Keto Grits with Shrimp
Keto Shrimp & Grits
Are grits Keto? Can you eat grits on Keto? The answer is No. But you can eat these Keto grits. We’re making the classic shrimp and grits and we’re making it 100% Keto. Now I must confess that I’ve never eaten grits. They just aren’t available or made in India. I have however eaten polenta and I do believe they are quite similar. Both are made from cornmeal. So to make these grits 100% Keto friendly we’re using our good old friend, cauliflower. But trust me on this, it’s going to be so delicious that you will not miss the original. Anyway let’s get cooking!
Cooking Keto Grits
My Keto grits took a long time to cook. I used my cauliflower raw and cooked it low and slow for a long period. I do believe you can speed up the process quite a bit. One option is to microwave the cauliflower for 5-10 minutes in the microwave till it’s tender. That should easily reduce the cooking time to about 10 minutes of boiling it with the stock and then adding the butter, cream and cheese to finish it.
Mine took quite a while also because I had the lid on and if you want to evaporate the liquid, it’s best to keep the lid off. Now you can also adjust the amount of cheese, cream and butter to your personal taste. If you wish to make this dairy free you can but I’m not sure why you would want to. Since the hallmark of this dish is that cheesy and creamy taste.
If you aren’t a big fan of shrimp you can always use fish, chicken etc. Honestly the grits are something I could eat as a side with many dishes. My Keto beef bourguignon comes to mind as something I’d enjoy with these grits. Another option could be my Keto beef stroganoff or even my Keto coq au vin.
Nutrition Info (Per serving) – For the grits
Nutrition Info (Per serving) – For the grits- Calories: 199
- Net Carbs: 3g
- Carbs: 6g
- Fat: 15g
- Protein: 8g
- Fiber: 3g
This recipe makes 4 servings. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal. You can easily increase the fat content by just adding more butter to this.
Nutrition Info (Per serving) – For the shrimp & bacon
- Calories: 161
- Net Carbs: 1g
- Carbs: 1g
- Fat: 11g
- Protein: 13g
- Fiber: 0g
This recipe makes 4 servings. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal. If you want to can skip the bacon and begin the process of cooking the shrimp with 1 tbsp of olive oil instead. In this case the macros will change. The protein % will drop a bit. This portion of the macros is for the shrimp and the bacon.
Keto Grits with Shrimp
Ingredients
For the grits
- 400 grams Cauliflower
- 50 grams Heavy Whipping Cream I recommend this
- 50 grams Cheddar Cheese
- 30 grams Butter I recommend this
- 500 ml Chicken stock I recommend this
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper I recommend this
- Salt to Taste
For the bacon and shrimp
- 300 grams Shrimp
- 100 grams bacon
- 15 grams Butter
- 5 grams garlic
- 1 Tsp Chopped Parsley
- 1 Tsp Cajun Seasoning I recommend this
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Chives/Spring Onion Green for Garnish
- 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika I recommend this
Instructions
For the grits
- Using a food processor rice the cauliflower using the blade attachment. You are looking for a cous cous like consistency.
- In a large saucepan bring the chicken stock up to a boil and add in the cauliflower and cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add in the butter, salt and pepper and cook till the cauliflower is nice and tender.
- Add in the cheese and cream and give it all a good mix.
- Now remove the lid and cook till the cauliflower grits are the consistency you like.
- Once done, turn off the heat and serve hot!
For the bacon & shrimp
- Drain and dry the prawns and add them to a large bowl. Season with the cajun seasoning and black pepper and set them aside. If the seasoning doesn't have salt then add salt to taste as well.
- Chop the bacon into pieces and fry in a pan till nice and crispy and then remove and set aside.
- Now add the prawns to the same pan. Make sure you do NOT remove any of the bacon fat from the pan. Make sure the heat is on high as you want to get some colour on the prawns and since they cook fast we don't want them in the pan for more than 4-5 minutes in total.
- Just about 2 minutes after adding the shrimp mince the garlic and add it in and give everything a good mix.
- Next add in the butter and parsley to the frying pan and cook for about a minute more till the shrimp is cooked all the way through.
- Turn off the heat and add in the lemon juice and give it a final good mix.
- Serve the shrimp and bacon bits on top of your Keto grits and garnish with chives or the green part of a spring onion.
- Enjoy!
Oops, you missed the Smoked Paprika in the list of ingredients for the marinating of the shrimp (from watching your video). Looks delish and plan on making it tomorrow once I buy the shrimp from the supermarket. Every recipe I’ve made from you have all turned out great. Thanks for sharing and your time.
Ah thanks for pointing that out. Fixed it now!
hi Sahil, paprika is there in the ingredients but not in the recipe steps
I’ve made this recipe, and it was really good! The only problem I had is that the cullyflower was a little watery, what can I do to solve the problem? Because yours doesn’t look watery at all!
You just have to keep cooking it till the water dries up. What you can do is use less stock so there is less water to begin with.
Try cooking the cauliflower in a skillet on medium heat while constantly stirring for about ten minutes before adding to the stock
I just made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing and perfect and I cannot thank you enough for posting this recipe!! Will be making again!
Sahil…
This is the best dish so far since doing Keto, incredibly delicious!
Thanks for this recipe and everything you share x
So glad you enjoyed it
I made the cauliflower and it was good!!! Super easy too. I had to guess on the measurements but it worked out just fine!!! I love your videos!! Ok enough jibber jabber from me!!! Thanks again
Hi, what can I substitute the chix stock with?
Vegetable stock, fish stock, beef stock or even just water and salt.
Love all your videos and recipes. Can I make the cauliflower grits ahead of time and mix the shrimp later?
Yes absolutely. Just reheat in the microwave.
Can this stay in the fridge? Or I need to make it fresh?
Stays in the fridge well. You can also freeze it.
This was pretty good! Thank you for the great recipe!
Can I skip the cheese? I do not eat cheese.
Yes you can no issue.
What is the actual serving size? 1 cup grits? 1 cup shrimp and bacon?
Take the full weight of the grits, divide by number of servings. Use a kitchen scale.
I found your site randomly through your IG page and youtube page one day. Let me say I’m very impressed with everything I’ve tried to make so far. I’m actually doing keto for the last six months and also Indian living in the states born in England. I cook a lot of Indian food already some of your recipes I’ve tried are fabulous. Made the shrimp and grits tonight left you a message on IG with a picture turned out great use cilantro versus parsley.
This was the first successful cauliflower hack my husband enjoyed. I had to reduce to cauliflower longer to absorb the stock and achieve the right texture but this recipe is wonderful. It’s easy enough to make any night but decadent enough to impress if I had company.