This Cajun Shrimp recipe has the most flavorful sauce that’s great for serving over rice or pasta! It’s easy to make and easy to add corn, black beans, and more!
Cajun Shrimp
This Cajun Shrimp recipe is going to forever change your typical dinner rotation! Just wait until you taste this incredible sauce, you’re going to want to drink it! (And I grant you permission to do so. 😁)
This recipe is so versatile- there are a ton of add-on options, including black beans, corn, diced avocado, and more.
There is also plenty of sauce to serve with some pasta (my buttered noodles are a great choice), or with some rice and beans!
Be sure to check out my pro tips below as well as my tips for cooking with shrimp– you’ll be glad you did!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Season the shrimp with Cajun seasoning and sauté in olive oil with red bell peppers. Set aside. Deglaze the skillet with juice from diced tomatoes. Add butter and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth mixture (chicken broth, heavy cream, honey, hot sauce, and seasonings) in small splashes, stirring continuously.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, add diced tomatoes. Simmer/reduce for 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese over low heat.
Add the cooked shrimp and bell peppers. Stir to combine. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro. Serve with rice, buttered noodles, black beans, or salad!
Pro Tips
- Sauce: This recipe makes a lot of delicious sauce and is great for serving over rice or buttered noodles! (See notes section of the recipe card for my tips on perfectly cooked rice.)
- Cajun Seasoning: I use McCormick Cajun Seasoning, consider using reduced or no sodium seasoning if preferred.
- Hot Sauce: I use Frank’s Hot Sauce for this recipe.
- Cheese: Cheddar Jack, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella are all great options for this, I like to use a combination of cheeses. Shred it from a block, packaged shredded cheese doesn’t melt quite as well. If using mozzarella, use low moisture/whole milk.
- Heat Level: For less heat, use just 1 tsp. of hot sauce and omit the cayenne/red pepper flakes. You can also use regular diced tomatoes instead of Rotel with green chilies.
- Additions: Black beans and/or corn can also be added to this dish, you can add them when the tomatoes are added.
Tips for Cooking With Shrimp
- Size: The size I use is large, and is labeled as 26/30 per pound. (This means that it takes between 26-30 shrimp to equal a pound.) You can use fresh or frozen.
- If using frozen shrimp: Run them under cool water until completely thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/veins.
- Shrimp can go from cooked to overcooked very quickly, consider setting a timer to avoid overcooking. One way to mitigate this is to peel them after you sauté them, the shell helps protect them from cooking too quickly.
- Shrimp curled into a “c” =cooked. A shrimp curled into an “o” = overcooked.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked/leftover shrimp can be frozen and reheated for future meals, and sauce does reheat well.
- To reheat: Let it thaw completely and reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until just heated through. Overcooked shrimp becomes rubbery, so try to avoid that.
- You can also reheat this in a makeshift double boiler on the stovetop, it applies a nice, even heat without being too direct or harsh.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Large Skillet– Same size as the skillet pictured in this recipe.
- Kitchen Tongs– Easy way to handle the shrimp in the skillet.
- Garlic Twister– Fresh garlic in this recipe is a must if at all possible.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
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Cajun Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb. uncooked shrimp, see notes
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoons olive oil, or avocado oil
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cups heavy cream, can sub half and half
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 10 oz. Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, juice reserved
- ¾ cup cheddar jack cheese, shredded. See notes.
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, I use light
- ½ teaspoon EACH: mustard powder, oregano
- 1 pinch EACH: cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes
For Serving
- Lime Wedges
- Fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped
Equipment
Instructions
Prep Work
- Thaw the shrimp completely (if frozen) and pat the surface dry. You may also need to remove the shell, tail, and veins.
- Drain and reserve the juice from the diced tomatoes, we’ll use the liquid to deglaze that skillet after cooking. (You should have about ¼ cup.)
- Combine the chicken broth, heavy cream, honey, hot sauce, and seasonings and set aside.
Cook the Shrimp
- Sprinkle the shrimp with Cajun seasoning.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and diced red peppers and cook for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side. (Use a timer to avoid overcooking). Tilt the pan to transfer the shrimp and peppers onto a clean plate. Note that they’ll cook a little bit more as they sit, and again when added back to the sauce.
Make the Sauce
- Add the reserved juice from the tomatoes and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to clean the bottom and sides of the skillet. Reduce the liquid by half.
- Add the butter and the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is cooked off.
- Add the chicken broth mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. (This is the mixture that we combined in step 3 of prep work.)
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a gentle bubble. Add the drained tomatoes and let it simmer and reduce for 10 minutes, uncovered. During this time the flavors will meld, and the sauce will thicken and concentrate.
- Reduce heat to low. Slowly sprinkle in the cheese, stirring continuously, until melted and combined. Slowly stir in the lime juice.
- Add the shrimp and peppers and stir to combine. Add the fresh lime wedges to the skillet and remove from heat. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice, beans, or salad! (See notes for rice cooking tips.)
Notes
- Bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add 1 cup white long grain rice and bring it back to a boil.
- Cover tightly and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat off. (Lift lid and ensure liquid is gone, if not, simmer 5 more minutes.)
- Optional: Remove from heat and let the rice sit in the pot, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Any rice stuck to the bottom will release during this time.
- This will yield 3 cups of flavorful rice.
- Note: Other varieties of rice will require different amounts of liquid and simmering time.
Pro Tips:
- Sauce: This recipe makes a lot of delicious sauce and is great for serving over rice or buttered noodles! (See notes section of the recipe card for my tips on perfectly cooked rice.)
- Cajun Seasoning: I use McCormick Cajun Seasoning, consider using reduced or no sodium seasoning if preferred.
- Hot Sauce: I use Frank's Hot Sauce for this recipe.
- Cheese: Cheddar Jack, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella are all great options for this, I like to use a combination of cheeses. Shred it from a block, packaged shredded cheese doesn’t melt quite as well. If using mozzarella, use low moisture/whole milk.
- Heat Level: For less heat, use just 1 tsp. of hot sauce and omit the cayenne/red pepper flakes. You can also use regular diced tomatoes instead of Rotel with green chilies.
- Additions: Black beans and/or corn can also be added to this dish, you can add them when the tomatoes are added.
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked/leftover shrimp can be frozen and reheated for future meals, and sauce does reheat well.
- To reheat: Let it thaw completely and reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until just heated through. Overcooked shrimp becomes rubbery, so try to avoid that.
- You can also reheat this in a makeshift double boiler on the stovetop, it applies a nice, even heat without being too direct or harsh.
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
So good. Made this twice now. Very tasty!
Excellent!! I’m so happy that you loved it Donna, thank you so much for the review!! -Stephanie
Tasty and enjoyed by my whole family, thank you!
Wahooo! Nice work Leigh, I’m so happy it was such a success. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
ABSOLUTELY excellent!! Perfect as is!!
I’m soooo happy that you loved it Blair!! ❤️
This is one of the best shrimp recipes I’ve ever tried. Delicious!!! I am not a good cook but I’ll have everyone fooled with this! It was easy to follow but most importantly it taste amazing!!!
I’m so happy you liked it so much Jennifer! I think you may be gaining more cooking skills then you think😉! Nice work!
Made this tonight for my family and we kept it low carb with cauliflower rice and it was soo delicious! Definitely will be making it again!
I’m so happy the family liked it Shanon! Nice work making it low carb! Thanks so much for the great review❤️
Made this tonight for me and my husband. It was AMAZING! The “Yums” and “oh mys” were from start to finish. My husband even giggled at me when I licked the bowl! Recipe is saved and we will definitely be making again!
I am SOOO happy to hear that Brooke! This recipe has been a big hit lately, I’m so glad! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you’re the best!! 🙂 -Stephanie
This is the best recipe I have tried in a while! My bag of shrimp was only 12oz so I supplemented with 1 crown of broccoli florets which I sautéed with the pepper, after the shrimp. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfection. Definitely will put this in the rotation and thinking of what else I can cook with this sauce. Yum!
I am sooo happy that you loved it Lori!! 🙂 SO funny that I was just thinking about making this recipe tonight! Thank you so much for the review, I appreciate it SO much! 😍 -Stephanie
This is now my husband’s favorite shrimp dish. I made it exactly as stated. I am making this tonight and will add black beans. I’m not normally a shrimp fan but I really enjoy this dish.
I’m so happy this is your husband’s favorite Shrimp Dish! My husband isn’t that big of a shrimp fan but he loves this one. Thanks so much for the great review!🩷