This cozy curry shrimp is full of deliciously warm spices, veggies, tomatoes, and creamy coconut milk. It’s something the whole family will love! Best of all, it’s ready in 20 minutes or less, which makes it the perfect weeknight dinner option.
Curries are absolutely perfect for crisp fall evenings. They’re a great go-to when you need an easy, hearty meal to heat up your home. And, if you’ve got any leftovers, they make for an excellent lunch the next day.
Looking for some more tasty curry recipes? Check out my Easy One Pot Cauliflower Curry or this Spicy Carrot Soup.
I love how easy this dish is. Shrimp cooks so quickly that any meal made with this protein can generally be whipped up really fast! If you’re in the mood for seafood and want to get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes, try this incredible Shrimp Vegetable Skillet!
Ingredients
- Shrimp — Look for large, peeled, and deveined shrimp at the grocery store. This is going to be the most convenient option, as peeling shrimp yourself will take some extra time. If you can’t find fresh shrimp, frozen will do the trick.
- Lime juice — You can use bottled lime juice, but I recommend fresh because it offers the best and brightest flavor.
- Oil — Either vegetable or extra virgin olive oil will work great.
- Fresh veggies — Minced garlic, chopped red onion, and yellow bell pepper. If you’re feeling adventurous, mix things up and use a different color of bell pepper!
- Spices — Ground cumin, ground coriander seed, curry powder (or also red curry), salt, and pepper. Some recipes call for ginger, turmeric, chili powder, and even cayenne pepper. I didn’t want to make it very spicy, so I didn’t add them. But if you prefer, please feel free to add them.
- Canned diced tomato — Be sure to include juices from the can. You can also use tomato sauce if you prefer.
- Coconut milk — For this recipe, you’ll want to buy canned coconut milk rather than a box or carton. Canned coconut milk is extra thick, creamy, and delicious. It can often be found in the baking or Asian foods aisle at the grocery store. If you use coconut cream, add a little bit of water to the pan since the sauce can become very thick.
- Herbs — A little bit of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro will add fresh flavor and gorgeous color to your curry dish.
Instructions
Prepare shrimp:
- Place shrimp in a small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with lime juice. Mix until all shrimp are well coated with juice and seasonings.
- Allow this mixture to rest for about 15 minutes.
Sauté and season veggies:
- Measure oil into a large pot on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium. Please, don’t cook this recipe in a large skillet. You need a large pot to make this shrimp curry recipe.
- Add chopped onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic. Sauté ingredients until onions become tender, which should take around 3-5 minutes.
- Add cumin, ground coriander, curry powder, salt, and pepper to the pot. Mix well.
Add liquids:
- Add diced tomato with juices and canned coconut milk to the pot. Increase the heat and bring everything to a boil for 3-5 minutes.
- Reduce heat and allow mixture to cool to a simmer. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, until pink.
Serve:
- Serve immediately with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish. This shrimp curry is fantastic all on its own or spooned over some fluffy rice or basmati rice, or even brown rice.
Recipe Tips
- Avoid purchasing shelled shrimp! You can save lots of prep time with an already peeled and deveined option. Sometimes, you’ll need to look in the frozen section to find it.
- If you buy frozen shrimp at the grocery store, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before use.
- Make sure not to over-marinate your shrimp. It only needs about 15 minutes and will begin to cook in the lime juice if left much longer.
- Whenever possible, use fresh lime juice for this recipe. Bottled will do the trick, but it can taste a bit stale in comparison. Fresh lime juice has much better flavor.
- When making curry, add just a bit of salt and black pepper. Once it’s done, do a taste test and add a little more if desired.
- In a pinch you can use half and half or heavy cream instead of canned coconut milk. Canned coconut milk is typically located in the baking or Asian foods isle at the grocery store.
- Shrimp only needs a couple of minutes to cook and can become tough or rubbery if left for too long. Be careful not to overcook.
If you’re feeling creative or simply have extra produce to use up, you can definitely play around with this versatile recipe.
Veggies: try adding some cauliflower, green peas, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, or diced butternut squash.
Potatoes: chopped russet, gold, or sweet potatoes would all be delicious.
Legumes: mix in some beans, lentils, or chickpeas.
- Allow leftover curry to cool and transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- This curry can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure to leave some space in your container as liquids will expand as they freeze.
- Reheat your curry in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop until hot. Because it’s thick, you’ll need to stir the curry often while it’s heating up.
Want even more shrimp on your dinner table? The following recipes are great to make a quick one-pan meal for your family to enjoy for dinner.
- Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
- Shrimp and Asparagus Skillet
- Air Fryer Shrimp
Shrimp Curry Recipe
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 lime lime juice
For the curry sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or if you prefer you can use olive oil
- 1 cup red onion chopped
- 1 cup yellow bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup diced tomato with the juice from the can
- 1 3/4 cup coconut milk from the can not carton coconut milk
- Fresh cilantro or parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- In a bowl add shrimp, salt, black pepper, and lime juice. Mix everything together and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
- In a large pot, add oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté until onions are tender (3-5 minutes)
- Add cumin, coriander, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine everything well.
- Add tomatoes and stir in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Bring to a simmer and add the shrimp to the pot.
- Cook everything together for 2 minutes or until the shrimp is pink.
- Before serving, garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.
Notes
- Buy peeled and deveined shrimp to save time on prepping.
- Don’t over-marinate the shrimp as the lime juice will cook it.
- Careful not to overcook the shrimp as it’ll become rubbery.
- To store: Store leftover curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Reheat the curry in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot. Since it’s thick, you’ll need to stir it throughout.
- To freeze: Freeze the curry for up to 3 months. Make sure you leave space when freezing as liquid expands as it freezes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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This dish is phenomenal! My husaband and I loved it. It is rich and flavorful. It is not like an Indian curry, not like a shrimp creole, and not like a Thai curry, but has elements of all those things combined to make a fast and delicious meal. It is also beautiful on the plate.
Thank you for your positive feedback. I am very happy to know you and your husband enjoyed this recipe 😉
I made this recipe tonight for my family it was excellent in flavor and so easy to make!
Totally. It’s the easiest recipe ever 😉 Happy you and your family liked it!
Cooked it today, and it was delicious. Even my 6 y.o daughter who doesn’t like any sauces, and i had first put shrimps only on her plate, demanded full dish in a bowl!!!! And licked it off in the end 🙂
Thank you Olivia!
OMG this is AWESOME. So glad to hear that 😉
This looks incredible!! Do you think I could substitute anything for the coconut milk?
I think you can use heavy cream if you are ok with dairy.
Do you have a curry powder brand you like to use?
Yes I love this brand here.