This Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits recipe is a delightful one-pot dinner. Tender shrimp and crisp bacon in a spicy tomato-based sauce combine with creamy grits to create a delicious fusion of flavors. The beauty of this recipe is that you can cook the grits with the shrimp in the same pot. This popular recipe gets rave reviews! [Stovetop directions also provided.]
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This pressure cooker shrimp and grits recipe is adapted from my family’s stove-top version, a Southern classic I’ve been making since living in the Southeastern US.
Grits are very similar to Italian polenta, coarsely ground dried corn. Once a breakfast staple in the Southeast, this dish has gained in popularity on restaurant dinner menus, with countless variations.
My take on this iconic recipe features spice-rubbed shrimp in a rich tomato sauce served over creamy instant pot grits.
In adapting the recipe for the Instant Pot, I wanted a one-pot meal with minimal steps. I created this recipe using the pot in pot Instant Pot cooking technique, cooking the shrimp and grits together.
I’ve also provided instructions for my original stovetop recipe. Please note that there are some modifications, in method and ingredients!
➡ If you love this recipe, try other Southern Instant Pot recipes like Instant Pot jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice with ham hocks.
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need for Shrimp and Grits
💡 Recipe and Ingredient Tips
Here are some tips that will successfully help you make this shrimp and grits recipe:
🌾 Grits: Use Southern-style Bob’s Red Mill white corn grits if authentic stone-ground grits aren’t available. Break up lumps with a fork, especially when doubling the recipe. If it is too liquidy, let it sit for 15 minutes to thicken. Add cream or butter for creamier grits. Learn about different types of grits from Southern Living.
🍤 Cooking Method: Shrimp is seasoned with Old Bay and added last, cooking in residual heat. Close the Instant Pot immediately after adding shrimp. Use the pot-in-pot method: sauce in the inner pot, grits in an oven-safe bowl on a trivet. Steam from the sauce cooks the grits.
🔧 Trivet: A 2-inch trivet works best. Shorter trivets may sit in sauce and taller ones may not fit. Learn more about trivets and their uses.
🍋 Lemon Juice: Adds tartness. Reduce quantity if desired.
🌶️ Spice Level: Mild to medium spiciness as written. Increase Old Bay and/or add hot sauce at the end for more heat. Substitute Creole or Cajun seasoning for Old Bay.
🥛 Cream: The more cream you use, the richer and tastier the dish! You can use up to ½ cup of cream. Also add cream to the grits for more flavor.
🍽️ Servings: Recipe feeds four in my family! Double the grits recipe for larger appetites, but make sure the grits cooking dish is large enough for the Instant Pot. If doubling, cook the grits for a couple extra minutes and keep the shrimp in the residual heat longer. Alternately, you can make the grits on the stovetop.
🧀 Cheese: Optional, but makes grits creamier and more flavorful. Adjust salt when using cheese. Options: cheddar, parmesan, goat cheese, or pimento cheese.
🦐 Shrimp Size: The recipe uses medium shrimp. Increase cook time for large or jumbo shrimp.
🍶Sherry: I like the sherry flavor, but you can use a dry white wine instead.
❓FAQs
To use sausage, saute about 6 oz. of smoked andouille sausage (cut into rounds) after sauteing the bacon. Add the sausage back in when you’re adding the cream.
Usually, just letting the grits rest for about 10 to 15 minutes allows it to thicken up.
Frozen shrimp won’t cook if you use my method of heating the shrimp in the residual heat. You’ll need to pressure cook shrimp at high pressure for a minute or two with a quick pressure release.
Instant grits are much less flavorful than regular or stone ground grits. Some readers have used quick grits and had good results.
No, you put all the contents of the can into the Instant Pot.
– Substitute half and half for the cream. It won’t be as creamy and may be a bit more liquidy.
– Using stone ground grits is healthier than using regular or instant grits.
– Drain off the bacon fat and use olive oil to saute the onions.
– Or omit the bacon.
Yes, a stainless steel container should also work. I would use the same cook time.
How to Make Shrimp and Grits
⏲️ Instant Pot Method
- Season shrimp
- Saute bacon
- Add onions and peppers
- Add tomatoes and seasonings
- Place grits on a trivet
- Pressure cook and release pressure
- Remove grits and add shrimp
- Cook shrimp and add cream
- Heat through
- Season shrimp with Old Bay seasoning and set aside.
- Select Saute and cook bacon until crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add onions and bell peppers. Saute in the rendered bacon fat till onion is translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Saute garlic for 30 seconds and turn the Instant Pot off. Deglaze with white wine, and stir well to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot, allowing the wine to evaporate mostly.
- Stir in tomatoes, lemon juice, broth, tabasco, salt and pepper. Place trivet in the Instant Pot.
- Mix milk, water, grits, salt and pepper in an oven-safe glass bowl. Place bowl on trivet.
Program the Instant Pot and release pressure
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- The display will go from On to 10:00. The float valve will go up after a few minutes. The display will count down to 00:00.
- Do a quick release of pressure. Once the float valve goes down, the lid can be opened.
- Carefully remove the bowl containing the grits. *
- Remove the trivet and stir in the shrimp. Close the Instant Pot and allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat.
- After 10 minutes, open the Instant Pot. Add cream and gently stir the shrimp. Select Saute mode. When heated through (don’t boil), press Cancel. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with scallions and reserved bacon.
- Meanwhile, add butter to grits, fluff with a fork, and set aside. For cheesy grits, add 2 ounces of cheddar cheese or your choice of cheese.
* Be sure not to let too much heat escape while you’re removing the grits. The shrimp will be cooked in the residual heat of the Instant Pot.
♨️ Stovetop Method
Sauce
- Saute tomatoes in butter
- Add cream and broth and simmer
- Stir in green onions, sherry, salt, and pepper and simmer
Shrimp
- Sprinkle shrimp with Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper
- Dredge shrimp in flour, and reserve
- Saute bacon, reserve
- Saute onions and bell peppers in the bacon fat
- Deglaze with sherry
- Saute shrimp until no longer pink
- Add lemon juice, broth, and hot sauce
Grits
- Prepare grits according to directions on package using equal parts milk and water for the liquid
- Divide grits among bowls and top each serving with butter
Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
Shrimp Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp (500 grams) peeled and deveined
- 2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or more to taste
- 3 strips bacon diced
- ⅓ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup bell peppers red and/or green, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon sherry or dry white wine
[Use 3 tablespoon – divided- for stovetop version]
- 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes canned or fresh
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth [Use ½ cup – divided- for stovetop version]
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce or hot sauce, more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder or to taste
- ¼ cup heavy cream [Use ½ cup for stovetop version]
- ¼ cup green onions sliced thin (green parts only)
- 1 tablespoon butter [Use for stovetop version]
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour [Use for stovetop version]
Grits Ingredients
- ½ cup grits
- 1 cup milk [Use 1 ¼ cups for stovetop version]
- 1 cup water [Use 1 ¼ cups for stovetop version]
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon butter add more or less, to taste
- 2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese or your choice of cheese (57 grams) optional
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream optional, for creamier grits
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. Set aside.
- Select Saute mode, cook bacon until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate and set aside.
- Saute onions and bell peppers in the rendered bacon fat till onion is translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and saute briefly.
- Turn Instant Pot off.
- Deglaze with white wine (or sherry), and stir well to remove any browned bits, allowing the wine to mostly evaporate. Make sure there's no food stuck on the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in tomatoes, lemon juice, broth, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
- Place trivet in the Instant Pot.
- In a medium bowl that will fit in the Instant Pot, stir together grits, milk, water, salt and pepper. Place bowl on trivet.
- Close Instant Pot lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Open the Instant Pot, remove the grits and set aside.
- Remove the trivet.
- Carefully stir in shrimp.
- Close the Instant Pot immediately and allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat. Instant Pot will be in Keep Warm mode.
- While shrimp is cooking, add butter, cheese, and cream (if using) to the grits and fluff grits with a fork. Make sure you remove all lumps while fluffing the grits.
- After 10 minutes, open the Instant Pot. Gently stir the shrimp.
- Select Saute mode and stir in cream. Heat through (don't boil) and turn off Instant Pot by pressing Cancel.
- Garnish with scallions and bacon.
- Serve grits topped with shrimp and sauce.
Stovetop Directions (Grits) [See Note 1]
- In a medium saucepan, bring equal parts water and milk to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Gradually whisk in the grits, bring to a boil, and keep whisking until the mixture starts to thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more milk as needed if the grits are too thick.
- Add butter, cheese, and cream (if using) to the grits and fluff with a fork. Make sure you remove all lumps while fluffing the grits. Remove from heat and keep covered until ready to serve.
Stovetop Directions (Sauce)
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add ½ cup heavy cream and ¼ cup chicken broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in green onions and 1 tablespoon sherry. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Simmer for another 3 minutes. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.
Stovetop Directions (Shrimp)
- Season shrimp with Old Bay seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off any excess and set aside.
- Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Saute onions and bell peppers in the rendered bacon fat till onions are translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute briefly. Deglaze with 2 tablespoon sherry and cook for 1 minute, or until the sherry evaporates.
- Add the shrimp and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, ¼ cup broth, and hot sauce. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through, stirring to loosen any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- To serve, divide the grits among four bowls and top with shrimp and serve sauce on the side.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, peeled shrimp, etc.
- Note 1: Double all grits ingredients for a heartier meal.
- You can substitute Old Bay seasoning with Cajun seasoning or Creole Seasoning. Adjust the quantity of added salt as needed.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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More Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes
Paige says
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband & me and we loved it! It was certainly more than enough for the 2 of us so we’ll enjoy the leftovers. The seasoning was perfect – not too spicy for my husband but just enough to make it interesting. I would like to know how others get the bowl of grits out without burning their hands!
Neena Panicker says
Paige, one thing you can try doing is making a sling with aluminum foil. Take a long piece of foil, fold it lengthwise multiple times till it’s about 2 inches wide. Place the foil sling under your bowl when you’re placing it on the rack. Tuck it out of the way when the food is cooking. Use the sling to lift the bowl out!
Amy Sonnenberg says
Very tasty and a good use for the IP. I will agree that this serves two good sized dinner servings or 4 as an appetizer. Now my husband understands why I order s&p regularly when we go out.
My grits were kind of unevenly lumpy with dry spots. With some stirring, and a generous handful of Gruyere, it all worked out.
This is an easy recipe to make subs based on what you have handy— I used a Cajun spice mix from another recipe, chicken broth instead of wine to deglaze and in the grits, 1/2 and 1/2 at the end.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Amy, thanks for the comment. So happy to hear you liked the recipe. It could be you needed to stir the grits up a bit more. But glad you got it figured out.
Nancy Valant says
This is the best shrimp grits recipe I’ve ever made!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Nancy – I appreciate you sharing that!
Deb says
Awesome recipe! We thought it to feed 4 people fine. Rich and satisfying.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Deb. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Tina Chin says
First… I don’t ever leave a review unless I have actually made the recipe… second, everything about this recipe is absolutely phenomenal!!! Flavor, consistency of grits and the serving amount which served for my family- 1 teen, 1 pre teen and 1 adult (a very large plate that could have very well been split into two….) and still had tons of the sauce left! I didn’t have the canon of tomatoes so I diced 3 fresh ones and boiled in a 1/2 cup of water just a bit. I also didn’t have a bottle of white wine so I just used some white cooking wine. I was totally tempted to double the recipe …. especially the grits, but opted to stick with the recipe as written…. SO GLAD I DID!!! I had never used another pot/bowl in the instant pot (I’m a newbie) so I was a little confused here and worried… I used a 7 in round cake pan. I just knew it would overflow and I would have grits everywhere! But to my surprise… perfection! There is not one step I would recommend changing nor one ingredient substituted… WELL DONE author, WELL DONE…this one is a keeper! Thank you!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Wow, Tina! Thank you so much for your detailed review and kind words. You’ve made my day. Yes, I find grits to be surprisingly filling!
Monica Pileggi says
I made this last night (April 15, 2020). I forgot to add the broth to the IP per the directions. I was afraid the pot would burn but it didn’t. When I added the shrimp, I added the broth (which I heated up in the microwave). I also added a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan cheese to the grits when I added the butter, as I felt the grits was too plan for my taste; however, the cheese was not needed because the sauce had a delicious flavor. This was excellent and I’ll definitely keep this in my recipe book. Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Monica, thank for commenting and for letting us know your substitutions. Glad to hear you liked the recipe 🙂
Jennifer says
This dish turned out to be absolutely brilliant!
After reading some of the comments, I was worried. Most people seem to take portion sizes out of context and devalue your recipe for their lack of research and common sense. We found no issue with your portion sizes. The grits turned out wonderfully and despite our decision to amend your recipe, you gave us a baseline to run with. We have tried your Jambalaya, gumbo and étouffée recipes and have been blown away each time! I am so pleased that you share your hard work and efforts with the world. The Instant Pot is a wonderful machine and we’re so glad you have taken the time to test some of our Southern/Creole favorites. Cheers!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Jennifer! I’m pretty proud of this recipe because I was the first one to post this recipe with the shrimp and grits cooked together, and I developed the recipe myself. I very much appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the recipe and letting me know about the Cajun recipes you liked!
Chris Cleeland says
The only reason this got 4 stars is because it’s definitely not a “serves 4”. To serve 4 I would basically double it.
I also bailed on the “Old Bay” and used Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning for everything. Turned out extremely well.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Chris, thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate your feedback. It’s hard to set serving size, since it is subjective but I will keep your comment in mind for when I revise the recipe in the future.
Terence says
Our family enjoyed this dish to varying degrees, ranging from my youngest (a teenager) who absolutely loved it, to me who thought it was just ok. On the plus side, I thought the shrimp were cooked perfectly! My biggest complaint is that the recipe says it serves 4. Perhaps as an appetizer, but for me, as an entrée, it serves closer to 2 (perhaps 3; if I had to pick a number, I’d go with 2.25).
I did not grow up on grits, but loved them when I had shrimp & grits in a restaurant in Washington D.C.; those grits were sooo creamy. These grits were not nearly as creamy and that disappointed me (if it’s easy to tweak the recipe to be creamier, might be worth a comment in the recipe). One other potential note to add to the recipe is for people to remove all the lumps when fluffing the grits.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Terence, regarding the creaminess of the grits I know what you mean and that’s most likely from using cream and butter 🙂 Yes, sorry about the serving size – I usually just put down the number of servings that a recipe feeds my family – we usually have a salad, etc. So it may not be accurate for everyone. I will put it on my list to update the tips with your suggestions because they are valid points. Thanks for your feedback.
Terence says
I looked at other shrimp and grits recipes to see how to make the grits creamier. After the grits were cooked, I fluffed them and mixed in 5 oz (or so) of shredded cheddar cheese. Grits were outstanding with this addition.
I also doubled the amount of shrimp. This required additional cooking time (had to turn on Saute as I’m not sure all the shrimp would have fully cooked in just the latent heat).
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks for the update, Terence. I had a feeling that cheese or cream would do the trick – and you’re very kind to share your experience!
Chris Cleeland says
A lot of the creaminess of grits is related to the grits you use. Quaker grits don’t really get creamy.
I was just in Mississippi and bought some “Grit Girl” grits after having some in a local restaurant, and they cooked up super creamy.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Chris – good info!
Donna says
We loved this recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks for your comment, Donna – I’m really glad you liked the recipe.
Amy says
Do you think it will still be a good recipe if bacon is not added? I don’t eat pork.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I think it will be tasty still. Maybe you can add some chipotle chile or smoked paprika for a smoky flavor and saute the onions in some butter if you don’t mind the fat.
My says
Thank you, great ideas!
Christine Haughton says
I am not sure what I did wrong but this recipe did not turn out as well as the others. We used Autry grits the only difference. No flavor in the sauce just blah . My husband was so excited to have this Shrimp and grits as it is his fav. Not this though. It took over 2hrs to prepare and cook. I don’t get the benefit of this instant pot.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Christine, sorry this recipe didn’t meet your expectations. I love the flavors of this recipe, but maybe your taste buds require you to increase the quantity of spices, onions, garlic, etc. Maybe by one and a half.
Tanya says
For some reason I have had a taste for shrimp and grits and the only wsy to get them was to make them myself. I love cooking in my pressure cooker so of course I had to find a recipe that used a pc, and ingredients I had on hand. This one was perfect. The first time I made them I just used 1/2 the recipe because I was only making for myself. It came out so good, and I had leftover shrimp and sauce so I had it over rice. And it was just as good or even better. My husband had a taste and asked me to make more. So within 1 week, I made this twice. Both times it came out perfect. Thank you for sharing your rcipr for this delicious dish.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Tanya – thanks for that wonderful comment! I’m glad it passed the hubby test 🙂
Angie says
Made this for dinner tonight….my hubby said it was restaurant quality. Could it be because I didn’t have milk so I used heavy cream for the grits👨🍳 🤣😂.
Wasn’t sure how big of a bowl to use for the grits and all I had were the round Pyrex so I used the smallest 1qt size and it was perfect. Grits didn’t explode everywhere as I wasn’t sure how much it would rise. Also just as another reviewer said grits were a little runny at first but setup nicely as I waited for the shrimp to cook. Recipe is definitely a keeper. Next time I will try adding some sausage. Thanks for the great recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Angie, that’s funny – cream does make anything taste even better 🙂 Thank you for your comment and I so happy to hear you liked one of my favorite recipes. Sausage would be a nice and substantial addition.