Luby’s Grits

Luby’s Grits are grits that are wonderfully sweet and cooked with milk instead of water. The combination of sweetened grit cereal with a creamy texture was a surprising find.

bacon, eggs, and grits on a plate

Luby’s Grits are wonderfully sweet and are unique because they’re grits made with milk in place of water. This combination of sweet grits and creamy texture was a surprising and pleasing find. Now you can make the best sweet and creamy grits like those from Luby’s Restaurant with this easy-to-make copycat Luby’s Grits recipe. From mac and cheese to grits, it doesn’t get better than Luby’s comfort food!

I’m not originally from the South, but I have made my home in Texas for over twenty years now. Grits were never a breakfast that I grew up in the mid-west. In fact, I never even tried grits until, at the age of thirteen, I went on a trip with my grandparents to visit my great aunt in Jackson, Mississippi, who was a wonderful cook. One morning, in addition to fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuits, we had grits. I wasn’t then an adventurous eater, so I reluctantly tried the grits. I fell in love with them, and whenever I could, I would order grits with breakfast.

What makes this corn grits recipe amazing? By using whole milk, the grits are creamy and flavorful. When you prepare them with just water, the corn doesn’t open up as it does with grits made with milk.

Different Types of Grits

There are stone-ground, fast-cooking, and instant kinds of grits. In theory, most varieties of grits could be interchanged with cornmeal, masa, or polenta, but you usually get better results when you use the specific type of grain called for in a recipe. Stone-ground grits are full of flavor and provide a chunky bite because the germ is left intact. On the other hand, finely ground cornmeal will turn into an almost watery and smooth mush when cooked.

Grits Are Versatile

Grits can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They can be eaten very simply with a pat of butter and a dash of salt, with butter and dark brown sugar for sweet grits, or turned into something more elaborate and flavorful. Here are a few suggestions.

  • Combine them with cheese and salt and pepper.
  • After they are cooked, make a pocket in the center and add a poached egg.
  • Make them New Orleans style with shrimp.

Click here for more ways to use grits.

Are Grits Healthy?

Grits have more than a few health benefits, including.

  • Good source of fiber.
  • Contain zeaxanthin, an antioxidant that is important for good vision.
  • Lower glycemic response compared to milled rice, making them a good choice for diabetics.
  • Good source of iron and may help in treating anemia.
  • Gluten-free, so if you are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, you can include corn grits in your diet.

Ingredients for creamy grits

Here’s what you need:

  • 5-minute grits. Do not use instant or regular.
  • Whole milk
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Butter

Luby's grits ingredients

How to Make Lubys Grits

In a medium pot, pour milk in and heat until the milk simmers over medium heat.

Add grits, salt, and sugar, whisk in, and simmer for about five minutes.

Lubys grits ingredients in a pot

Stir continually while the grits swell and finish cooking.

When the grits have finished cooking in about five minutes stir in butter.

a bowl of homemade Luby's grits on a plate with eggs and bacon

Delicious Breakfast Recipes to Try

Most Popular Luby’s Copycat Recipes

Be sure to check out more of my easy breakfast recipes and famous restaurant copycat recipes.

bacon, eggs, and grits on a plate

Luby’s Grits

Make sweet and creamy grits like Luby's Restaurant at home instead of dining out.
5 from 5 votes
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Grits, Luby's Recipes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 223kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 3/4 cups grits - 5 minute, not instant grits
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

  • In a medium pot over medium heat, heat the milk until it simmers.
  • Whisk in the grits, sugar, and salt. Simmer for approximately five minutes, stirring continually until the grits swell and are cooked.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 201mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 0.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James

    Grits with white pepper gravy and six sunny side up eggs placed on top of them on a plate. Using your fork to break the yokes of the eggs into the grits and gravy and stirring them all together makes for a meal in itself. Ate this concoction since I was a very young kid. Never stopped loving it.

  2. Brittany1017

    I love grits! I’m from Georgia, we always ate them with either butter and sugar or with cheese and pepper. Either way is delicious. My family has always made them this way and I hope to continue this with my kids, even though my husband doesn’t like them. (He’s never got to try good southern style grits.) I’ll be making him try them soon ????

  3. Jac Holdaway

    I grew up in Texas, and we often ate (eat) grits at breakfast (like cream of wheat or oatmeal, or with salt/pepper and butter or topped with cream or sausage gravy! And always cooked with milk) or with dinner (savory prep). I discovered a new way to prep just by experimentation. I LOVE polenta! Well, you can make a makeshift polenta with grits (or cornmeal, for that matter, but grits works best!). and you can put hot grits in a loaf pan, refrigerate overnight, turn out and slice. dip in seasoned flour and fry in some olive oil, butter or (absolute Southern or Southwestern best!) bacon grease! Serve in place of hashed browns. And if you are throwing out your bacon grease, you are throwing out the best part of the bacon! You can season SOOOOO many things with it, and it is hands down the best for frying anything southern, from fried okra to frog legs. And of course, fried grits!

  4. Janie Davis

    5 stars
    Grits made with milk is the best! Sometimes I add sugar and butter; sometimes I add cheese, salt and pepper. I always cook rice in milk instead of water, it tasts so much better. You can throw in an egg, butter, sugar and cinnamon and raisins for a quick rice pudding.

  5. dornie

    5 stars
    After they are cooked and served, I make a pocket in the center and add a poach egg or two.
    The yolk flowing through them makes just plain delicious.

  6. KK and Molly

    I dislike cream of wheat .But ❤️Grits!
    I like them with salt and pepper and real butter.????
    I am not from the south. I was first introduced to them this way and really enjoyed them. I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to enjoy your favorite foods. It’s all about you and what you like and your taste .

  7. james

    grits done in the deep south add water salt and pepper to pan when boiling add grits while sturing put lid on and take off heat let stand 5-10 min. this is southeren no suger or milk this is not cream of wheat

  8. x

    Weirdly , my father liked them with (canned) tomatoes……..I’m from Chicago, and we always ate our grits savory. I wouldn’t use sugar (don’t even like it in oatmeal or other hot cereals), but I will definitely try them cooked with milk.

  9. Jennic

    My husband is from Tennessee and we both love grits, but totally different ways me butter and salt, him butter pepper and sugar.

      • bastisraul

        Being Southerner myself, I have found that many recipes evolve over the years down here and many times for the better. The Mid-Western influence (Yankees don’t count) and the Arcadian influence has made the new generation of Southern Chef’s turn the old school dishes even better with their experimentations. I for one, would never go back, food is soooo much better now than when Mama n’ them were doing the cooking, for the most part. I decline to enter the grits argument.

    • Evb

      5 stars
      Grits are grits however which way you eat them. Every culture method is different and shame of you to suggest otherwise.

  10. T Love

    5 stars
    GRITS!!! Girls Raised In The South……We LOVE our grits with Salt, Pepper and plenty of BUTTER!!! Anytime of day!

  11. Tiger

    please do not put pepper on grits unless you mix tomatoes in with them. i use water, butter and canned milk when i cook grits…this makes them even more creamy and good than whole milk.

  12. skoots1mom

    these grits are fixed the way my mother always did grits for us kids…she and daddy ate them with salt & pepper…they are one of my comfort foods when i don’t feel well…:)

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