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Crispy, crunchy and just barely sweet, this Healthy Coconut Shrimp recipe is a homemade version of a restaurant fav you can feel good about! Both gluten-free and paleo, this easy-to-make coconut shrimp is served with an orange chia marmalade and is destined to be a new family favorite.

Healthy coconut shrimp on a plate with orange sauce.Paleo Coconut Shrimp

Hands up if you are a coconut shrimp lover! This beloved recipe is coming out from the archives today. Originally published in 2014, we gave a little bit of a tweek to the recipe and some major photo updates so more of you can find and love this recipe just as much as we do! This coconut shrimp is super simple to make, using just a handful of ingredients that you can feel good about! It’s crunchy and coconut-y and so dang good! We definitely recommend you make and serve it with the sweet orange chia marmalade! It is a winning combination! Serve it as an appetizer, or if you are like me, you can’t stop eating them and it suddenly turns into dinner!

Ingredients Needed for the Shrimp

We love how short this ingredient list is:

  • Shrimp!
  • Tapioca Flour
  • Salt + Pepper
  • Eggs
  • Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • Coconut Sugar

Orange chia marmalade in a blender.

Steps for Making Healthy Coconut Shrimp

  1. Make the orange marmalade first! For this, it’s as simple as cooking the oranges and other ingredients over the stove and then blending it up. Set it in the refrigerator until chilled. It can also be made up to 5 days ahead of time.
  2. Let’s talk about that shrimp. As for most shrimp recipes, you want to make sure the shrimps are de-veined and cleaned. While possible to do at home, it’s annoying so go ahead and have your fishmonger do it, or buy deveined frozen shrimp! Just make sure to fully defrost and drain before starting the recipe.
  3. Get your “breading” station all set up. The shrimp will be dipped three times: once in seasoned tapioca flour, once in eggs and finally inside a little coconut sugar-sweetened shredded coconut mixture. Go ahead and take your time with this and make sure everything is coated well for each step!
  4. Next is frying that shrimp up! We are pan-frying, so it doesn’t really take much oil at all. But do be careful as your placing your shrimp in, and when you are flipping and getting them out to not disturb the coating. Let it drain on a paper towel for a minute after frying.
  5. Finally, EAT! This is best served fresh and hot!

Want to make it a meal?

I am totally guilty of having eaten just the shrimp for a meal because they’re so good! But you can make it a little bit more dinner-worthy by serving with Easy Stir Fry Veggies, some white rice or cauliflower rice or even a nice slaw!

Paleo coconut shrimp being dipped in orange sauce.

If you like this shrimp recipe, check out these others:

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Healthy coconut shrimp on a plate with orange sauce.

Healthy Coconut Shrimp

5 from 1 vote
Crispy, crunchy and just barely sweet, this Healthy Coconut Shrimp recipe is a homemade version of a restaurant fav you can feel good about! Both gluten-free and paleo, this easy-to-make coconut shrimp is served with an orange chia marmalade and is destined to be a new family favorite.
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

Orange Chia Marmalade:

  • 2 oranges peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • Pinch red pepper flakes optional

Coconut Shrimp:

  • 1 pound raw shrimp cleaned and deveined (tail on)
  • 1/3 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened full-fat shredded coconut
  • 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil for frying, more as needed

Instructions

  • In a small pot heat oranges, honey, lemon, and over medium-high heat, until the oranges are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add in chia seeds and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Take off heat, and let cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Let set in the refrigerator until serving.
  • In a small bowl whisk together tapioca, salt and pepper. In a separate small bowl crack 2 eggs and whisk together. In a third bowl combine remaining shredded coconut, a pinch of salt, and the coconut sugar.
  • Working with one shrimp at a time, dip into tapioca flour, tapping off any excess, then egg and finally into the shredded coconut.
  • Heat coconut oil and working in batches, fry shrimp for about 3-5 minutes, until nice and crispy.
  • Let fried shrimp drain in paper towels.
  • Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and serve warm with chia marmalade.

Notes

Store the Orange Chia Marmalade in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Want to bake it? Bake coated shrimp at 400ºF for 10-12 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcalCarbohydrates: 30.2gProtein: 28gFat: 19.5gSaturated Fat: 15.7gCholesterol: 301mgSodium: 734mgFiber: 6.9gSugar: 20.9g
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Paleo
Author: Lexi


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Comments

  1. TFS – Ian e been looking for a healthy Coconut Shrimp version! I have recently learned that I am allergic to cassava, and Tapioca is derived from cassava. What can you suggest as a swap, since I am assuming the “sticky” property of tapioca is important?

  2. 5 stars
    This is the best coconut shrimp recipe I’ve ever made! Great taste and beautifully crispy. I made in the air fryer for 6 minutes.

  3. Made this with my mom and it was delicious!! It was a dish loved by everyone. 🙂 Thanks for posting. Even the marmalade was the perfect consistency. I featured it on my blog.

  4. I cannot have eggs either, so I made some chia gel. 3T water to 1T ground chia seeds. It worked great!

  5. Oh MY GOSH! I have not visited your blog in awhile and this recipe instantly caught my attention. I used to be obsessed with coconut shrimp, you know the unhealthy super fried kind at restaurants? I am so excited to see you re created this in a healthy way (of course!)
    Can not wait to try this out! You’re recipes are awesome Lexi and soemtimes you make me wanna go paleo haha!

  6. Um YES! These look amazing. My husband hates shrimp so I’ll get all the goodness!

  7. This looks fantastic! The marmalade looks so good! I think I would eat that on everything!

  8. Yum! I’ve never made coconut shrimp at home before so this recipe will definitely come in handy! I’m definitely pinning this. Thanks for sharing!

  9. Step 3 says to add the remaining coconut flour, but the 2 Tbs called for in ingredients were used in step 1. How much more should I add to the shredded coconut, salt and coconut sugar in step 3? This looks delicious and I have shrimp in the freezer, totally want to make this tonight 🙂

      1. Lexi – you are saying the ingredient list should read 4 TBSP total – split 2 and 2 each step?
        Florida Gulf Shrimp are in season – going to try this tomorrow night! Thanks

  10. Seriously the greatest shrimp recipe I have ever seen. The orange chia marmalade looks incredible and every bite would be pure heaven. Thanks and have an awesome weekend!

  11. I’m so happy you posted this! I tried (and failed) to make coconut shrimp months ago and have not attempted it since. Shrimp has been so expensive lately but as soon as I find a reasonable price I am trying this recipe. Have a wonderful weekend!