Shrimp and Grits Waffles for Dinner
I love waffles, but I can honestly tell you that I’ve never had or thought about savory waffles until I discovered this recipe. Picture this. A soft, cheesy cornbread waffle loaded with seasoned shrimp, veggies, and even more cheese. Shrimp and grits waffles make a great dinner and you can even enjoy your leftovers with breakfast. That’s one multi-tasking recipe.
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Story Time
Josh has always insisted that I am a Southerner. Being a Pennsylvania native, he thinks that anyone from Maryland definitely qualifies as being from the South. I firmly disagree and fondly remember long, cold winters as part of my childhood. After years of pondering this debate, I have concluded that Maryland is it’s own thing. It’s neither North nor South and we get to experience a little bit of both.
That being said… I say y’all and my favorite food is doing me no favors in this debate (nor is the fact that my first post was about biscuits). I love grits. Love, love, love them. Cheesy, ooey, gooey grits are super scrummy in my opinion. Shrimp and grits? Now that’s pure heaven! Unsurprisingly, Josh is no fan of grits and thinks that that is all the proof he needs of my Southern heritage. This means that I don’t get to enjoy my number one dish too frequently… until now!
Shrimp and Grits Waffles
How could I possibly convince Josh to eat shrimp and grits? One word. Waffles. I found the original recipe for the cornbread waffles the April 2018 issue of Shape magazine and it immediately made me think of shrimp and grits. I’ve always been a fan of Shape because they have a nice balance of fashion, healthy cooking, and fitness. Any recipe I’ve made of theirs has always been satisfying and (mostly) guilt free.
I pictured the cornbread waffle as my equivalent to grits, so I added a nice bit of shredded cheddar cheese. You can use whatever shredded cheese you prefer, but I like the bite that cheddar has. It can keep up with the rest of the flavors without fading into the background. And now I had shrimp and grits waffles in my head and I couldn’t wait to give them a go!
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Waffle Maker Magic
I’ve wanted a waffle maker for ages and I finally got one this past Christmas (shout out to my father in law!), but we were doing a lot of moving into small apartments (military life, am I right?) so I never dug out that beautiful machine until just a few weeks ago. Sure, we’re still in a tiny apartment, but this concoction brewing in my head sounded too tasty to wait.
Related Reading: Green Velvet Waffles
I use a Black + Decker Belgian Flip waffle maker and I love that it divides the waffle into four sections. It’s easy to break one up and use two portions to make a tasty breakfast sandwich with a fried egg and some cheese! Any waffle maker should do though. Just check to see how much batter yours can handle. My new favorite trick is using up leftover cupcake batter in it!
Now to the recipe…
The waffles were super easy to make, even for this first time waffle maker over here. You mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, blend the wet ingredients in a blender (or food processor), combine the two and mix in some cheese. Make sure to stir the batter just until combined. You don’t want to over mix, but it comes together real easy, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Start making the shrimp and veggies as soon as you put your first scoop of batter into the waffle maker. Pay attention to what’s on the stove and the waffle maker so that nothing burns. As the waffles come out, put them on a cookie tray with a cooling rack in an oven preheated to 250℉. This will keep them warm as you cook.
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Cajun Shrimp for Wimps
For the shrimp topping I looked up several popular shrimp and grits recipes and came up with my own blend of vegetables, shrimp, and spices. A few minutes before cooking the shrimp, I added a bit of lemon juice to sharpen the flavors. If you add this too early, the acid will start to cook the shrimp, so be careful. 
I used a Cajun seasoning blend from Badia. If you have your own preferred blend, use that. Josh and I are babies in the heat department, so these are pretty mild. If you like your food hot, add some cayenne to the shrimp. This part is completely up to you. Make it as hot or as mild as you want. I mean, you’re the one who’s going to eat it!
Add Flavor With Bacon
We’ve been on a bit of a bacon kick recently, so I had plenty of bacon grease stored in the fridge. Using bacon fat will add a subtle smokiness to your shrimp and grits, but we don’t always have that on hand. I would suggest using butter, or coconut oil, though any vegetable or olive oil would be fine as well.
Once all of your components are cooked, assemble your meal by topping a waffle with a heaping portion of the shrimp and veggies, a handful of shredded cheese, and scallions or even crumbled bacon.
Enjoy!
Shrimp and grits waffles are an easy dinner to make during the week. Besides that, this dish is a fun twist on a Southern classic! I hope you enjoy this tasty meal! Let me know what you thought about it in the comments below. Want to see even more tasty recipes? Follow me on Pinterest.
Shrimp and Grits Waffles
Ingredients
Waffles
- 1/2 cup all- purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups plain yogurt (or buttermilk)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp honey
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (allow to cool slightly)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- olive oil for brushing waffle maker
Shrimp and Veggies
- 3 tsp bacon grease or fat of your choice
- 1 ½ lb medium- large shrimp (raw, peeled, deveined, tails off)
- 1/2 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 lemon
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- salt and pepper
- Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, scallions, crumbled bacon
Instructions
Cheesy Cornbread Waffles
- In a large bowl, mix together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Put yogurt, eggs, honey, and melted butter into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
- Stir the wet ingredients (from the blender) into the dry and mix until just combined. Add the ½ cup of shredded cheese and stir until just incorporated.
- Brush the inside of your preheated waffle maker lightly with olive oil and pour ⅔ cup of the batter into the center. Cook until crispy and continue with remaining batter.
- Place finished waffles on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven as you work. Set the oven to the lowest possible temperature.
Shrimp and Veggies
- In a large bowl, toss shrimp with the lemon juice and cajun seasoning. Set aside.
- Melt 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease in a preheated skillet over medium heat. Add half of the shrimp in a single layer, and cook for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until pink and firm.
- Add another teaspoon of grease and repeat with the remaining shrimp. Once done cooking, place the shrimp in a bowl and set aside.
- Melt remaining bacon grease in the pan and add bell peppers and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. About 6- 9 minutes. Add shrimp back to the pan and stir until heated through, 1- 2 minutes.
- To serve, top one waffle with a mound of shrimp and veggies, shredded cheese, and any additional toppings.
Notes
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cooking the waffles.
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Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
9 Comments
Dilip Paul
Nice to having this in my breakfast
tarund
Hi Colleen,
I am not a big fan of seafood but after reading your post and looking at the pics, I must admit – its looks GOOOOD! i think im gonna give it a try!
Colleen
You can totally skip the shrimp if it’s not your thing. Not everyone likes seafood, but a cheesy cornbread waffle is probably going to be a winner.
Trish
That’s so inventive, making the grits into waffles. The whole meal sounds and looks really tasty.
Colleen
Thanks! I’m kinda wanting another plate of it right now…
Michael David Oyco
The combination seems interesting.. I love the ingredients but I don’t know how it’ll taste all at the same time.. Haha
Colleen
Haha! If you’ve never had shrimp and grits, I can totally understand the hesitation. Even just sticking with the cheesy cornbread waffle would be absolutely delicious.
Ntensibe Edgar Michael
Yyyaaaayyyyy….I look forward to having this for breakfast! Loved it.
Colleen
Thanks! I’d never had a savory waffle before, but they’re super tasty!