Cheesy Shrimp and Grits Recipe (easy, dairy-free)

This Cheesy Shrimp and Grits recipe is a speedy comfort food match made in heaven! The cheesy grits are topped with a big spoonful of juicy tender shrimp swimming in a smokey and buttery sauce, and there’s not a single drop of dairy! It is sinfully delicious with incredible flavor and easy to make!

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits …speedy comfort food with big flavor!

“This recipe literally feels like a warm hug, but in the form of food. :)”

This is a grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free grits recipe that’s easy to make, and you do not need to use cauliflower! Similar to my paleo butternut squash grits and Whole30 breakfast grits, the almond flour grits are creamy, smooth, and ultra cheesy. The whole dish comes together in about 20 minutes and will keep you diggin in for more!

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Ingredients for the Shrimp grits recipe

• Large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Coarse sea salt and black pepper
• Smoked paprika (or paprika)
• Garlic cloves
• Ghee butter
• Turkey bacon
• Almond flour
• Nutritional yeast
• Olive oil (optional)
• Scallions (or green onions)

How to make keto shrimp and grits recipe

1. Make the almond meal grits by bringing the water to boil and season with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Let it sit on the stove for a few minutes to thicken.
2. Cook bacon until crispy. Drain bacon on a paper towel but leave the bacon fat in the pan.
3. Pat dry the shrimp and sear them in a hot large skillet with bacon grease and ghee. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic. If you like a dish a bit more spicier, sprinkle with a bit cayenne pepper.
4. Divide the grits into serving bowls. Spoon over the shrimp with sauce. Sprinkle over bacon and scallions.

How to make grits cheesy and dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free

Type of grits – It turns out almond meal grits are easier to make and taste creamy and nutty delicious! Here are my best tips:

• Sieve through the almond flour. This will make your grits extra smooth. I use Bob’s red mill fine ground almond flour.
• Keep the flour and the water ratio 1-to-1. You can use this ratio to scale up or down the recipe.
• Slowly and gradually stream-in the flour, ¼ cup a time. Whisk and stir so it won’t clump.
• To keep this dish dairy-free, add and stir-in nutritional yeast to make it extra cheesy!

Personally I really love almond meal made grits. It’s less messy than cauliflower crumbles and your grits won’t be mushy or have a cauliflower taste. 🙂 The almond meal made grits are more filling so ⅓ cup per serving plus the toppings should be quite filling.

If you can have dairy, you can also use shredded sharp cheddar cheese or grated parmesan cheese. Add a few tablespoons of heavy cream to the water but keep the flour and the liquid ratio 1-to-1.

How to sear shrimp

Who doesn’t love perfectly seared shrimp that has a little crust on the outside but also moist juicy inside? Here are some simple techniques you can use at home:

• Pat the shrimp dry with a clean paper towel. Moisture is the enemy here. 🙂
• Don’t season the shrimp until they are in the skillet, especially salt. Salt draws moisture out of the shrimp.
• Use a large cast iron skillet and preheat it until it’s hot.
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet or the shrimp won’t get a crispy crust. Sear the first side over medium heat about 2-3 minutes and the second side about 1-2 minutes to keep them tender.

Read: 7 stir-fry mistakes to avoid

What to serve with Shrimp with Cheesy Grits

• Herb stuffed mushrooms (a great Thanksgiving side dish btw)
• Creamy chicken mushroom casserole
• Roasted cherry tomatoes with delicata squash
• Cinnamon Roasted delicata squash
• Roasted butternut squash soup
• Turmeric kabocha squash soup
• Browse more of my American-influenced dishes or my Whole30 recipes collection

🙋🏻‍♀️ Umami Tips

What are the best shrimp to use

Use wild-caught large shrimp, if possible. If they are peeled and deveined, it helps speed up the preparation.

Almost all shrimp we see in the grocery stores are previously frozen and then thawed. Frozen shrimp is fine for this recipe. Please don’t use precooked.

Serving Shrimp and Cheesy Grits

Shrimp and grits are best served immediately. It tastes the best when the dish is warm. You can make the grits ahead and reheat in a microwave. Saute the shrimp just before serving.

More easy shrimp recipes

• Easy shrimp pasta with tomato cream sauce
• Vietnamese garlic shrimp
• Kung pao shrimp
• Bang bang shrimp
• Chinese shrimp and broccoli stir-fry
• Keto shrimp avocado salad
• Thai cauliflower shrimp fried rice
• Browse more of my paleo seafood recipes

Recipe Card

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits

5 from 7 votes

By ChihYu Smith

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

This Cheesy Shrimp and Grits is a speedy comfort food at its best! Easy, dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, and sinfully delicious!

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Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the cheesy grits:

• ▢ 1.5 cup almond flour
• ▢ 1.5 cup water
• ▢ 2-3 pinches coarse sea salt or to taste
• ▢ 6 tbsp nutritional yeast or to taste

For the shrimp:

• ▢ 4 pieces turkey bacon or pork bacon
• ▢ 1.5-2 tbsp ghee butter
• ▢ 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined
• ▢ Sprinkle coarse sea salt
• ▢ Sprinkle ground black pepper
• ▢ Sprinkle smoked paprika or paprika
• ▢ 0.5 oz garlic finely minced
• ▢ 2 bulb scallions chopped
• ▢ Dash of olive oil optional

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Instructions 

For the paleo cheesy grits:

• Sieve through the almond meal. This will make the grits less gritty.
• In a medium soup pot, bring water to boil and season with two-three pinches of salt. Slowly stream in the almond flour, ¼ cup at a time. Whisk and stir constantly over medium-low heat to prevent lumps, about 2-3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, stir-in the yeast and mix well. Let the grits sit on the stovetop. Cover with a lid for about 15 minutes.

For the shrimp:

• Start with a cold cast iron large skillet, crisp up the bacon over medium heat. In the meantime pat dry the shrimp.
• Set the bacon aside and leave the fat in the pan. Add the ghee and preheat the skillet again until it feels hot.
• Lower the heat to medium, add the shrimp and season with salt, pepepper, and smoked paprika, and add the garlic.
• Sear the first side for about 2-3 minutes and the flip side 1-2 minutes. As soon as you see the shrimp in golden brown color and the garlic is no longer raw. Turn off the heat.
• Divide the grits into 4 serving bowls. Spoon over a few big tablespoons of shrimp and the ghee butter sauce. Garnish with scallions and bacon crumbles. Drizzle with a small dash of olive oil, if using. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Keep the almond flour and the water ratio 1-to-1. You can use this ratio to scale up or down the recipe.
• Don’t season the shrimp until they are in the skillet, especially salt. Salt draws moisture out of the shrimp.
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet or the shrimp won’t get a crispy crust.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 419kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 158mg, Sodium: 864mg, Potassium: 373mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 209IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 159mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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