Easy Cheesy Vegan Grits (2024)

Published: Jun 19, 2020 · Modified: Jan 20, 2024 by Shane Martin · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Easy Cheesy Vegan Grits are creamy, delicious, and so easy to make. Made in one pot and with only 4 ingredients.Enjoy them on their own or as a base to create one amazing vegan grain bowl!

If you’re from the South you eat grits. It’s that simple. Growing up, we had grits at least 3 times a week for breakfast. I still love them! They’re a staple in our home and have them regularly. But, we just do them a little differently these days. And, much healthier.

What?!? Grits without butter? Yes, absolutely.

You don’t need all the dairy, cheese, and oil to make amazing creamy cheesy grits. This vegan grits recipe is simple and ready in about 20 minutes. And, it’s sure to become a family favorite, not just for breakfast, but any meal.

Ready? Let’s do it!

Table of Contents

How To Make Vegan Grits

You won’t believe how easy it is to make one of the world’s best comfort foods. If you’ve always wanted to know how to cook grits then this is for you.

Start by adding the unsweetened almond milk and low-sodium veggie broth to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat to low and slowly add the grits while whisking them so they don’t get clumpy. Once the grits are fully incorporated add the nutritional yeast, if you want, for the cheesiness.

Now, let the grits cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes and stir or whisk frequently. That’s it! Delicious creamy cheesy vegan grits!

What To Serve With Grits

Anything you want (almost) because vegan grits are so versatile. They’re delicious all by themselves. But, try building your own grit bowl using one or more of the amazing recipes…

Crispy Blackened Tofu
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
BBQ Soy Curls
Easy Sauteed Kale (Grits and greens are amazing!)
Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon (Crumble and sprinkle on top)
Vegan Breakfast Sausage Patties

You are going to love these cheesy vegan grits. They’re…

Super easy to make
Savory
A little cheesy
Creamy
Filling
Low-fat
Gluten free
Delicious

If you are looking for more easy healthy 1-bowl vegan meals be sure and check out my Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bowl or Quinoa Chipotle Bowl with Southwest Tahini Sauce.

Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below and let me know your thoughts. Your feedback is helpful. If you’re wanting to start a plant-based diet or just exploring be sure and check out my E-book, The 5 Day Plant-Based Kickstart!

Easy Cheesy Vegan Grits

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5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 13 reviews

Easy Cheesy Vegan Grits are creamy, delicious, and so easy to make. Made in one pot and with only 4 ingredients. Enjoy them on their own or as a base to create one amazing vegan grain bowl!

Author: Shane Martin
Prep Time: 10 mins.
Cook Time: 20 mins.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: Vegan
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup yellow corn grits (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
½ cup nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

Add the unsweetened almond milk and low-sodium veggie broth to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once the liquid starts to boil you can reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the grits. Slow and steady is the key because it prevents them from getting lumpy and clumpy. Once the grits are fully incorporated add the nutritional yeast, if you want, for the cheesiness.
Let the grits cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes and stir or whisk frequently. That’s it! Delicious creamy cheesy vegan grits.

Optional Toppings

Chopped green onions or diced jalapenos.
Easy Vegan Chipotle Aioli

Equipment

Notes

If you want more cheesiness add my Vegan Cheese Sauce or Cashew Queso.

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 197
Sugar: 0.5 g
Sodium: 170.5 mg
Fat: 1.4 g
Trans Fat:
Carbohydrates: 36.8 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 7.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

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More Breakfast

1-Bowl Vegan Belgian Waffles (Fluffy + Crispy)
Crispy Oil-Free Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes
Easy Vegan Sheet Pan Pancakes
Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits (Fluffy, Oil-free)

Reader Interactions

Comments

Let Me Hear From You!

Brenda
July 23, 2023 at 11:21 am
I just made again and added spinach and mushrooms my dinner this week yummy thanks shane
Reply
Brenda
March 15, 2023 at 7:24 am
Loved the grits, I had never liked them before, I added a teaspoon of garlic and a little smoked paprika
Reply
Jana
December 13, 2022 at 2:14 pm
Yum! I made this and served it (to myself haha) with steamed seasoned kale and it was delicious!! Thank you!
Reply
Ali
October 29, 2022 at 1:23 pm
My husband, who is not Southern and didn’t appreciate grits in the past, has been begging for these grits ever since I made them to go with the your BBQ soy curls. Making them for breakfast tomorrow.
Reply
- Shane Martin
  October 29, 2022 at 5:41 pm
  Awesome!!! It’s a great combination. 🙂
  Reply
Colleen
June 23, 2022 at 12:07 pm
Wow, wow wow! Not only easy but incredibly delicious! I did use cornmeal, and yummy!!!
Reply
Colleen
June 23, 2022 at 10:14 am
Hi Shane, All I have is cornmeal, is that the same? Can’t wait to try this!
Reply
- Shane Martin
  June 23, 2022 at 2:30 pm
  Absolutely! Looks like you did:) LOL!
  Reply
Dorothy
March 13, 2022 at 7:49 pm
Please don’t post my last name.
Reply
See Also
Review of Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillyn Smith - The Simplicity Habit
- Shane Martin
  March 14, 2022 at 12:14 pm
  Hi, Dorothy! Yes, you can use white grits. Also, I don’t and never manually post the names. The system, servers, etc. read whatever is coming from your computer.
  Peace,
  shane
  Reply
Claire
November 20, 2021 at 3:03 pm
Absolutely delicious! Guilt free healthy eating! I’m a southern girl from Alabama and thought I’d have to give up grits since eating vegan. That theory was just blown away with these delicious grits. Thank you, thank you and thank you for sharing 🥰
Reply
Marge Teilhaber
February 12, 2021 at 10:23 pm
Would any plant milk work? And also how would it be if I made almond milk (or any other) and didn’t strain it? For muffins and cakes, it’s great. I mix it thoroughly and pour.
Reply
- Shane Martin
  February 13, 2021 at 10:11 am
  Any non-dairy milk will work. If you use homemade almond milk for the grits I would definitely strain it first for this recipe.
  Reply
  - Marge Teilhaber
    May 29, 2021 at 5:56 pm
    These grits are delicious. Pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve ever had it. I took the lazy way out and used unstrained almond milk. Lots of tiny brown specks are the skins and the occasional hard object is pieces of almond that I presume a Vitamix would do a better job and a nut milk bag would completely “fix” but this is just fine for me. Of course the nooch is great. Didn’t add any thing else. It’s nice with soup. It was very hard to stir at the end so I threw in some more broth. Next time I’ll switch to 2.5C broth and maybe 2.5C plant milk. Unstrained oat milk might be great. And later I’ll have your avocado chocolate pudding, Shane! I’ve made that 4 or 5 times and love it.
    Reply
Donna P
October 21, 2020 at 8:22 am
This is the first grits recipe since giving up oils/butter that tastes rich and substantial. It will be the base for a mushroom stew tonight, but I can see many ways to use this!
Reply
- Shane Martin
  October 21, 2020 at 10:18 am
  Wow, that is great Donna! Thanks for sharing.
  Reply
Cheryl Howell
September 01, 2020 at 3:41 pm
I printed the recipe a couple of weeks ago — looked simple, tasty and had ingredients I have on hand. Today I took th plunge. It was DELICIOUS — AMAZING. I will even share this with my non-vegan friends and it will be a staple in my house.
Cheryl
Reply
Angie
August 23, 2020 at 9:28 am
This sounds delicious! Can you recommend an instant pot conversion?
Reply
deb
July 21, 2020 at 4:32 pm
Would corn meal be an optional substitute?
Reply
- Shane Martin
  July 21, 2020 at 8:09 pm
  Yes, I believe so. It will be much smoother than the grits. But, you should have no problem.
  Reply
Becky
July 17, 2020 at 12:02 pm
Hi Shane!
Do you think this recipe would work with brown rice in place of the grits?
Thanks!
Reply
Danetta
June 27, 2020 at 4:43 pm
This sounds perfect! We are having this tonight topped with homemade black bean and corn salsa and pepitas. YUM!
Reply
Melissa
June 22, 2020 at 12:48 pm
This. Was. Amazing! I’m actually preparing it right now as I type, for the third day in a row. I have always loved grits, but stopped eating them once I gave up oils. The oil was not missed at all with this recipe. Thank you for creating such a tasty recipe!
Reply
- Shane Martin
  June 22, 2020 at 4:41 pm
  Thank you!
  Reply
Elizabeth
June 20, 2020 at 10:56 am
When I make grits, I put the grits in the cold liquid because it’s so much easier to stir and incorporate. Would it make any difference in the taste? Thanks for the recipe!
Reply
- Shane Martin
  June 21, 2020 at 11:39 am
  I’ve never cooked grits in cold liquid so I couldn’t say for sure.
  Reply
michael
June 19, 2020 at 5:52 pm
Creamy, cheesy, healthy, and so easy to make.
Reply