Coconut Shrimp Curry
Extremely simple to prepare, and quick, too, this coconut shrimp curry with creamy coconut milk and tender shrimp is so delicious.
We love curry around here. And we love shrimp. I have a recipe for Shrimp Stir-Fry with Coconut Curry Sauce that is divine and marries the two flavors but is more of a, well, stir-fry, as the name implies, versus this new curry recipe that channels a stew-like flavor and style.

Extremely simple to prepare, and quick, too, the combination of sultry, deep spices with the creamy coconut milk and tender shrimp is beyond what words can describe.
This, to me, is pure comfort food.
We ate it over basmati rice and although we sopped up the saucy curry with delicate pieces of naan, you could easily serve this in a bowl, just like the Coconut Curry Soup.
Methinks I should really seek help for my love of all things coconut and curry.
And finally, if you are averse to shrimp, I actually believe chicken would make a great substitution here OR leave it out completely for a vegetarian dish. Make this! Love this!
Don’t be scared of the flavors if you haven’t cooked Indian food a lot – I just know you’ll adore the subtle, delicious flavors! And please invite me over when you serve it up.
What to Serve With This
- Sliced cucumbers and other fresh veggies with Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Sliced cheese
- Cut up apples with Toffee Apple Dip (for a sweet and semi healthy dessert!)
One Year Ago: Pineapple Salsa Chicken {Slow Cooker}
Two Years Ago: Tortellini Spinach Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette
Three Years Ago: Quick and Delicious Clam Chowder
Coconut Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
For the shrimp marinade:
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
- 1-2 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, from about a 1-inch peeled piece of ginger
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic , peeled and finely minced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can coconut milk, light or regular
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Hot cooked rice for serving, if desired
Instructions
- For the simple shrimp marinade, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice in a resealable large bag or in a bowl. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until rippling and hot. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the pepper, ginger, salt, garlic, coriander, turmeric and curry powder. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is very fragrant and the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the undrained tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, for about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut milk, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the shrimp and any accumulated juices from the marinade.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled, lightly pink and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve over hot, cooked rice, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from American Masala by Suvir Saran – a great find I checked out at my local library
What Shrimp do you use?
I usually use the uncooked shrimp from Costco (31-40 per pound).
I’ve made this many times. It’s a favorite for us! Thanks for posting. Does anyone have any vegetable or bean sides they recommend with this?
Pure awesomeness! This recipe is outstanding!
I prepared this dish and it was delicious. Excellent recipe!! I normally do not follow recipes, but I followed this one completely and it was fabulous!!! A must try!
The recipe is far too mild to my taste. My curry powder an cayenne were freshly bought, so I don’t think it was that. Not sure what I will do next time, but this recipe does provide a solid base for experimentation.
People who are sensitive to seasonings should probably like it quite a bit. I certainly did not find it too salty.
Printing this one…..its a keeper! Halved the salt, added peas and put it over rice noodles. Didn’t have cilantro, still great! N.U.M. !
Thanks for another winner, Mel!
This was great!
Hi Mel,
Worked a long day at work and needed an idea for a quick easy meal…I turned to you’re 30 minute meal folder and found this yummy recipe. We too, love, really love coconut curry and this was a BIG hit with my husband and son. Both had seconds and have decided this recipe is a definite make again meal.
Thanks for helping with our family meals.
Full and happy in Texas!
Thanks, Rachel – glad you loved this one!
I love this with my whole soul! And I added chickpeas so the kids didn’t just starve themselves. Thank you Mel! Used a tablespoon of diamond crystal kosher salt and didn’t have any issues with it being too salty.
Made this last night and it was delicious!!!! My 4 year old wouldn’t touch it, but that didn’t surprise me. Will definitely make again.
This is my 3 year olds favourite meal!! We make it weekly – usually vegetarian and replace the shrimp with chick peas, then add whatever veggies we have on hand. It is SO delicious!
My husband and I are not naturally “curry people” but my friend recommended this recipe. It was so delicious and fresh! We had friends over for dinner and they loved it too.
Ahhhhhh!!! Made this tonight & LOVED it!!! So good Mel!! Thank you!
Wondering if you think this would work using thai yellow curry paste rather than curry powder as it’s what I have on hand! Thanks, looks delicious!!
Yes! I think that would be delicious!
What a GREAT recipe! I was trying to re-create one of my favorite restaurant dishes and ended up with something even better. I made it with a pound of shrimp and a pound of chicken. Perfect. Also added some shredded carrot. Next time I will add more carrot and perhaps some other veggie that is on hand. The flavor profile was perfect. Looking forward to leftovers tonight. I will add a ribbon of Thai Peanut sauce to finish off my plate (like the restaurant dish does). Can’t wait to make this for my boys when they visit from out of town.
Mel,
Great recipe! Did some very minor tweaking to suit the various tastebuds around the table, the kinds of things any cook does. Simple to make, and everyone loved it. Thanks! I also made your curry popcorn cauliflower to go with it–another huge hit. We’re fans of roasted cauliflower to begin with; adding a sprinkling of curry powder put the flavor over the top.
Dear Mel:
I was craving an Indian inspired dish and I stumbled across your recipe. I made your recipe tonight (with half the salt) and put the curry on a bed of basmati rice. All I can say is when I took my first bite, my taste buds were jumping up and down with joy! 🙂 Overall the recipe is healthy and I used light coconut milk to make it healthier. Thank you for sharing your tasty recipe!
First, I love all of your recipes. My husband absolutely loved this one and I loved it too, but am a total spicy wimp. Mine turned out really spicy. Maybe the curry powder? Even though I feel like I used this curry powder before in other recipes without noticing it being over spicy. Is coriander or turmeric spicy (I haven’t used them before this recipe)? Just wondering if I could cut back on either of those or just find another curry powder…
I haven’t found that turmeric and coriander are spicy. It seems that it would have to be because of the curry powder. What brand are you using?
It has to be the cayenne. Turmeric and coriander are not hot spicy. They are actually in that curry powder that you are using! I make my own spice powder mixes from whole spices or value packs found at Indian grocery stores. One thing I discovered is that every “curry powder” is different. The level of hot pepper powder varies. Try less cayenne and a pinch more turmeric.
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! My 8 year old daughter who loves to learn to cook also made it right along side me, so thank you for a wonderful meal!! I’m also thrilled because I have a new fab dish to make my friends when we have company!
We LOVED this recipe! So much flavor and the 1/8 tsp on cayenne gave it a touch of spice. The only change I made after reading the reviews was I only used 1/2 tsp salt instead of 1 Tablespoon salt and it was perfect. Using 1 Tablespoon of salt would of ruined it for me.
This recipe was delicious!!!
Anyone know the calorie count?
This recipe make 6 one cup servings of the sauce (with 2 pounds of shrimp) A one cup serving of the sauce is 251 calories. I served that with 1/2 cup of jasmine rice (which is 102 calories.).
Your curry posts are some of our favorites! I made this last night following a few suggestions from other posters, and added in a boatload of fresh vegetables, including zucchini, crookneck squash and cauliflower. I did add about another 1/4 cup of coconut milk because initially it looked like with all of those vegetables in there it wouldn’t have a good broth ratio. In hindsight it wasn’t necessary, but it certainly didn’t hurt anything, and extended it to make that much more for left-overs, which we Love. It was really, really lovely!
I just did half of the kosher salt as well, and was pleased with that amount.
Far too salty for anyone to eat. Do not put any salt in this recipe unless you want to throw it out and start over.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!! We make it all the time (with a little less red pepper flake, for the kids), and it’s always a hit. I could drink it, it’s that good! Best curry I’ve ever had!
I will say, it’s important to use good curry powder! We use the Maharajah from Penzey’s. Amazing!
I really hate bothering such a busy, hard working lady with inexperienced cooking questions, but still after reading through this post and comments do not have an understanding about the curry powder. I have sweet yellow curry powder and a red curry powder. I’m assuming from looking closely at the picture that you used the yellow curry powder??? Neither one of mine say “hot” on the label. I never used curry until I found your blog. That is when I mistakenly brought the red for a recipe and discovered I needed the yellow. Did you use the yellow for this recipe?
Sheila – you are never bothering me, I promise! Curry powder can be a bit confusing – there are so many types. For this recipe, I use the sweet curry powder blend from Penzey’s spices. I think it is similar to the yellow variety of curry powder on the market (but it isn’t the same as the yellow Hot Madras curry powder out there, if that makes sense). In short, I think the sweet yellow curry powder you have would be the one I recommend for this dish!
I just made this tonight, and my husband is in heaven! He actually knows of your website, because I make recipes from it commonly 🙂 Whenever I’m making something new, and he hears it is from you, he will say “I do trust Mel’s kitchen cafe!” Thank you for another winner of a recipe!
This was excellent. My three-year-old son really enjoyed it as well. I’m putting it into the rotation.
I made it with chicken because I didn’t have shrimp in the freezer. I just cut the chicken into small bites and cooked it in the curry sauce as it simmered.
This is the first time I’ve commented on one of your recipes. I’ve made several of your recipes with great success but this coconut curry shrimp was awful! I consider myself a pretty good cook and followed your recipe exactly but it had a bad taste and ended up in the trash. Very disappointing.
Another awesome recipe from Mel! Only change I made was to add some coconut flakes before serving. It was delish! Thanks Mel!
Tried this recipe tonight! To say it was delicious is an understatement!! My hubby and I both loved it! This has definitely made our rotation. We can’t wait to try more from your website. Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes!!!
This is on my menu for the week and am so excited to try it! I would like to add some vegetables to it- just to make it a little heartier. How do you think that would taste? Carrots, broccoli, zucchini?
Elizabeth – sounds like a great idea! I think cauliflower or broccoli or really any of the veggies you mentioned would work well. Good luck! Cauliflower is my favorite one to pair with curry dishes.
My husband and I love this but we were wondering what size can of coconut milk do you use?
Hi Gin – I use a 13 or 14 ounce can of coconut milk.
Made this last night and we loved it! My husband actually exclaimed out loud how good it was. If you knew him you would know how incredibly rare that is! We use your recipes weekly and we love curry so I’m not sure why we haven’t tried this until now!! But now it will be in the rotation for sure!
Made this tonight and it was INCREDIBLE! My husband and Dad complimented it the entire time they were eating and continued to compliment it even after dinner. Wonderful combination of flavors, just the right amount of bite, and not too creamy. Thank you!
This was delicious! I made it with chicken instead of shrimp. I stayed at my in-laws for a couple weeks and made it again there for 8 adults and three kids; everyone loved it. Mild enough for the kids but flavourful enough for the adults. Make sure to get (garlic) naan bread to go with!
This is probably my favorite recipe on the site. Okay, hands down my favorite. I subbed mustard powder for the turmeric and used about 3/4 tbsp of salt and it was perfect. Unfortunately, my mom can’t stand Indian food and my brother isn’t a fan of shrimp. More for me, I guess! I served this with white rice and it tasted delicious alongside the curry!
I have made this multiple times and absolutely love it. I have made a chicken version and it turned out great but I personally prefer shrimp. The last couple of times I made this I didn’t have lemons so I used limes and it tastes just as good.
Sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk?
Scott – unsweetened.
Tried this with chicken tonight. Followed the recipe exactly as the shrimp version (which my family loved) but the chicken ended up being dry, sort of flavorless. Not sure what I should have done extra or different to fix that.
another fabulous recipe:)
I don’t think I’ve commented on this, but this is one of my very favorite meals from this website! I’ve used both lite and full-fat coconut milk. Both are just great, but my husband and I both agree that the full-fat coconut milk gives it a very subtle sweetness, which goes so well with the curry spice. But either one is perfectly perfect. This is a great, great meal. Leftovers for lunch are the best. Thank you!
I made this curry tonight, and while it tasted fine, I think I expected a sweeter flavor from a coconut curry as well as a thicker consistency to the sauce. I looked at the stir fry recipe you referred to and saw it includes a bit of brown sugar, cornstarch, and red curry paste, so maybe I can try adding those, and cutting the salt and lemon a bit to sweeten and thicken it. I’m not complaining, just noting if anyone is expecting a sweeter flavor that this recipe is more on the tangy side.
This was very delicious!
This was incredible! I added a red bell pepper too and it was still delicious! I’m thinking once zucchini and squash pop up in the garden, I’ll throw that in the mix too 🙂
I made this last night for Mother’s Day. We loved it:))))))
I made this–didn’t have the coriander or cilantro and added some crushed red chillies–was absolutely delicious! Going to make it again tonight with all the right ingredients. Ready for some yumindulgence!
I am ordering this now for Mother’s Day. it’s the least I can do for me. 🙂
I wanted to amp up the spice factor and so added 3-4 crushed red chillies to the mix. Along with the black peppers…mmmm!
forgot to say, also used Hot Madras curry powder and 2 pounds of shrimp. We like it spicy!!!!
Yumminess!!!!! We backed the salt to 1 tsp and upped the cayenne to 1/4 tsp. Amazing!!!! Thanks so much!!!