Crispy, crunchy, oh-so-delicious Popcorn Shrimp! Made with breadcrumbs and seasoned flour, this homemade appetizer recipe is a crowd pleaser!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better Than Takeout: Once you try popcorn shrimp homemade, you won’t go back (same with garlic butter shrimp). It’s simple to make, fresh ‘n hot, and flavorful!
- Crowd-Pleaser: Everyone will love the crispy seasoned breadcrumb coating of this crowd-favorite appetizer, just like these onion rings and chicken nuggets.
- Game Day Fave: This recipe is so easy to snack on—perfect for watching the big game. You might want to make a double batch because you won’t want to share!
The Best Popcorn Shrimp Recipe!
How cute is it when restaurants serve popcorn shrimp in a popcorn bucket? Like, should I eat shrimp as quickly as I do the movie snack? ‘Cuz I will! Today’s popcorn shrimp recipe is good enough to eat just as fast, with a crispy, seasoned breadcrumb coating and cute mini shrimp that are ready for quick snacking!
What is Popcorn Shrimp?
Popcorn shrimp is a popular seafood appetizer. It’s made by breading small shrimp and deep frying it. Due to the bite-sized nature of this app, it’s eaten like popcorn, hence its name. It’s typically served with cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: use small or medium shrimp, depending on how tiny you want your popcorn shrimp. Use peeled and deveined to make things easy!
- Seasonings: Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper make this appetizer so flavorful, like Asian garlic shrimp!
- All-Purpose Flour
- Egg + Milk: we’ll whisk these two together for the perfect glue to hold the flour and breadcrumbs onto our shrimp.
- Breadcrumbs: traditionally, you’ll use Italian-style breadcrumbs for popcorn shrimp, but I love using Panko for extra big crunch!
- Oil: I used vegetable oil, but canola will do
How to Make Popcorn Shrimp
- Add shrimp, homemade Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to a mixing bowl. Stir together until shrimp is well coated.
- Add flour to a large, shallow dish. In another dish, whisk together egg and milk until combined. Add breadcrumbs to a third dish.
- Add about 8-10 shrimp to the flour dish. Stir and fold to coat. Shake off excess.
- One shrimp at a time, dip in egg mixture, then dredge in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess. Repeat for all shrimp.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep pan or deep fryer to 350°F. Deep fry shrimp for 2-4 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels to catch excess oil.
- Immediately sprinkle with salt! Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.
What to Serve with Popcorn Shrimp
If you’re wondering what goes with popcorn shrimp, try these dips, breads, potatoes, and seasonings below:
- Potatoes: tater tots, french fries, potato wedges
- Appetizers: lemon pepper wings, 7 layer dip, buffalo wings
- Pasta: garlic butter pasta, tortellini pasta salad, Italian pasta salad.
- Veggies: 7 layer salad, Asian cucumber salad, chickpea salad
- Dips: chipotle aioli, onion ring sauce, eel sauce, yum yum sauce
For more delicious recipe ideas like this easy popcorn shrimp recipe, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it! Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
More Shrimp & Appetizers
Popcorn Shrimp Ingredients
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Add shrimp, Cajun seasoning, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to a mixing bowl. Stir together until shrimp is well coated.
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Add flour to a large, shallow dish. In another dish, whisk together egg and milk until combined. Add breadcrumbs to a third dish.
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Add about 8-10 shrimp to the flour dish. Stir and fold to coat. Shake off excess.
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One shrimp at a time, dip in egg mixture, then dredge in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess and placing on a lined baking sheet. Repeat for all shrimp.*
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Heat oil in a deep fryer or a little over 1 inch of oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Deep fry shrimp for 2-4 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to catch excess oil.
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Immediately sprinkle with salt or garlic salt. Serve with tartar sauce, onion ring sauce, or eel sauce (so good!).
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★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
- *As you get more comfortable, you can do more shrimp per batch, per dish. For example, I tossed 4 shrimp in the egg mixture at once, then tossed all 4 into the breadcrumbs.
