfast person, but I do love grits! Made these and LOVE them. Thanks :)
I’m from the south and one thing you never do is make grits w water. That’s the reason most people don’t like them. Always make them w milk..always!
Kelly – Yep, white should work fine too :D
I can’t find yellow grits, only white.. will those be ok?
the grits I grew up eating were white. Hominy grits maybe?
I’m from Georgia, and I have to say that these are the best grits I’ve ever made. I used some fat free half and half to puree the sweet potato (I needed to use it up because it was on the last day before expiration), and I went light on the cinnamon and nutmeg so there was just a hint of spice. We ate them with shrimp I marinated in chipotles in adobo and brown sugar. So amazing and so cost effective. Thank you!
wow…I have mailed this recipe to my mom, she will make this once i am at home!
window grills
Looks amazing. Think I’ll try it with polenta!
I <3 <3 <3 sweet potatoes! And grits are comfort food. What a combination!
when I’m in a hurry I do the quick grits and add a jar of pureed sweet potatoes (Beechnut baby food) and grated cheese.
In the depths of my southern girl heart, grits should always be cheesy. Can you suggest a type of cheese to add to this? I’m thinking maybe a little slab of goat’s cheese on top? Or would cheese and sweet potato just be totally wrong?
Made these this morning for breakfast. Yummy, easy, and cheap? You’ve discovered the trifecta of good food. Cant wait to try more of your recipes!
This looks absolutely gourmet. I can’t wait to serve these at my next brunch.