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Enjoy a taste of the South with our single serving Shrimp and Grits recipe. This dish combines creamy, cheesy grits with buttery, succulent shrimp. Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s a quick and delicious way to enjoy Southern comfort food. We’ve added extra cheese and butter to the grits for a richer texture. The shrimp is cooked with onions, garlic, and sweet red bell peppers, giving you a perfect blend of savory and sweet in every bite.
Enjoy your Southern Shrimp and Grits as a delicious meal on its own, or pair it with a small batch of crispy hush puppies or butter swim biscuits. For a lighter option, try a simple green salad with a tangy vinaigrette or a side of sautéed green beans.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with Flavor: Shrimp and cheesy grits are incredibly tasty. The grits are creamy, buttery, and rich with cheese.
- Quick and Easy: This dish comes together in no time. The grits cook in less than 10 minutes, and the shrimp takes even less. It’s perfect for a busy weeknight.
- Easy to Double: This recipe makes one generous bowl of shrimp and grits. Want to make more? Just double the ingredients for a second bowl.
What Are Shrimp And Grits?
Shrimp and grits started as a simple dish in South Carolina known as “breakfast shrimp.” It’s a classic Southern comfort food with two main components: shrimp and grits. After that, the variations are endless. Some recipes include bacon or ham, mushrooms, and sometimes the grits don’t have cheese. There are no strict rules, so you can customize it to your taste.
In our single serving version, I use creamy cheese grits topped with shrimp cooked in butter and garlic, along with onions and peppers. The result is simply heavenly!
What Are Grits? Grits are made from ground white corn or hominy and are a staple in the Southern United States. They can be served as a breakfast dish, a side, or as part of a main course, like in this shrimp and grits recipe.
Is Polenta the Same as Grits? Polenta is the Italian version of grits, made from cornmeal. While they look similar, polenta has a different flavor and texture. So, while they may seem alike, they’re not the same.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serving shrimp and grits recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Stone-ground grits: For the best results, use coarsely ground or stone-ground grits. The brands I use typically take 8 to 10 minutes to cook, but cooking times can vary, so always check the package directions. I recommend House Autry White Stone Ground Grits or Bob’s Red Mill White Corn Grits.
- Milk and water: You can use any percentage of cow’s milk along with water to make the grits.
- Seasonings: Add garlic powder, smoked paprika, and kosher salt to the grits. I prefer using Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt.
- Butter: Use salted butter for both the grits and the shrimp.
- Cheese: I like using shredded cheddar cheese, but Gruyère is also great as it melts beautifully. Shredding your own cheese is best because it melts better than pre-shredded cheese, which contains preservatives that prevent clumping but also hinder melting.
- Shrimp: If you have access to fresh shrimp, use that. Otherwise, frozen shrimp works just fine. I often buy individually frozen, head-off, peel-on shrimp from the freezer section of most supermarkets. This is usually the most economical option when cooking for one. If you’ve got extra shrimp, consider using some to make BBQ Shrimp, Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp, Shrimp Fettuccine, Shrimp Quinoa Bowl, or Baked Shrimp.
- Vegetables: Use chopped onions, red bell peppers, and a clove of garlic. These vegetables are also used in our Squash Casserole, Ratatouille, and Jambalaya recipes. If you have any leftovers, you can easily use them in those dishes.
- Lemon juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds a burst of freshness to the dish.
How To Make Shrimp And Grits For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Cook the grits. Mix the milk, water, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a 1-quart saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the grits and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grits become soft and thick. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in the butter and cheese.
Pro Tip: Grits will thicken as they cool. If they are thicker than you like, stir in a few teaspoons of water or milk.
- Cook the shrimp. Melt butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 to 2 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 30 seconds.
- Season the shrimp with salt and black pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook on one side for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over and cook the other side for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the shrimp and vegetables.
- Assemble. Pour the cheese grits into a bowl.
- Pour the cooked shrimp, the vegetables, and the buttery sauce over the grits. Grits are best served immediately.
Expert Tips
- Prepare Ahead: Read through the entire recipe and the Ingredient Notes section, then gather your ingredients. Shrimp and Grits come together quickly, so it’s best to have everything ready before you start. Many of your questions about the process can be answered in the Ingredient Notes, process photos, and pro tips above.
- Use Bacon (Optional): If you want to add bacon, cook it first and use the bacon drippings instead of butter to cook the vegetables and shrimp.
- Make the Grits Cheesy: Adding cheese to the grits enhances their richness. Mix the cheese in at the very end along with the butter.
- Don’t Skip the Lemon Juice: This dish is very rich, and a small squeeze of lemon juice helps cut through the richness and adds a burst of freshness.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cheese grits can be made ahead of time and reheated, but the shrimp is best cooked fresh. If necessary, you can cook the shrimp ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator and reheat it on the stove with a little bit of butter.
Bacon, cooked sausage, and sliced mushrooms are common additions to shrimp and grits.
Yes! If you’d like to make shrimp and grits for two, simply double the ingredient amounts.
Popular Single Serving Southern Recipes
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
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Shrimp and Grits For One
Equipment
Ingredients
For the grits
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup stone-ground grits
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ⅔ cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
For the shrimp
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 5 medium shrimp -peeled and deveined
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup chopped red bell peppers
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Cook the grits
- Mix the milk, water, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a 1-quart saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the grits and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grits become soft and thick. Remove the pan from the heat.Pro Tip: The brands of grits I often use only take between 8 to 10 minutes to cook. Depending on the brand of grits you use, the cooking time may be longer. Be sure to read the directions on the package you purchase.
- Stir in the butter and cheese. Cover and set the pan aside.Pro Tip: Grits will thicken as they cool. If they are thicker than you like, stir in a few teaspoons of water or milk.
Cook the shrimp
- Melt butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 to 2 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 30 seconds.
- Season the shrimp with salt and black pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook on one side for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over and cook the other side for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the lemon juice over the shrimp and vegetables and stir.
Assemble
- Pour the cheese grits into a bowl.
- Pour the cooked shrimp, the vegetables, and the buttery sauce over the grits. Grits are best served immediately.
Notes
- Prepare Ahead: Read through the entire recipe and the Ingredient Notes section, then gather your ingredients. Shrimp and Grits come together quickly, so it’s best to have everything ready before you start. Many of your questions about the process can be answered in the Ingredient Notes, process photos, and pro tips above.
- Use Bacon (Optional): If you want to add bacon, cook it first and use the bacon drippings instead of butter to cook the vegetables and shrimp.
- Make the Grits Cheesy: Adding cheese to the grits enhances their richness. Mix the cheese in at the very end along with the butter.
- Don’t Skip the Lemon Juice: This dish is very rich, and a small squeeze of lemon juice helps cut through the richness and adds a burst of freshness.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Good recipe. Easy peasy. It was a little bit light on flavor but that could have been my shrimp. I’m looking forward to trying the scampi next time. I did Brown the butter with a little bit of cumin, cilantro and red pepper flakes. I would definitely make it again. I do love cheese grits.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for your feedback.
Outstanding! The grits I used called for a longer cooking time, but with careful watching they were ready a bit sooner than the manufacturer’s directions.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the shrimp and grits, Leona. Thank you for your feedback.
What are grits, where can they be bought and what do they taste like… as a comparison.
Grits are made from ground white corn or hominy and are a staple food in the Southern United States. They are often served as a breakfast dish, a side dish, or as part of a main course, as in this shrimp and grits recipe. Grits can be found in the breakfast cereal aisle in most grocery stores. Please read through the Ingredient Notes section and the sections above where I mention the brands of grits I use and other information that may be helpful, especially if you’ve never tasted grits before.
Grits are ground corn, similar to polenta. Grits are slightly creamer with a slightly stronger flavor.
Good recipe.
Thank you!