This homemade Bang Bang Shrimp is crispy and saucy at the same time. This shrimp can be served so many ways, but it’s especially satisfying as Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos drizzled with the bang bang sauce.
Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to recreate this restaurant favorite.
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This recipe will elevate your taco Tuesdays. If you love tacos as much as we do, be sure to add our famous Fish Tacos to your rotation. You can also change things up with Taco Salad or even Taco Soup!
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos Video
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What is Bang Bang Shrimp?
Bang Bang Shrimp was made popular by Bonefish Grill. They are also called Dynamite Shrimp which was made popular by Cheesecake Factory restaurant.
The shrimp are battered and fried until extra crispy then tossed in a sweet and spicy creamy sauce. It’s just three ingredients for this easy and tasty sauce: mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and sriracha hot chili sauce. We can’t help but add a little extra hot sauce for more heat.
Ingredients
The key to making great bang bang shrimp is in dredging with corn starch. It makes the crispiest exterior that stays crispy even after adding the sauce. It’s pretty fantastic!
- Shrimp – we use large 21-25 count raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed. Prep is much faster and easier if you get pre-peeled shrimp.
- Marinade – Combine buttermilk, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to form a flavorful marinade. The buttermilk tenderizes the shrimp, adds flavor, and helps the corn starch stick to the shrimp to form a crust.
- Corn Starch – creates a golden color and extreme crunchiness.
- Oil – fry the shrimp in 1 to 1 1/2 inches of high heat oil such as peanut oil or canola oil.
- Bang Bang Sauce – made of just 3 ingredients: mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp
- Bang Bang Sauce – Combine mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha.
- Marinate – combine marinade ingredients and pour over shrimp. Stir and let sit while you heat the oil to 375˚F on a clip-on pot thermometer.
- Dredge – Remove shrimp from marinade one at a time, letting excess drip off. Dip in corn starch, tapping off the excess.
- Fry – Once all shrimp are breaded, fry in 3 batches for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through. Use a strainer to transfer shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add Sauce – Transfer warm shrimp to a mixing bowl and drizzle with half of the sauce.
- Make Tacos – toast corn tortillas, add toppings, shrimp and drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve with fresh lime wedges to squeeze over the top.
Pro Tip: Use a clip-on pot thermometer to keep the temperature of the oil steady at 375˚F and be sure to bring the oil back to temperature before adding the next batch. If the oil cools too much, the shrimp will absorb more oil, if it gets too hot, the shrimp may burn.
How to Serve Bang Bang Shrimp
People have gotten so creative with Bang Bang Shrimp over the years, serving it as a starter or main course.
- Appetizer – garnish with chives and serve right out of the bowl with toothpicks.
- Tacos – we love this option because the shrimp already come with a creamy sauce you can drizzle over the assembled tacos.
- Pasta – toss the saucy shrimp with your favorite pasta. Try adding a squeeze of lime juice over the dish as we did with tacos.
- Rice Bowls – Serve shrimp over a bowl of cooked white rice, add the same toppings as for tacos, and drizzle with sauce.
Pro Tip: To make it easy to drizzle sauce over tacos, transfer it to a ziploc bag and seal. Snip off the tip of the bag with scissors then drizzle sauce over tacos.
The combination of flavors and textures in Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos is ‘dynamite’ and you’ll fall in love with the bang bang sauce.
More Asian Recipes
If you love to recreate your favorite Asian takeout recipes, then you won’t want to miss these recipes:
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Crispy Egg Rolls (Mom’s recipe)
- Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir Fry
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (Dynamite Shrimp)
Ingredients
Bang Bang Shrimp:
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup corn starch
- Peanut oil or Canola oil for frying shrimp
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
- 3 tsp Sriracha hot sauce, or to taste
Taco Toppings:
- 8 to 12 Small White Corn Tortillas, or Hard Taco Shells
- 3 cups Purple or Green Cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
Instructions
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp:
- In a small bowl, stir together Bang Bang Sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Make the marinade by combining buttermilk, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. Pour over peeled and deviled shrimp and stir to coat. Set aside while you start preheating your oil.
- Remove shrimp from the marinade one at a time, letting excess marinade drip off. Dip both sides in cornstarch until fully coated, tap off the excess and arrange breaded shrimp on a platter.
- Heat 1 1/2” of oil in a dutch oven or pot to 375˚F. Fry shrimp in 3 batches, cooking for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until golden brown, crispy and cooked through (turn halfway if needed). Use a strainer to transfer shrimp to rest on a paper towel-lined plate for a few minutes.
- Transfer shrimp to a bowl and drizzle half of the sauce over warm shrimp. Toss gently until shrimp are coated and rest for 10 minutes to absorb the sauce.
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos:
- Lightly toast corn tortillas on a griddle, skillet for 30 seconds per side, or over a gas flame if you want some charring.
- Add desired taco toppings, top with 2-3 shrimp per taco and drizzle with remaining sauce.
- Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
This is our granddaughter’s favorite. Every time she comes home from college, if only for a few days, this is the one meal that she requests.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles, Joseph!
This recipe was delicious! Thank you for another great one!
Hi Rena! I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing.
The breading didn’t stick to the shrimp at all. I’m not sure what I did wrong but I threw the whole mess away.
Hi Ally! I’m sorry to hear that. Make sure the shrimp is dry, pat it dry with a paper towel. Also, make sure the oil is hot enough before cooking them.
Would it work to bread the schrimp in advance and fry later?
Hi Jessica, once breaded its best to fry right away so that the breading doesn’t absorb too much moisture and gets soggy.
Looking for a Bang Bang Chicken recipie…would this recipie work? We’ve tried this and it’s very good!!
Hi Jim! I definitely think it could be adapted to make a chicken version.
These are my family’s favorite shrimp tacos!! & this was the first recipe of yours that I’ve ever tried, and now I am a loyal Natasha’s Kitchen chef and baker!! This is a favorite, especially during our fasting days, so we eat without the sauce, but it is way better with the sauce!!
Hi Kristen, I’m so happy you love the Dynamite Shrimp tacos! This is an adventurous first recipe in my book and I’m so happy you’re hooked!
It’s not my first time doing one of your recipes so I know how good they are, but I must admit I wasn’t sure I would be amazed by this one.
…MY GOD was I wrong ahah This is so delicious I just can’t believe it! And it’s super easy and quick to do, so perfect for week days.
I cook a lot but I don’t tend to keep recipes that much. I try new recipes all the time and they are usually OK but just not good enough to satisfy me. I’m a bit hard to impress lol This one WILL make it to my list of recipes to make again 😀 Thank you so much Natasha and please continue posting great recipes!
I’m so happy you still tried it and loved it, Evy! Thank you for your wonderful review! I think I’m overdue for making this myself!
Thoroughly enjoyed these tacos but my breading did not stay on? What did I do wrong?
Hi Mary. Make sure to have the oil fully preheated, hot and ready before you start frying. Also- don’t overcrowd the pan when frying.
These shrimp are excellent! I’ve made them twice, but I skipped the tortillas and served them over coleslaw both times. My only comment is that stirring while coating the shrimp with sauce chipped off a lot of the crispy coating (breading?). From now on, I’m just going to drizzle the sauce over the shrimp at the table.
The recipe makes more sauce than required, leaving extra to put on everything! I’m making a batch of it just to keep on hand. It’s great on hamburgers, veggie burgers, and California rolls.
Wow! This dish was just delicious. I did not have enough corn starch, so I mixed it with flour, with great results! I had no cabbage, so I did like another reviewer said and used lettuce I added chopped. This recipe will be made again. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Kirsten, I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
How can I make the shrimp ahead of time, so that I’m not frying when company comes?
Hi Mary! We always eat these fresh. I would assume they would reheat ok if you made them ahead but the breading will not be as crisp. I would be careful not to overheat the shrimp, it can get chewy when it’s overcooked.
Hi Natasha! Do you think these would work as an appetizer if I served the sauce in a bowl along side of them?
Hi Sue! Sure, I don’t see why not.
Hi Natasha, I bought your cookbook and have been watching you for years. Could you do the fish in an air fryer? Thank you.
Hi Rose! Thank you food processing my book. I do not have instructions for making them in the air fryer, I haven’t tested it. But please let us know if you experiment.