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This baked honey cajun shrimp recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a larger crowd. It’s so simple to put together and tastes amazing. Serves 4 for Dinner or 8 as an appetizer, (or 1 pregnant lady and her 6’4″ husband ;).
The shrimp taste wonderful over mashed potatoes, pasta or white rice. It’s not fiery hot by any means but if you want it to be a little more kid-friendly, you might consider cutting the cajun seasoning in half.
Ingredients for Baked Shrimp:
1 lb large raw shrimp (21-26 count), peeled & deveined
2 Tbsp fresh lemon Juice (juice of 1 small or 1/2 large lemon)
1/4 cup extra light olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Garnish:
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
How to Make Baked Honey Cajun Shrimp:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together: juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning and 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Add 1 lb shrimp and stir well to coat.
(P.S. I left the shrimp tails on only because I love the look of them – it’s more practical to remove them). Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. To make the garnish/topping: In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 Tbsp chopped parsley with 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest – cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Preheat Oven to 450˚F. Transfer shrimp to a baking dish large enough to hold shrimp in a single layer. Bake uncovered until firm (8-10 minutes). Don’t over-bake or shrimp can become rubbery. Sprinkle the top with optional garnish and serve. P.S. The sauce left in the pan makes for an excellent bread dip :).
Baked Honey Cajun Shrimp

Ingredients
- 1 lb large raw shrimp, 21-26 count, peeled & deveined
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, juice of 1 small or 1/2 large lemon
- 1/4 cup extra light olive oil, not extra virgin
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Optional Garnish:
- 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together: juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning and 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Add 1 lb shrimp and stir well to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- To make the garnish: In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 Tbsp chopped parsley with 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest - cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat Oven to 450˚F. Transfer shrimp to a baking dish large enough to hold shrimp in a single layer. Bake uncovered until firm (8-10 minutes). Don't over-bake or shrimp can become rubbery. Sprinkle the top with optional garnish and serve. P.S. The sauce left in the pan makes for an excellent bread dip :).
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (nope, no one paid us to write this; just stuff we love):
* This is my favorite baking casserole dish. I love that it has a lid.
* These glass bowls by pyrex are perfect for prepping & serving.
* McCormick Cajun seasoning is flavorful & not overpowering
* Credits: Recipe modified from one of my favorite cookbooks: Joy Of Cooking‘s Baked Honey Shrimp (p. 154). This was a wedding gift 11 years ago from my Maid of Honor :).
My husband and son told me this should be in my arsenal of foods to make! Only a few recipes make it there. Guess I will need to laminate your recipe! I was also told this would be great to make when we throw a party. A++++
Oh wow thank you for the awesome review! Laminating is so smart – you don’t have to worry about food getting on the paper 😉
Natasha I absolutely love your website! I didn’t cook much before but really got into it more and everything I make on your website turns out so yummy!
When I first made this shrimp recipe, my hubby was on the phone and walked over to the pan I had just gotten out of the oven and took a bite of shrimp and looked at me with a surprised expression and gave me a huge thumbs up! We both love love love this shrimp 🙂 We’re having it over quinoa tonight!
What an awesome review! I’m smiling big reading it. Thank you for sharing that happy scene with me 🙂
This shrimp is SO delicious, thank u for the recipe! I made it for the first time for a friend who just moved and thus had no food in her fridge (fortunately had cookware). Made it with jasmine rice and she loved it! I’m making this again for my mom soon!
That’s awesome!! I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner with quick cooking polenta for a twist on traditional shrimp and grits. It was a huge hit with a side of roasted asparagus!! Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Sarah, oh my goodness your awesome review makes me super hungry!! Thank you! 😉
Would this work to cook on the stovetop instead?
Yes, I think that would work fine. 🙂 Just be careful if doing it over high heat that you don’t overcook the shrimp.
Made it tonight but put it over spaghetti squash, even my husband loved it!
Oh wow that sounds fantastic! Thank you for sharing that great idea with us! 🙂
Made this tonight– off the first recipe not the update– it is VERY YUMMY!! . But i did add to much lemon juice .. I see you changed the recipe so next time i will add less.. It was still great but every now and then you could taste the lemon a bit much.. We made it with garlic mashed potatoes .. Will def so AGAIN AND AGAIN..!! Thank you!
Thank you Christine for the nice review and you are welcome 😃.
Thank you So Much for this recipe. I have just begun to try new recipes, primarily due to Pinterest. I absolutely Love this recipe and my shrimp came out delicious!!! This was the first time making shrimp, besides on the George Foreman Grill and it came out Great because of your recipe!!!! Everyone in my house Loved them!!! I will be checking out your other recipes as well! 😋😍
Welcome to the site Monet 😁 and thank you for such a nice review! I hope that you’ll find lots more favorites here.
This was a great recipe, I was a little bored with the normal Cajun shrimp so this was a great alternative. I substituted the lemon juice for orange since all I had was oranges. I also added minced garlic and shallots. It was very delicious. I suppose if you don’t have honey you could add a little brown sugar for the sweetness if you wanted to. All in all, it was delicious and quick!
I also thought this would be great for the grill, just add some veggies on a skewer with the shrimp. maybe some red onion, pre-boiled red potatoes, or cauliflower. yum!
Ooooh yes! I like where you’re going with this! 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your substitutions! 🙂
This the second thing I’ve tried from your website and was also a huge hit with my family! We had it with linguine and it was really filling but didn’t feel too heavy. Definitely going to be trying more of your recipes 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing that with me 🙂
Do you put the garnish on once it’s finished baking – or before you begin baking?
My instructions weren’t very clear, sorry about that! You put the garnish on after it’s done baking. I updated the recipe to include that. Thanks for asking! 🙂
Can I use something other than Cajun seasoning?
You probably could but I always make this with cajun and haven’t really tested it with other seasonings so I can’t give you a specific recommendation. If you don’t have cajun, you might consider making it yourself, like shown here: http://www.chowhound.com/recipes/cajun-seasoning-10567
Can you name some other oilsthat would work in this recipe? Looking forward to making it!
Canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil would all work, or grapeseed oil.
Thanks! Also can this be refrig for longer than 1 hr (like all day while I am at work) or might the lemon juice start to “cook” the shrimp in that time?
Rachel, I don’t think its a good idea to leave in the fridge longer than one hour for the reason you mentioned. Shrimp might taste rubbery. Let me know how it turns out 😀.
Thank you so much! It was delicious))
Thank you for the nice feedback Alex, I’m glad you liked it 😁.
Very tasty and easy!
Thank you Sue 😀.
Hello! So I came across this recipe and I really want to try it since I have some fresh shrimp I can use but I don’t have either the Cajun seasoning or the oil. Can I use canola instead and some chili powder? Thank you
Yes those substitutions would work fine 🙂 Enjoy!
Hello quick question. Would this recipe work using fish? Like a tilapia? Thanks!
Hi Anna, I haven’t tried it but I’m assuming it would work as long as the fish is in a single layer. Make sure to pat dry the fish well so it doesn’t add to much liquid to the sauce while cooking.
Excellent thanks!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Definitely a hit for my bf and I, after coming home from work this was something quick and easy to put together and we both cleaned our plates 🙂
You are welcome Sandra, and thank you for such a great review :D.
Delicious! I didn’t have the oil you listed so I used half extra virgin and half peanut oil. I marinated it longer than an hour and it was very tasty! I served it over cauliflower rice and used the extra sauce drizzled over it. I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your awesome review! 🙂
Question: Do you peel the shrimp before marinating them?
Yes, it’s best to use peeled and deveined shrimp for this recipe.