These coconut shrimp are jumbo shrimp rolled in a sweet and savory coating, then deep fried to golden brown perfection. A restaurant style appetizer or main course that’s super easy to make at home.
I love to recreate my restaurant favorites at home, including garlic parmesan wings, crab rangoon, lettuce wraps and these succulent coconut shrimp.
Coconut shrimp are one of my all time favorite indulgences – if I see them on a restaurant menu, I immediately order some! That being said, it’s actually really easy to make your own crispy shrimp at home, and I have to say, I think the flavor is even better than the restaurant version.
Table of Contents
Coconut Shrimp Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need large shrimp, flour, salt, black pepper, eggs, coconut, panko breadcrumbs, oil for frying, and sweet chili sauce for a dip.
How Do You Make Coconut Shrimp?
Dip your shrimp in flour and egg, then roll them in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and shredded coconut. Fry the shrimp in batches and drain on a paper towel, then you’re ready to eat! Add a side of sweet chili sauce, and serve.
Tips For Coconut Shrimp
- Buy the largest shrimp you can afford – I used jumbo shrimp at 16/20 count per pound.
- This recipe calls for panko breadcrumbs which is a type of Asian breadcrumb found at most grocery stores.
- You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut for this recipe. I personally prefer sweetened coconut, but either one will work just fine.
- While this dish is often served as an appetizer, it also works well as a main course when paired with sides like spam fried rice, buddha’s delight or sushi rice.
- I like to serve my shrimp with a side of Thai sweet chili sauce, which can be found in a bottle in the ethnic aisle at your local grocery store, or at any Asian market. Another option is to serve your shrimp with sweet and sour sauce.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat the shrimp in the oven at 425 degrees F for 5-7 minutes or until crispy.
Quick Tip
Use a thermometer to make sure your oil is at the correct temperature. You want your oil to be between 350 and 375 degrees F. If your oil is too hot, the coating might burn. If your oil is too cold, the breading will absorb more of the oil and become greasy.
Recipe FAQs
To peel shrimp, it’s easiest to start at the bottom where the legs are attached and carefully pull off the shell, leaving the tail piece on. It’s best to keep the tail on for this recipe because the tail will act as a little handle for you to pick up and eat your shrimp. You’ll also need to devein your shrimp, which you can do by running a small paring knife down the back of each shrimp and removing the dark vein. If you’ve purchased pre-peeled shrimp you can skip all of these steps and just proceed with the recipe.
Coconut shrimp is made of shrimp that are coated with egg and flour, then smothered in shredded coconut and breadcrumbs and deep fried.
You can serve coconut shrimp as a starter or as a main dish. When it’s served as a starter, I offer a dipping sauce and sometimes a little red cabbage slaw on the side. While this recipe calls for sweet chili sauce as a dip, you can get creative and use other options such as pineapple salsa. The shrimp pair well with a variety of side dishes for a meal option. Some of my favorites include homemade french fries and cilantro lime rice.
You do not eat the tail of the shrimp. The tail is left on for presentation purposes, and also gives you something to hold onto as you eat the shrimp.
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Baked Coconut Shrimp
You can bake your coconut shrimp in the oven instead of frying them if you prefer. The coating won’t come out quite as crispy and browned, but it’s still delicious! Arrange your breaded shrimp on a greased baking sheet and coat the shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until browned.
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
This recipe can also be prepared in the air fryer. Follow the instructions for coating the shrimp, then air fry them at 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking process. You will likely need to cook them in batches as they need to be cooked in a single layer.
Once you make these coconut shrimp at home, you’ll never want to order them out again! Whether you’re serving your shrimp as a hearty appetizer or a main course over rice, they’re sure to be a hit.
More Great Shrimp Recipes
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Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp devein and peel but leave tails on
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded coconut the sweetened variety
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- oil for frying
- 3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- cilantro for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place the flour in a medium size bowl along with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Place the eggs in a second bowl. In a third bowl, add the coconut and breadcrumbs and mix until combined.
- Dip each shrimp first into the flour, then into the egg, then roll in the coconut mixture to coat evenly. Place each breaded shrimp on a sheet pan. Repeat the process until all shrimp are breaded.
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep large pot to 350 degrees F.
- Add 6 shrimp at a time and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Repeat the process with the remaining shrimp.
- Place the shrimp on a plate. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce and garnish with cilantro leaves if desired.
Notes
- Use a thermometer to make sure your oil is at the correct temperature. You want your oil to be between 350 and 375 degrees F. If your oil is too hot, the coating might burn. If your oil is too cold, the breading will absorb more of the oil and become greasy.
- Buy the largest shrimp you can afford – I used jumbo shrimp at 16/20 count per pound.
The coconut flavour in this was amazing. So easy to make too.
Love crispy shrimp and the flavours in this are incredible. Can’t wait to make it.
Great combination. Crunchy and coconutty. I’ll book mark this for when I find some fresh shrimp. I don’t really like the frozen ones!
We made a colourful and nutritious buddah bowl and topped it with your coconut shrimp yesterday! It is safe to say it’s going to be on weekly rotation here, as they were totally delicious, and I can see so many different ways to serve them, both as an appetizer and a main course! Thank so much for an easy recipe 🙂
Thanks for this recipe. It was a hit for my family. My husband finished everything! He said we have to make it agaain.
Coconut shrimp is always a good choice! Great recipe and great flavors!
Can you use an air fryer for these instead of frying them in oil?
That should be fine!
I love coconut shrimp and these did NOT disappoint. My whole family loved them. Next time I’ll have to make more sauce.
Good call on serving these with a Thai chili sauce. As I was reading the recipe I was thinking that cocktail sauce would not go very well with these. You totally called it when you said Thai chili sauce goes well with these. TOTALLY does. Definitely going to have to keep that stuff on hand. Or figure out how to make it.
I love making this coconut shrimp for an appetizer at my parties! Great shrimp recipe.
These put restaurant versions to shame! So delicous and much easier to make than I would have thought!
Crispy, juicy, and so delicious! I absolutely love coconut shrimp
Looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing can’t wait to make this. 🙂
Oh my do these look good!
I love coconut shrimp but have never made it myself. Am going to add this recipe to my Christmas party appetizers list!
We loved how easy these coconut shrimp were to make and we were able to eat them at our own table. Thanks for yet another winning recipe!
That coating looks perfect. Crispy golden and not too thick! LOVE!
Loved the little bit of sweetness to this! Hit with the kids too.
I love how crispy these are! I imagine how good is the combination of coconut shrimp with chili sauce!