This beer-battered shrimp recipe has a perfectly crispy batter coating juicy, tender shrimp! Because you're shallow frying the shrimp in this recipe, there's no deep fryer needed for a delicious fried shrimp dinner at home.
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Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What You’ll Need for Beer-Battered Shrimp
- Recommended Equipment
- How to Make This Fried Shrimp Recipe
- Variations and Substitutions
- Storage and Reheating
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
- How to Serve Beer-Battered Fried Shrimp
- Expert Tips
- More Seafood Recipes to Try
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fried food can be difficult to make at home, but this crunchy and juicy shrimp recipe skips the deep frying, making both cooking and cleanup a breeze.
You'll achieve a perfectly golden-brown, crisp exterior on this beer-battered fried shrimp with just the right blend of ingredients and a quick cook time.
Just follow a few simple steps - cleaning the shrimp, patting it dry, then a quick batter and fry - and you'll have truly delicious fried shrimp every time!
Whether you want a play on fish and chips or to make the best beer-battered shrimp tacos, this recipe is for you.
What You’ll Need for Beer-Battered Shrimp
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- Shrimp: I recommend using large shrimp (16/20 size). If sold shell-on, remove the shell and be sure to devein the shrimp before cooking it. Scoring the shrimp three times along the underside will help prevent it from curling too much when it is fried.
- Kosher Salt: I prefer using kosher salt because it's not as salty as table salt or sea salt, which helps you to control the seasoning better.
- Lime: Make sure to buy fresh limes instead of just lime juice because you'll need the zest of one lime for this recipe.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is important for the batter's texture, but if you need a substitute, potato starch works well.
- Cake Flour: Using cake flour is crucial here because it has less gluten, making the batter crispier. Gluten can make the batter too dense.
- Baking Powder: Adding baking powder to the dry ingredients will increase the crispiness of the texture as well.
- Garlic Powder: Fresh garlic will change the texture and might burn, so it's not recommended.
- Onion Powder: The same goes for the onion powder. It's better not to use fresh onion as a substitute.
- Paprika: Paprika adds color and a slightly sweet, smoky flavor. If you want your shrimp spicier, go for hot paprika.
- Beer: Light beer works best for a light batter. Make sure it's cold. Any simple and light beer like lager is good, avoid dark ones like stout or porter.
- Neutral Oil: For the best results, use canola, peanut, or rice bran oil. These have a high smoke point and a neutral taste, just like many vegetable oils.
Recommended Equipment
Whisk or Chopsticks
Wire Rack / Cooling Rack or Baking Sheet
How to Make This Fried Shrimp Recipe
Step One: Start by deveining the shrimp with a paring knife. Then, pat the shrimp dry on both sides and season them with salt and lime zest. Keep them in the fridge until needed.
Step Two: To make the beer batter, mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl until they're well combined.
Step Three: Slowly combine the beer into the dry ingredients, stirring with a whisk or chopsticks until the batter just comes together. It should be thinner than pancake batter but thicker than crêpe batter (like heavy cream), with some lumps. Don't overmix it.
Step Four: Heat about an inch of oil in a frying pan until it reaches 350°F. You can check if it's ready by dropping in a small piece of batter; it should sizzle. Once the oil is hot, dip the shrimp piece by piece into the batter one by one, letting the excess batter drip off. Fry them in the hot oil. Use tongs to turn them for even frying. Fry them in small batches so they don't get crowded.
Step Five: Fry the shrimp until they turn golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 145°F, about 2 to 3 minutes total. Once they're done, transfer them to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined tray to drain. Sprinkle them with a bit of salt while they're still hot. You can enjoy these shrimp in tacos or on a plate with a squirt of lemon or barley malt vinegar. Serve them hot!
Variations and Substitutions
Different Seasoning: You can try different seasoning blends for this dish, like dried spices or black pepper. Old Bay seasoning is a popular choice.
Different Size Shrimp: You can use small shrimp for this recipe as well. You will want to increase the number if using smaller shrimp so you don't waste any of the amazing batter.
Tempura Batter: A tempura batter is another great option for fried shrimp.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: It's best to cook only as much beer battered shrimp as you plan to eat. If you end up with leftovers, they can stay in the fridge for up to 4 days, but they won't remain crispy.
Freezer: It's not recommended to freeze leftovers.
Reheating: To bring back some crispiness when reheating, you can put the shrimp in an air fryer at 325°F for 4-5 minutes until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
You can try this recipe with almond flour for a gluten-free substitute. would recommend something like all-purpose flour. Use half of the amount listed in the recipe.
You can. A flaky white fish would be delicious here, too. Check out these instructions for beer-battered halibut if you'd like to give fish a try.
Frozen shrimp will work just as well as fresh shrimp. Make sure to fully defrost it and pat it dry before cooking.
How to Serve Beer-Battered Fried Shrimp
Try this crispy shrimp with some of the following recipes:
Shrimp Tacos: This is the best recipe to use for beer-battered shrimp tacos. Try loading them up with pico de gallo, some spicy pickled onions or pickled white onions, and cilantro lime crema for the perfect bite.
French Fries: These are fantastic with homemade french fries. You can also try making homemade onion rings!
Salad: Try serving your fried shrimp with a fresh salad, like this Greek green salad.
Sauces and Condiments: Serve this fish with a variety of sauces and condiments to see what you like best. My favorite dipping sauce is this chimichurri aioli.
You should also try Chipotle Southwest sauce, hot honey sauce, or pineapple habanero sauce.
Expert Tips
- Keep the batter cold. If you're making multiple batches, you can keep the batter cold by placing the bowl in an ice bath or adding ice cubes. But remember, you need to use it almost immediately. Keeping it cold stops gluten from forming, which can make the batter thicker and less crispy.
- Get your batter to the right consistency. It should be thin, but not too thin. Thinner than pancake batter, but thicker than crêpe batter (which is very thin - like heavy cream).
- Use a fizzy liquid. If you don't want to use beer, you can try something like club soda. Adding a carbonated liquid makes the coating crispier for longer than using just flour and flat water.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment 💬 and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! You can also tag us @twocloveskitchen on Instagram or follow us on Facebook!
More Seafood Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Beer-Battered Shrimp
Equipment
- Paper Towels
- Measuring Cups
- Chopsticks or Whisk
- Wire Rack / Cooling Rack or Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 16 ounces shrimp 16/20 size, peeled, deveined, see note 1
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 lime zest of
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- ⅔ cup cake flour
- ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoons paprika
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup light beer cold
- 2 cups neutral oil like canola, peanut, or rice bran oil
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry on both sides and season them with salt and lime zest. Keep them in the fridge until needed.
- To make the beer batter, mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl until they're well combined.
- Slowly pour the beer into the dry ingredients, stirring with a whisk or chopsticks until the batter just comes together. It should be thinner than pancake batter but thicker than crêpe batter (about the consistency of heavy cream). It will have some lumps. Don't overmix it.
- Heat 1 inch of oil and a frying pan to 350°F.
- Once the oil is hot, dip the shrimp piece by piece into the batter one by one, letting the excess batter drip off. Fry them in the hot oil. Use tongs to turn them for even frying. Fry them in small batches so they don't get crowded.
- Fry the shrimp until they turn golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 145°F, about 2 to 3 minutes total. Once they're done, transfer them to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined tray to drain.
- Sprinkle them with a bit of salt and serve hot.
Notes
- You can use a smaller size of shrimp if desired. They may cook more quickly.
- If using frozen shrimp, defrost completely before cooking.
- Fridge: It's best to cook only as much beer battered shrimp as you plan to eat. If you end up with leftovers, they can stay in the fridge for up to 4 days, but they won't remain crispy.
- Freezer: It's not recommended to freeze leftovers.
- Reheating: To bring back some crispiness when reheating, you can put the shrimp in an air fryer at 325°F for 4-5 minutes until heated through.
Evelyn Iniguez says
Made this for my family. Didn’t follow it to a T (no paprika) but over amazing. Very flavorful, everything did and tasted as expected. Thank you
Genevieve says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Evelyn!
Lynn says
Oh my goodness, I have tried so many recipes and this one is 100% the best I have ever made!!!!!!! The flavor is outstanding and not grease when you bit into the shrimp. LOVE this recipe, best ever!!!
Genevieve says
Thank you so much, Lynn! Really glad you enjoyed it!
Raquel says
Crispy and Tasty and easy - my kind of recipe!
Genevieve says
Thanks Raquel!
Laura says
Thanks for sharing, can't wait to make it.
Genevieve says
Hope you enjoy, Laura!
Judy says
I love beer battered shrimp. Yours looks delicious 🤤
Genevieve says
Thank you!
Ann says
Ooooo - my favorite summertime meal is shrimp tacos. These were so good.
Genevieve says
Thanks Ann!
Melissa Pugh says
The beer batter (as opposed to coconut or other breadings I've tried in the past) is top notch!
Genevieve says
Thanks so much, Melissa!
Katie says
This was fantastic! Thanks for a great recipe!
Genevieve says
Thanks so much, Katie!
jill says
This shrimp was dynamite! Everyone was looking for more. And I don't have to wait for the boys to catch fish to have some awesome beer-battered food! Thanks for sharing, we'll be making again for a neighborhood gathering.
Genevieve says
Yay! Thanks so much, Jilly!
Andrea says
I really loved this! The breading was so crispy and the shrimp was cooked perfectly!
Genevieve says
Thanks Andrea!
Chelsea says
I've tried so many battered shrimp recipes before, but none of them turned out quite right. But I won't blame those recipes because it could also be the amateur home cook in me LOL! But surprisingly I nailed this recipe! The shrimp were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The batter was light and flavorful. So so good!
Genevieve says
I'm so happy to hear this turned out well for you, Chelsea! You've unlocked a new level of home cook. 🙂
Rose says
This was honestly my first time making beer-battered shrimp. I've had so many fails in the past where the batter would just separate from the shrimp or they would clump and would taste really floury. This time, the coating turned out super crunchy but not heavy at all. And the shrimp stayed juicy inside. Just wow!
Genevieve says
Fantastic! So happy to hear it, Rose!
Evie says
These made the best appetizers for my family! Delicious. I made a homemade tartar sauce for dipping with them.
Genevieve says
Sounds wonderful! Thanks Evie!
Andi says
I love that there was no deep fryer needed. Turned out golden, crunchy and super juicy! Simple and delicious!
Genevieve says
Thanks Andi!
Lina says
You won't believe it but I served these as an appetizer with beer at a small gathering of friends we had this weekend. Everyone loved the shrimp! It was perfectly crisp. Too bad I made a small batch to try out the recipe.
Genevieve says
That sounds like such a good idea for a party, Lina! Be sure to invite me next time. 🙂