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.
Bang Bang Shrimp are so good! Easy prep and cooking time was good.
The best! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Very tasty and easy! Had them as tacos last week, and will have over rice tonight to change it up! Thanks for a great recipe
That sounds like a great plan. I hope you love it with rice too!
Hi Natasha I am going to try these shrimp tacos and would like to know, Is it ok to leave the shrimp in the marinade for like 2 hrs?
Thank you
Hi Alexandra, I have always made it fresh! I bet you can prep the dry and wet ingredients ahead of time. If you test our marinating, I’d love to know how you like that.
I’m sure you made these already but just in case someone else is wondering, I marinated the shrimp overnight and then I did the cornstarch coating and left it in the fridge for a few hours just to cut down on prep and make it quicker and it turned out fantastic.
Best shrimp tacos I have ever had. How can 3 ingredients make something that tastes so wonderful?! The sauce-WOW!!
Thanks Natasha!!
Thank you, Susi! I’m glad you loved it.
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes. I can’t wait to make these tacos. Is it possible to bake instead of fry the shrimp?
Hi Christine, I haven’t tried making baked bang bang shrimp so I don’t have specific instructions for it. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Thank you for this recipe; it has become a family favorite! The only thing I do differently is dress the shredded cabbage with some honey, salt and pepper and lots of lime juice, and let it sit for a few minutes while cooking the shrimp. Sometimes I add shredded carrots to that mix too! SOO delicious!
That sounds like a good idea too. Thank you for sharing that with us, that’s so helpful!
Made street tacos tonight. Delicious! Will use them for company.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made these tonight. And they are a new favorite and I’m a picky foodie. I will not eat something that is not great. I will make these again and again!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Yum!! Made the shrimp tonight as a side to our steak bits. Big hit!! Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so happy this was a hit, Sue! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this for my family and they all absolutely love it!! What a great recipe-and so glad it is gluten free! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe ☺️
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Katie!
Hi Natasha. I made the bang bang shrimp tonight . We loved them. I didnt have buttermilk so just whole milk and they were still great. We are in Mexico for the winter so shrimp are chesp and plentiful , I wanted to show you a picture but the comment secton wont let me sorry about that
Hi Linda, great to hear that it still turned out great using whole milk and not buttermilk. Enjoy your time there and feel free to share some photos of your creation on our Facebook page or group.
So excited to make these tonight. I was just wondering if I could marinate the shrimp in the buttermilk for longer or would they be too tender? It’s easier to make somethings ahead these days.
Hi Christa, I honestly haven’t tried making this ahead or marinating to advise. We usually consume it on the same day we make it.
beside loves to learn about your cooking. Even my husband who is polish. loves your cooking.
Canada
Hi there i have question when you finish big pot of oil what you do with oil throw them out or freeze them then throw in garbage. any advise
thank
Hi Lisa, If you want to get rid of the oil, let the oil cool completely, pour it into a nonrecyclable container with a lid and throw it along with other household waste.
Can you use already Cooked Shrimp – Frozen, i bought the wrong bag.
Hi Monica, I imagine that would work too as long as you follow the instructions in the recipe.
Just wondering if there is a specific purpose with the use of buttermilk to marinade the shrimp as opposed to using eggs as the wet dredging ingredient?
Hello there, the buttermilk helps tenderize the shrimp and it adds so much flavor.
Nailed it on the first try. Only problem is I ate all the shrimp before I got around to making the tacos. I could not tell the difference from the restaurant. Absolutely delicious!
They really are that good! I’m so glad you loved the shrimp, Richard!
All I can say is WOW!! These Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos were just like the ones we get at Bonefish Grill! They fried up very crispy and the sauce was amazing! The recipe for the sauce is perfect! Thanks again for another great recipe and the peace of mind knowing that whenever I try one of your recipes for dinner it will be a big hit!
Aren’t they amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed these tacos, Linda! Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback with me!
Very very very good- I used medium shrimp because they were on sale – they just cook a little quicker – everyone loved them – not very difficult – thank you! I will make this again.
You’re so welcome, PJ! Good to know that you enjoyed this recipe.
Only word I have it, phenomenal! Thank you for the amazing recipe. It’s so easy and delicious!
Thank you so much for your great feedback!