Use it up · Grains, rice and pasta

Cornmeal and grits

Have extra cornmeal and grits? Here’s how to choose, store and prep cornmeal and grits, plus 7 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Fine cornmeal for cornbread; coarse for polenta and grits.

🧊 Storing it

Pantry: 6 to 12 months, sealed

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University System.

🔪 Prepping it

Whisk slowly into simmering liquid to avoid lumps. Bake into cornbread or muffins.

🥣 Make it from scratch

Homemade staples that use cornmeal and grits:

English muffins Corn tortillas Cornbread

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: flint or dent corn. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Yellow cornmeal. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	362 kcal	18%
Protein	8.1 g	16%
Total fat	3.6 g	5%
Saturated fat	0.5 g	3%
Total carbohydrate	77 g	28%
Dietary fiber	7.3 g	26%
Total sugars	0.6 g
Sodium	35 mg	2%
Calcium	6.0 mg	0%
Iron	3.5 mg	19%
Potassium	287 mg	6%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 169697 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

7 recipes, the ones that use the most cornmeal and grits first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

More grains, rice and pasta

White rice Brown rice Pasta Egg noodles Oats Quinoa Couscous Barley Flour Bread Tortillas All ingredients →

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.