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These Shrimp and Grits are a Southern classic! Flavorful and hearty shrimp and bacon served over creamy, cheesy grits. Quick and easy, this recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal!
Shrimp and grits are a fun meal that the entire family will love. It comes together in 30 minutes and features rich, creamy cheese grits topped with a flavorful shrimp and bacon topping made with butter and lemon juice.
If you’re a fan of Southern classics you definitely want to try our Red Beans and Rice and Shrimp Boil recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Shrimp: Use raw shrimp in this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen, if using frozen thaw them out in the refrigerator overnight or do a quick thaw according to the directions on the package. Any size shrimp can be used (small, medium, large, or jumbo) but cooking time will vary. It’s easiest to get peeled and deveined shrimp. If you get shrimp with the tails on, remove the tails to make eating easier.
- Broth: Chicken broth is used for flavoring, use an unsalted or low sodium to allow more control over the salt level of the meal.
- Milk: Whole milk creates smooth and creamy grits, substitute with milk of choice or use a dairy free option as needed.
- Cajun Seasoning: Here’s my favorite store bought Cajun Seasoning. If you don’t have this seasoning blend on hand you can make your own, here’s a homemade cajun seasoning mix.
- Grits: If you have polenta or even cornmeal on hand, either of those can be used in place of grits. They both offer slightly different textures and the cook time may vary slightly, but the method of cooking them will be the same.
Best grits to Use
I typically use Quick grits when making this dish. They have a fine texture and they cook up in 5-10 minutes. If you want more information on the different type of grits and how long they take to cook you can check out my post on how to make grits.
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
How to make shrimp and grits
- First, prepare the grits. Heat chicken broth and milk in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Add in the salt, then the grits. Reduce the heat to low and cover for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, stir the grits, and test to make sure they are nice and tender.
- Remove the grits from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Cover and set the grits to the side while preparing the shrimp.
- Next, cook the bacon in a large skillet. Remove the bacon once cooked to desired done-ness but leave the bacon grease.
- Add the shrimp, sprinkle with the seasonings and a squeeze of lemon juice. Allow the shrimp to cook for about 1 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes. Shrimp cooks quickly! Add in the crumbled cooked bacon, stir everything together.
- Finally, when you see that the shrimp are no longer translucent and have a more solid pink color, they are fully cooked. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the top of the grits.
Serving
Serve these Shrimp and Grits as the main with one of our favorite side dishes!
- Salad: Serve a house or garden salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing. Or try our Mexican Salad.
- Vegetable Sides: Roasted Vegetables, Southern Green Beans, or a batch of Collard Greens.
- Cornbread: There’s nothing more southern than a nice chunk of Buttermilk Cornbread, or if you want to spice it up try our Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread muffins.
Storage
- Store: Store the shrimp and grits in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the shrimp and grits in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a saucepan over medium low heat until warmed through.
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Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
Cheese Grits
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup quick grits
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Shrimp
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 pound raw medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice approximately 1/2 regular lemon
Optional Garnish
- green onion
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Combine the chicken broth and milk in a medium size saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the salt.
- Add the grits. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir. Continue to let the grits cook over low heat while stirring for another 3-4 minutes. Grits should have a tender texture.
- Turn off the heat. Add in the butter and shredded cheese, stir in the butter and cheese until melted.
- Cover the grits to keep warm and prepare the shrimp.
- Cook the bacon in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Remove the bacon once cooked through and to desired crispness.
- Add the shrimp to the bacon grease, still cooking medium/low heat, cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes, then turn to cook the other side.
- Cook shrimp for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add in the cajun seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Crumble the cooked bacon, return to the skillet. Stir.
- Once shrimp is no longer translucent and cooked through (total cook time for shrimp is about 4-6 minutes)
- Serve shrimp over the cheese grits. Serve immediately.
Video
Equipment
Notes
- Shrimp: Use raw shrimp in this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen, if using frozen thaw them out in the refrigerator overnight or do a quick thaw according to the directions on the package. Any size shrimp can be used (small, medium, large, or jumbo) but cooking time will vary. It’s easiest to get peeled and deveined shrimp. If you get shrimp with the tails on, remove the tails to make eating easier.
- Broth: Chicken broth is used for flavoring, use an unsalted or low sodium to allow more control over the salt level of the meal.
- Milk: Whole milk creates smooth and creamy grits, substitute with milk of choice or use a dairy free option as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published August 22, 2019. Updated April 25, 2024.
Photography by KJandCompany.co
This recipe is easy to follow and tastes great ! Can’t state enough how much like the Shrimp and Grits in New Orleans it is!!
FYI you may want to turn down the bacon grease before adding the shrimp, if you don’t it’ll splatter and pop up everywhere, especially if you’re just using a regular size skillet, and you’ll burn yourself. Learned the hard way.
Love these recipes
Can I use frozen cooked shrimp? Should I cook it separate and then throw it at the end?
You can use frozen cooked shrimp. I would add the shrimp to the bacon grease in the skillet and follow the directions, but there’s no need to cook for the minutes needed to cook the shrimp, since it’s already cooked. Simply add the shrimp to the skillet, add in the seasonings, the crumbled bacon and you’re good to go! This way the shrimp is coated in the sauce and warmed through.
This recipe was a hit! I loved it so much and the homemade spice link made it scrumptious! Served for dinner on a special occasion: “meeting my Boaz for the first time”
I love this! So glad you enjoyed it!! I hope you and your Boaz have many more wonderful meals together 🙂