Creamy Coconut Shrimp Recipe
You’ll love this quick and easy Creamy Coconut Shrimp recipe! Tender shrimp, nestled in a sweet and citrus-infused creamy coconut milk sauce served over rice!
This 15-minute meal is perfect for busy weeknights and much better than your local Chinese buffet because it contains no MSG or yucky stuff!
There’s a million recipes out there that are similar, but this one contains a secret ingredient that sets this recipe apart from the others.
Why this simple recipe works
Simple ingredients with tons of flavor!- most of the ingredients you probably already have – look on the International or Asian aisle for coconut milk and fish sauce
- This recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner when you’ve got to get something on the dinner table fast and it’s one of my favorite low fat recipes.
- One pan dinner – I buy the frozen Japanese sticky white rice by the Innovasian company-microwave it in the bag and it’s ready in 5 minutes!
- Non-dairy, gluten-free, low-cholesterol recipe – how wonderful is that for a great recipe? And if you exclude the rice, it is a keto-friendly dish as well!
- Use fresh or frozen shrimp
- Short cooking time: seriously it’s ready in 15 minutes – on the dinner table
What’s the secret ingredient?
Coco Lopez! It’s a canned cream of coconut product that is used in making a Pina Colada! You’ll find it in the grocery store on the aisle with tonic water and cocktail mixers.
It really makes this creamy coconut shrimp recipe restaurant-quality!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of large shrimp – I get extra large or jumbo shrimp
- A little oil-canola, vegetable or coconut oil
- Note: there’s two canned coconut milk products: coconut milk and coconut cream (which are both labeled “unsweetened”). Get full-fat coconut milk. Not coconut cream or “lite” coconut milk.
- One can of Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut (you’ll find this on the aisle at the grocery store with the cocktail mixers – it’s what you use to make a Pina Colada-it helps make the sweet coconut sauce more flavorful)
- One can of coconut milk– I use full fat coconut milk.
- Minced garlic – I use minced garlic from a jar, but you can use fresh garlic (you’ll need about 5-6 medium cloves.)
- Minced fresh ginger – for best results, I do not recommend substituting with ginger powder; it doesn’t give the same flavor and texture as fresh ginger
- Fish sauce -on the International or Asian aisle at the grocery store; you’ll only use a little bit
- Honey
- Cornstarch – to make a thickening slurry for the creamy coconut sauce
- Fresh lime juice and lime zest
You can serve this over sticky rice as the recipe indicates, or serve it over cauliflower rice, Zucchini noodles, Jasmine rice or Basmati rice – any kind of white or brown rice you like!
How to make it
I recommend using fresh large or medium shrimp for this easy recipe, but if you don’t have any, frozen works just as well. I have never made this with pre-cooked shrimp, so I can’t comment on that.
Peel and devein shrimp set aside. The shrimp cook in the sauce, so there’s no need to season shrimp beforehand.
Chinese Creamy Coconut Sauce
In a large skillet on medium-low heat, melt oil; add garlic and ginger; cook for 3 minutes then add coconut milk, Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, honey and fish sauce.
Whisk the creamy coconut mixture together and cook 5 minutes then add cornstarch slurry and continue to cook until the sauce thickens. (Turn the stovetop up to medium-high heat so the cornstarch mixture will thicken.)
Once the creamy sauce is thickened, remove the pan from the heat, add the fresh lime juice, combine well and return to stove top.
Add raw shrimp to sauce in a single layer; the shrimp cook in the hot coconut cream sauce (flip the shrimp after about 3 minutes). When the shrimp are a pale pink color, they’re done! Serve over prepared rice and garnish with lime zest!
Recipe Tips
This creamy coconut shrimp dish is light and has a nice touch of citrus; however, if you want to add a touch of spice, you can always add a little fresh red pepper flakes, a pinch of cayenne pepper or curry powder!
Garnish with chopped green onions or a little fresh lime zest and you’ve got a Chinese restaurant-quality main dish for the whole family!
Most Chinese food recipes call for soy sauce, but the fish sauce in this recipe provides enough salt and “umami” flavor. You can add it if you like!
Reheating and storage
Creamy Chinese coconut shrimp heats up beautifully in the microwave! Just put a paper towel over the top of the bowl when you heat it for a couple of minutes.
If you have any leftovers, store those in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
FAQ
They both have the same ingredients, both are a non-dairy alternative and gluten-free; however coconut cream has a little bit of a higher fat content and is thicker.
Keep this Chinese Creamy Coconut Shrimp recipe in your back pocket for those busy weeknights or nights when you don’t feel like standing over a stove!
More Asian inspired dishes
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you!
Creamy Coconut Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1¾ cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
- ⅔ cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
- 1 tablespoon oil (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil or canola oil)
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup hot water
- 4 cups prepared rice (I get sticky rice from the frozen section)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel and devein shrimp; set aside1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- In a large skillet on medium heat, add oil, garlic and ginger; stir constantly for 3 minutes1 tablespoon oil, 3 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- Add coconut milk, Coco Lopez, fish sauce, honey to skillet; stir continuously for 3-5 minutes1¾ cup coconut milk (unsweetened), ⅔ cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons honey
- In a measuring cup, combine cornstarch and water; mix well with fork. This is a thickening slurry; gradually add it to the skillet on high heat until the sauce thickens to your liking (this is optional)½ cup hot water, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Continue to cook until sauce thickens to your preference; remove from heat and add fresh lime juice; stir and return pan to heat3 tablespoons lime juice
- Place shrimp in sauce in a single layer and allow to cook until pink (about 3 minutes per side); season with salt and pepper to tastesalt and pepper
- Serve over prepared rice and garnish with lime zest4 cups prepared rice, 2 tablespoons lime zest
Best creamy coconut shrimp recipe I have tried others but yours is tops.
Thank you!