Chili Garlic Shrimp with Garlic Butter Grits
Last Updated on January 15, 2022 by Annie
Chili garlic marinated shrimp top creamy garlic butter grits in this spicy, dairy-free version of shrimp and grits. Ready in about 30 minutes, this quick and easy shrimp and grits recipe makes a great breakfast, brunch, or breakfast for dinner recipe.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, breakfast is hands down my favorite meal of the day. Give me pancakes for breakfast, breakfast tacos for lunch, and a good bowl of shrimp and grits for dinner and I am one happy lady.
One evening while settling on a dinner plan, I decided to make the creamiest shrimp and grits without any dairy. The first step was to get the base perfectly creamy. After many attempts to make creamy grits, I found the balance between water and oat milk for a thick, dairy-free bowl of grits that would happily satisfy everyone. Adding a little heat to the shrimp with garlic chili sauce gave the meal a kick without taking away from the garlic butter grits below.
This easy shrimp and grits recipe comes together in about 30 minutes and can easily be served as is, with an egg on top, or garnished with a little green onion.
Why we LOVE These Shrimp and Grits
- Hello garlic butter. Seriously, what’s not to love about the combination of garlic and butter coating a creamy bowl of grits?!?
- A little heat (but not so much you can’t handle it). The chili garlic sauce adds a slight touch of heat that compliments the creamy garlic butter grits perfectly!
- 30 Minutes or less. This easy shrimp and grits recipe comes together quickly making it an easy weekend brunch or a delicious weeknight dinner.
How to Make Chili Garlic Shrimp with Garlic Butter Grits
Let’s break this recipe down into two main parts, the grits, and the shrimp. I start with the grits because they take a little longer to cook than the shrimp.
Garlic Butter Grits
- Water– Helps soften and cook the grits.
- Non-dairy Milk– Adds a creamy texture to the grits while also softening during the cooking. I like to use oat milk with grits because it doesn’t add any additional flavors to the bowl.
- Grits– Use old-fashioned grits, not instant grits for this recipe.
- Vegan Butter- Adds a little flavor to the finished bowl of grits.
- Salt+ Pepper- Amps up the flavor.
- Garlic– Seriously can’t have enough garlic in this recipe!
Directions for Garlic Butter Grits
- Boil liquids: Bring the water and the oat milk to boil over medium heat.
- Add grits: Once boiling, whisk in the grits and reduce heat to low.
- Cook until creamy: Continue stirring (not constantly but I would not leave it unattended) for about 5 minutes, until thick and creamy.
- Add garlic butter and spices: Whisk in the butter, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for about 3 more minutes.
- Set aside: Remove from heat and set aside while you make the chili garlic shrimp.
Ingredients for Chili Garlic Shrimp
- Shrimp– Raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp cut into 1/3 pieces.
- Chili Garlic Sauce– Adds a little heat to the shrimp without overpowering the garlic butter grits.
- Olive oil– Coats the shrimp before cooking.
- Garlic– Truly cannot have enough garlic in this recipe.
- Salt– For a touch of flavor.
Directions for Chili Garlic Shrimp
- Prepare the shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp then cut into 1/3 pieces.
- Mix shrimp with chili garlic sauce: In a medium bowl mix together the cut shrimp, chili garlic sauce, olive oil, garlic, and salt, then set aside.
- Cook the shrimp: In a large skillet over medium heat cook the sauce coated shrimp until pink.
- Serve up the shrimp and grits: Remove from heat and serve on top of the garlic butter grits. Garnish with green onion and enjoy!
Dairy-Free Changes to Shrimp and Grits
The two main swaps for this dairy-free version of shrimp and grits come from the garlic butter grits base. To make the grits dairy-free:
- Milk- I replaced the milk with oat milk. In my experience (we’re talking 200+ breakfasts with creamy grits) the oat milk gives the creamiest finish without adding any additional flavors to the bowl.
- Butter- The finishing touch to any good bowl of grits is some butter. We all know everything is bettah with buttah but if you’re like me and keeping free of dairy then you will want to swap in some plant-based butter for the finishing touch.
Serving Suggestions for Chili Garlic Shrimp and Grits
I am all for digging into a bowl of these creamy shrimp and grits as is but if you are looking for a few different ways to dress them up before dishing them out, here are my top suggestions.
- Add bacon. Fry up some thick cut bacon, crumble it on top.
- Sprinkle some dairy-free cheese on top. You can easily add something like Violife’s Colby Jack Shreds on top for a little extra creamy cheesy goodness.
- Soft fry an egg to loft on top and allow the slightly goopy yolk to trickle down into the bowl of the creamy garlic butter grits for a little extra creaminess.
Shrimp Recipes to Try Next
If you tried this Chili Garlic Shrimp with Garlic Butter Grits recipe and enjoyed it feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!
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Chili Garlic Shrimp with Garlic Butter Grits
Chili garlic marinated shrimp tops a creamy bowl of garlic butter grits in this easy, dairy-free shrimp and grits recipe.
Ingredients
Garlic Butter Grits
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Non-dairy Milk I used Oat Milk
- ½ cup Grits
- 2 Tablespoons Plant-based Butter
- 1 clove Garlic microplaned or diced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Chili Garlic Shrimp
- 1 pound Shrimp peeled, deveined, and cut in thirds
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Garlic Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Make the Garlic Butter Grits
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Bring the water and the oat milk to boil over medium heat.
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Once boiling, whisk in the grits and reduce heat to low.
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Continue stirring (not constantly but I would not leave it unattended) for about 5 minutes, until thick and creamy.
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Whisk in the butter, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for about 3 more minutes.
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Remove from heat and set aside while you make the chili garlic shrimp.
Make the Chili Garlic Shrimp
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Peel and devein the shrimp then cut into 1/3 pieces.
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In a medium bowl mix together the cut shrimp, chili garlic sauce, olive oil, garlic, and salt, then set aside.
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In a large skillet over medium heat cook the sauce-coated shrimp until pink.
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Remove from heat and serve on top of the garlic butter grits. Garnish with green onion and enjoy!
