This creamy coconut shrimp dinner is one tasty meal that’s ready to serve up in less than 30 minutes. Shrimp is cooked in a coconut milk-based red curry sauce for a healthy, delicious and easy weeknight meal! {Dairy-free & gluten-free-friendly}
Thai Coconut Shrimp Dinner (in Less than 30 Minutes)!
If you’re in the mood for Thai-inspired cuisine, you’ll definitely want to try out this creamy coconut shrimp recipe!
Made with a creamy coconut milk sauce infused with fresh garlic, red curry paste, tender shrimp, fresh veggies and a squeeze of lime, it’s perfect served over some rice or quinoa for a quick weeknight dinner.
Incredibly fresh and vibrant, this Thai Shrimp coconut curry is a great healthier alternative to your usual takeout, with much less added sodium and sugar. But don’t worry, there’s still tons of flavour packed into this dish!
A little sweet, very creamy, and a touch spicy, this is one tasty way to enjoy shrimp!
For more coconut milk infused recipes, be sure to try my Thai Shrimp Curry Soup and Asian Meatballs with Peanut Coconut Sauce too!
Why We Love This Shrimp with Coconut Milk
- One pot meal: This easy recipe is made in one skillet on the stovetop, so even the clean up is a breeze!
- Quick: This 30 minute dinner is so easy to prep and cook. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
- Nutritious! Shrimp are a great source of lean protein, while the coconut milk contains vitamin C, E, and lauric acid which has immune-boosting and anti-viral properties. The veggies boast of fibre, vitamin C, E and potassium for one delicious and nutrient-rich meal.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil: To cook the vegetables. I typically use olive oil, but canola, vegetable or coconut oil will work as well.
- Vegetables: Red bell peppers, green onions, and garlic add flavour, colour and nutrients to this dish. Feel free to sub in a different coloured bell pepper as well.
- Red pepper flakes: Adds a touch of spice. You can adjust the amount to suit your tastes.
- Canned diced tomatoes: This gives the coconut sauce a nice rich tomato flavour, as well as added nutrients! Use no salt-added or low sodium diced tomatoes if possible.
- Coconut milk: For best results, use full-fat coconut milk. This provides a nice thick and creamy texture, whereas lite coconut milk will result in a thinner sauce. Use canned rather than the carton varieties for a more rich flavor and texture.
- Red curry paste: This Thai paste adds a vibrant and rich colour and flavour.
- Soy sauce: Infuses extra flavour into the creamy coconut shrimp sauce. Use reduced sodium soy sauce to limit sodium intake. You can sub in Tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free option.
- Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, you can swap it out for parsley or Thai basil for a different spin on flavour.
- Shrimp: I generally like to use fresh medium shrimp that has been peeled and deveined. You can also use large shrimp if preferred.
- Lime juice: This helps to balance out the sweetness of the coconut milk. Use fresh lime juice, rather than bottled, for the best flavour.
How to Make Creamy Coconut Shrimp – Step by Step Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add red peppers and sauté until they start to soften (about 4-5 minutes). Add scallion whites, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 additional minute.
- Add tomatoes, coconut milk, red curry paste, soy sauce and cilantro. Simmer uncovered on low for about 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly.
- Add shrimp in a single layer to the creamy coconut sauce so that it’s fully immersed and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add lime juice and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Serve on a bed of brown rice or quinoa and garnish with remaining green onion and additional cilantro or parsley, if desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the full printable creamy coconut shrimp recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- Be careful that you don’t overcook the shrimp. If it’s overcooked, it will turn out tough and rubbery. Instead, place it in the coconut milk mixture until it turns opaque and then remove from heat.
- Adjust heat to taste: This dish does have a slight kick but is not overly spicy. If you prefer some extra heat, add some additional red pepper flakes. If you prefer it less spicy, simply omit the red chili flakes and use a mild red curry paste.
- The best coconut milk: When looking for canned coconut milk, there are generally two different types of canned coconut milk products — coconut milk and coconut cream. Get full-fat coconut milk rather than the coconut cream or “lite” coconut milk. Full-fat is more flavourful than lite and will provide a richer, thicker and creamier sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Use raw medium or large shrimp for this recipe. Peel, remove the tails and devein them before adding to the coconut tomato sauce. If you have frozen shrimp, be sure to thaw them fully before cooking them.
Shrimp requires hardly any cooking time and it’s perfect for when you want to get dinner on the table quickly! Once the shrimp is added to the sauce, it will take about 1 to 2 minutes to cook through. They’re ready when they are an opaque pink colour.
If the shrimp are overcooked, they’ll be matte white or grey rather than pink. When perfectly cooked, shrimp will curl slightly into a ‘C’ shape, whereas overcooked shrimp continue to curl into and ‘O’ shape.
It does have a bit of a kick to it, but it’s not overly spicy. You can add more red pepper flakes if you prefer some extra heat.
If you’d like an even more thick and creamy sauce, whisk together some corn starch with a little water and add it to the sauce. Cook for several minutes (before adding shrimp) to allow sauce to thicken.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
Refrigerator: This shrimp recipe is best enjoyed when it’s freshly cooked, but leftovers will keep well covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
To reheat: It can be reheated in a skillet on the stovetop over medium low heat. Be sure to reheat it until it’s just warmed through to prevent the shrimp from getting overcooked.
Sides for Coconut Shrimp
This creamy coconut shrimp dinner is great to serve alongside brown or jasmine rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa.
You can also serve it with any of the following vegetable side dishes to make it more of a complete meal:
Recipe Variations
- Make it with chicken: The shrimp can be easily substituted with chicken. Dice chicken breast and brown it in the skillet first, and then set aside. Add it back into the sauce to finish cooking through before serving.
- Make it plant-based: Swap the shrimp for tofu for a vegan option.
- Add other veggies: You can easily load this recipe up with more veggies if you like. Onions, mushrooms, carrots and spinach are all great additions.
- Enhance the flavour: Try adding fresh lime zest, grated ginger, curry powder, fish sauce or honey or brown sugar to pack this dish with even more flavour.
More Shrimp Recipes
- Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
- Shrimp Noodle Stir Fry
- Lemon Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Pasta
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Creamy Coconut Shrimp Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers sliced thinly
- 4 scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste
- 1 (14.5) ounce can diced tomatoes drained
- 14 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- One handful cilantro (or sub in parsley), finely chopped
- 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- Juice of one lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add red peppers and sauté until they start to soften (about 4-5 minutes). Add scallion whites, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 additional minute.
- Add tomatoes, coconut milk, red curry paste, soy sauce and cilantro. Simmer uncovered on low for about 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly.
- Add shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve with a side of brown rice or quinoa and garnish with remaining green onion and additional cilantro or parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Be careful that you don’t overcook the shrimp. If it’s overcooked, it will turn out tough and rubbery. Instead, place it in the coconut milk mixture until it turns opaque and then remove from heat.
- This dish does have a slight kick but is not overly spicy. If you prefer some extra heat, add some additional red pepper flakes.
- If you prefer it less spicy, simply omit the red chili flakes and use a mild red curry paste.
- This recipe works best with full fat coconut milk. It is more flavorful than light and will give a richer, thicker and creamier sauce.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in March 2016 and was updated in July 2022 to include more helpful tips and photos.
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