Cajun Shrimp & White Cheddar Cheese Grits: cheesy grits drowned in a warm shrimp, bacon, corn and cream sauce. The ultimate comfort food.
- Total Time- 45 minutes
- Servings- 4
Why You’ll Love It:
- Comforting– with cheesy southern style grits & a warming creamy corn and bacon sauce, this dish is a cozy blanket for the soul.
- Feels Upscale– without the price tag or need to leave the house, making it great for special occasions at home.
- Cajun Flavor– with notes of paprika, garlic power, black pepper, oregano, cayenne, and thyme you’ll feel like you’re sitting on Bourbon St.

Shrimp and Cheese Grits Ingredients:
For Grits-
- Chicken Broth
- Whole Milk
- Quick Grits– to make this a weeknight meal, quick grits can be done in 5 minutes.
- Butter– salted or unsalted.
- Can Corn– drained, rinsed, and divided in half.
- Shredded White Cheddar Cheese– or any shredded cheese that has a good melt. I’ve made this with Gouda cheese and it was also a fantastic smokey option.
For Shrimp Topping-
- Thick Cut Bacon
- Butter– salted or unsalted.
- Shrimp– peeled and de-veined. I like to use extra large or colossal shrimp.
- Garlic– minced.
- Cajun Seasoning– almost every grocery store has a pre-made Cajun Seasoning in the spice aisle. My favorite is the Slap Ya Mama brand.
- Heavy Cream
- Green Onions or Chives– for garnish.
How to Serve Shrimp & Grits:
- When to serve? This dish makes a fantastic dinner but an even better brunch! There’s not much better than a warm bowl of Shrimp & Grits paired with a mimosa (or two).
- How to plate? Spoon 1 cup of grits into a serving bowl. Top with 1/4 of shrimp topping, garnish with green onions or chives, and serve immediately.
- What to serve with it? This dish is pretty hearty and holds up well on it’s own, but there’s always room for a bread to wipe everything up! For bread I highly recommend biscuits, especially Cheddar Bay Biscuits (because all of the cheese please).
Substitutions & Variations:
- Instead of bacon– try a Cajun smoked sausage! Just cut sausage into medallions, add to frying pan in a single layer, and cook as you would the bacon until brown on both sides.
- Instead of White Cheddar Cheese- try a smokey Gouda cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, or Sharp Cheddar cheese.
- Instead of Pre-Made Cajun Seasoning– try making your own! Use a blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, ground black pepper, ground white pepper, ground cayenne pepper, and kosher salt.

How to Make Shrimp & Cheese Grits:
- Make Grits–
- In a large pot, bring chicken broth and whole milk to a gentle boil.
- Slowly whisk in quick grits, and turn heat down to medium-low. Continuously whisk grits until thickened, tender, and there are no more lumps, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat, add 2 tbsp of butter, shredded white cheddar, and half of drained canned corn. Continue whisking until butter and cheese have melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook Bacon– heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan and cook about 3-5 minutes per side until crispy. Set bacon aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain grease. Drain grease from frying pan.
- Make Shrimp Topping–
- In a mixing bowl, toss raw shrimp with minced garlic and cajun seasoning. Melt 2 tbsp butter in frying pan.
- Add shrimp in a single layer, cook 1.5-2 minutes per side until pink and cooked through.
- Pour in heavy cream, the rest of canned corn, and crumbled bacon. Simmer and stir for another 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
- Plate, Top with Garnish, and Serve
Leftovers:
- Store shrimp topping and grits separately in air tight containers. Shrimp topping when properly store will last 1-2 days and grits will last 4-6 days.

Tips & Recipe Notes:
- Shrimp & Grits are best served immediately.
- Shrimp are done frying once they have curled over and the thickest part of the shrimp (where the vein has been pulled out) becomes opaque.

More Fish & Seafood Recipes You Will Love:
- Creamy Chipotle Shrimp
- Creamy Bacon, Corn, & Shrimp Soup
- Baked Shrimp, Feta, and Butternut Squash Orzo Pasta
- Lohikeitto (Finnish Salmon Soup)
- Salmon BLT Sandwich with Cajun Remoulade Sauce
If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and review in the recipe card below! I always appreciate your feedback. Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest for more garlic goodness and travel inspiration!

Shrimp & White Cheddar Cheese Grits
Shrimp & White Cheddar Cheese Grits: cheesy grits drowned in a warm shrimp, bacon, corn, cream sauce. The ultimate comfort food.
Equipment
- Tongs
- Large Sauce Pan
- Whisk
- Skillet
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
For Grits:
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup quick grits not instant
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1-1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar
- 15 oz canned corn drained & divided in half
For Shrimp Topping:
- 6 strips bacon
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1.5 lb shrimp peeled, de-veined
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic about 3 cloves
- 1.5 tsp Cajun Seaoning
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- green onion or chives garnish
Instructions
- Make Grits– in a large pot bring broth and whole milk to a gentle boil. Slowly whisk in quick grits, and turn heat down to medium-low. Continuously whisk grits until thickened, tender, and there are no lumps, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat, add 2 tbsp butter, shredded white cheddar, and half of drained canned corn. Continue whisking until butter and cheese have melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook Bacon– heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan and cook about 3-5 minutes per side until crispy. Set bacon aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain grease. Drain grease from frying pan.
- Make Shrimp Topping– in a mixing bowl, toss raw shrimp with minced garlic and cajun seasoning. Melt 2 tbsp butter in frying pan. Add shrimp in a single layer, cook 1.5-2 minutes per side until pink and cooked through. Pour in heavy cream, the rest of canned corn, and crumbled bacon. Simmer and stir for another 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
- Plate & Serve– spoon 1 cup of grits into a serving bowl. Top with 1/4 of shrimp topping, garnish with green onions or chives, and serve immediately.
Notes
- To make this a weeknight meal, quick grits are used. Be sure to get ‘quick’ grits, not ‘instant’.
- If using regular grits, they will need to be cooked longer, around 40-45 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
Yum yum my husband and I loved this!! I used extra sharp white cheddar because that’s what I could find. You have to be ready to eat because the timing is quick since shrimp cook fast.
I will make this again.
Thank you so much for sharing, Tiffani! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!