These grilled shrimp skewers are shrimp marinated in garlic, lemon and herbs, then threaded onto sticks and cooked to perfection. Shrimp kabobs can be on your table in just 20 minutes, which makes them perfect for a busy night!
Shrimp skewers are a simple yet satisfying dinner option. While I especially love these shrimp kabobs on the grill, they also can be broiled in the oven.
I am all about grilling right now, and my family can’t get enough of these easy grilled shrimp skewers.The shrimp are marinated, then threaded onto sticks and seared to perfection. Add a little lemon and herbs on top and you’ve got the ultimate speedy dinner.
How do you grill shrimp?
The best way to grill shrimp are to marinate them in olive oil, herbs, garlic and lemon, then skewer and cook. Shrimp are best grilled on skewers; if you try to grill them without a skewer, you run the risk of these little guys falling through the grates of the grill when you go to turn them.
This shrimp marinade starts with olive oil and lemon juice. I add an additional layer of flavor with plenty of dried herbs (I use an Italian seasoning blend), along with fresh minced garlic. I like simplicity here, but if you want to jazz up your marinade even more, you can add lemon zest, a splash of white white, soy sauce, or a squeeze of honey.
How long do you grill shrimp on skewers?
Shrimp cook very quickly, so it’s imperative to watch your shrimp to make sure they don’t overcook. Shrimp typically take about 2-3 minutes per side on the grill. You’ll be able to tell when the shrimp are done because they’ll turn pink and opaque.
You can use an outdoor grill, grill pan, or broiler to make these shrimp skewers. I typically use my outdoor grill, but when the weather isn’t nice or I don’t feel like firing up the grill, I cook the shrimp on the stove top in my favorite grill pan.
I use the largest shrimp I can find for this recipe. Shrimp are labeled based on their size count, or the number of shrimp you get per pound. These shrimp are the jumbo size shrimp, which are 16-20 per pound. You can go smaller if need be and the recipe will still be delicious.
Whenever I post shrimp recipes, I always get asked if the shrimp tails should be left on or removed. I typically keep the tails on when I’m looking for a nicer presentation. It’s really a matter of personal preference whether you leave the tails on or remove them before grilling.
I typically serve my grilled shrimp skewers over rice with a colorful veggie or salad on the side for a complete meal that my whole family devours!
More grilling recipes
- Grilled Chicken Tenders
- Grilled Asparagus in Foil
- Lemon Sriracha Shrimp
- Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
- Pork and Pineapple Kabobs
Grilled Shrimp Video
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined (you can either leave tails on or remove them)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic in a resealable plastic bag. Seal and shake to combine.
- Add the shrimp to the bag and seal. Toss to coat evenly with the marinade.
- Marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. You don't want to marinate for longer than that, as the acid in the lemon juice will start to cook the shrimp.
- Thread the shrimp onto skewers. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.
- Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are pink and opaque.
- Broiler directions: Preheat the broiler. Place the shrimp skewers on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray. Broil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are pink and opaque.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
JT says
I tried this on the grill the other day and we loved it! One thing I liked about this was that it didn’t require any special ingredients. If you have frozen shrimp and a couple of lemons you can make a fantastic meal. For the Italian seasoning I used a blend of: oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme and a little dried garlic.
Colleen says
Sara, these shrimp were amazing! I bought a bag of frozen from tjs and let them defrost, marinated for maybe an hour and my husband grilled. This is for sure a keeper. I ate most of the pound of Grilled shrimp! 😉
Sara says
So glad to hear you loved the recipe!!
Jessica says
Easy and very tasty. Thanks!
Lynn says
EXCELLENT FLAVOR !!!! OUR NEW FAVORITE MARINADE
FOR SHRIMP 🍤 SO EASY THANK YOU 😍😍
Becky says
These shrimp were amazing! My entire family loved them!
Jody says
I have used this recipe three times in the past month. Very tasty and oh so easy. I changed absolutely nothing 🙂 it’s perfect.
Jan says
This shrimp marinade was simple to make and delicious ! Thanks for sharing .
Katie says
Delish!!! What I have done I grilled prawns on the foil on the outdoor grill together with all the marinade. Although prawns do not come out charred like the ones grilled on the skewers, but you will end up will amazingly delicious sauce to mop with piece of bread. We could not get enough of that!
Tanya Dillard says
Delicious. Very good flavor. I didn’t alter anything. My family loved it.
Kevin Palmquist says
Depending on your taste, a dash of tequila or rum adds a nice note to the marinade.
Torrey Jenkins says
Delicious! A tiny bit too salty so I will go easy on that next time. I’m also using this marinade for grilled chicken tonight!
Ellyn Schindler says
This was delicious! My son is a Type 1 Diabetic, and so I look for marinades that do not have a lot of sugar, and this hit the spot! I did add in a little white wine. We marinated the shrimp for an hour and there was so much flavor. Very bright and fresh.
Amitai says
Easy and delicious recipe.
Made 4 pounds for my Dad’s 70th birthday, only two were left at the end of the evening
Kelly M says
Boiled 1 lb and tried your recipe on another pound. While boiled is boiled, the grilled version was excellent! Thanks so much for this super easy recipe!
AnnM says
This shrimp marinade was simple delicious ! Thanks for sharing it !
Deborah says
Incredible. I used 1/2 lemon and a tablespoon or so of red wine vinegar since I didn’t have a whole lemon.
This is wonderful. Especially with jumbo gulf shrimp.
Thank you for posting.
Elise says
Great recipes. This marinade I bet would taste good in steak too !!
S says
Even my husband liked this!