Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp
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!
Easy Baked Coconut Shrimp
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
Directions:
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.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 8 servings, Serving Size: 3 shrimp, 1 tbsp sauce
- Amount Per Serving:
- Freestyle Points: 5
- Points +: 4
- Calories: 161.5 calories
- Total Fat: 3.5g
- Saturated Fat: g
- Cholesterol: mg
- Sodium: 164mg
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 15.5g
- Protein: 10g
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.
Can these be made in the air fryer? If so how long and at what temp?
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.
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!
Great!
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 requestÂ
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.
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!
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Just wondering if any of your recipes have been updated with  the new freeestyle Weight Watchers plan?Â
Yes, this is updated.
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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!
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.
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!
You’re welcome Lindsey!
6 point for 3 shrimp? I don’t know if it’s worth it, although I do love coconut shrimp!
Could you assemble these ahead of time…maybe freeze….then cook during the game? Thanks!
Have not tried freezing but you can make the sauce ahead and probably keep them breaded in the refrigerator.
I want to make these tonight but I do not have panko only regular breadcrumbs. Â Has anyone else made it that way and were you successful?Â
Is there a different flavor preserves that would be good with this?
Made these for a birthday party yesterday and they were a hit! Â I covered my baking sheet with tinfoil and then put the shrimp on a rack. Â I let them set up for a few hours in the fridge and then baked. Â They were fantastic! Â I added some Sweet Thai Chili Sauce to the Apricot Dip because I felt it was pretty sugary. Â That was a perfect addition. Â Everyone raved!Â
Can these be eaten room temp or are they best while warm.
Thanks!
Love them! Thank you!
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!
OMG, these are incredibly good. Thank you for the recipe!
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!
Just made these tonight for my fiance. Holy shit they are good !
Lol…thanks. I appreciate the enthusiasm
I made this tonight, it was delicious.
The recipe was flawless and delicious!
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!
Sorry, I put this on the wrong entry!
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.
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!
I could not find rice wine vinegar. I found rice vinegar. Will that work?
Simply delicious. But can you do them up a head of time like a week and freeze them?? thank you
That's Bob's Red Mill Unsweetened Coconut Flakes!
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.
look so yummy but why are they more points with the new plan makes you want to go back to the old plan lol
Just made these…holy hell they're good!
Sooooo good – really delicious recipe!!
These look delicious. Will try them soon. Do you think they would be ok with just using cocktail sauce rather than the dipping sauce?
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! 🙂
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?
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.