If you love the sweet chili shrimp appetisers you get at restaurants, this homemade version is going to blow your mind. Jumbo shrimp are lightly dredged in seasoned flour, fried until shatteringly crispy, then tossed in a creamy sweet chili-sriracha sauce that’s sticky, a little spicy, and completely addictive.
What makes this recipe special is the sauce — it’s a three-ingredient mix of mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, and sriracha that clings to every crevice of the fried shrimp. The result is that perfect balance of:
- Crunch from the flour coating
- Creamy heat from the mayo-sriracha blend
- Sweet tanginess from the chilli sauce
I serve it over a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce, which adds a cool, refreshing crunch underneath all that saucy goodness. It’s a complete dinner in 45 minutes, and it feeds a crowd — perfect for a weeknight when you want something that feels special without spending hours in the kitchen.
This is the kind of dish that disappears before it hits the table, so you might want to double the sauce.
Crispy Sweet Chili Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds shrimp large raw shrimp (21–25 count per pound), shell-on
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or more to taste
- 3 stalks scallions chopped (optional)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg beaten (for dredging)
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying
- ¼ head iceberg lettuce shredded or sliced thin
Instructions
- Mix the mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce and sriracha in a bowl and set aside.
- Now remove the shells, de-vein your shrimp, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Heat 3–4 cups of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to 350–375°F / 175–190°C. Use a deep-fry thermometer to monitor the temperature — this is critical for crispy, non-greasy shrimp.
- Working in batches, dredge the shrimp in the flour, shaking off any excess. For a crispier coating, let the dredged shrimp sit on a wire rack for 5 minutes before frying.
- Fry the shrimp in batches of 6–8 for 2–3 minutes per batch, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain. Do not overcrowd the pot — this drops the oil temperature and causes soggy shrimp.
- When all the shrimp are fried, transfer them to a large clean bowl. Pour the sweet chili-mayo sauce over the shrimp and toss gently until every piece is evenly coated.
- Put your shredded lettuce in a bowl, put your shrimp on top, and then garnish with the scallions.
Nutrition
What Makes This Sweet Chili Shrimp Special
There are plenty of fried shrimp recipes out there, but this one stands out because of the creamy sweet chili sauce. Instead of dunking crispy shrimp in a side dipping sauce (where the coating gets soggy in seconds), you toss the freshly fried shrimp directly in the sauce while they’re still hot. The warmth from the shrimp slightly melts the mayo-based sauce so it becomes thinner, clingier, and coats every nook and cranny of the crispy coating.
The flavour profile hits four notes at once — sweet from the chilli sauce, creamy from the mayo, spicy from the sriracha, and savoury from the fried shrimp itself. Serving it over cold shredded iceberg lettuce creates a temperature and texture contrast that makes every bite interesting. It’s the same principle behind why lettuce wraps work so well — cool crunch against hot, saucy protein.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven — essential for safe, even deep frying. The heavy base maintains oil temperature far better than a thin saucepan, which prevents greasy shrimp.
- Deep-fry or instant-read thermometer — non-negotiable for this recipe. The difference between 350°F and 325°F oil is the difference between crispy shrimp and oil-soaked shrimp. Do not guess.
- Spider strainer or slotted spoon — lets you lift multiple shrimp out of the oil at once while draining excess oil immediately.
- Large mixing bowl — you need room to toss all the fried shrimp in sauce without crushing the coating.
- Wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet — a nice-to-have upgrade over paper towels for draining. Shrimp stay crispier because air circulates underneath rather than sitting in pooled oil.
- Tongs — for safely handling individual shrimp during frying.
Tips for Best Results
- Dry your shrimp thoroughly before dredging. Wet shrimp cause the flour to clump and the oil to splatter violently. Pat them dry with paper towels after deveining.
- Fry in small batches of 6-8 shrimp at a time. Dropping too many in at once cools the oil by 30-50°F, and the shrimp will steam instead of fry.
- Shake off excess flour before each shrimp hits the oil. Extra flour falls off in the oil, burns, and creates dark specks on subsequent batches.
- Toss in the sauce immediately after frying. The residual heat helps the sauce cling to the coating. If you wait until the shrimp cool down, the sauce sits on top instead of bonding to the surface.
- Don’t skip the lettuce bed. It absorbs excess sauce, keeps the bottom shrimp from getting soggy in pooled liquid, and adds a refreshing crunch that balances the richness.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cornstarch instead of flour — swap all-purpose flour for cornstarch for an even crispier, glass-like coating that stays crunchy longer. Use a 1:1 ratio.
- Air fryer method — spray dredged shrimp with cooking spray and air fry at 400°F / 200°C for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway. The coating won’t be as crunchy as deep-fried, but it’s significantly lighter.
- Greek yogurt instead of mayo — for a lighter sauce, substitute plain Greek yogurt for the mayo. It’s tangier and less rich, but it cuts about 60% of the sauce calories.
- Honey garlic variation — replace the sweet chilli sauce with equal parts honey and soy sauce, plus 3 minced garlic cloves, for a completely different flavour profile.
- Make it spicier — add 1 tablespoon of gochujang (Korean chilli paste) to the sauce for deeper, more complex heat, or increase the sriracha to 2 tablespoons.
- Chicken alternative — cut boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and follow the same method. Increase frying time to 4-5 minutes per batch until the internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftover shrimp (with sauce) in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The coating will soften — this is unavoidable once sauced.
- Reheating: Spread shrimp on a wire rack over a baking sheet and reheat at 400°F / 200°C for 8-10 minutes. The oven’s dry heat will re-crisp the exterior far better than a microwave, which makes them rubbery.
- Freezer: Freeze fried shrimp without sauce in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen at 400°F / 200°C for 12-15 minutes, then toss with freshly made sauce.
- Sauce storage: The sweet chili-mayo sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days in a sealed jar.
What to Serve With This
- Steamed jasmine rice — soaks up the extra sweet chili sauce beautifully and makes this a more filling meal.
- Coconut rice — the subtle coconut flavour pairs incredibly well with the sweet-spicy sauce.
- Quick cucumber salad — thinly sliced cucumbers dressed in rice vinegar and sesame oil provide a cool, acidic contrast to the rich fried shrimp.
- Steamed broccoli or bok choy — keeps the meal balanced and adds a vegetal freshness.
- Garlic noodles — toss lo mein or rice noodles in garlic butter and serve the shrimp on top for a complete noodle bowl.
- Wonton soup — a light broth-based starter that doesn’t compete with the bold shrimp flavours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pre-cooked or frozen shrimp?
You can use frozen raw shrimp — thaw them completely in cold water for 15-20 minutes and pat them very dry before dredging. Avoid pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe because they’ll overcook during frying and turn rubbery. You need raw shrimp to get that perfect just-cooked tender texture inside the crispy shell.
What size shrimp should I buy?
Look for large shrimp in the 21-25 count per pound range. This size gives you a satisfying meaty bite inside the coating. Smaller shrimp (41-50 count) will overcook before the coating is properly golden, and jumbo shrimp (8-12 count) may not cook through by the time the outside is done.
How do I know when the oil is hot enough without a thermometer?
Drop a small pinch of flour into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and floats to the surface, the oil is around 350°F. If the flour sinks and sits at the bottom, the oil isn’t hot enough yet. If the flour immediately turns dark brown, the oil is too hot — remove it from heat for 2 minutes. That said, a thermometer costs a few dollars and eliminates all guesswork — it’s a worthwhile investment.
Why is my shrimp coating falling off?
Three common reasons: the shrimp were too wet when dredged (pat them bone-dry with paper towels), you didn’t press the flour firmly enough onto each shrimp, or you moved the shrimp too soon after placing them in the oil. Let each shrimp fry undisturbed for 30-45 seconds before touching it — this allows the coating to set.
Can I make the sauce ahead of time?
Absolutely. The sauce is actually better when made a few hours ahead because the flavours meld together. Mix the mayo, sweet chilli sauce, and sriracha, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before tossing with the hot shrimp.
Is this the same as bang bang shrimp?
Very similar. Bang bang shrimp (popularised by the Bonefish Grill restaurant chain) uses the same concept — crispy fried shrimp in a creamy, spicy-sweet sauce. The main difference is that bang bang shrimp typically uses a thicker batter (often with cornstarch and egg), while this recipe uses a simpler flour dredge. The sauce is nearly identical in both versions.
The Story Behind Sweet Chili Shrimp
Sweet chili shrimp is a product of Asian-American fusion cooking that became wildly popular in casual dining restaurants during the early 2000s. The sweet chilli sauce itself originates from Thai cuisine — known as nam chim kai, it was traditionally served as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken. When Thai ingredients became widely available in American grocery stores, home cooks and restaurant chefs started combining sweet chilli sauce with mayo to create the creamy, spicy-sweet sauce that now defines dishes like bang bang shrimp, firecracker shrimp, and this sweet chili shrimp. The genius of the dish is its simplicity — a basic flour-dredged fry elevated by an irresistible sauce that takes 30 seconds to mix. It bridges the gap between American comfort food (fried shrimp) and Southeast Asian flavours (sweet chilli and sriracha) in a way that appeals to virtually everyone at the table.
If you make this sweet chili shrimp, I’d love to hear how it turned out — drop a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know your favourite way to serve it!
