This is the best baked coconut shrimp recipe you’ll ever make! They’re ready in under 20 minutes, perfect for a healthy appetizer or dinner entree and the whole family will love them!
Why I Developed This Recipe
When I first moved to New York City in my late teens, I lived across the street from a restaurant called The Coffee Shop. Friends and I would spend hours there hanging out, watching people on the street walk by and enjoying the delicious Coconut Shrimp. I’m sure the shrimp were deep fried, but they were so good I still remember the incredible flavor over 20 years later.
I wanted to share this special food memory with my kids, only with a version that was a bit more healthy, so I opted for baking (actually, broiling) instead of frying. With a crispy coconut outer shell and sweet tender shrimp inside, this recipe is super easy to make, and kids will have fun dipping in the sweet and sour sauce on the side. Adults can have fun dipping in the sauce too!
Ingredients for Coconut Baked Shrimp
- Peeled and deveined shrimp – You can use frozen shrimp for this recipe! Thaw the shrimp by adding them to a bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- All purpose flour – Swap all purpose flour for almond flour or any other gluten free flour to make this recipe gluten free!
- Whisked eggs – Feel free to use buttermilk instead of eggs if you need or want to!
- Shredded unsweetened coconut – I love the crunchiness that the shredded coconut adds!
*See recipe card for full list of ingredients.
How to Make Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp
- Prepare the shrimp: Pat shrimp dry with a towel or paper towel. Sprinkle a couple pinches of salt over the shrimp.
- Set up the breading station: Arrange three separate bowls in an assembly line. Place flour in one, whisked eggs (or buttermilk) in the second and shredded coconut in the third.
- Bread the shrimp: Lightly coat the shrimp in the flour and gently tap to remove excess flour. Dip the flour coated shrimp in the egg/buttermilk and then roll in the shredded coconut to coat.
- Broil the shrimp: Place coconut shrimp on a sprayed/greased baking rack over a cookie sheet. When all the shrimp are on the rack, lightly coat them with cooking oil spray. Place cookie sheet on the middle rack of your oven and broil for 3 minutes on each side or until golden.
- Make sweet and sour sauce: While the shrimp are broiling, place the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Serve: Serve baked coconut shrimp with sweet and sour dipping sauce and enjoy!
*See recipe card for full step by step instructions.
How To Air Fry Coconut Shrimp
I love using my air fryer for this recipe! It’s super simple and a healthy alternative to deep frying. To air fry coconut shrimp, place breaded coconut shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray them with a little bit of cooking oil and air fry on 400°F for five minutes or until golden.
How To Store Coconut Shrimp
Store the shrimp in a container that has a tight-fitting lid and is airtight. Baked coconut shrimp can be kept in the fridge for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
How to Reheat Coconut Shrimp
For best results, reheat baked coconut shrimp at 300°F in the oven for 8-10 minutes or the air fryer for 3-4 minutes. The key is to reheat gradually so that you maintain a crispy exterior while ensuring the shrimp don’t get chewy or tough.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
- Greek Style Shrimp
- Asian Sautéed Shrimp
- One Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetable Dinner
- Mango Shrimp Ceviche
- Lemon Shrimp Pasta
- Pesto Shrimp Skewers
I promise your family will go nuts for these Baked Coconut Shrimp. They’re crispy yet juicy and the sweet and sour sauce on the side takes them to another planet. Let me know in the comments what you think and tag me on social media if you make them!
Images by Ivan Solis
Coconut Baked Shrimp
Ingredients
Coconut Shrimp:
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs, whisked (you could also use 1/2 cup buttermilk to coat the shrimp instead)
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
Instructions
For the Coconut Baked Shrimp:
- Preheat oven to broil setting.
- Pat shrimp dry with a towel and season with 1/2 tsp salt.
- Arrange three separate bowls in an assembly line. Place flour in one, whisked eggs (or buttermilk) in the second and shredded coconut in the third.
- Lightly coat the shrimp in the flour and gently tap to remove excess flour.
- Dip the flour coated shrimp in the egg/buttermilk and then roll in the shredded coconut to coat.
- Place coconut shrimp on a sprayed/greased baking rack over a cookie sheet. When all the shrimp are on the rack, lightly coat them with cooking oil spray.
- Place cookie sheet on the middle rack of your oven and broil for 3 minutes on each side or until golden.
- Serve with dipping sauce.
For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
Can you use cooked frozen shrimp too?
Hi Jess! I wouldn’t recommend using already cooked frozen shrimp. They’ll overcook in the oven and become too tough.
Wow. These were so good, and so easy, and so quick! I could only find unsweetened coconut in the flake variety, but was able to finely chop it in the mini food processor (mixed it with some panko crumbs too). The whole family devoured them. Thanks for this recipe!
I made these tonight, but used chicken strips instead of shrimp (my crew isn’t big on seafood). I just baked them at 350 for about 20 min on each side. They were SO good–even my picky 2 year old loved them! Thanks so much for another great recipe!
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I just made them with tilapia directly on a greased baking sheet at 400
Degrees.
They turned out great and were actually golden brown.
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Do you think u can freeze these after they are breaded? How would that change cooking instructions, straight out of freezer?
Just made these for my 2 year old daughter… she is on her 4th helping. “More shrimp please.” What a hit! They go well the Island Rice Recipe off of the Food Network website!
What about cooking these on the barbeque? Would that work?
So shellfish is fine for an 18 m/o with no allergy history in our family? I love seafood and want to try these- also she’s not a big met eater so these would be great.
Yum! Can I substitute Agave Nectar for the Honey? Or will it come out too runny??
The unsweetened is sticky, too!