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This Keto Shrimp and Grits recipe has juicy Cajun-seasoned shrimp, smoky bacon, and sausage in a rich, savory sauce. Everything is served over creamy cauliflower cheese grits for a comforting, low-carb take on traditional Southern shrimp and grits, without the corn grits.
For this shrimp and cauliflower grits recipe, I use my Cauliflower Grits as the base and homemade Cajun seasoning for the shrimp. You can also use my Keto Grits if you prefer a texture that’s closer to traditional grits.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich Southern flavor: Bacon, chorizo, Cajun seasoning, and vegetables make a savory sauce that’s delicious spooned over the cauliflower grits.
- Creamy, cheesy cauliflower grits: Cauliflower rice, cream cheese, butter, and cheddar make a satisfying low-carb alternative to corn grits.
- Easy to customize: Use your favorite smoked sausage, swap the bacon, or adjust the spice to suit your taste.
Ingredients
This recipe has two parts: the seasoned shrimp with bacon and sausage, and the creamy cauliflower cheese grits.
For the Shrimp and Sauce
- Shrimp: Use raw, peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp.
- Cajun seasoning: Adds savory flavor and heat. I use my homemade blend, but your favorite Cajun seasoning works too.
- Bacon and chorizo: Bacon drippings help flavor the sauce, while chicken chorizo adds smoky, savory flavor.
- Bell pepper, shallots, green onions, and garlic: These form the flavor base for the sauce.
- Chicken broth and xanthan gum: The broth creates the sauce, and xanthan gum thickens it without flour.
- Lemon juice: Balances the richness of the bacon and sausage.
For the Cauliflower Cheese Grits
- Cauliflower rice: I’m using cauliflower rice as a low-carb alternative to corn grits. It has a different flavor and texture, but it’s especially versatile. I also use it for mushroom risotto, scallops and Parmesan risotto, and cilantro lime cauliflower rice in meals like my keto burrito bowls. Store-bought riced cauliflower saves prep time.
- Heavy cream, cream cheese, and butter: Make the cauliflower grits rich and creamy.
- Cheddar cheese: Adds cheesy flavor and brings everything together.
- Chives and seasonings: Add extra flavor.
How to Make Shrimp and Cauliflower Grits
Cook the Bacon and Sausage
Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove it from the skillet. Brown the chorizo in the bacon drippings and set it aside with the bacon.
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Make the Shrimp and Sauce
Sauté the vegetables in the drippings until softened. Add the xanthan gum, lemon juice, and broth, then cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Return the bacon and sausage to the skillet with the seasoned shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
Make the Cauliflower Cheese Grits
Warm the cream, broth, and cream cheese until smooth. Add the cauliflower rice, butter, and seasonings, then cook until the cauliflower is tender. Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted.
Assemble the Bowls
Spoon the creamy cauliflower grits into bowls. Top with the shrimp, sausage, bacon, and plenty of the savory sauce.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Use another smoked sausage: Andouille or another chicken or pork smoked sausage works in place of chorizo.
- Make it without pork: Use turkey bacon and chicken chorizo.
- Swap the shallots: Thinly sliced onions work just as well.
Serving and Storing
This keto shrimp and grits recipe is a hearty meal on its own. If you want a vegetable on the side, try my Instant Pot Southern Green Beans.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently until heated through so the shrimp don’t become tough. If the cauliflower grits have thickened, stir in a splash of broth or cream to loosen them.
More Keto Shrimp Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more low-carb shrimp dinners to try:
- Low Carb Bang Bang Shrimp
- Keto Shrimp Scampi
- Pan Seared Shrimp
- Keto Orange Shrimp
- Indian Shrimp Curry
- Keto Shrimp Tacos
- Keto Sweet and Sour Shrimp
- Low-Carb Breaded Air Fryer Shrimp
- Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp
- Garlic Butter Shrimp and Broccoli
- Shrimp Foil Packets
- More Keto Shrimp Recipes
If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Keto Shrimp and Grits
Use DRDAVINAHS at checkout to save on some equipment & ingredients!
Recommended Equipment
- 12-inch skillet
- second skillet for the cauliflower grits
Ingredients
Southern Shrimp
- 2 lb shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 6 slices bacon, sugar-free preferred
- 2/3 lb hot chicken chorizo sausage, casing removed if needed
- 1/2 bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 shallots, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, or seafood broth
Cheddar Cauliflower Grits
- 16 oz cauliflower rice
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried chives
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
Southern Shrimp
- Season the shrimp: Toss the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning until evenly coated. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove it from the skillet, crumble, and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pan.
- Cook the sausage: Add the chicken chorizo to the skillet and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove it from the pan and set aside with the bacon.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the shallots, bell pepper, green onions, and garlic to the bacon and sausage drippings. Cook until the vegetables soften.
- Make the sauce: Sprinkle the xanthan gum evenly over the vegetables and stir to distribute it. Slowly add the broth while stirring, followed by the lemon juice. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Finish the shrimp: Return the bacon and chorizo to the skillet, then add the seasoned shrimp. Stir to coat everything in the sauce and cook until the shrimp are pink, opaque, and cooked through. Remove from the heat.
Cauliflower Cheese Grits
- Make the creamy base: Heat a second skillet over medium-low heat. Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, and cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese melts and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Cook the cauliflower: Add the cauliflower rice, butter, sea salt, black pepper, and dried chives. Stir to combine, then cook for 5–10 minutes, until the cauliflower rice is tender.
- Add the cheddar: Stir in the grated cheddar cheese until melted and evenly combined.
Assemble the Bowls
- Serve: Spoon the cauliflower cheese grits into serving bowls. Top with the shrimp, bacon, sausage, and savory sauce. Serve warm.
Save This Recipe for Later
I’ll email you a link to this recipe so it’s easy to find when you’re ready to make it.
Recipe Notes
- Sausage substitutions: Andouille or another chicken or pork smoked sausage works in place of chicken chorizo.
- Pork-free option: Use turkey bacon and chicken chorizo.
- Thickening the sauce: Sprinkle the xanthan gum evenly and stir thoroughly to prevent clumping.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
Tracy R says
Oh my goodness, this was so fantastic. Thank you for sharing. The flavor bomb was real! My husband and I absolutely loved this recipe. I followed the recipe except didn’t have spicy smoked sausage so used garlic smoked sausage instead and added some red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch. Everyone just has to try this. It sure was a perfect dinner and made a Wednesday night seem kinda special.
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
I’m delighted to hear you and your husband enjoyed the recipe and made your Wednesday night special! Your adaptations, like using garlic smoked sausage and adding red pepper flakes, sound like fantastic tweaks. Thanks for sharing your experience, and I agree—flavor bombs can make any dinner extraordinary. Here’s to many more delicious meals! 😊
Sondra says
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious. I will add this to my keto recipes.
Tom says
I made this dish today and WOW!!! It is very easy to make and so delicious. I love it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
You’re welcome Tom. We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe.
Christi says
HOLY WOW! This one’s a definite keeper! It’s a quick and easy recipe, and the versatility to sub proteins really gives you the chance to make it your own. The flavor of the shrimp & sausage is perfect, and I love that you can adjust the spice level to your taste preference. I topped mine with Frank’s Red Hot, and it hit the mark. The “grits” are hands-down one of the most genius uses of cauli-rice in a long time. Best believe I’ll be making this again soon. Thank you for this amazing and decadent dish!!
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
Yes, you can always adjust depending on your taste. Thank you so much for trying our recipe. We’re glad you enjoyed it.
Samantha says
This is one of my favorite comfort foods, made this more times than I can count! The flavors are on time!!
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
We’re glad you liked it. It’s one of our favorites as well.
Valerie says
Simply delish!! My family loved this dish. Thank you
for sharing these amazing recepies.🙏🏻
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
You’re welcome! We’re so glad you liked it.
Valerie says
Simply delish … my family
loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing
these amazing recipes🙏🏻
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
You’re welcome! We’re so glad you loved it.
Darolyn says
This recipe was easy and delicious!!! I was curious to try the “grits,” they definitely did not disappoint. I will be preparing this again! ❤️
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
Thank you so much for trying our recipe. We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Samantha says
This recipe truly satisfied my craving for shrimp and grits and best of all, didn’t have to cheat on my diet!!! So happy I have leftovers for a few days!!
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe.
Latrice M says
This recipe is 💣. I’ve made it a couple times and I love it. The Chorizo is what sets the whole dish off.
Even non low carb/keto folks would enjoy this. There’s too much flavor to miss grits.
This will be in frequent rotation.
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
We’re so happy you enjoyed our recipe.
Keisha says
I just finished my first plate. I’m very impressed with this recipe. So much flavor!!! I used andouille sausage and added more cheese to the “grits”. It is DELICIOUS!!! I’m going back for round 2. Thank you so much for sharing.
Davinah says
Keisha,
I’m so happy that you enjoyed this dish and was able to find a meat that worked for you from the suggested list. Appreciate you for taking the time to review this, it is truly one of my favorite recipes too!
Best,
Davinah
Heather says
Loved this recipe. First time making it and I wouldn’t change a thing. My kids gobbled it up!! Full of wonderful flavors.
Davinah says
Hi Heather!
Thanks so much for taking the time to rate this. I appreciate it and am happy that your family enjoyed it!
Tina says
Hands down amazing! The flavors we on point, I thought I was totally going to screw it up, but nope, it was delicious! My husband said it was like a dish we would get in Savannah, GA on vacation!
Davinah says
Yay! That’s fantastic, Tina! I’m so happy that you and your hubby enjoyed this.
Aimee Mars says
As a Southerner, I take my shrimp and grits seriously, and these shrimp and grits seriously look amazing! I love how you’ve taken this classic recipe and cleaned it up in a keto version. My mom who eats only keto recipes will love this so I’m going to make it for myself and share it with her.
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
Hope you and your mom enjoyed our recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Irina says
I have just made your shrimp recipe! I got so many WOWs from my guys at home that I feel I will be making it again 🙂 It is the best-cooked shrimps ever!
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
Thank you so much for trying our recipe. We’re glad you enjoyed it.
Jeannette says
Shrimp, chorizo AND bacon? Wow, you’ve got an amazing sense of taste 😉 Love how you’ve worked in cauliflower cheese grits into this for that perfect balanced flavour profile. Thanks for sharing!
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Beth says
Yummy! This is so delicious and tasty! My daughter and I loved this recipe! Can’t wait to make this again!
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This sounds like such a mouth watering dish and I love that it is keto too! Looks absolutely delicious.
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
We really appreciate you stopping back to write such a thoughtful review.
Cyndi says
My favorite recipe for shrimp and “grits”. The recipe is easy to follow and uses easy to find ingredients and inspires me to be creative at the same time. This recipe has given me the confidence to outside my box and get creative. Do not hesitate to try any of Dr. Davinah’s recipes. You won’t be sorry.
Davinah says
Hi Cyndi!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. It’s definitely one of my favorite comfort food remakes. Happy that this has helped you feel more confident in the kitchen. Have a great rest of the weekend!
Best,
Davinah