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 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 coconut shrimp at home, and I have to say, I think they taste even better than the restaurant version.
How do you make coconut shrimp?
This recipe calls for just a handful of ingredients. Large shrimp are dipped in flour and egg, then rolled in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and shredded coconut. The shrimp go into a pot of oil to fry, then you’re ready to eat!
How to Peel shrimp
This recipe calls for raw shrimp. You can sometimes buy your shrimp already peeled. If the shrimp come with the shells on, you’ll need to remove them yourself. 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.
Tips for Coconut Shrimp
- 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.
- You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut for this recipe. I personally prefer sweetened coconut, but either one will work just fine.
- This recipe calls for panko breadcrumbs which is a type of Asian breadcrumb found at most grocery stores.
- 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.
Baked Coconut Shrimp
You can bake your coconut shrimp 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 sheet pan and coat the shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until browned.
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
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.
Lauren says
Can you use an air fryer for these instead of frying them in oil?
Sara says
That should be fine!
Krissy Allori says
I love coconut shrimp and these did NOT disappoint. My whole family loved them. Next time I’ll have to make more sauce.
Betsy says
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.
Valentina says
I love making this coconut shrimp for an appetizer at my parties! Great shrimp recipe.
wilhelmina says
These put restaurant versions to shame! So delicous and much easier to make than I would have thought!
Michelle says
Crispy, juicy, and so delicious! I absolutely love coconut shrimp
Kate says
Looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing can’t wait to make this. 🙂
Genevieve says
Oh my do these look good!
Jacqueline Debono says
I love coconut shrimp but have never made it myself. Am going to add this recipe to my Christmas party appetizers list!
deanne says
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!
Denisse Salinas says
That coating looks perfect. Crispy golden and not too thick! LOVE!
Justine Howell says
Loved the little bit of sweetness to this! Hit with the kids too.
Alina says
I love how crispy these are! I imagine how good is the combination of coconut shrimp with chili sauce!