This creamy shrimp and grits may have humble origins but don't let that fool you! It's decadent, rich, and loaded with bold flavors. This dish is perfect for a weeknight supper or to serve at dinner parties.
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Shrimp and grits is one of my favorite comfort foods. I love to make it during the colder months, but it's really great any time.
This recipe was inspired by my keto shrimp and grits which swaps the grits for finely riced cauliflower. If you are trying to cut carbs, then I highly suggest checking out that recipe! For a more hands-off cajun meal, my instant pot red beans and rice can't be beaten.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredients for this dish are super simple and there are several swaps you can do to change up the flavors.
What You'll Need for the Grits:
- Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
- Tomato Paste
- Butter
- Quick Grits - You can use regular grits if you don't have quick, but absolutely do NOT use instant grits!
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese or white cheddar cheese
- Heavy Cream - You can also use milk, half and half, or your favorite milk alternative.
What You'll Need for the Shrimp:
- Creole Seasoning - I use Tony Chachere's No Salt but you can use any blend that you like, or you can even make your own creole seasoning blend
- Paprika
- Large Shrimp - You can swap the shrimp for crawfish tails, Scallops, or even lobster.
- Bacon - you can use turkey bacon if you don't eat pork, but you will need to add a little additional oil to the pan to compensate for the bacon drippings.
- Butter
- Fresh Garlic or swap with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- Green Bell Pepper
- Green Onions
What You'll Need for the Sauce:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Heavy Cream - You can also use milk, half and half, or your favorite milk alternative.
- Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Hot Sauce (optional)
See the recipe card for quantities.
Before you get started ...
This recipe comes together quickly. Make things easier on yourself by having all the ingredients prepped and easily accessible before you start cooking.
How to make shrimp and grits
This recipe is easy to make in just about 30 minutes.
Start out by getting the grits cooking. Bring the chicken broth, tomato paste, and butter to a boil in a large pot. Once it's boiling, stir in the grits. reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Allow the grits to cook for 7 minutes.
Stir the heavy cream and cheddar cheese into the grits until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I used ½ teaspoon of each)
While the grits are cooking, get to work on the shrimp. Combine the creole seasoning, paprika, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and stir until the shrimp are fully coated. Set the shrimp aside.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it is crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet, but leave the drippings in the pan. Crumble the bacon and then set it aside.
With the skillet over medium heat, add the butter, garlic, and green pepper to the bacon drippings.
Cook until the peppers are just beginning to soften (about 1-2 minutes) and then add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are done (about 4-5 minutes). Remove the shrimp and peppers from the pan, but leave all the liquid in the skillet.
Tips for Perfectly Cooked Shrimp: You can tell your shrimp are fully cooked with the color turns from grey to pink and white. As the shrimp cook, they will begin to curl into a 'C' shape. As soon as you notice these changes remove the shrimp from the heat so they do not overcook.
With the skillet still over medium heat, whisk the flour into the liquid remaining in the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes whisking constantly.
Whisk the heavy cream, Chicken Broth, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce into the flour mixture until there are no lumps.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Allow it to simmer, stirring very frequently until the sauce is thickened to your liking.
Serve the grits topped with the shrimp, sauce, crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions if desired, and enjoy!
Variations
Here are some of my favorite ways to change up this recipe:
- Low Carb - Check out my low-carb version of this shrimp and grits recipe for all of the flavor with none of the carbs.
- No Cheese - If you aren't a fan of cheese grits, you can omit the cheese and heavy cream. You may wish to add additional salt.
- Add Sausage - Add sliced andouille sausage to the shrimp for a bulkier meal.
How to store leftovers
Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until heated through. For the best results you may wish to store and heat each componenet separately.
Unfortunately, I do not suggest freezing the leftovers.
FAQs
Since shrimp and grits is a pretty rich and heavy dish, I prefer to stick with lighter sides. A simply, lightly dressed salad and toasted baguette are both great additions to this meal.
Top tips:
- You can tell your shrimp are fully cooked with the color turns from grey to pink and white. As the shrimp cook, they will begin to curl into a 'C' shape. As soon as you notice these changes remove the shrimp from the heat so they do not overcook.
📖 Recipe
Cajun Creamy Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
For the Grits:
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 1 cup Quick Grits NOT instant!
- 1 ½ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Heavy Cream or milk
For the Shrimp:
- 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning I use Tony Chachere's No Salt
- Pinch Salt if you use a low or no salt creole seasoning then add additional salt
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 lb Large Shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 slices Bacon
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Garlic minced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced
- 2 Green Onions sliced (optional)
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Heavy Cream or milk
- 1 cup Chicken Broth or chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 teaspoon Hot Sauce more or less to taste (optional)
Instructions
For the Grits:
- In a large saucepan combine the chicken broth, tomato paste, and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.4 cups Chicken Broth, 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste, 2 tablespoon Butter
- Slowly stir in the grits. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Allow the grits to continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, then remove them from the heat.1 cup Quick Grits
- Stir the heavy cream and cheddar cheese into the grits until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I used ½ teaspoon of each)1 ½ cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, ½ cup Heavy Cream
For the Shrimp:
- While the grits are cooking, begin to prepare the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the Creole seasoning, salt, and paprika. Toss the shrimp in this mixture making sure that all the shrimp are well coated, then set them aside.1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning, Pinch Salt, 2 teaspoon Paprika, 1 lb Large Shrimp
- In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium heat. Once the bacon is crisp remove it from the skillet, crumble it, and set it aside. Leave the bacon drippings in the pan.3 slices Bacon
- With the skillet still over medium heat, add the butter, garlic, and green pepper to the bacon drippings.1 tablespoon Butter, 1 tablespoon Garlic, 1 Green Bell Pepper
- Cook until the peppers are just beginning to soften (about 1-2 minutes) and then add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are done (about 4-5 minutes) - being careful not to overcook them.
- Remove the shrimp and peppers from the pan and set them aside. Leave all the remaining liquid in the skillet.
For the Sauce:
- With the skillet still over medium heat, whisk the flour into the liquid remaining in the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes whisking constantly.1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- Whisk the heavy cream, Chicken Broth, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce into the flour mixture until there are no lumps.½ cup Heavy Cream, 1 cup Chicken Broth, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce, 2 teaspoon Hot Sauce
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring it to a simmer. Allow it to simmer, stirring very frequently until the sauce is thickened to your liking.
- Serve the grits, topped with the shrimp, sauce, crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions if desired.2 Green Onions
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
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Justine says
My husband and I have made shrimp and grits many times before but I’m not sure why this recipe was a total fail. The grits didn’t get to usual consistency and the rue required multiple amendments. We even contemplated on remaking the grits our normal way. Overall the dish was similar to baby food. Definitely wouldn’t make again from this recipe.
Sidney says
This was AMAZING!! Followed recipe to the T!!! Will be making this again!! Thank you 👍
Kim says
Fantastic. Better than most I’ve had in restaurants.
Harley VanBuren says
The best grits I’ve ever had by far! I did throw an additional 1/4 cup of grits in and added half a block of cream cheese to them, they were BOMB!
Danielle Chibas says
This was great! I followed this recipe exactly and was perfect! Thank you!
Jennifer says
Made this for my son’s dinner tonight, and it was fantastic. Will definitely make again!