We often overestimate how hungry we are and end up making too much of a meal—only to have to struggle to figure out what to do with the leftovers later.
If you’ve made more grits than you can handle, then you’re not alone—we have a few different methods you can use for warming up grits.
Grits, a porridge-like dish made of corn, is considered a favorite by many because it’s easy to make and works great as both a snack and meal option.
And because grits make a great breakfast meal, knowing how to reheat them can save you from having to make breakfast for a few days.
Here are a few easy ways to reheat leftover grits and enjoy the snack again later!
The question isn’t “can you reheat grits?” but rather how you should go about reheating grits to get the same taste, texture, and experience as when they were freshly made.
You can reheat grits on the stove, in the microwave, or even in an oven. The trick is just to make sure you don’t dry them out or burn them.
How to reheat grits on the stovetop
The best way to reheat grits is on the stovetop because that’s usually where you prepare the original dish as well. You can provide the right amount of heat and get a better idea of whether they’ve heated up enough with a stovetop.
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- First, place grits in a saucepan or a pot on low heat.
- Next, add some water and milk, or you can also add broth.
- Keep stirring the mixture until you get the same consistency as your original dish. Make sure to add the water or milk gradually to ensure that you don’t make the mixture too watery. There should be enough that it doesn’t dry out as it heats up.
- If you feel that the mixture is still too clumpy or has gotten too thin, you can heat it for a while longer or add more liquid to it until you feel that you have the right consistency.
- You should only need to heat the grits on the stovetop for two to three minutes at most to ensure that you don’t burn them.
How to reheat grits in the microwave
Another way of reheating grits is with the microwave. It won’t heat as thoroughly as with the stove, but it’s a faster and more convenient way of warming the food.
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- All you have to do is add the water, broth, or milk into the grits before placing it into the microwave.
- Make sure you keep it in a microwave-safe dish.
- The heat setting on the microwave should be medium, and the grits should warm up within a minute. If not, you can put them in the microwave again for 30 seconds at a time until you feel that they are adequately warmed.
- If you heat the grits a few 30 seconds at a time and not in one go, it can help your dish warm up more evenly because it allows the heat to settle inside the grits.
Reheating grits in the oven
Another way of reheating grits is with the microwave. It won’t heat as thoroughly as with the stove, but it’s a faster and more convenient way of warming the food.
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- All you have to do is preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the grits in an oven-friendly container for a few minutes. As usual, mix in the water, milk, or broth into the grits as needed, before placing the dish into the oven
- You should place a lid on the container so that the moisture doesn’t escape and dry the grits out.
How to store leftover grits
• You can store leftover grits for around a month if you keep them in the freezer, and for around five to six days at most if you are keeping them in the fridge.
When storing grits in the freezer, you should put them in a bowl or container and cover it with plastic wrap to ensure that no air gets in or out.
• When you keep grits in the fridge for more than a week at most, it will go bad and become subject to bacterial growth. There should not be any ingredients in the grits that go bad sooner than the other ingredients, such as any perishable ingredients.
• When you store them in the fridge using all the necessary precautions and heat them thoroughly before serving, you’ll be able to make breakfast for the whole week in just one go.
• When freezing grits, try storing them in containers that only have one to two servings of grits. This makes it easier to reheat only as much as you need because freezing grits that have already been reheated a few times can get tricky and tamper with the taste.
Tips from the pros
• When reheating grits, it’s always best to add the milk or water in very small quantities at a time so that you don’t risk making the mixture too thin and ruining its consistency.
As you continuously stir and notice that the mixture is still too thick or has lumps, you can then add more milk or water.
• Additionally, you should add some more ingredients such as toppings to your grits once they are all warmed up. This helps compensate for the slightly different taste you get from reheated grits and will bring some more flavor to your dish.
•In both the microwave and the oven, because you can’t keep stirring the grits constantly, it is best to take the dish out every 30 seconds and stir the grits around to ensure that they aren’t drying out and to check on their consistency.
It also helps prevent the grits from sticking to the bottom of the dish or from the center of it staying cold while the outer parts become too hot
The bottom line
Remember to keep adding water or milk to your grits as you heat them in order to get the same texture and taste as the original dish.
When the grits are properly heated, the liquid that you added isn’t going to affect the taste. However, if you do feel like your grits have lost some flavor, you can always add some ingredients as toppings to give your grits a boost.
How to reheat grits
CookingChew shares three of the most ideal ways to reheat grits. Here’s one of them.
Ingredients
- Saucepan
- Water, milk, or broth
- Stovetop
Instructions
- First, place grits in a saucepan or a pot on low heat.
- Next, add some water and milk, or you can also add broth.
- Keep stirring the mixture until you get the same consistency as your original dish. Make sure to add the water or milk gradually to ensure that you don’t make the mixture too watery. There should be enough that it doesn’t dry out as it heats up.
- If you feel that the mixture is still too clumpy or has gotten too thin, you can heat it for a while longer or add more liquid to it until you feel that you have the right consistency.
- You should only need to heat the grits on the stovetop for two to three minutes at most to ensure that you don’t burn them.
Theresa
Saturday 30th of October 2021
Thanks! I needed to prep my shrimp and grits the day before and used your stovetop method the next day. The grits the reheated perfectly!
Andi Reis
Monday 8th of November 2021
Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm glad it was so helpful for you. - Andi