If you’re craving bold Southern flavors with a touch of spice, blackened shrimp and grits is the perfect dish to satisfy. This classic comfort food combines succulent shrimp, coated in smoky Cajun Blackened Seasoning and seared to perfection, with creamy, cheddar-infused grits that melt in your mouth. The result is a harmonious blend of spice and creaminess that brings the rich tradition of Southern cuisine to your table. Whether you’re serving it for a weekend brunch or a cozy dinner, this blackened shrimp and cheddar grits recipe will impress with its simple yet decadent flavors.
Originally Published March 2, 2022
Modified March 2 2025
This classic dish is the perfect combination of creamy and cheesy grits, succulent shrimp, and savory Blackened Seasoning Recipe that will leave your taste buds dancing with joy. Whether you’re cooking for yourself, your family, or a group of friends, this recipe is a crowd-pleaser that will satisfy everyone’s cravings.
So, grab your apron and let’s get cooking! Trust me; you won’t regret it once you take that first bite of this mouth-watering shrimp and grits recipe.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Bold Cajun Flavors – The blackened shrimp, creamy grits, and sautéed veggies create the perfect balance of smoky, spicy, and savory.
- Comfort Food with a Fresh Twist – The addition of sautéed peppers and onions adds a fresh, slightly sweet contrast to the rich cheese grits.
- Quick & Satisfying Meal – This dish comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
What are Corn Grits?
Corn grits are made from dried and ground kernels of corn, which are sometimes referred to as hominy. The kernels are first treated with an alkali solution, such as lye or lime, to remove the tough outer hull and germ, leaving behind the softer, starchy endosperm. This process is called nixtamalization, and it helps to increase the nutritional value of the corn by making its nutrients more bioavailable.
Once the nixtamalized corn is rinsed and dried, it is ground into coarse or fine particles, depending on the desired texture of the grits. The resulting product is then often cooked with water or milk to create a porridge-like consistency, and can be served as a side dish or used as a base for other recipes such as polenta or cornbread.
There are many types of grits out there, from stone ground to instant. We prefer stone-ground. Read this article to decide which will work best for you. Fair warning, instant grits has been pre-cooked, and does not have as much flavor, so steer away from that, if you can.
Know Your Grits: Stone-Ground, Speckled, Instant, And More
Article by Lisa Cericola, editor at Southern Living
Ingredients for these Shrimp and Grits
Corn Grits: Look for good quality corn grits, that are not instant. Stone ground orange corn grits are our favorite.
Dairy: We use milk, butter, pepper-jack and cheddar cheese for the ultimate in cheesy flavor. Feel free to vary the types of cheese, by trying smoked gouda, or sharp white cheddar.
Spices: Adding some cajun spice adds a bit of heat, which we love in our grits. For the shrimp, we use blackened seasoning, but you can also just use good old salt and pepper.
Shrimp: We always have frozen shrimp in the freezer, so this dish is a great one to make any night of the week. Using a larger shrimp, de-veined and all but the tail shells removed makes for a showy dish.
Veggies: Onions, peppers and corn, along with some fresh garlic adds an amazing flavor to this dish!
How to make Shrimp and Grits:
1. Cook the Cheese Grits:
- In a saucepan, bring chicken broth and milk to a boil.
- Stir in grits and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally.
- Once thick and creamy, stir in butter and shredded cheese until melted. Season with salt & pepper. Keep warm.
2. Sauté the Veggies:
- Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add sliced peppers and onions and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened.
- Season with Cajun seasoning, stir, then remove from heat.
3. Cook the Blackened Shrimp:
- Toss shrimp with Cajun seasoning.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes per side until blackened and opaque.
- Add minced garlic in the last 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant. Remove from heat.
4. Assemble & Serve:
- Spoon cheesy grits onto plates or bowls.
- Top with sautéed peppers & onions.
- Arrange blackened shrimp on top.
- Garnish with fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon.
How to Store & Reheat:
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating Grits: Add a splash of milk or broth and warm on the stovetop over low heat, stirring until creamy.
- Reheating Shrimp & Veggies: Sauté quickly over medium heat for 1–2 minutes to prevent overcooking.
Tips for the Best Blackened Shrimp & Grits:
✔ Use fresh shrimp for the best flavor and texture.
✔ If grits get too thick, stir in a little warm milk or broth to loosen them up.
✔ Want more heat? Add a dash of Cajun hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
✔ Cook the shrimp in a cast iron skillet for an even better blackened crust.
Equipment
- pot
- 2 Pans
- Grater
- Wooden spoon
- Tongs
Ingredients
Ingredients for cheese grits:
- 1 cup Corn Grits
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 Cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- ½ cup pepper jack cheese freshly shredded
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Pepper & Corn Saute:
- 1 Poblano pepper diced small
- 1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers diced small
- 1 red or orange pepper diced small
- 1 small red onion diced small
- 6 cloves of peeled garlic shredded with microplaner
- 1 bag of frozen corn
- Garlic olive oil or canola oil for cooking
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
Blackened Shrimp:
- 24 Jumbo raw shrimp 21-25 size, de-veined and shelled
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon blackened seasoning
Garnish
- Sliced green onions or chives
Instructions
Prep shrimp:
- Peel and de-vein shrimp, leaving tails on. Rinse shrimp, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Add shrimp, blackened seasoning and a teaspoon of canola oil into a bag. Keep shrimp in fridge, while preparing the rest.24 Jumbo raw shrimp, 1 tablespoon blackened seasoning, 3 tablespoons canola oil
Prepare grits:
- Put water, and milk into a pot, and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer, using whisk to stir, slowly pour in grits. Continue to stir grits until it come back to a simmer. Simmer, stirring often, until grits absorb the liquid.Times may vary, depending on the grits you use, 20-30 minutes. Stir in blackened Cajun seasoning, set aside to keep warm.1 cup Corn Grits, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup water
- Stir in butter, both of the cheeses, allowing to melt. Add the Cajun seasoning,stir, and set aside to stay warm.1 1/2 Cups sharp cheddar cheese, ½ cup pepper jack cheese, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
Prepare pepper corn mixture:
- Heat up a cast iron skillet, with light coating of canola oil or garlic olive oil. Put corn in hot pan. Season with salt and pepper. Roast corn till golden brown, stirring with metal spatula. Set corn aside, in a bowl, covering with foil.1 bag of frozen corn, 3 tablespoons canola oil
Cook shrimp
- Put another cast iron pan outside on a hot grill, heating for 5 minutes. You may do this inside, but still make sure pan is very hot! Re-heat pan used for corn, till very hot. Add just a drizzle of canola oil. Put shrimp into large cast iron pan, set timer for 3 minutes. Cooking times vary, depending on size of shrimp, so turn over when they start to become opaque, cooking for 2 more minutes, and pull off heat to avoid over cooking. We time them to be done when sauté is done.24 Jumbo raw shrimp
While shrimp cooks, sauté onions and peppers
- While shrimp is cooking, finish the sauté mixture. Add onion into the other hot pan, cook for 1 minute. Stir in garlic, & cook for 1 minute. Toss in peppers, stirring, to heat, but allow to remain crisp. Turn shrimp over, set timer for 2 minutes. Toss corn into pepper and onion mixture, continue to cook, stirring1 Poblano pepper, 1 red or orange pepper, 1 small red onion, 6 cloves of peeled garlic, Garlic olive oil or canola oil for cooking, Salt and pepper to taste
Assemble shrimp and grits:
- Serve grits in a large bowl, placing shrimp and pepper-corn mixture on top! Sprinkle with green onions or chives, and enjoy!Sliced green onions or chives
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more seafood recipes? Check these out!
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Loving this shrimp this with all the goodies. The corn saute was a great topping to the shrimp and grits!
Janie,
Thank you so much!
Dina and Bruce
Yum! The pepper & corn sauté look so good! I can’t wait to make for my family!
Natalie,
We serve this for our family and they love it!!
Thank you,
Dina and Bruce
These cheesy grits with blackened shrimp have everything you want in grits and the best flavor combination!
Stacey,
This has got to be one of our family’s most favorite recipes!
Thank you,
Dina and Bruce
Shrimp and grits is a southern favorite. This recipe was a hit with the family!
That looks absolutely amazing! I love cheesy grits – I can only imagine how good they are with added cajun spices and shrimp on top!
Chenee,
Awe thank you so much!
Dina and Bruce
The combination of seasoned and blackened shrimp, poblano peppers and corn, and creamy grits is out of this world! I can’t wait to make this for my mom, who loves shrimp and grits. Brilliant recipe!