This Classic Shrimp and Grits recipe is SO easy, SO simple, and the ULTIMATE Southern comfort food. This traditional low country recipe uses bacon and is served with a simple sauce and uses stone-ground grits with cheese (but it’s easy to adapt to have no bacon, or other flavors and ingredients). And the whole thing only takes 30 minutes to make!

Shrimp and grits is a Southern staple. It originated in the Lowcountry of the South Carolina coast, during the season when shrimp were plentiful. It’s traditionally a breakfast dish, but I love it for a quick dinner.
Other Southern regions have developed their versions of shrimp and grits- for example, you can find blackened shrimp and grits in New Orleans with a creole/cajun spin.
In this version, the grits are cooked with milk, butter, and chicken broth, with cheese melted in at the end.
The shrimp is cooked in bacon fat and then mixed with a simple buttery sauce, then served on top of the grits with crumbled bacon and green onions. It’s so insanely delicious!
I love the simplicity of this recipe. Often, shrimp and grits recipes are made with peppers and onions, or with blackening seasoning for extra flavor. When it comes to comfort food, I like mine to be simple.
This version of shrimp and grits keeps things simple. I used salt and pepper only for seasoning, with a garnish of green onions at the end. The smoky bacon flavor stands out and the chicken stock and butter makes it super savory and creamy tasting.
First, let’s talk about the grits.
What kind of grits to use for Shrimp and Grits
I used stone-ground yellow grits to make these classic shrimp and grits. You can use white if you want, and they are more traditional… the only reason I used yellow is because it’s the only thing my grocery store had.
I DO recommend that you use stone ground, however, whether they are white or yellow. I used Bob’s Red Mill Yellow Corn Grits/Polenta. Make sure you don’t buy cornmeal by accident- it’s not the same!
Stone ground grits are classic. They are the steel cut oats of the grit world. The texture has some bite to it, and the flavor is, for lack of a better word, super “corny.”
They do, however, take longer to cook than quick cooking grits or instant grits. If you are pressed for time, you can certainly use one of these as a substitute.
How to save time cooking stone-ground grits
Here’s my time-saving trick for cooking up these delicious grits: you don’t have to whisk them continuously. Some traditional Southern cooks may be rolling in their graves right now. Many people think that you do have to whisk or stir them for almost the entire cooking time.
The thought is that the more you whisk the grits, the more starch is released, and the creamier the grits become. Kind of like when you cook risotto.
And while this may be true, I find that grits will get creamy no matter what, and it’s not worth the labor of constantly attending to them.
Instead, I whisk them every few minutes for about 10-15 minutes. Then, when they are creamy but still not quite done, I cover them and remove them from the heat to let them steam the rest of the way. It comes out perfect, with much less labor and boiling grits sputtering in your face!
This method also allows plenty of time to prepare the bacon, shrimp, and sauce portion of the shrimp and grits.
What kind of shrimp to use for Shrimp and Grits
While we’re on the subject of what’s worth the time and what’s not, I recommend buying already peeled and deveined shrimp.
I spent a good 20 minutes peeling and deveining the shrimp myself, and while I may have saved some money, I didn’t think the time spent peeling them was worth it.
You can save a bit of money buying shrimp with the peels on, but I don’t think it’s worth it. The grits are so cheap, so spend a little more money on some already peeled and deveined shrimp.
I DO recommend buying large or jumbo shrimp. They are easier to cook, and have a meatier texture that holds up well with the creamy soft grits. And I think the flavor is better, since they are harder to overcook.
How to make shrimp and grits
Cooking shrimp and grits is easy- just cook the grits and add some cheese. While they’re cooking, sauté some bacon, cook the shrimp in the bacon grease, then make a simple butter sauce in the same pan!
- Cook the grits in a mixture of chicken stock and milk. I also added a little butter for extra richness.
- Then, cook up some bacon until it’s crispy, then remove it from the pan and chop it up when it’s cool.
- Pat the shrimp dry and season it with salt and pepper, and sauté the shrimp in the bacon fat. This will only take a few minutes, since shrimp is really fast to cook.
- Add some butter and chicken stock to the shrimp. Once the butter is melted, turn off the heat so the shrimp doesn’t overcook. The butter will melt into everything and the chicken stock will help deglaze the pan, making a super flavorful sauce to spoon over the grits. SO GOOD!
- Stir in some shredded cheese into the grits. YUM. I used cheddar.
To serve, spoon some grits into a shallow bowl, and scoop some of the shrimp and some of the sauce on top. Then, sprinkle with the chopped bacon and some sliced green onions. It’s so simple and delicious!
FAQs and Variations
This is a dish best eaten immediately. But if you do have leftovers, they are salvageable! The grits may clump together, so I recommend reheating them on the stovetop with a little extra water or chicken stock to thin them out. Reheat the shrimp in the microwave for only a few seconds, so they don’t get rubbery/overcooked.
Absolutely! You can make it completely meat-free by sautéing the shrimp in olive oil or butter instead of bacon fat. You may want to season the grits and shrimp with a little extra salt, since bacon is salty. And you can always add some other meat, such as andouille sausage or chorizo.
This would be great with sautéed mushrooms or other veggies such as peppers and onions. I recommend cooking them in the bacon fat before adding the shrimp.
Yes! Use all chicken stock for the grits instead of milk, and omit the cheese.
You can make a thicker, more luxurious sauce by making a simple gravy. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour into the leftover bacon fat along with a tablespoon of melted butter. Whisk together for a minute or so to make a roux. Then, add one cup of chicken stock and whisk together, continuing to cook until heating.
I love adding chili powder to the seasonings. You can add any other spices you love – cayenne or other hot pepper for heat, herbs, etc.
Other Southern Comfort Food Recipes
Other Easy Shrimp Recipes:
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Easy Classic Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth divided
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 3/4 cup stone-ground grits
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 strips bacon (or 2-3 thick-cut slices)
- 1 lb. jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- thinly sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of the chicken broth, the milk (2 cups), 3 tablespoons of the butter, and a pinch of salt to a gentle boil in a medium sized pot. Add the grits and whisk together. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until grits are soft and creamy, whisking every few minutes. Cover and set aside off heat – they will finish softening up while they sit.
- Cook the 4 bacon strips until crispy in a nonstick or cast iron skillet. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Once cool, chop into small pieces.
- Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet.
- Rinse the shrimp with cold water and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper, and any other spices you want to add (optional). Cook in the bacon grease until only just cooked- about 2 minutes per side.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the shrimp and stir until melted and broth is heated.
- Stir in the cheese to the grits (1 cup) until melted.
- Serve the shrimp mixture over the grits, making sure to spoon some of the liquid from the skillet over the grits, and sprinkle with the bacon pieces and sliced green onions, if using. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Money Saving Tip: Buy frozen shrimp and defrost them yourself. Most “fresh” shrimp you buy at the store has actually been previously frozen, but is marked up anyway.
- This recipe is best served right away, since shrimp get rubbery from reheating and grits turn more solid after they cool. If you have leftovers, the grits can be reheated on the stovetop with some extra water to break them up, whisking them as they reheat. Heat the shrimp only for a few seconds in the microwave- as little as possible. Or, enjoy the leftover grits plain and add the cold cooked leftover shrimp to a salad to prevent overcooking.
- You can use water instead of chicken broth to cook the grits.
- To save time, you can use quick cooking grits instead of stone-ground (but the texture will be different).
- I used yellow grits, since it’s all I could find. You can use white if you want to!
- Spice it up! Add other seasonings, herbs, or hot pepper to the shrimp with the salt and pepper. You can also serve it with hot sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Red
This was so delicious! I substituted half the milk for water. I topped it with bacon and scallions like the recipe called for. My boyfriend and I loved it! Definitely making this again soon!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Andrea Grant
Perfect Shrimps and Cheesy Grits!!! I’m from the Deep South (SC) and this was always my favorite breakfast but I needed a boost to my recipe and this was it!! The only thing is, it wasn’t enough for my big family (Family of 9), but I made more and it was all good!! Thank you for sprucing up my old recipe!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Karen Judkins
Have made this twice now and both times so delicious! Used grits the first time and polenta the second time either are great. I use Old Bay for seasoning just what I had. Definitely impressed and will use often. Quick and delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Joelle Hudson de Tarnowsky
Very tasty. I had grits from an old mill in North Carolina and they were fabulous. I added a squeeze of lemon ( for acid) and sauted onion and garlic before adding the shrimp. Topped with fresh parsley
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of brightening it up with a bit of lemon.
Abraham
This recipe SUCKS. No stone-ground grits I know of cook in 10-15 minutes. No direction on whether to cover or uncover the grits during cooking. Also, chicken broth with cooked shrimp in a cast iron pan makes a mess. Do NOT use this recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
This is an interesting choice to leave this feedback without actually trying the recipe, amidst hundreds of positive and 5-star reviews! If you make it, please feel free to let me know how it comes out.
Michelle Diesterhaft
Oh my goodness! This turned out so amazing! Just made it, and added jerk seasoning to the shrimp as an optional seasoning, and smoked cheddar to the grits. Then added some spinach to the shrimp. Put the shrimp, bacon and spinach over the cheesy grits, and it was delicious! Looking forward to enjoying this again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I bet the jerk seasoning was fantastic in this!
Jackie Fey
Does anyone have an experience with Seafood stock? I picked up a carton from Wegmans. I do not want to use it in case I mess up the recipe, so I may stick with the chicken stock. Just curious. Thank you
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never used it but I think it would work well in this recipe!
AdJ
This is a fantastic recipe! Very simple to make (twice as of now for me) and it’s incredibly tasty. Next time I will use gouda cheese as I’ve made grits and eggs with that before – it turned out great. Thank you for sharing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Nadine DeBose
Haven’t tried it yet but I love the sound of it
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope you love it!
Deborah Eggers
Made this for hubby who had been sick and felt like eating today. He often orders this at restaurant. This is only the 2nd time I tried to fix this dish and WE GOT REALLY GOOD. This will stay in my favorites.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Hope your hubby feels better soon!
April
My whole family LOVED this and asked to put it in the meal plan rotation!
Thank you so much :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your family liked it!
Malinda
I’m usually not one to comment, but this recipe is amazing. Super easy and absolute delicious. Definitely restaurant quality. My family devours it every time I make it. Thanks for the recipe!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Regina
I loved it! I added a Cajun seasoning mix to the shrimp. Absolutely delicious. I will make this again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Good call adding Cajun seasoning to it!
Connie Teff
I made the Easy Shrimp and Grits recipe for the first time, today, Christmas 2024. I kept thinking the whole time that I hoped it was good. It was delicious!!! I used white instant grits. The grits turned out creamy and delicious. The shrimp were frozen jumbo shrimp which I thawed all night and ran some tepid water over them to remove any icy areas. I used some Old Bay to spice it up along with salt and pepper. Also on top of grits and shrimp I put crumbled bacon and thinly sliced green onions. On the side I served lemon wedges and and tomato wedges. This is a recipe I will be making very often.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! What a lovely thing to make for Christmas dinner!