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
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
This dish was a hit with my family! Quick and easy weeknight meal. We’ll certainly be making it again. Thank you!
PS: We have blended diets in our house, so (following all of the instructions exactly the same) I’ve made this dish with cauliflower florets as well, for a plant-based option and have also used vegan mayo (Kensington brand) for the sauce and it turned out superb!
You nailed it with this one. Thank you!
“You really do love me!”- my husband LOL (said in jest, of course). These were such a treat. The texture was crunchy, the sauce was perfect and the toppings complimented the shrimp so well. So easy, too. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
That’s awesome! You’re very welcome, Lena!
I tried this last night and instead of cabbage I used lettuce and tomatoes… it was really good… making more tonight with margaritas….
I made these for my wife (our local Bonefish closed, and she had a hankering) and she loved them. We put away a pound of shrimp between the two of us. I did add two teaspoons to the sauce, but otherwise followed the recipe as written.
Great stuff!
Hi Michael! That’s awesome! Thanks for trying the recipe.
I made these yesterday and they were a total hit with my husband–I am making them again this evening since I have leftover sliced red cabbage to use! I am not sure if I have ever left a comment on your site as I am a bit “internet quiet” but I have made many of your recipes and they’re ALWAYS wonderful! My son bought your cookbook and gave it to me for Christmas as he knows I love your site!
Thank you so much for sharing, Christina!
Delicious! The only issue I have is the calorie count listed is quite off, if you count some of the corn starch in batter and some sauce it is a lot higher in calories than it says. But yummy and a do-again! I had 4 tacos with 13 shrimp and all together it was about 852 calories.
I’m so glad you loved it, Rachael! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Absolutely the best. I made the shrimp in a deep fryer for 2.5 minutes. I served this to my family for a birthday dinner and not a lick left.
That’s just awesome Sheila! Thank you for your wonderful review.
Love dinner recipes that are easy and simple to make. Bang Bang Shrimp is in our top 3! It was so delicious!!
So glad you love it, Erika!
Another winner! I’m losing track of how many of Natasha’s recipes I’ve tried., that we’ve loved! My small adjustments were that I had to use cream for the marinade because I didn’t have buttermilk. And didn’t have time to run to the store. Next time… but it worked out fine. I’ll try it with buttermilk next time. The shrimp cooked up so nicely and with a crispy coating. But I was worried that if I tossed them with half the sauce as directed, that the sauce sitting on the coating might make it soggy. So I just had guests use it to drizzle over the top. I quickly fried small corn tortillas in oil that I would later use to fry the shrimp in. Took about 2 min per batch. We kept these open/flat like a tostada. Served with cabbage, cilantro, tomatoes and avocado and that crazy good bang bang sauce! My family loved these!!
Hi Paulette! That’s wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing that with us! These are some of our favorite tacos!
“She bangs! She bangs!”
Made this tonight, and my husband LOVED it! Perfect blend of sweet and spicy. I’ll definitely make it again 💛 Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! Great to hear that your husband ejoyed this recipe.
I purchased a thermometer similar to yours and overcame my fear of frying – my Bang Bang Shrimp turned out perfectly! We ate over rice with the purple cabbage and tomatoes. So delicious!
Yay, I’m so glad that it was helpful!
Natasha I have tried this recipe it’s very yummy. everybody enjoyed the tacos. I need to make this bang bang taco for a party. I want to make ahead . how long can I keep them.
Hi Sanari! 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.
After making your other shrimp taco recipe, I had to try this. Wow, it was so good and I still have some leftovers in the fridge that I’m looking forward to. Another great recipe!
That’s so great! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Super Delicious! BUT…the shells come off every time and I’m super careful “folding” the sauce into them with a spatula rather than ‘tossing’ them. What am I doing wrong? The corn starch seems to be stuck on them quite well, but when I fry them, they break and then come off when I apply the sauce. Help 😭
Hi Carma, Some of the coating will fall off, but you just have to mix them gently. It could also be that the oil was not hot enough when they were fried, or frying too many at a time can cool down the oil causing the coating to not stick as well. I hope that helps.