Grilled Shrimp Skewers with garlic cajun seasoning will become your grilling obsession this summer. The succulent shrimp kabobs cook in minutes and taste amazing as a main course, on salads, in pasta, or even as leftovers the next day. Fire up the grill, and let’s get cooking!
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Helpful Reader Review
“Natasha made these last night, and we devoured them. So easy and so delicious! Didn’t change a thing. It’s a keeper! Thank you. “ – Kathy ★★★★★
The Best Grilled Shrimp Recipe
Summer is finally here, and if you haven’t fired up your grill yet, this grilled Shrimp Skewers recipe is the perfect excuse to start. Shrimp taste best on the grill; something about that lightly charred smokiness makes this shrimp lover very happy. My husband’s cousin, Alex, shared this recipe with us, and I’m so glad he did!
I love this grilled shrimp recipe because of its minimal prep time and even shorter cooking time – about 5 minutes, and they are super easy to flip when skewered. There’s only one word to describe how good the marinade is: “Wowza.” Brushing on extra marinade at the end ensures awesome flavor with every bite. They are a crowd favorite when I have family or friends come to eat.
I serve these fresh off the grill with a Garden Salad and grilled veggies, wrapped in a Homemade Tortilla, or Crusty French Bread for a grilled take on the traditional Po’ Boy, but these shrimp are so versatile, you’ll find all kinds of ways to enjoy them.
Ingredients for Grilled Shrimp
Grab just 4 ingredients along with the skewers to make these incredible grilled shrimp skewers.
- Butter – unsalted butter is best to control the sodium level. To use salted butter, be sure to omit the salt in the recipe
- Garlic – minced or pressed into a paste
- Cajun Spice – provides light heat, but it’s not too spicy. You can also make your own Cajun Seasoning, in a pinch.
- Lemon juice – 1/2 medium lemon – helps tenderize the shrimp, but dont let it marinate more than 30 minutes, or the shrimp can become rubbery.
- Large Shrimp – Large works best for skewering (1 lb = 21-25 count), peeled and deveined. Thaw frozen shrimp according to the package instructions.
How to Grill Shrimp
Grilled Shrimp skewers are so easy to make for a quick dinner on the grill. You can make the marinade ahead, but don’t brush the shrimp until you’re ready to cook, because the lemon juice can cause the shrimp to become rubbery if marinated too long.
- Prep – Set the grill to medium-high heat, and then place wooden skewers in water to soak for 30 minutes. This helps to keep the wood from catching fire.
- Heat the Marinade – In a saucepan on medium heat, stir butter, garlic, cajun seasoning, salt, and lemon juice until it comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat, and separate the mixture into two dishes. Set aside.
- Skewer – Thread 4 shrimp per skewer without leaving spaces between the shrimp, and then place on a rimmed cookie sheet in a single layer. Use a pastry brush to sweep the top of the shrimp with one bowl of the marinade, refrigerate for 2 minutes, and then flip and brush the other side. Refrigerate for 2 more minutes.
- Grill the shrimp on the grill grates or a grill pan with the lid closed for 2 minutes per side or just until cooked through. Use a cleaned brush to sweep the second bowl of marinade over the cooked shrimp, and serve.
Natasha Pro Tip:
You’ll know when the grilled shrimp is done when they are pink, opaque, curve slightly into a “C” shape, and register 145°F. You don’t want to overcook the shrimp, because they can become rubbery and tough.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Grilled shrimp keep well in the fridge and make for great leftovers! Make a double batch to snack the next day.
- Make ahead – You can make the marinade and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance and reheat just before cooking.
- To Refrigerate: Keep cooled grilled shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze cooled shrimp in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge
- To Reheat: air fry or sauté the shrimp on low heat until just hot. Be careful not to overcook.
How to Serve Grilled Shrimp
This grilled shrimp recipe is the perfect protein for so many dishes, and they taste amazing the next day for leftovers. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve them:
- Rolled up as Cajun Shrimp Tacos, Lettuce Wraps, Shrimp Fajitas, or Shrimp Spring Rolls
- On top of Salads like my Wedge Salad, Shrimp Cobb Salad, or Avocado Corn Salad
- Topping Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Rice, grits, Quinoa, or polenta
- Served alongside Roasted or Grilled Vegetables, Asparagus, and Creamy Cucumber Salad, or Steak as Surf and Turf
Try these Garlic Cajun Grilled Shrimp Skewers for your next cookout! They are succulent bites of summer grilled in under 5 minutes! You’ll find endless ways to enjoy the leftovers–if you have any!
Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, or 8 Tbsp
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 Tbsp cajun spice, provides light heat; it's not too spicy
- 1/2 tsp salt, omit if using salted butter
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, from 1/2 medium lemon
- 2 lbs large shrimp, (21-25 count*), uncooked, peeled and deveined
Instructions
- Prep – Soak 12 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes (reduces burning of the sticks). Preheat Grill to med/high (400˚F).
- Heat marinade – Combine all marinade ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Pour half of the mixture into a ramekin and leave the remaining marinade in the pan (You'll brush on half now and brush on the remaining marinade after the shrimp are grilled).
- Skewer 4 shrimp on each damp skewer without leaving spaces. Lay skewers flat on a rimmed cookie sheet. Brush one side of the skewered shrimp with sauce and refrigerate for 2 minutes until the butter firms up. Flip shrimp over, brush second side, and refrigerate 2 minutes until butter firms up.
- Grill – Place skewers on the hot barbecue and grill shrimp with the lid on about 2 minutes per side or just until cooked through and no longer transparent. Remove shrimp from the grill. Don't overcook or they will be rubbery. Brush on reserved sauce and serve.
Notes
*When buying large shrimp, the bag should say ’21-25 count,’ which indicates how many shrimp are in 1 lb. Storage: Cool cooked shrimp and store in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, eat cold, or reheat in the air fryer or on a skillet until just heated through.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
What if I don’t have a grill?
You can still enjoy these cajun shrimp even if it’s not grilling season. Forget the skewers and swap the grill for the air fryer, oven, or sauté pan.
- Air Fry – cook unskewered shrimp in a single layer at 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Stove – heat butter or oil on medium-high heat in a saute pan. When hot, add shrimp in a single layer, cooking 1-2 minutes per side or until pink and opaque like my Cilantro Lime Shrimp.
- Oven – Cook the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet like I did my Baked Honey Cajun Shrimp.
More Shrimp Recipes
We love adding shrimp to the menu all year round, but especially on warm summer days. Here are a few of our favorite shrimp recipes to enjoy:
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- Shrimp Scampi
- Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp Boil Recipe
- Cheesy Garlic Shrimp Bites
- Shrimp Ceviche
- Coconut Shrimp
Hi Natasha…love your site and your recipes!!! I have a recipe for you that I came up with… Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp… 1.5 to 2 lbs of large peeled shrimp. Marinate in 1 cup of Teriyaki sauce with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar . Marinate for 1 hour or longer and stir every 15 minutes, then put on skewers and grill over medium high heat for 2 1/2 minutes per side. My wife likes the char on the shrimp when I grill it longer than 2 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
That sounds delicious! I have to try that! Thank you for this wonderful review!
This was fantastic. Definitely making again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Sarah! Thank you for that wonderful review!
I have made this twice now – it is fantastic! I recommend to serve it with Orzo. Or just cut the shrimp in half and mix with remaining sauce and to the orzo so delicious!
orzo is a short cut pasta shaped like a grain of rice.
Yum! That sounds amazing! Thank you for that great review!
I love you’re recipes. Do you habe video for this recipe? Why would I leave half of the sauce in the pan? Thanks.
Hi Nina, you brush on the reserved sauce after the shrimp are grilled.
We made your recipe tonight, very good!! We will definitely add this to our menu.
So great to hear that, Karen. Thank you!
Delicious shrimp but Tasted more like garlic butter shrimp. No cajun spice came through. Needs more heat and true rich Cajun flavors in addition to more heat.
Totally agree with you. Followed recipe to a tee and couldn’t taste the seasoning, barely tasted the garlic in the sauce. Wife said she could almost taste the cajun seasoning but to both of us it just tasted like buttered shrimp with a hint of garlic.
Do you brush the shrimps while the butter sauce is hot? I don’t want shrimps to cook with hot sauce. I’m going to try this recipe tonight. Thank you!
Hi Zoya, you can let it cool slightly if you are concerned, but if you are just brushing it on, it won’t be hot enough to cook the shrimp and it firms up pretty quickly as it’s brushed on.
I’m going to try this grilled shrimp recipe, I have tried & loved all your recipes, so I thought I would let you know! Thank you for helping me cook healthy meals for my family.
Deeds
I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes Deedee! Thank you for that awesome review!
I love shrimp on the skewer and I was wondering do you think I could do this also using deep sea scallops? do you think rotating one shrimp then one scallop would work?
Thank you Marsha your recipes are amazing.
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
This recipe was easy and really delicious. Me, my wife and daughter loved it. FYI, I had no lemon juice so used lime juice. Only coated shrimp once – before grilling. Grilled on indoor electric grill until edges showed a touch of burn like grill marks. Great!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Larry! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I can’t believe how good this was! Although two of my skewers caught fire.. lol. Maybe I didn’t soak them long enough? I just had the leftover shrimp on a spinach salad. So yummy. I can’t wait to make these again!
Hi Jen! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! The culprit is likely the skewers not being soaked through.
Amazing and easy!! Will make it again and again
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
We are not a seafood-loving household, but we had some shrimp and this recipe helped us eat it! We served it with spaghetti and peas, and added a few more dustings of Cajun spice. It was very tasty and filling – thanks!
Sounds yummy! So glad that you enjoyed this seafood recipe though you’re not a fan. Thank you for sharing that with us and I hope you love every recipe that you try.
I would like to throw chicken on the grill with the shrimp. Do you think this marinade will work with the chicken as well? Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi Jen, I bet that would work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
While I was eating the shrimp last night, I thought this recipe would work really well with chicken
Great! I’m trying it tomorrow with chicken and shrimp.
I hope you love it!
Hello Natasha! I love all of your recipes I have tried so far! You have made me able to cook!! So THANK You!
I have a quick question on this recipe. The list of ingredients call for 8 Tbsp of butter (so 1 stick), but in the photos it looks like a block of 4 sticks of butter. I was hoping for clarification.
Hi Nancy! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes! That’s so great! The photo shows one stick of butter. It may look like a block in the pan but that is a small pan just for the sauce for size comparison.
Thank you very much!!
Hey! Would it make a difference if I used metal skewers instead of bamboo?
I meant instead of wooden skewers.
Hi Oksana, that should also work if you have them. I’d love to know how you like this recipe using the metal skewers.
Best shrimp I’ve ever had, even compared to the high end restaurants! All my guest thought I was a master chef just from this shrimp recipe. Thank you for sharing this with everyone..
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
This is finger licking good! I ate more than one serving of this shrimp last night. Super yummy!
Sounds like you found a new favorite Nancy! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha! This recipe looks phenom – can’t wait to try it. Would you recommend using a stove-top cast iron grill? I don’t have an outdoor grill :/
Hi Lama, we have a baked shrimp recipe here. I think you could use this same recipe and just follow the baking instructions here.
Is there a way you can make this shrimp dish in the oven or on the stove top.
Hi April, we have a baked shrimp recipe here. I think you could use this same recipe and just follow the baking instructions here.
This recipe is so good and so easy! The first time I made this, my teenaged grandson fell in LOVE with it and asked me to make it again. He ate 3 skewers all to himself and was reaching for the 4th when I reminded him to leave some for everyone else (hehe). I’ve made it twice since then and I’m making it again for Mother’s Day weekend. Thank you, Natasha for such a great recipe! 🙂
That’s so awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me Tracy!!