These easy Coconut Shrimp are crisp and crunchy on the outside with a juicy shrimp center. Don’t forget the simple (2-ingredient) coconut shrimp sauce and a fresh squeeze of lime juice to serve.
This homemade appetizer is easier than you think and is endlessly better than store-bought. P.S. It’s make-ahead friendly!
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We love shrimp recipes around here, like shrimp scampi, creamy shrimp pasta, or shrimp fried rice, and even Shrimp Boil. This coconut shrimp recipe does not disappoint!
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The Best Coconut Shrimp!
Homemade coconut shrimp has just the right balance of crunchy coating to shrimp – the crispy coconut flakes produce an amazing crunch as you sink your teeth into succulent shrimp – wow!
This coconut shrimp recipe reminds me of the gorgeous restaurant shrimp appetizer we ordered in Maui and I’m telling you this recipe rivals those but it’s way less expensive to make a batch of homemade shrimp. They taste like you’re on vacation, especially when paired with that amazing apricot sweet chili dipping sauce.
I can’t say enough about the dipping sauce – it’s ridiculously good. Similar to our Shrimp Cocktail sauce, you can’t enjoy this shrimp fully without the sauce! Also, check out the make-ahead options below to turn these into your new favorite party appetizer.
Ingredients for Coconut Shrimp
This recipe has a short list of ingredients but the right ingredients make a difference. Here’s what you will need to make coconut prawns.
- Shrimp – Use large, peeled, and deveined shrimp with the tail left on which serves as a handle for dipping the shrimp. See below for more tips on sourcing shrimp.
- Flour, garlic powder, and salt – used to dredge the shrimp. Dredging helps the egg adhere better.
- Eggs – beaten for dipping the shrimp. Adds a liquid coating for the coconut flakes to cling to.
- Coconut Flakes – We use Baker’s brand “Angel flake” sweetened coconut flakes. Using a sweetened coconut gives the shrimp a more pronounced tropical flavor. You can find sweetened coconut flakes in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
- Panko Crumbs – mixed in with the coconut flakes to create a crunchier and more uniform breading.
- Oil – for frying the shrimp – use a high smoke point oil such as extra light olive oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil.
- Lime Juice – optional but nice to squeeze over the fried shrimp for serving.
Pro Tip
When buying shrimp, look for raw wild-caught shrimp if you can find it. If you are using frozen shrimp, be sure to thaw according to the package instructions and pat dry before using. Avoid using pre-cooked shrimp. Pre-cooked shrimp will get tough if you cook it again.
What Size Shrimp for Coconut Shrimp?
We used 1 pound of large 21-25 count shrimp. We found this to be the ideal size for breaded shrimp to get them perfectly cooked in the center and golden on the outside. Smaller shrimp overcook quickly and larger shrimp tend to burn before the center cooks through.
Ingredients for Shrimp Dipping Sauce:
All you need to make an amazing coconut shrimp sauce is equal parts of sweet chili sauce and apricot preserves or apricot fruit spread. Simply stir to combine.
The sweet chili sauce can be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store. If your apricot preserves have large pieces of fruit, you will want to blend the sauce in a food processor or blender for easier dipping. In case you’re wondering, this sauce is NOT spicy.
How to Make Coconut Shrimp:
Making these is easier than you think. It’s a quick assembly line process, in which my 9-year old son is now a pro because we love coconut shrimp around here!
- Set up 3 shallow bowls. In the first, stir together flour, garlic powder and salt. In the second, thoroughly beat together 2 eggs with a fork. In the third, combine coconut flakes and bread crumbs.
- Dredge shrimp in flour, dusting off the excess
- Dip in beaten eggs, letting excess drip back into the bowl.
- Roll in coconut mixture, pressing it onto the shrimp to adhere well.
- Sautee – Once shrimp are all breaded, sautee or air fry right away, or refrigerate to sautee later.
Use tongs to transfer fried shrimp to a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil and serve right away with the 2-ingredient dipping sauce.
Can I Make Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp?
Yes! If you prefer not to fry the shrimp, the air fryer is the next best option – it quickly crisps up the exterior, keeping the center plump and juicy. Generously spray both sides of the breaded shrimp with cooking spray then cook air fryer shrimp at 400˚F for 8 minutes total, flipping the shrimp halfway through.
How to Bake Coconut Shrimp in the Oven
In all of our tests, deep frying and air frying produced the best results. Baking coconut shrimp in a conventional oven was our least favorite cooking method because it takes longer and the breading doesn’t crisp up quite as well. To bake in a regular oven, generously spray both sides of the shrimp with cooking spray and bake at 400˚F for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping shrimp halfway through.
Serve the shrimp right away – warm and crisp. I love to squeeze fresh lime juice over the top just before serving or serve with lime wedges and of course that amazing sauce.
Make-Ahead Coconut Shrimp
- Prep Ahead: Place raw battered shrimp on a platter, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 hours then sauté or air fry.
- Storing and Reheating Cooked Shrimp: Refrigerate cooked shrimp for up to 2 days. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake in a standard oven at 400˚F for 8-10 minutes or until hot and crisp.
Have I convinced you to make that dipping sauce? I mean it’s just 2 ingredients after all! Make this coconut shrimp recipe once and you’ll make it over and over. It’s easy and so satisfying.
More Party-Favorite Appetizers
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Peach Salsa
- Cowboy Caviar
- Mango Avocado Salsa
- Fish Tacos
- Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Aioli
Coconut Shrimp with the Best Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Ingredients for Coconut Shrimp:
- 1 lb large shrimp, 21-25 count, peeled and deveined with tails left on
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten with a fork
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, *
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- light olive oil, or vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
Ingredients for Shrimp Dipping Sauce:
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves or apricot fruit spread
Instructions
- Rinse shrimp in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Set up 3 shallow bowls. In the first, stir together 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp salt. In the second, beat 2 eggs with a fork. In the third, combine 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes and 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs.
- Dredge shrimp in flour, then dip in beaten egg and finally dip in crumb mixture using your hands to press the coconut crumb mixture onto your shrimp. Transfer to a platter and repeat with remaining shrimp. Once all shrimp are breaded, either sauté right away or refrigerate for later.
- To sautee: place a large pan over medium heat and add enough oil to generously cover the bottom (1/4" deep). Once oil is hot (350˚F), add shrimp and sauté 2 minutes per side until golden brown and shrimp is pink and cooked through. Cook in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan. Use tongs to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Stir together 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce with 1/4 cup apricot preserves. Serve shrimp with dipping sauce and squeeze fresh lime juice over finished shrimp before serving if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Everything about this post makes me hungry. Lol that shrimp and the sauce … oh my yum!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Becky!!
Just like my favorite coconut shrimp at Margaritaville!
That’s so great! I hope you love this one too!
I love how crisp & easy these are!! They are perfect!
Thank you Kristyn!! I’m so glad you liked the coconut shrimp : ) They really are so crisp and crunch and irresistible.
Made this last night for the fiance who is not a fan of COCONUT! Well, low and behold, this recipe got him having second thoughts about coconut! This was another great hit! I bought 3 pounds of shrimp last night at Ralph’s since they had their sale of ez peel only shrimp for 4.99 a pound at the seafood department because I will be making those shrimp cakes with lemon aioli this weekend! This turned out to be yummy! I loved the sauce too…I added some lime juice to thin it out a bit and add some zing to it too! Thanks Natasha, again, for another great recipe! We will be making every other week 🙂
You are so welcome! I’m so happy you were both able to enjoy that! Thank you for your wonderful review!
why cann’t this recipe be printed out, unless Im missing something. thanks
Hi Joanne. The best way to print the recipes, is by scrolling down to the print friendly section below the recipe and clicking on orange print button. Let me know if that helps. If you like to print recipe with pictures, copy and paste the url of the recipe here
We made this tonight and they loved it. My daughter asked where I got the recipe & I said, from my new best friend…. she said …. Natasha? We love your recipes, thanks!
Awww that’s the best Dodie! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles!
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A Fantastic reminiscence of our trip to Tommy Bahamas last year. I’m from Austria.
Hello Maggie, I’m glad you enjoy the post!
Has anyone tried just baking them instead of frying?
Did you bake them? If so, how did they turn out? I don’t have an air fryer and I’d like to bake them instead of fry them.
Instead of flour, would corn starch work just as well ?
Hi David, I haven’t tried that but I have seen other recipes online that use cornstarch instead of flour, so I imagine it would work 🙂
I did make them using cornstarch, they turn out great. Didn’t have and apricot preserves, so I used marmalade, May Ploy chili sauce and horseradish. That work too.
Oh good, I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing David!
Any way you can prep these and freeze them to have later?? This was suck a taste recipe, thanks for sharing!!
Hi Danah, I haven’t tried that but I think it could work to freeze. In the “make ahead” section, I think you could place into the freezer instead of the refrigerator for either step. Again, I haven’t tested this, but if I did, that is what I would do 🙂
Can you deep fry shrimp for the coconut shrimp?
Martha, yes that would work 😬
Thank you. Deep frying worked pretty good.
You’re welcome Martha! I’m glad to hear that!
Hi Natasha. I didnt quite understand option 2 of make ahead. Could you explain please? I would like to make some few days before for an occasion at home but won’t have much time on the day so thinking of doing it few days beforehand
Hi Shai, The prepared shrimp can be refrigerated up to 2 days and to reheat, Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 400˚F for 8-10 minutes or until hot and crisp.
Just wondering if anyone has tried airfrying these….I’ve just bought a Philips Airfryer and thinking they may work in that…I would like to freeze them so I can just take a few out at a time and cook them from frozen ….will rate once I’ve tried recipe but good feeling it’s a winner…..thanx
Hello Natasha! I always love your recipe, and tried this one yesterday: somehow I followed the steps, but the coconut crumbs don’t stick onto the shrimp after frying! =( any comments about this? trying to think how I can make it better.
Hi Zoe, the best way to accomplish this is to press the coconut on with your hands. It isn’t enough to just dip it in coconut. Once the coconut flakes are on, place it in the palm of your hand and give the shrimp a gentle squeeze on both sides to press and adhere the coconut. I hope that helps! 🙂
Thanks dear natasha ! I will certainly try again next week as I like the flavor a lot! Hope the crumbs stay this time.
I did what you said, but how do you keep the coconut/panko mixture from sticking to your hand. After 5 shrimp I had so much mixture on hand. Also I found it hard to make the mixture stick to shrimp even after squeezing. Thanks for any suggentions
Hi Linda, try to let the excess egg drip back into the bowl before breading which will help.
Wondering if anyone tried the make ahead method of cooking it and leaving in fridge and then baking? Love the idea of having it ready to just pop in oven when company arrives. Want to make sure they are just as good though.
Hi Sandra, yes, we’ve tried that and it was really just as good as when we initially sauteed them :). Make sure to check out the “make ahead options” section just above the print friendly recipe. I hope that helps!
Thanks so much, will go that route and let you know how they tasted.
This is an excellent recipe. The visuals made preparation simple. I did let the shrimp rest in the refrigerator for a half hour. Simply line a baking pan with parchment paper, coat shrimp, and cover with plastic wrap. This resulted in my coating sticking like glue. Perfection!
Eric, I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing the tip with us!
I never knew coconut shrimp was so easy! I’m totally gonna make this! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do 🙂
I made this yesterday and it was FANTASTIC! Even my father approved and he is notorious for not eating shellfish!
Thank you for that awesome review! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂
Easy and delicious… my favorite kind of recipe! I love coconut shrimp but never tried making them myself. You’re making me very hungry this morning 😉
I know and I’m the same way. Sometimes the simplest recipes are the very best 🙂
The 2 ingredient sauce is brilliant! And I bet you can try different preserves (pineapple??) for more tropical variety.
Oooh I love where you’re going with that! I haven’t tried pineapple but that does sounds lovely!! You’re brilliant Kate!
Apricot preserves and chili sauce… Wow! What an incredible combination! I am definitely going to give this recipe a try, Natasha! 🙂
Yes, after trying a few different combinations, I was surprised at how easy and delicious this one was! I hope you love it as much as we do 🙂 Thanks Tania!
That sauce!! How simple and delicious! This looks so good!
Thanks Roxana! It really is super easy and tastes amazing! I hope you give it a try. It’s absolutely the best coconut shrimp dip I’ve tried 🙂
I would love to try this recipe also. I was just curious to know how many shrimp are in 1 serving?
Hi Tony, if you use 1 lb of large shrimp with (21-25 shrimp per lb), each serving should have 3-4 shrimp. I hope that helps.