Easy Classic Shrimp and Grits

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

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Grits – try to use stone-ground grits. If you can’t find them, polenta is the same thing! Using instant or quick grits is fine, but the texture will be different.
• Milk
• Chicken broth – water can be used instead if you want, or vegetable broth.
• Butter
• Sharp cheddar cheese – or another cheese of choice. Or omit for a lighter version.
• Bacon
• Shrimp – preferably jumbo size.
• Green onions – for garnishing at the end
• Salt and pepper – and any other seasonings you want!

What kind of grits to use for Shrimp and Grits

I used Bob’s Red Mill Yellow Corn Grits/Polenta. Make sure you don’t buy cornmeal by accident- it’s not the same! Polenta and grits are one in the same. Polenta is typically used in Italian recipes, Grits for American. Grits are often white, Polenta is yellow. Either will work!

I yellow grits to make these 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.

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 make Quick Cheesy Grits for Shrimp and Grits

Here’s my time-saving trick for cooking up these delicious grits: you don’t have to whisk them continuously. 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.

How to cook shrimp for shrimp and grits

First, cook up the bacon until it’s crispy, then remove from the skillet. You’ll crumble them after they cool a bit. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the shrimp after patting dry and seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook in the bacon grease, then when they’re JUST done (don’t overcook them!), stir in a little butter and chicken broth until a nice sauce forms.

You can use other seasonings on the shrimp. I sometimes add chili powder. You can also sauté peppers and onions in the bacon grease before adding the shrimp. This is a good chance to experiment with different flavors and use things that you prefer!

To serve, pile the shrimp and sauce on top of the cheesy grits, top with the crumbled bacon. Garnish with green onions and serve.

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!

1. Cook the grits in a mixture of chicken stock and milk. I also added a little butter for extra richness. 
2. Then, cook up some bacon until it’s crispy, then remove it from the pan and chop it up when it’s cool.
3. 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.
4. 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!
5. 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

The History of Shrimp and Grits

Like so many Southern recipes, the origins of Shrimp and Grits can be traced back to the enslaved African Americans of the region. It was originally a lighter dish involving peppers and onions in a simple sauce, without any added bacon, cream, and cheese. Like so many foods, the dish has evolved over time and passed through many hands, as well as other regions. This is a great article that covers a more in-depth history of shrimp and grits.

(And a quick shoutout to Michele, a reader who chimed in with this history in the comments! Thank you!)

If you want a lighter version…

This recipe for shrimp and grits is admittedly on the richer side – a result of the aforementioned evolution over time! If you want to lighten it up a bit, replace some or all of the whole milk with more chicken broth (or water, or vegetable or seafood stock) when cooking the grits, and omit the cheese. You can stir in a couple pats of butter if you want a bit of richness in the grits.

Also, instead of sautéing bacon as a starting point, sauté some peppers, onions, and maybe some sliced mushrooms in butter or oil, along with some spices (Cajun seasoning would be great here!), then add the shrimp and cook, serving the shrimp and veggie mixture over the grits.

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