Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Aioli
These tender shrimp cakes are absolutely delicious. They take only 10 minutes to make, can easily be prepped ahead of time, and make a great appetizer or light and healthy dinner. An easy lemon aioli sauce takes them over the top!
Serve these shrimp cakes with a creamy cucumber salad or a classic broccoli coleslaw. And if you love this recipe, make sure to try our thai fish cakes with mango avocado salsa and salmon cakes with avocado tartar sauce.

Shrimp cakes
These little bites of pure joy are surprisingly easy to make and unbelievably tender and juicy. The flavor is spot on … not too much and not too little. Juuust right.
They are delicious eaten on their own, but even better after a dunk into some lemon aioli.
If you have ten minutes to prep and about five minutes to cook then you can have these guys on the table in next to no time. This is the kind of recipe that looks fancy but can just as easily be considered an emergency recipe for when you (your family/ roommates) are starving and need dinner stat.
Or you can assemble them ahead of time then cook them right before serving. Timesaver!

How to make this shrimp cakes recipe
The first step in making this recipe is to chop the shrimp. First cut a shrimp in half lengthwise. Then, chop it into small pieces.
Once you have your chopped shrimp, combine them with the other ingredients and form them into 12 patties.
After a quick pan fry on each side, your shrimp cakes will be ready to eat!
Make shrimp cakes with lemon aioli ahead of time
Shrimp cakes are best made fresh, but they can be assembled ahead of time. Simply prepare the patties and place them on a baking sheet. Cover the sheet and keep it in your fridge for up to 8 hours.
When you are ready to serve them, remove them from the fridge, and quickly pan-fry them.

What to serve with shrimp patties
When serving these for a lunch or light dinner, we like to pair them with a simple salad. Our kale apple salad and arugula and wild rice salad go really well. Or some simple greens tossed in our lifesaving lemony salad dressing is a great option.
If you're feeling extra hungry, make a batch of Greek lemon potatoes to serve on the side!

Popular shrimp appetizer recipes
- Baked Coconut Shrimp with Mango Sauce
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Garlic Butter Baked Shrimp (Party Shrimp!)
- Honey Walnut Shrimp

Shrimp Cakes Recipe
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 lb peeled raw shrimp, chopped
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup EACH: chopped chives and red pepper
- ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Lemon Aioli
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- Zest from 1 lemon + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
Instructions
- Start by mixing the lemon aioli ingredients in a small bowl.¼ cup mayonnaise, Zest from 1 lemon + 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 clove garlic
- Add the chopped shrimp, almond flour, chives, red pepper, salt, pepper, and egg to a large bowl and mix well.Ā Form the shrimp into 12 patties and place them on a baking sheet or cutting board.Ā1 lb peeled raw shrimp, ½ cup almond flour, ¼ cup EACH: chopped chives and red pepper, ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper, 1 large egg
- Heat the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp cakes (working in batches, if needed) and cook them for 4 minutes on each side.Ā1 tablespoon cooking oil
- Serve them right away with some lemon aioli on the side.Ā
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Iām making these for a Xmas pot luck.Ā
Iāve made these a number of times. Easy, elegant and delish. A big hit wherever I take them.Ā
Iāve tried this recipe with a little change up. There wasnāt any almond flour available at the time I wanted to make this but so Eager to make it. So I used some organic coconut flour (my first time using this) and 2lbs if shrimp. Let me tell you this coconut flour is a little tricky. I had to increase my eggs because it tasted a little grainy. I eyeballed everything and this could of been part of the issue too but it wall worked out well. Taste just like coconut shrimp!!! My family loves it!! Will make it again with almond flour next time.
I wouldn’t have thought coconut flour would work! But I’m so happy to hear that it did. I’ll have to try that one day!
can the patties be baked in oven instead of fried
I haven’t tried baking them but I think it should work fine. š
Is the shrimp uncooked or cooked before chopping?
Iām sure that it makes a difference
Uncooked!
Do you use raw or cooked shrimp in this recipe? It sounds delicious and looking forward to making.
You’ll want to use raw shrimp!
These sound SO delicious! If you are not gluten-free, can whole wheat flour be subbed in 1:1? I have never cooked/baked with wheat flour alternatives. Thanks!
Whole wheat flour is a really different beast. It absorbs A LOT more liquid than almond flour or regular white flour. If you want to try it, I suggest starting by adding half the amount and only adding more if needed. š
looks delish haven’t made It yet
????? raw or cooked shrimp to start ????
Raw!