Coconut Shrimp

6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Freeze 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Coconut Shrimp is sweet and savory, made with battered shrimp that’s rolled in tender coconut flakes, then deep fried to perfection and dipped in sweet and sour sauce, ready in under 45 minutes!

Fried Seafood is basically my love language including Classic Fried ShrimpShrimp TempuraCrab Rangoon and my favorite appetizer ever, Crispy Fried Calamari.

Coconut ShrimpCOCONUT SHRIMP

Coconut Shrimp is a popular restaurant dish that’s incredibly easy to make in the comfort of your own home. Shrimp is dipped in batter, then rolled in shredded coconut and deep fried. You can put these out as an appetizer, or make them the main course over rice. I like to serve this coconut shrimp with my sweet and sour sauce for extra flavor.

I always freeze the breaded shrimp for a total time of 20 minutes before frying, to prevent the it from overcooking before the batter is golden brown and crispy. Once they’re done, place them on a baking rack over paper towels, to let any excess oil drip off. This helps make these coconut shrimp incredibly light and crispy!

HOW TO MAKE BAKED COCONUT SHRIMP

Follow the directions to dredge and roll the shrimp in coconut as usual, then place the shrimp on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray (or coconut oil), then bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F. Flip over, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. For extra crispy, crunchy coconut shrimp, turn on the broiler for a minute.

If you want to skip the skewer and just fry up your shrimp without them you can do that easily:

Classic Coconut Shrimp

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT SHRIMP AHEAD OF TIME

If you want to make these coconut shrimp ahead of time, go ahead and follow the recipe through step 3, then freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen you can keep the coconut shrimp in a freezer safe bag or container so you can enjoy them any time a craving hits.

Sometimes, when breading items I will make a double or triple batch since I’m already going to end up with eggy/breadcrumb fingers and then I freeze the rest so I cut down on prep time the next time we want to enjoy them. Plus, for this recipe I was working with a two-pound bag of 18-21 shrimp, so I froze the second half since there were only a couple of us eating.

HOW LONG DOES COCONUT SHRIMP LAST?

This recipe will last in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, but it will lose a lot of the crispy texture and the coconut will get soggy. I recommend either freezing them or eating them the same day.

Chinese Coconut Shrimp Appetizers

MORE SHRIMP RECIPES

TIPS FOR MAKING this COCONUT SHRIMP recipe

  • I always make sure to buy deveined shrimp, so you don’t have to do it at home.
  • I like to use sweetened shredded coconut for this recipe, because the coconut adds a really nice sweet and savory flavor to the dish.
  • I’m using a batter for the coconut shrimp but you can also dredge them in all purpose flour, then egg whites, then panko mixed with sweetened coconut. Panko will help keep the shrimp crispy, and the panko texture matches the chewiness of the coconut perfectly.
  • In a small bowl add some seasoning to the batter like cayenne pepper, sriracha, or paprika for more flavor.
  • Make it easier to coat the shrimp by placing them in a zip-lock bag with the shredded coconut (and panko breadcrumbs if you’re adding them) and shaking until completely covered.
  • Replace the club soda with canned coconut milk for more coconut flavor and a slightly thicker texture.
  • Replace the club soda with beer for a beer battered coconut shrimp similar to the recipe for Beer Battered Fish.
  • You can also dip this crispy coconut shrimp in hot sauce or top with mango salsa.

Coconut Shrimp Appetizers

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Coconut Shrimp

Coconut Shrimp is sweet and savory, made with battered shrimp that's rolled in tender coconut flakes, then deep fried to perfection and dipped in sweet and sour sauce, ready in under 30 minutes!
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups flaked coconut
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup flour , divided
  • 2/3 cup club soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 24 shrimp
  • 24 wooden skewers
  • 3 cups vegetable oil , for frying
  • Sweet and Sour Sauce , for dipping

Instructions

  • Add the coconut to a food processor and pulse ten times then place it in a shallow bowl.
  • In tall cup, whisk together the egg, ½ cup flour, club soda and baking powder and put the remaining flour in a second shallow bowl.
  • Skewer the shrimp onto the skewers leaving the top 1" of shrimp unskewered then roll in the flour, dip in the batter (let excess drip off) and roll in the coconut before placing on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Place the shrimp in the freezer for 20 minutes then heat up a dutch oven with 3" of oil to 350 degrees and fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2.4mg
Keyword: coconut shrimp

Easy Coconut Shrimp

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

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Comments

  1. Sounds YuM! Love coconut shrimp! Question, do you have a, or will you please create a dipping sauce like Red Lobsters, the one they serve with their coconut shrimp? That would be the ?

    1. I don’t have a copycat or similar sauce yet but I will definitely add it to the list for future recipes. Thanks for the suggestion!

  2. This recipe sounds amazing. I am loving the mango salsa & can’t wait to try a few more recipes with it.

  3. Yum, these look absolutely perfect! And I haven’t tried that mango habanero salsa yet but it sounds superb!

  4. Yes, I DO want a plate of these! They look fabulous, and I’d love to be transported, too! What a fun meal and love the mango dipping sauce 🙂

  5. These beautiful bites would be completely enjoyed at my house. I love that crispy coconut crust and that dipping sauce looks out-of-this world!