Creamy Coconut Lime Shrimp
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Creamy Coconut Lime Shrimp has a bright lime flavor and is absolutely delicious. It’s a tasty dinner recipe that will be on your plate in only 15 minutes.
Creamy coconut lime shrimp is an absolute dinnertime win. This is one of those recipes I make when I want something bold and satisfying, but don’t have much time to spare.
The coconut milk and tangy lime juice combine to make a sauce that’s rich, bright, and crave-worthy, with just the right balance of sweet, savory, and tart. It comes together in about 15 minutes (truly), which makes it perfect for busy nights. I love serving it over cauliflower rice or regular rice so everyone at the table is happy. Add in those Thai-inspired flavors and that silky, citrusy sauce, and it’s impossible not to go back for another bite.
What to serve with coconut shrimp
If I were only cooking for myself, I’d serve this over a bed of cauliflower rice and call it dinner. But since the other two at my table prefer regular rice, I like to make some veggies to round out the meal.
Sometimes I’ll sauté bell peppers with onion, garlic, and ginger. They stay in the pan as the sauce cooks. Or I’ll throw in a bunch of spinach after the shrimp are cooked. Here are a few side dish recipes that go well with this recipe:
- Asian Salad Recipe with Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Golden Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower
- Sesame Coconut Kale Salad
- Stir-Fried Okra with Garlic, Chilis, and Lime
Creamy Coconut Lime Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
- 14 ounce can coconut milk
- Juice of 3 limes (a generous ⅓ cup)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon EACH: sriracha and soy sauce
- 1 lb. peeled shrimp
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon EACH: minced garlic and minced ginger
- Add the coconut milk, lime juice, honey, sriracha, and soy sauce to the pan and bring it to a boil. Let it boil, stirring several times, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat so the sauce is simmering gently.14 ounce can coconut milk, Juice of 3 limes, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon EACH: sriracha and soy sauce
- Add the shrimp to the pan and let them cook for 5 minutes.1 lb. peeled shrimp
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro.¼ cup minced cilantro
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Liked it a lot…put large unsweetened coconut on top and chopped up Macadamia nuts for some crunch!
Put it over rice…very good!
That’s a great idea!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was super easy and everyone loved it. Keeping the recipe to make again.
I made a few adjustments that really rocked it!! I used a lime infused EVOO instead of coconut oil with the minced garlic and ginger, plus I added julienned carrots, pascilla pepper, and red onion (sauté time increase to 2-3 minutes); reduced honey to 1 tbsp (i’m not a super sweet fan); used coconut aminoes instead of soy sauce and swapped siracha for coconut-Lime Balsamic Vinegar. Still a bit runny in the sauce… so I added rice noodles only partially prepared (pre-al dente) and let that all simmer together for about 10 minutes. Perfect. Love this idea!!!
Hi Kristen, I tried the creamy coconut lime recipe…Love it! But my sauce did not thicken. Followed your recipe. What did I miss?
It likely just needed to be boiled for a few minutes more. It thickens as the liquid evaporates and the exact amount of time will depend on how rapidly you boil the sauce. Hope that helps!
I added partially cooked rice noodles to the end and let them finish cooking with the extra liquid from the sauce. Texture and creamy came out perfect!!
Could I use frozen shrimp? I’m rather new to homemade-seafood. Would I let it thaw first then proceed? Looks amazing ?
Frozen shrimp works great! Just let it thaw first and then use them in this recipe. 🙂
Loved the sauce flavor although the lime is strong while the coconut flavor is not. Also, it took us more like 15-25 minutes to thicken the sauce but it did thicken. Rice would have been better at soaking up the sauce unlike the pasta we used. I appreciate this recipe used ingredients we had on hand!
Looks delicious!
Love love love this recipe! I’m a big fan of citrus so this was perfect for me. And even leftovers were yummy. Will be making this again!
Yay! That makes me really happy to hear. Thanks, Susan!
I LOVED the taste of this! Leftovers for lunch were even better.
I thought this was really easy to make. It took me longer than 15 minutes (maybe 30?) but I think I always take a little longer than the estimated times on recipes. I still think it was a great weekday meal…….super easy to prep. Will certainly make again. I think it would be good with chicken too (grilled and added to sauce).
I did let the sauce simmer for longer and did end up making a slurry with 1 tsp cornstarch and water. It thickened up perfectly with that.
Made cauliflower rice and bok choy on the side, yummy!
I agree … chicken would be great, too!
Firstly, there was no way to make this in 15 minutes, more like 30+. But then I don’t have a mechanized kitchen.
Secondly, it takes the sauce way longer than 5 minutes to thicken. I boiled it for at least 10 minutes and it was still thin. I then added the shrimp and cooked them, then took them out and thickened the sauce with corn flour, then returned the shrimp and cilantro to the sauce for a final mix.
That being said, this was a very tasty meal and I would make it again with a few adjustments, such as more sriracha and a little less lime (apart from less liquid!)
I’m happy to hear that you found the sauce tasty!