You no longer need to go to your favorite seafood restaraunt to eat your favorite coconut shrimp. Making it at home is EASY, and you’ll get delicious results! 

Plus this homemade coconut shrimp will save you at least $30 because restaurant shrimp is EXPENSIVE! (For only like 9 pieces of shrimp, what?!) And for another delicious shrimp recipe, try my Easy Blackened Shrimp!

Crispy coconut shrimp on a white parchment background.

So I really enjoy eating shrimp! One of my favorite meals is this sheet pan shrimp fajitas!

To me seafood, particularly shrimp, lobster, and crab, are luxury seafood meats. I like to think that this coconut shrimp recipe would be a perfect date night meal, or Mother’s Day or Father’s Day dinner idea. A recipe utilizing shrimp is just… special. I don’t know why, but that’s just how it is for me.

What about you? Is seafood one of those “luxury” type foods for you too?

Either way, we need to talk about this easy recipe. It’s not hard (like at all). All you need to do is dredge the shrimp in some flour, batter, and then coconut. Once you’ve gotten that far the hardest part is behind you.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s go over the ingredients you’ll need.

Coconut Shrimp Ingredients

Easy Coconut Shrimp ingredients portioned into glass bowls on a white background.
  • 1 lb jumbo shrimp – peeled and deveined with tails intact.
  • Flour – you need flour for dredging in AND for making the batter.
  • Baking powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt
  • Egg
  • Club soda
  • Panko crumbs
  • Shredded coconut

How to make easy coconut shrimp

Season the shrimp with some salt & pepper.

Gather 3 bowls. In the first bowl add the all-purpose flour.

In the second bowl whisk the batter ingredients: the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, egg, and club soda. The batter should be medium thick, similar to pancake batter.

In the third bowl stir the panko bread crumbs and the shredded coconut.

Take the shrimp and dredge it in the flour (shake off any excess), then dip it in the batter (shake off any excess), and finally place it in the bread coating, pressing the coating to the shrimp so that it sticks. Place the coated shrimp on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue dipping the shrimp until they have all been coated.

Raw coconut covered in shredded coconut and flour, on a tan parchment covered baking sheet.

Place the shrimp in the freezer for 45 or until hard and frozen.

Just before pulling the shrimp out of the freezer, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add enough oil to fill the pot about 3 inches deep. Heat the oil to 375°F.

Fry the FROZEN shrimp (working in about 3 batches, depending on the size of your pot) for about 4 minutes, about 2-3 minutes per side. The coating will turn a golden brown when cooked.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked shrimp to a paper towel lined plate. Continue until all of the shrimp have been fried. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce or your choice of dipping sauce.

A bite taken out of a crispy coconut shrimp.

Notes and tips

Freezing the shrimp helps the batter stay on the shrimp when frying. If you don’t have time to freeze the shrimp, that’s fine but just know you’ll have more batter falling off in the oil.

I like to bring the oil back to 375°F in between cooking each batch of shrimp.

A pile of crispy coconut shrimp on a white plate.

What to serve alongside coconut shrimp:

Fried coconut shrimp on a white plate.
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5 from 1 vote

Crispy Coconut Shrimp

You no longer need to go to your favorite seafood restaraunt to eat your favorite coconut shrimp. Making it at home is EASY, and you'll get delicious results!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 lb jumbo shrimp - peeled and deveined, tails intact
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Batter

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup club soda

Bread Coating

  • 1 1/4 cups panko crumbs
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded coconut

Instructions
 

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. 
  • Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
  •  Gather 3 medium sized bowls. In the first bowl add the all-purpose flour. 
  • In the second bowl whisk the batter ingredients: the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, egg, and club soda. The batter should be medium thick, similar to pancake batter. 
  • In the third bowl stir the panko bread crumbs and the shredded coconut. 
  • Take the shrimp and dredge it in the flour (shake off any excess), then dip it in the batter (shake off any excess), and finally place it in the bread coating, pressing the coating to the shrimp so that it sticks. Place the coated shrimp on the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue dipping the shrimp until they have all been coated. 
  •  Place the shrimp in the freezer for 45 or until hard and frozen. 
  • Just before pulling the shrimp out of the freezer, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add enough oil to fill the pot about 3 inches deep. Heat the oil to 375°F. 
  • Fry the FROZEN shrimp (working in about 3 batches, depending on the size of your pot) for about 4 minutes, about 2-3 minutes per side. The coating will turn a golden brown when cooked.
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked shrimp to a paper towel lined plate. Continue until all of the shrimp have been fried. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce or your choice of dipping sauce. 

Notes

recipe adapted from Cafe Delites. 

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcal (19%)Carbohydrates: 41g (14%)Protein: 25g (50%)Fat: 11g (17%)Saturated Fat: 8g (40%)Cholesterol: 271mg (90%)Sodium: 1134mg (47%)Potassium: 301mg (9%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 11g (12%)Vitamin A: 61IU (1%)Vitamin C: 4mg (5%)Calcium: 206mg (21%)Iron: 5mg (28%)
author: Whitney Wright
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
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