Blog
10+ Best Healthy Shrimp Recipes
Elevate your menu with these delicious shrimp recipes that are bursting with flavor. Ideal for either lunch or dinner, each recipe is packed with delicious and nutritious ingredients and all have received the stamp of approval from EatingWell readers, earning four- and five-star reviews. With options like Spicy Shrimp with Cauliflower Rice or Tajín Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw, these shrimp recipes might just make your list of favorites too!
Love any of these recipes? Join MyRecipes to save, search and organize your EatingWell recipes all in one place. It’s free!
Spicy Shrimp with Cauliflower Rice
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This shrimp gets its kick from Cajun seasoning—a zesty blend of paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Refrigerated cauliflower rice helps cut down on prep time, but if you can spare a few extra minutes, it’s easy to make your own. Pulse 1 pound fresh cauliflower florets in a food processor until chopped into rice-size pieces.
Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist Tucker Vines
Enjoy these shrimp lettuce wraps, filled with crisp veggies and juicy shrimp sautéed with garlic and soy sauce. This light and flavorful dish is perfect for a weeknight meal or weekend gathering. Sambal oelek, a spicy chile paste known for its vibrant red color and intense heat, adds an extra kick. Reduce or omit it to adjust the heat to your liking.
Shrimp Pad Thai
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
This iconic Thai recipe features rice noodles stir-fried in a wok with a sauce that strikes the perfect balance of tangy, salty and sweet. Along with the noodles, pad thai typically includes a mix of ingredients such as shrimp, tofu, scrambled eggs, bean sprouts and a handful of aromatics like garlic, shallot and scallions. The sauce in this recipe features tamarind paste, which adds a decisively tangy flavor that’s balanced with palm sugar. Tamarind paste pairs beautifully with sweet ingredients. Mix any leftovers into cocktails, make a chutney or drizzle it on fruit.
Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall
This speedy dinner recipe combines shrimp with pillowy gnocchi, pesto and peas in a creamy sauce. Feel free to substitute the peas with other veggies such as broccoli or asparagus. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper for a bit of heat, or garnish with grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory flavor.
Tajín Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw
Greg DuPree
Tajín, a Mexican chile-lime seasoning, adds a spicy and acidic punch to sweet and mild shrimp. Opt for a low-sodium chile-lime seasoning, or improvise by combining chili powder, a little lime zest and a healthy squeeze of lime juice. Look for pineapple that’s already been peeled and cored for speedier prep.
The Best Shrimp & Grits
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
Get dinner on the table fast with this blackened shrimp and cheesy grits recipe. To keep prep speedy, look for shrimp that come peeled and deveined. Shrimp are often sold by count, or how many shrimp make up 1 pound—31-40 count shrimp is a good size to use here. Look for shrimp that are free of additives and preservatives. While they add to the shelf life, they can also add sodium and leave the shrimp with a rubbery texture.
Easy Shrimp Tacos
These easy shrimp tacos are inspired by the seafood tacos in Baja California.
Coconut Curry Shrimp
This easy Thai-inspired coconut curry shrimp is loaded with vegetables and gets tons of flavor from prepared green curry paste and coconut milk. The sweet and spicy sauce gets sopped up by a bed of hot brown rice. Serve with a crunchy Asian slaw to round out the meal.
Super Quick Low-Carb Shrimp Scampi
This low-calorie and low-carb shrimp scampi feels like a restaurant dish, but it is actually very easy to make. There is just enough buttery sauce to coat the shrimp. The trick is to not over-reduce the sauce when cooking it. It’s better to make it a little more saucy then dry. If you want to bulk up this entree, you could add peas or thinly sliced carrots, or serve it over your favorite low-carb pasta substitute like spaghetti squash.
Shrimp & Avocado Salad
Peppery fresh radishes complement sweet shrimp and creamy avocado in this quick salad. Enjoy this healthy salad as a quick light dinner or for lunch.
Shrimp & Okra Gumbo
This gumbo recipe features plump Gulf shrimp and is thickened with okra instead of roux. Most U.S. shrimp caught in the Gulf of Mexico is considered a Good Alternative according to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Look for liquid smoke and Louisiana or Crystal hot sauce with other condiments at your local grocery store.
Ginger-Soy Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food Stylist: Sammy Mila, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek.
These ginger-soy zucchini noodles with shrimp are a light, flavorful no-cook dish that’s perfect for warmer days. Thinly sliced zucchini offers a crisp and refreshing base, while the sauce (made with ginger, soy and lime juice) adds bold and bright flavors. Precooked shrimp make this meal fast and convenient—just toss everything together and serve! It’s a fresh, protein-packed bowl that comes together in minutes.
Sheet-Pan Shrimp, Pineapple & Peppers with Rice
This incredibly easy seafood dinner uses fresh pineapple and a teriyaki-style sauce a sweet-and-tangy flavor profile. The pineapple also concentrates as it bakes and helps keep the rice mixture from becoming too dry. Rather than spreading the rice to the far edges of the sheet pan, keep it closer to the center and layer the vegetables and shrimp on top. This way their juices seep right into the rice, and the teriyaki drizzle coats every bite.
Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margret Monroe Dickey
Amp up your veggie servings with this healthy cauliflower fried rice for a quick low-carb dinner.
