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Best Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits

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Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits is a delightful one-pot meal. Tender shrimp and crisp bacon in a spicy tomato-based sauce combine with creamy grits to create a delicious fusion of flavors.

Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits P5- Paint the Kitchen Red
This Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits recipe is adapted from my own stove-top recipe for shrimp and grits that I’ve been making since I lived in the South.  I may have moved out west, but I still get a hankering for Southern shrimp & grits every few months!  If you’re wondering what grits are, they’re coarsely ground dried corn, similar to Italian polenta.  It’s not easy finding authentic stone-ground southern style grits where I live.  The best option I’ve found is this kind of grits.
Originally served as a breakfast dish in the Southeastern US, shrimp and grits has gained in popularity on restaurant dinner menus. There are probably as many variations of shrimp & grits as there are restaurants serving the dish.  I’ve had shrimp and grits without tomatoes, with mushrooms, with cheese, or with andouille sausage or chorizo instead of bacon. Some versions are simple with just salt and pepper for spice and other versions use more bold flavorings.My version is not the salt and pepper kind!  It has spice-rubbed shrimp in a rich tomato-based  sauce served on a bed of creamy grits.  In adapting the recipe to the Instant Pot, I wanted to make the dish a one-pot meal with as few steps as possible.  The dish is easy to make: of the 45 minutes of cooking time, less than 10 minutes are hands-on.  The end result is a wonderfully flavorful and comforting shrimp and grits.

This Instant Pot shrimp and grits recipe uses the pot-in-pot method to cook the dish.  You’ll cook the sauce ingredients directly in the inner pot, put the grits in an oven-safe glass bowl that’s placed on a trivet in the sauce, and cook both together. The steam from the sauce will build pressure and cook the grits. I have two trivets: the one that came with the Instant Pot and a 2.7 inch trivet. The tall one was too tall to fit the glass bowl I used for the grits, so I used the former, which was a bit messy since it sat in the sauce instead of above it. After making this recipe, I purchased this 2 inch trivet, which I feel is just the right size.

You’ll notice that the shrimp is not sauteed at the beginning. It’s seasoned with a dry rub of Old Bay seasoning, added in at the end, and it cooks in the residual heat of the Instant Pot. This seals in all the flavors.  Be sure to  close the Instant Pot immediately after adding the shrimp- you don’t want to  let too much heat escape!  Feel free to substitute creole or cajun seasoning for the Old Bay.I hope you get to try out this Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits recipe. If you’ve never tried grits, this is the way to try them because they go so well with the shrimp. It’s a meal-in-one that’s delicious and satisfying.

If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot Manual / Beginner’s Quick Start Guide blog post first and then come back here to learn how to make Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits.

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Best Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits Ingredients

Best Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits Ingredients - Paint the Kitchen Red

Best Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits Step-by-Step Instructions

Instant Pot Easy Shrimp and Grits Apply Seasoning - Paint the Kitchen Red

 

Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits Instructions 1 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Press ‘Saute’.
  • Cook bacon until crisp, about 3 minutes.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a plate and set aside.

 

Instant Pot Easy Shrimp and Grits Instructions 2 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Add onions and bell peppers. Saute in the rendered bacon fat till onion is translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.
  • Turn Instant Pot off.

 

Instant Pot Easy Shrimp and Grits Instructions 3 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Deglaze with white wine, and stir well to remove any browned bits, allowing the wine to mostly evaporate.
  • Add in tomatoes, lemon juice, broth, tabasco, salt and pepper.
  • Stir to combine.

 

Instant Pot Easy Shrimp and Grits Instructions 4 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Place trivet in the Instant Pot.
  • Stir together milk, water, grits, salt and pepper in an oven-safe glass bowl.
  • Place bowl on trivet.

 

Instant Pot Manual mode 10 minutes - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
  • Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘10’ (10 minutes)

 

Instant Pot Manual mode - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
  • Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
  • The display will count down from 10 to 0; it will switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0;00’.

Instant Pot Natural Release and Open - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Do a Natural Release: wait for the float valve to drop on its own, about 15 minutes.
  • Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.

 

Instant Pot Easy Shrimp and Grits Instructions 5 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Carefully remove the bowl containing the grits, add a tablespoon of butter, fluff with a fork, and set aside. *
  • Remove the trivet and stir in shrimp.

* Be sure not to let too much heat escape while you’re removing the grits.  The shrimp will be cooking in residual heat of the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Shrimp Grits Instructions 6 Paint the Kitchen Red

  • 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.

 

Instant Pot Easy Shrimp and Grits Instruction 7 - Paint the Kitchen Red

  • Press ‘Saute’ .
  • When heated through (don’t boil), press ‘Cancel’.
  • Remove to serving bowl and garnish with scallions and reserved bacon.
  • Serve grits topped with shrimp and sauce.

 

Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits P2- Paint the Kitchen Red

Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits P2- Paint the Kitchen Red

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Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits

Cook

Total

Yield 4 servings

Instant Pot  Shrimp and Grits is a delightful one-pot meal. Tender shrimp and crisp bacon in a spicy tomato sauce combine with creamy grits to create a delicious fusion of flavors.

Ingredients

Shrimp Ingredients

  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 3 strips smoked bacon, diced
  • 1/3 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup bell peppers (red and/or green), chopped
  • 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp tabasco sauce or hot sauce (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup scallions, sliced thin (green parts only)

Grits Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup grits
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp butter (optional)

Instructions

  1. Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. Set aside.
  2. On 'Saute' mode, cook bacon until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate and set aside.
  3. Saute onions and bell peppers in the rendered bacon fat till onion is translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Add garlic and saute briefly.
  5. Turn Instant Pot off.
  6. Deglaze with white wine, and stir well to remove any browned bits, allowing the wine to mostly evaporate.
  7. Stir in tomatoes, lemon juice, broth, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
  8. Place trivet in the Instant Pot.
  9. In a medium bowl that will fit in the Instant Pot, stir together grits, milk, water, salt and pepper. Place bowl on trivet.
  10. Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
  11. Cook on 'Manual' (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 10 minutes.
  12. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
  13. Open the Instant Pot, remove the grits and set aside.
  14. Remove the trivet.
  15. Carefully stir in shrimp.
  16. Close the Instant Pot immediately and allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat.  Instant Pot will be in 'Keep Warm' mode.
  17. While shrimp is cooking, fluff grits with a fork, adding in a tablespoon of butter.
  18. After 10 minutes, open the Instant Pot. Gently stir the shrimp.
  19. Turn on 'Saute' mode and stir in cream. Heat through (don't boil) and turn off Instant Pot.
  20. Garnish with scallions and bacon.
  21. Serve grits topped with shrimp and sauce.

Notes

Courses Main Dish

Cuisine Southern

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving (4 servings total)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 292

% Daily Value

Total Fat 9 g

14%

Saturated Fat 5 g

25%

Unsaturated Fat 2 g

Cholesterol 183 mg

61%

Sodium 1178 mg

49%

Total Carbohydrates 18 g

6%

Dietary Fiber 3 g

12%

Sugars 10 g

Protein 30 g

60%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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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Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits is a delightful one-pot meal. Tender shrimp and crisp bacon in a spicy tomato-based sauce combine with creamy grits to create a delicious combination of flavors. From Paint the Kitchen Red


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Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing another delicious looking IP recipe. Would using a SS bowl for the grits alter the cooking time? Thank you...
    Reply

    • Hi Lei, I haven't tried with stainless steel, but I think it might take a little less time. If I were doing it, I would cook for the same amount of time - I'm not sure if you can overcook grits :) Good luck!
      Reply

  2. I made this last night and we loved it. I used half and half instead of cream and it worked out great. Awesome recipe - thanks!

    Reply

  3. Have you ever tried substituting scallops for the shrimp? I'm allergic to shrimp - just wondering if the scallops would cook through in the residual heat like the shrimp does?
    Reply

    • Rachel, I have not tried cooking scallops. I believe scallops take about the same time to cook as shrimp on the stovetop? If that's the case, I would imagine it would work. Tough scallops are the worst right? So better err on the safe side. If not cooked through, try and cook for 1 minute on manual.
      Reply

  4. I made this today and it was really good!! The grits were really runny when I first removed them but I covered them while the shrimp was cooking and they thickened up nicely. I'm so full right now! I will definitely make again.

    Reply

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