Cheesy Shrimp and Grits
Cheesy Shrimp and Grits are the ultimate southern meal! Cheesy grits, spicy shrimp, crispy bacon and fresh green onions are perfect comfort food!
Every once in a while, you just need comfort food. The kind that soothes your soul and makes the world feel right again. For me, that’s Shrimp and Grits. I’ve loved this dish as long as I can remember, and after years of living (and cooking) here in Tennessee, I’ve learned that no two bowls are ever quite the same. But this one feels like home.
The shrimp are plump and perfectly seasoned, the grits rich and creamy from a mix of cheddar and cream cheese. It’s simple food, made with care, and every bite takes me back to what I love most about Southern cooking: comfort, family, and food that’s meant to be shared. I may spend most of my time keeping our family meals on the lighter side, but this dish is one I’ll never give up. It’s comfort in its purest form.
Ingredients For Shrimp and Cheese Grits
To make the spiced shrimp and cheese grits, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Shrimp
- Olive oil
- Spices: Old Bay seasoning, Italian seasoning, Garlic powder, Smoked paprika
- Chicken broth
- Yellow corn grits
- Cream cheese
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Green onions
- Bacon
How to Make Southern Shrimp and Grits
This Southern shrimp and grits is so easy to make! The creamy, cheesy grits are cooked first since they take longer than the shrimp does. Here’s an overview of the cooking process:
- In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a plate and crumble. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add in the grits and cook until the liquid is absorbed.
- To the grits, add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.
- Season the shrimp, then cook in the same skillet you fried the bacon in.
- Spoon the creamy grits into bowls, top with shrimp, and garnish with green onion.
Can I Use Quick Cooking Grits?
No, I recommend using regular grits to make this shrimp grits recipe.
Tips For Making Shrimp & Grits
- After cooking the bacon, wipe the skillet clean. It’s okay if there’s a little fat left in it, but you don’t want too much.
- Be sure to buy raw shrimp for this recipe. If the shrimp are frozen, defrost before cooking.
- For the best texture, buy a block of cheddar cheese and shred it yourself.
How to Serve Southern Shrimp and Grits
Serve your grits in a shallow bowl, then top with shrimp and the sauce. You can garnish with chopped green onions and crunchy bacon. Some people like a squeeze of lemon juice, a dash of hot sauce, or chopped parsley. While this recipe is quite filling, you can round out the meal with a few dishes. Start with a salad or fried green tomatoes. Add a side of green beans, collard greens, or okra. A serving of cornbread waffles or biscuits would be great, too!
Storing Leftover Shrimp & Grits
Once your shrimp and grits have cooled, you can place them in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. For the easiest reheating, I recommend storing the shrimp separate from the grits. When you are ready to reheat, microwave the grits in 1-minute increments at 50% power, stirring between blasts. You may need to add a drizzle of milk, water, heavy cream, or melted butter to help thin the grits back to their original consistency. Shrimp can be reheated over low heat in a skillet with a bit of water or broth until warmed through.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes:
More Recipes to Try
- Gluten Free Sausage Gravy
- Best Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Recipe Shrimp And Grits
- Basic Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Chicken And Poblano Soup
- Chili Recipe Turkey
- Pot Roast Recipe Instant Pot
- Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes Recipe
- Cabbage Recipe With Sausage
- Recipe For Shrimp Stir Fry
- Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino Recipe
- Eggroll In A Bowl Keto
- Cheesy Chicken And Rice Recipe
- Keto Friendly Bagels
- Easy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Keto Chicken Wings
Get the Recipe: Shrimp & Grits Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2-3/4 pound deveined and shelled shrimp
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup yellow corn grits
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 green onion stalks, chopped
- 2 slices bacon
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook two slices of bacon over medium heat until crisp, remove bacon from skillet, roughly chop. Wipe skillet clean and set aside to use later for the shrimp.
- In a medium to large sauce pan bring chicken broth to a boil, add grits and reduce heat to low. Cover and let grits simmer for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When grits have absorbed the liquid add cream cheese, shredded cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir mixture well, cover and remove from heat.
- Place shrimp in a large plastic bag or mixing bowl, add Old Bay, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and smoked paprika and toss until shrimp is coated.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add shrimp and cook 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp is pink and tender.
- To assemble the shrimp and grits add a heaping serving of grits to two shallow bowls. Top with shrimp, chopped green onions, chopped bacon and additional pepper.
It’s sad that I’m just now leaving a review (prompted by a request from my granddaughter), as I’ve used this recipe for AT LEAST 5-6 years! This recipe has established my baseline for Shrimp and Grits – and determined whether I can order them in a restaurant. The only change I make is to double the grits/cheese portion (not enough for two – maybe we’re just greedy – but usually have a half-portion for one remaining) and proportionately so with a guest. I would like to see a bit more “sauce” with the shrimp, which I only achieve with more olive oil.
I have to admit I’m new to cooking shrimp so I appreciated the video!! It gave me some extra confidence. So Good!! thank you!
This is the perfect comfort food recipe! The whole family loved it.
Absolutelyy delicious!! We all loved this recipe and I liked the added bacon too!
Added some Old Bay Seasoning to the shrimp and other spices before cooking.
Lots of flavor and easy to make.
Best recipe. Just made it. DeliciousÂ
How do I reheat the grits. Thank you
Grits are best reheated slowly, stirring occasionally, with a little extra milk or cream to prevent them from drying out. You can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop. Thanks so much for trying it out and leaving a review!
This turned out really really good. Like really good my kids and I were happy and full with scrambled eggs of course. Very good flavored grits even though I used old fashioned white grits
Maebell, This is the BEST Shrimp & Creamy Cheesy Grits! Thank you!
This recipe is so simple, delicious, and the perfect comfort food! The only change I made was using Old Bay Blackened Seasoning instead of Original Old Bay. This has gone into cozy food night rotation. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
This is delicious! Based on the sodium level, though, I left out the salt; there is salt in Old Bay (first ingredient) and the bacon is salty. We didn’t meiss it at all.