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Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp

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These Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp are crisp, golden and delicious served a sweet and spicy apricot dipping sauce. Set these out on a platter in front of some hungry guests and I guarantee they will disappear!!

These Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp are crisp, golden and delicious served a sweet and spicy apricot dipping sauce. Set these out on a platter in front of some hungry guests and I guarantee they will disappear!!
Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp

These Easy Baked or Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp are crisp, golden and delicious served a sweet and spicy apricot dipping sauce. Set these out on a platter in front of some hungry guests and I guarantee they will disappear!!

“The best coconut shrimp I ever had” to quote my husband, that’s how good these are, and he didn’t even touch the dipping sauce!

These shrimp are perfect for the Holidays, Superbowl or anytime you need an tasty appetizer. This baked coconut shrimp is healthier than fried, and super easy to make. The shrimp is crisp and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside thanks to the mixture of panko breadcrumbs and shredded coconut which I used to coat the shrimp. Lay them on a baking sheet and spritz them with oil.

I tried these using all egg whites but the crumbs stuck better with a whole egg, as for the flour, you will only use about 1 tablespoon worth so that is what I calculated. You can use gluten-free panko to make them gluten-free. If you try them, let me know what you think!

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Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp

4.88 from 40 votes
6
Cals:161.5
Protein:10
Carbs:22
Fat:3.5
These Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp are crisp, golden and delicious served a sweet and spicy apricot dipping sauce. Set these out on a platter in front of some hungry guests and I guarantee they will disappear!!
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
These Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp are crisp, golden and delicious served a sweet and spicy apricot dipping sauce. Set these out on a platter in front of some hungry guests and I guarantee they will disappear!!
Total: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Serving Size: 3 shrimp, 1 tbsp sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 24 large raw shrimp, peeled and deviened (weight after peeled)
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp shredded sweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp panko crumbs, or gluten-free panko
  • 2 tbsp all purpose or gluten-free flour, you will only use 1 tbsp
  • 1 large egg
  • pinch salt
  • non-stick spray, I used my misto

For the Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup apricot preserves, you can use sugar free if you wish
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Oven Method:

  • For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and place in a small bowl.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs and salt in a bowl.
  • Place the flour on a small dish. Whisk egg in another bowl.
  • Lightly season shrimp with salt. Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.
  • Lay shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with more cooking spray; bake in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 6-7 minutes or until cooked though. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.

Air Fryer Method:

  • For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and place in a small bowl.
  • Preheat air fryer to 375°F. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs and salt in a bowl.
  • Place the flour on a small dish. Whisk egg in another bowl.
  • Lightly season shrimp with salt. Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.
  • Lay shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray both sides of the shrimp with more cooking spray.
  • Spray the air fryer basket and cook the shrimp, in 2 batches, 4 minutes on one side, turn cook 2 minutes (6 min total). Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Serve with dipping sauce.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 3 shrimp, 1 tbsp sauce, Calories: 161.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Protein: 10 g, Fat: 3.5 g, Sodium: 164 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 15.5 g

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227 comments on “Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp”

  1. Absolutely love coconut shrimp and this was my first attempt to make it at home. I agree with your husband, best coconut shrimp ever! Only variation, and it’s not a necessity, I did a rough chop on the coconut, and I used 1T Flour and 1T Cornstarch for my dredging powder. They are so good I haven’t made the sauce yet, maybe next batch. Great snack – both hot & cold. Thank you!

  2. We love this coconut shrimp! The best and so very easy. It tastes delicious with cocktail sauce too.

  3. This recipe is awesome! The time and effort required for prepping of the shrimp is well worth it. I followed the recipe exactly and baked them in the oven. I did not make the sauce.

  4. Amazingly good and super easy to make. I left the salt out and didn’t miss it at all. I also didn’t need the sauce because they are good the way they are.

  5. Delicious! I can’t wait to make it again. I won’t be salting the shrimp next time, though. That made it too salty.

  6. These are absolutely awesome!
    Best I’ve had, hubby to.
    Question: Can these be frozen and cooked later? If so, what temp and time? Thank you.

  7. Avatar photo
    Bonnie Stephens

    That sounds very good I want to make it but I don’t have a nonstick sided cooking sheet. Would it work with a regular sided cooking sheet and parchment paper sprayed?

  8. Avatar photo
    Cynthia Pastula

    OMG! What an amazing recipe! My granddaughter agrees too. They get the “make again” vote.
    I followed the recipe exactly. I baked them on a rack over a cookie sheet. Not only did I spray them before going into the oven, I sprayed them after I turned them over too. They are nicely crisp on both top & bottom and not too sweet. We chose no dipping sauce. Great recipe to start the week!

  9. I would love to try this recipe but am allergic to eggs. Is there a substitute I could try? I’m also allergic to gluten and dairy.

  10. I made this tonight and enjoyed it. I thought I had picked up apricot preserves but I didn’t, but luckily I had peach preserves. Definitely will make again.

  11. Avatar photo
    Janice L Whitaker

    I was so excited to try a baked version of one of my favorites. I did everything according to the recipe, but both husband and I was so disappointed. Unfortunately, when I fix this again, I will need to go back to the standard version of frying them. Not a fan.

    1. Avatar photo
      Janice L Whitaker

      I read all the other comments, and it’s obvious it must be my husband and my taste and what we’re use to. No offence. Just not for us. 🙁

  12. This is an A+ recipe!! I’ve tried other coconut shrimp recipes that call just for the air fryer and I found it too time consuming since you can only fit a certain amount based on the size of the fryer. I did the oven method with this recipe and they were SO crispy and delicious. I LOVE this recipe. Home run!

  13. Just made this again.   I used rice flour  then egg wash and Pablo coconut flakes (unsweetened). I couldn’t find Thai chili sauce so I made it. 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1/4 cup sugar garlic ginger a teapoon of soy sauce and chili garlic paste (about a teaspoon). Boil it to dissolve the sugar then add cornstarch that was. Used with water first to the moisture to thicken it.  Put in fridge to cook while making the shrimp. Made sirache honey  lime roasted Brussels sprouts and coconut jasmine rice. Yummy hit with the family. 

  14. Wonderful results from your oh so easy recipe! Better than we would get out at a restaurant. Thanks very much!
    From Tammy and Al in the Leather Stocking region of upstate NY

  15. Avatar photo
    Tiffany Nofziger

    After trying several lighter versions of Coconut shrimp I almost gave up…..until this recipe. It is wonderful! We LOVED it. The only thing I did different was the sauce ..1 part apricot preserves to 1 part sweet Thai chili. This will be made often …thank you thank you for this wonderful recipe!

  16. I wanted to rate this 4.5. The shrimp is delicious! This is the second time I’ve made it and love it. The sauce not so much. It’s a little too sweet for my liking. 

  17. These are delicious. I am really picky about shrimp texture and these are never chewy or mealy. On our regular rotation!

  18. I see you have to flip the shrimp while they’re in the oven. Okay to wooden-skewer them? Wouldn’t that make them a lot easier to flip? Also, is this an easy recipe to triple or quadruple for a large appetizer at a party?

  19. These coconut shrimp were amazing! No shrimps leftover for lunches good! I love the ease of this recipe ans how quick it was to prepare and be ready. I used the oven method and they came out nice and crispy!

  20. These turned out great! I made a half batch for myself thinking I would have some leftovers but I ended up eating them all. Definitely making again, tomorrow 😂

  21. This was the best coconut shrimp ever!! It tasted lighter than good fried restaurant Coconut shrimp but full of same flavor….and I appreciated that. I will be watching your site/recipes.  We are having fun with new air fryer so a actually baked these in oven while we cooked a small potato into fries.  Next time will try the shrimp in air fryer…no need to experiment with other recipes for this! Thank you!

  22. Made the coconut shrimp for dinner (2) baked it in the oven.  We loved every bit…so delicious I didn’t want to mask the taste by dipping it in the sauce!!!! Thank you!!

  23. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!  This is my daughter’s favorite and requested all the time.  Easy, quick and great flavor!

  24. Very easy and delicious! I added a little more spice to the sauce, but my husband and I loved this recipe. Excellent!

  25. Avatar photo
    Suzie Petrusch

    This is a keeper!  I thought it was very simple. I had three bowls next to my aluminum foiled cookie sheet.  Had 20 shrimp. First bowl, flour…I put 1/2 a cup. Second bowl, TWO eggs, whipped.  Third bowl, 1/2 c. Coconut, 1/2 c. Panko, smidge of salt.  Dredged 20 shrimp in flour, egg, coconut.  Baked as directed.  Delicious.  Changed up the sauce to make it WW friendly…1/3 c. sugar free orange marmalade, 3 or 4 splashes of rice wine vinegar, light sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  Stirred together and served in a tiny dish on the plate.  Served with buttered fluffy white rice and green peas.  It was a big hit and will go on the rotation❣️

  26. I just made this recipe this evening and it was a HUGE hit with the family. I did modify the recipe a little, I used unsweetened shredded coconut and instead of flour I used pancake mix. I also paired it with “sweet rice” which is just regular rice but cooked with 1 tablespoon of sugar, just to bring the flavors together. Will definitely be throwing this in to the summer meal rotation!

  27. I made these shrimp for guests last night – delicious!!!!  Everyone loved them. I didn’t think they would be this good cooked in the oven but they were great,  I added some Sweet Thai Chili sauce to the dipping sauce instead of the red pepper flakes – yum!!!  I will definitely make these again and again!

  28. Has anyone tried this with precooked shrimp? I have some argentinian shrimp that needs used up. I would rather use that than buy more. I know the cooking time would be reduced (I will cook in the air fryer) but just wondering by how much.

    1. This is going to sound weird, but make sure the Argentinian shrimp is actually precooked. I mention this because just the other day I ate some Argentinian shrimp which was pink—and it was actually raw! From Trader Joe’s. I would cook it at least 7 min total cos of the egg. You just want to make sure your coating is crisp.

  29. This is one of my fave recipes from your site although they’re all really good! Thank you so much for sharing with us! I would like to make chicken nuggets using the Panko and coconut flake mix as the shrimp … how would the cooking time change since I’ll be using chicken breast? 
    Thank you so much in advance for your help! Big fan here! 

    1. You can look at this recipe and go by the directions there—-let me know how they come out! https://www.skinnytaste.com/healthy-baked-chicken-nuggets/

  30. I made these tonight and my husband Thom says there were “restaurant quality”. Thank you Gina. 

  31. Instead of the vinegar and the red pepper flakes,,, add some CURRY PASTE to the apricot jam. (little at a time until you get the perfect spiciness) It’s a whole new flavor sensation.!!! 😉

  32. Yooooo this was actually hella good I recommend especially since it did not have to be fried and it was pretty simple to make. Felt like I was at a tropical restaurant on the beach. 

  33. Avatar photo
    Brittany Kirsch

    Excellent! All of your recipes are so incredibly delicious. Thank you for helping me impress my family again and again!

  34. Avatar photo
    Patti Watson

    I used unsweetened coconut along with a few TBS on the baking sheet.  They were gobbled up!!!   Simple, will be making again soon. Thanks for great, easy recipe. 

  35. This recipe is perfection just as it is written. For years I baked them in the oven, but once you have them out of the air fryer you will never want them any other way. This recipe is a family favorite.

  36. Hey there… I am buying your cookbook for my daughter for xmas and I also want to get an air fryer. It is just her and her BF she’d be cooking for. What brand do you recommend?

    1. Avatar photo
      John Chester

      We absolutely LOVED our Cosori 5.8 qt air-fryer, ’til it was recalled.
      It was easy to use, cooked beautifully & was THE standard, used by MOST of the air-fryer recipes I’ve found.
      I’m sure the new ones are fine, but we’re still waiting for our new one. 🙁

  37. I made this for a guy I was seeing and he said, “these are better than the ones we had at the restaurant”. We ate them all!!!
    The only thing I do different is make up the sauce the night before. It tastes better!!

  38. Can you use chicken (probably tender size) instead of shrimp? How would cooking times/temps be affected?

  39. I made this last night and it was delicious. Since starting on WW a little over a year ago, I have to say that I occasionally miss the crunch that comes from fried foods. This recipe reinforced how easy it is to replicate that satisfying texture without adding the calories. With the exception of a little Sriracha added to the dipping sauce, I followed the recipe without substitutions. I always like to try a recipe in its entirety before making changes. This recipe has nothing that I would change. It was crunchy, had tons of flavor, and was easy to make.

  40. Tried it , really liked it. It tasted more like dessert than a shrimp dish, my doing: I used medium size shrimp, used a lot of coconut, a lot of dipping sauce. As a result, I could not taste the shrimp very much. Still, it was crunchy and delicious.

  41. Made these tonight and they were perfect! I’m not usually a fan of coconut-breaded food but I wanted to recreate a taco I had tried locally. So I put the shrimp in a corn tortilla with yellow rice, guacamole and a 1/2 tbsp of the sauce on each one. AMAZING. One of my new favorite!

  42. I have made these multiple times.  Always a hit!  Whenever my daughter comes home I am sure to put this recipe on the dinner plan.  I’m back here looking for the recipe again because my daughter made a special request 

  43. I wanted to share a quick pina colda sauce that also goes great with this:

    Chobani blended coconut greek yogurt, crushed pineapple and a pinch of salt. Light and delicious. My husband said shrimp & sauce tasted just like his favorite restaurant dish.

  44. Avatar photo
    Shirley A Payne

    This was just delicious! My husband and I love this dish and will use it time and time again.
    You hit it out of the park AGAIN!

  45. Pingback: Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp

  46. Pingback: The Every Hostess - Holiday Party Appetizers - The Every Hostess

  47. Just wondering if any of your recipes have been updated with  the new freeestyle Weight Watchers plan? 

  48. Pingback: Coconut Shrimp with Apple Dipping Sauce – Whelming Eats

  49. I made these today. I’ve never had coconut shrimp before but this recipe was very good. It was quick to put together and baked up really quickly as well. I didn’t make the sauce, though. My husband used cocktail sauce and said that dipping them in that tasted super good.
    You get a thumbs up from us! Next time I make them, I think I’ll try unsweetened coconut rather than the sweetened, though.

    Thank you!

    1. I made it with Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened shredded coconut and we actually preferred the taste. It took me a little while to find unsweetened as many of the stores near me only carried sweetened.

  50. These were fantastic! After they cooked I turned the broiler on just for a few minutes and flipped them half way through. Made them crispier. My husband raved over them! Will defiantly be keeping this recipe! Thank you!

    1. Have not tried freezing but you can make the sauce ahead and probably keep them breaded in the refrigerator.

  51. I want to make these tonight but I do not have panko only regular breadcrumbs.  Has anyone else made it that way and were you successful? 

  52. Made these for a birthday party yesterday and they were a hit!  I covered my baking sheet with tinfoil and then put the shrimp on a rack.  I let them set up for a few hours in the fridge and then baked.  They were fantastic!  I added some Sweet Thai Chili Sauce to the Apricot Dip because I felt it was pretty sugary.  That was a perfect addition.  Everyone raved! 

  53. I’ve made these many times and I am making them for dinner tonight! They are delicious and  my husband loves them! I pair them with a jasmine rice and some broccoli.  I follow the recipe exactly and they always turn out delicious!

  54. This was sooooooooo good! I ate two portions as it was my main course. I did not have apricot preserves, so I used Trader Joe's Peach Salsa as a dipping sauce. Outstanding!

  55. Made these for the first time yesterday and they were delicious! Even converted an "I only eat shrimp that are coated with coconut and deep fried" friend!
    We all preferred them to the deep fried version!

  56. Avatar photo
    Stephanie R Howard

    I made these for dinner, they were delicious. I think next time I'll use half sweetened and half unsweetened coconut. I didn't have any apricot jelly for the sauce so I used chilli sauce and spicy mustard. It paired very well with it.

  57. Avatar photo
    Lee @ tri*inspired*life

    I tried this recipe for the second time last night to go along with our Valentine's Day steak dinner. We enjoy these shrimp. I have a blog about life around triathlon training and I linked to your blog from my post today because I talked about these tasty shrimp that I made!

  58. Simply delicious. But can you do them up a head of time like a week and freeze them?? thank you

  59. These are fantastic. I made them with colossal shrimp and Red's Unsweetened Coconut flakes. I put the panko and coconut in my little chopper and it made it easier to coat the shrimp. Used my Misto, the coating stays on perfectly. Absolutely delicious.

  60. look so yummy but why are they more points with the new plan makes you want to go back to the old plan lol

  61. These look delicious. Will try them soon. Do you think they would be ok with just using cocktail sauce rather than the dipping sauce?

    1. I don't know if cocktail sauce would be good with the coconut flavor – it would cover it up. I've used a sweet chili sauce before – almost like sweet and sour with a kick – I get it at Trader Joe's. I think you'll want something fruity and spicy! 🙂

  62. Made these yesterday for a dinner party and they didn't turn out as great as I expected. Could they have been fried instead of baked? It would make them less healthy but maybe taste better?

    1. Any time I oven fry anything with panko, I first brown the panko in a non-stick skillet with a touch of oil. It gets that nice toasted flavor and just a little more fat without the mess and trouble of frying. Sometimes, I use herb or spice-infused oils, depending on what I’m making.

  63. Gina, these were awesome! My mom is on Weight Watchers, and loves Outback coconut shrimp. She was really pleased with this version of Coconut Shrimp. I really had no problem with the recipe. Love your recipes! Thanks!

  64. This recipe was the first time I had ever even tried coconut shrimp! Sooo yummy and the sauce was great!

  65. Avatar photo
    PrettyBrownSugar

    I made this tonight, and it was very good. I like things heavily seasoned so I added a healthy sprinkling of Mrs. Dash onion and herbs. That, combined with the sweetness from the coconut and dipping sauce were a winning combination for me.

  66. Hi Gina- I am allergic to shrimp 🙁 Could i substitute chicken for this instead? If so, same quantities/cooking times or different? Thanks!

  67. I just made this and am obsessed. I planned to put it on salad so didn't bother with the dipping sauce, but I did drizzle with honey after I flipped them to give it some sweetness. Delicious!

  68. Another amazing dinner tonight thanks to this recipe. My husband and 8 yr old gobbled those shrimp up. Awesome!

    Lyndsay

  69. Avatar photo
    Avery and Nathan

    Made these tonight and they were amazing! My hubby, myself, and our almost 3 year old all gobbled them up. The texture with the coconut turned out fabulous and the dipping sauce was a perfect complement to the shrimp. Love every recipe we've ever made from skinny taste…keep em' coming!

  70. Happy New Year Gina! Your website/blog has totally transformed all my favorites into delicious reduced cal/carbs/low fat delights! I loved the coconut shrimp and I used the apricot jam and added honey and a squirt of Siracha, rice vinegar, drop of sesame oil, s&p, YUM! The sweet with the savory coconuty Tender shrimp were a hit! I paired that with Cook yourself Thin's recipe for penne nolla vodka recipe (fabulous skinny version btw). I thoroughly love your recipes! keep em coming! H N Y

  71. Super yum! Our guests loved them. The only change I like to make is to not "lightly salt" the shrimp before coating. We lightly salted after baking – I like the close pairing of salt/sweet by putting salt on the coconut. Also, because I find some shrimp is inherently too salty, I prefer to salt after tasting the finished product 🙂

  72. Avatar photo
    Michelle MacNeil

    Big hit with my friends….even two guys who aren't shrimp lovers enjoyed them…the dipping sauce was great also..thanks

  73. In order to prep these in advance, I par-baked them by cooking them for half the time on each side and then stored them in the fridge. Then, before serving, I cooked them for 5 minutes on each side at the original cooking temperature. Everyone loved them!! For my next event, I'm going to try finishing them in my toaster oven. Will post how that goes.

    1. I made these again (because they're awesome), only this time my oven was full of turducken. I par-baked them and finished them in my toaster oven and they still turned out great. Gotta love this recipe!!

  74. whipped these up as a quick appetizer while watching the game! so good & i served with thai chili dipping sauce. i did cook the shrimp about 10 more minutes though, since hubbie and i don't like when the inside is a mushy texture.

  75. Avatar photo
    The Bonjour Four

    Would you mind adding "raw" to the ingredients. I bought precooked because it didnt say so not sure if they will turn out okay…

  76. wonderful! I added the tiniest pinch of paprika to the crumb/coconut mix and made a low cal mayonaise mixed with lime juice and zest to dip. I used a silicon baking mat and nothing stuck.

  77. I made this tonight and they were amazing!!! i only had unsweetened coconut, so I can only imagine what sweetened would taste like. I was only mildly satisfied with the dipping sauce– i may have put a bit too much vinegar in. Still, A+ recipe!

  78. I pinned this recipe a few weeks ago and finally made it last night…it was AMAZING! I knew it would be good (as I've loved every Skinnytaste recipe I've made), but it completely exceeded my expectations!

  79. Oh my goodness! I made these tonight and let me just tell you…AMAZING! You won't miss not having these puppies fried! I didn't have rice wine vinegar on hand, so I used red wine vinegar, a dash of salt and a teaspoon of sugar with my sugar-free apricot preserves and chili flake…delicious! I can't wait to try more of your recipes! Keep em comin!

  80. Three measly shrimp in a serving that totals almost 1/4 of my daily Points Plus values?

    I'm sorry, but being held to eating only three of these shrimp for FOUR POINTS means I'm not even gonna go there.

  81. I just made these and they were amazing but when I turned them in the oven half of the crust came off 🙁 Anyone have any suggestions?

    1. Did you use the whole egg or only the egg white? Mine would not have stuck with just egg white but it worked great for me. Also, did you spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray? I baked mine on foil and sprayed with non-stick really well. Better luck next time! :o)

  82. Thank you, thank you for this recipe, Gina! We're headed to Florida for a trip, & I always cook coconut shrimp while we're there. They are usually so time consuming since I have to fry them in batches plus they make the place very oily smelling for a couple of days. This is not to mention that I feel bad about making such an innocent protein into a fatty food. Really looking forward to trying your recipe without the guilt and odors!

  83. These are awesome. I have made them several times and they have become a family favorite. Even my picky 6 year old will eat them. My oldest daughter, who will turn 10 in March, requested them for her birthday dinner!

  84. Sooooooo good! I made them tonight and could have eaten 20 more! My husband and I both thought they were amazing and so much better than the fried ones at restaurants. My complaint with those is all you can taste is the grease, but these were packed with flavor and so good!

  85. These are SO GOOD! I'm spamming the link to all my friends and family at the moment, and forcing everybody to make them immediately. For the question a few comments up, I thawed my shrimp beforehand and they're perfect. I was thinking, maybe toasting some of the coconut shreds and mixing them in the sauce would give it more of an Outback quality. It's still amazing though.. Thanks, Gina!

  86. This might be a really stupid question. I used only a half lb of shrimp and cooked these for 7 minutes flipped them over, and cooked an addition 3 minutes. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and tasted pretty good. I do wish the coconut was more brown and crispy. The leftover coconut bits that fell directly onto the baking sheet were perfectly brown and crispy and tasted great. How do I get the coconut more brown without overcooking them shrimp? Should I put it under the broiler? For how long? Or did I not cook it long enough in the first place?

    1. I cooked mine 10 minutes on each side and at the end I turned the heat up to 500 degrees for about 3 minutes and they came out perfectly crisp and not overcooked. Hope this helps. 🙂

  87. Forgive me if this is a dumb question, I'm just starting to cook!! Do the shrimp need to be thawed and then dipped or do you do it frozen??

    Thanks

  88. These were delicious! I wish I had made the sauce, but I just don't have enough room for left over ingredients I don't use often. Darn living in less than 700sqft 🙁

    I didn't spray the pan, just used foil, but that worked against me when flipping them. However, they were really light and crispy. They were just sweet enough to get your sweet tooth fix in!

  89. These were fantastic! I have been juicing a lot lately and buying fresh coconuts for the water. I ran the meat through my juicer and it gave me perfectly shredded coconut (and coconut cream!) I was happy to finally have a use for the shredded coconut. I think next time I might try to make a dip with the coconut cream from the juicer since I have it. Overall, I'm very happy with this recipe. 🙂

  90. Made these yesterday for the giants game! They were a big hit. My only problem was that the coconut started to burn after 7 minutes so i turned them over and cooked on the other side for 3 min. Delish!! They were great today for a little snack as well 🙂 well def. be making these again!

  91. Gina, I made these last night. They are fabulous. I didn't have the ingredients for the sauce, so I used a store-bought sweet and sour which went very well with it. I thought the shrimp were SO good! My husband did, too (he still wants me to look up Rainforest Cafe's sauce recipe, though :-). Thanks so much! This was a fun one.

  92. My boyfriend and I made these last night and they were amazing!!! the best coconut shrimp I've ever had because they were so crispy and not soggy! the dipping sauce is so delish as well and I will for sure be making this again! thank you – i'm obsessed with your website!! 🙂

  93. Shrimp cook really quickly – the high heat and long cooking time makes me think that the shrimp would be overcooked or burnt.

  94. Delicious! Huge hit at the New Years party. Took less time to cook through but I put it under the broiler for 30 seconds to brown the coconut a bit. Thank you!

  95. I made these tonight for dinner. Yummy! One of my kids told me "I don't like shrimp and I don't like coconut, but these are good." Too funny.

    Kristina

  96. I made these tonight. yummy! My boyfriend loves coconut shrimp, but can't eat fried food. His new favorite…He ate 10. I used orange marmalade in place of the apricot preserves. Wonderful!

  97. Avatar photo
    Rachael - Utah

    I made these tonite for dinner. It was a little time-consuming to get them prepared but well worth the wait when they were finished!

  98. Made these last night for dinner w a baked potato and steamed broccoli . My husband doesn't even like coconut and loved these! Thanks so much. I did use half pinko and half whole wheat bread crumbs bc I really like the added flavor of the whole wheat. Does the Misto make a big difference in flavor compared to the aerosol olive oil spray? I was thinking about getting one. BTW using the leftovers for lunch in a salad and making your Dijon dressing from the coconut chicken salad…..another one of my fav meals!

    Tracy

  99. I made these tonight and they were amazing! My guests loved the shrimp and especially loved the sauce. I actually made four appetizers and one dessert all from this site for a get together, everyone loved all of the dishes, this is my go to site and I always get rave reviews for the recipes. Thanks so much for all the time you put into making and sharing these wonderful recipes!

  100. Unbelievably good – I think I prefer these to deep fried as the shrimp flavor is more evident in the baked version. The sauce was delish – I offered both that and a sweet chili sauce I found at Trader Joe's but yours was better. 🙂

  101. I doubled the recipe and made these for a Christmas Eve party. They came out great, definitely a hit and disappeared fast! I did feel like the dipping sauce had a little too much vinegar or needed a little something else, maybe the horseradish another person suggested. Thanks so much, will definitely make these again.

  102. These are delish! I'm all about the pina colada dip. I used Yoplait Light Pineapple Upside Down Cake yogurt for the dip. Perfect!

  103. I made these for my husband last night. I added a few tablespoons of orange zest & a few tablespoons of water to the sauce. It was even better with the zest & the water made it easier to dip. Very good recipe. My husband really liked it. I had too many shrimp for the amount of flour, egg, bread crumbs/coconut, so I sauteed the rest of the seasoned shrimp in a canola oil spray & served that with the sauce too. My husband & I agree that having some sauteed shrimp & veggies, mixed with the sauce & served on top of lo mein noodles or fried rice (or steamed rice) would be oh so wonderful!

  104. i made these tonight, but i only had cooked shrimp. so instead of baking them, i put them under the broiler & then flipped them so they were crispy on both sides! success!

  105. Haley818, my shrimp came raw & frozen, they were already peeled, de-veined and tails removed.
    I'm thinking you could certainly leave the tails on if you wanted to.

    1. I certainly would. Makes for a pretty presentation and the tail makes a great handle for dipping the shrimp.

  106. We had these this evening and they are a definite winner! The only thing I did differently was that I added 1/4 tsp. of dark sesame oil to the dipping sauce, it was fabulous! My husband says that I can mke these anytime! Thanks Gina!!

  107. You can use red wine vinegar for the sauce and to help them stick together, i find that you can add a little milk to the egg (skim works fine). This was absolutely amazing!

  108. Great post! I've never had shrimp baked with coconut and breadcrumbs, but I do love those little fishy friends… this dish looks like an absolute winner in my book. Thanks for sharing!

  109. Gina,
    I made these last night and they were yummy! I had problems with the coconut sticking to the shrimp, however I used 'egg beaters' because I was out of good old fashioned eggs.
    Still, it was great.
    Thank you!

  110. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    I'm not sure how they would hold up to breading and freezing since I haven't tried it myself.

    I would imagine the points would go down without the sauce, perhaps by 1 pt. Anyone know off hand?

  111. I now have a perfect Christmas appetizer. What could be better than coconut and shrimp! YUM! For sticking problems, try a Silpat!

  112. Mmm…I have a giant bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer and I have a feeling this will be appearing in my blog shortly too =) (Will credit!) =)

  113. I showed the picture to my husband and he asked if I would make these! They look amazing. I think I'm going to have to grab that cheese garlic biscuit recipe too……

    I'm looking forward to making these for date night!

  114. I haven't had coconut shrimp since I accidentally served them to a friend who I didn't know had a serious allergy to coconut…oops! But I'm feeling inspired, so I'll be trying this!

  115. I am dying to make these!

    We are going out of state for Christmas and I would love to bring these with. Do you think they can be battered and then frozen to use a few days later? Then would I bake them longer or thaw them a little?

  116. To the gluten concern:
    I have celiacs, so I can't have the flour or panko crumbs.
    I will sub gluten free all purpose flour mix and will try some with rice krispies and some with g free bread crumbs- processed in food processor to make them smaller
    I highly recommend "cooking for Isaiah". In the cookbook, the author lists how to make your own g free all purpose flour and loads of recipes:)

    1. Avatar photo
      Angelica Hagood

      Thank you for the tip! I have Crohns Disease, Celiac, GERD & Diverticulitis. I will certainly look into the book you suggested 🙂

  117. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    These are raw shrimp, don't use cooked shrimp! And they don't get soggy, in fact I think the baking sheet helps crisp them up.

    I've never had them at red lobster, it's been years since I've eaten there!

    I think you can bread them in advance then keep them refrigerated until you are ready to cook. I may do the same.

    I think panko has gluten too so you might have to change that to crushed corn flakes mixed with coconut and skip the flour, although the flour helps the coconut stick better.

    1. They are breadcrumbs and usually found on the same isle with regular breadcrumbs. They are just large in size.

    2. They are a kind of Japanese style breadcrumb. I usually find them with the regular breadcrumbs, but if you can't find them there, check with the Asian foods.

  118. Avatar photo
    The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

    Can't wait to make these with my cilantro lime rice. I think they'd be the perfect compliment!

  119. It's almost as though you are reading my mind with the last few recipes. You are satisfying every one of the food cravings I've been having!! Thank you 🙂

  120. I was planning on making these as a Christmas app!! Thank you! Think you could prepare these in advance and bake a different day??

  121. I make a recipe similar to this from a WW cookbook, but the dipping sauce has horseradish in it. If you like that sort of thing it gives it a nice kick!

  122. Ok… stupid question… are these precooked shrimp? I've always "heard" that if you make these with precooked shrimp, they turn out tough because the baking tightens them up. Plus, I don't want to overcook them and ruin the dish! Thanks!!!

  123. Looks delicious and I appreciated that you did the due diligence of trying this both with egg whites and whole eggs. I LOVE crunchy shrimp of any kind, especially coconut shrimp. Though thanks to a childhood eating at Red Lobster I always think of them with their pina colada like sauce. Now if you could only give me a recipe for that too!

    1. 1 cup pina colada cocktail mix
      1 cup spur cream
      1/4 c crushed pineapple
      1 T lemon juice
      Mix it up and best if it can sit a couple hours.
      It will get you pretty close to the original

    1. I just made these last night with cubed tofu and it was A-MA-ZING! But I also had trouble getting the coconut to stick 🙁

  124. Whenever i use this method of faux frying, they come out soggy after flipping them. I have started using a metal cooling rack to make sure they stay crispy. Just thought I'd share in case anyone else has the same trouble. This looks amazing and I'll be trying it out soon! Thanks!

    1. I have to try it with something crunchy because I am allergic to coconut.. I like your chicken idea too!