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Southern Shrimp & Grits is a comfort food combo that never gets old. The flavors of the gravy (made by the shrimp, bacon, and sausage) combined with the creaminess of the grits are a flavor explosion. That’s why I’m excited to share this Keto Southern Shrimp and Cauliflower Cheese Grits recipe. You’ll notice that this one has a bit more servings than usual, but I promise you’ll thank me for the leftovers!
Ingredients
Traditional shrimp and grits are just as you might imagine: shrimp paired with grits. There are lots of way to enjoy the combo, like my sweet & spicy version. However, this one is southern-style and keto-friendly.
It includes my homemade cajun seasoning, plus:
- Bacon
- Sausage (see substitution ideas below)
- Peppers
- Onions
I used raw, peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp.
Are Grits Keto – Keto Alternative to Grits:
Traditional grits are grains and high in carbs. So, to make this dish low-carb and keto-friendly, I’m using a version of my easy cheese cauliflower grits, which uses store-bought cauliflower rice.
Cauliflower rice is a great alternative to grits and other grains like white or brown rice because it has just 3g net carbs per servings (regular grits have about 35g per serving).
Plus, it’s super versatile. In fact, I use it in so many recipes on the site like my keto mushroom risotto, scallops and parmesan risotto, and my cilantro lime rice that I use in keto burrito bowls.
Recipe Substitution Tips:
- Use any smoked sausage you can find: I’ve made this recipe a lot of times and tend to just use whatever smoked sausage I can find. Sometimes this means using andouille sausage. Other times, I use chorizo. Any chicken or pork smoked sausage will work.
- Swap pork with turkey or chicken: Keto Shrimp and Grits has pork in it. If you do not eat pork, feel free to make this dish with turkey bacon, and use chicken chorizo sausage. I typically get chicken chorizo sausage from the meat section in my local market.
- Swap shallots for onions: shallots are a little sweeter than regular onions, so I use them in some recipes. You can use thinly sliced regular onions instead.
- Use keto grits instead of cauliflower grits: keto grits are a bit more mealy and grainy tasting compared to cauliflower.
More Keto Shrimp Recipes:
- Low Carb Bang Bang Shrimp
- Shrimp Scampi
- Cast Iron Shrimp
- Keto Orange Shrimp
- Indian Shrimp Curry
- Keto Shrimp Recipe Collection
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 Southern Shrimp and Cauliflower Cheese Grits
Use DRDAVINAHS at checkout to save on some equipment & ingredients!
Ingredients
Southern Shrimp
- 2 lb Shrimp
- 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning, click for recipe
- 6 slices Sugar-free Bacon, regular bacon works, but I prefer sugarfree
- 2/3 lb hot chicken chorizo sausage, pork works also – remove the casing
- 1/2 Bell Pepper, about 1 cup, chopped
- 2 Shallots, about 1 cup, chopped
- 1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum, or 2 tsp of tapioca starch, or 1 tbsp Unflavored Collagen Peptides
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth, or seafood broth
Cheddar Cauliflower Grits
- 16 oz Cauliflower Rice
- 3/4 cup Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
- 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
- 2 oz Cream Cheese
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Dried Chives
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
Southern Shrimp
- Sprinkle the shrimp with the cajun seasoning mixture and set aside
- Heat 12-in skillet on medium heat
- Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, crumble, and set aside.
- Cook the chorizo in bacon drippings. Remove from pan and set aside with the bacon
- Saute vegetables (shallots, bell peppers, green onions, and garlic) in the bacon and chorizo fat until translucent.
- Add the xanthan gum, lemon juice, and broth to the vegetables. Cook until a sauce begins to form (~5 minutes)
- Add the chorizo, crumbled bacon and seasoned shrimp into the pan. Cook until the shrimp is pink.
Cauliflower Cheese Grits
- Heat a skillet over medium-low heat
- Add cream, broth, and cream cheese. Mix until the cream cheese is melted (~5 minutes)
- Add cauliflower, butter salt, chives and pepper
- Stir on medium-low until the cauliflower rice is tender (~5-10 minutes)
- Add cheddar into the pan and allow it to melt
Finish The Dish
- Add the cauliflower cheese grits to a bowl.
- Top the keto grits with the southern shrimp and serve.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!
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