Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Air fried Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos paired with cabbage slaw and nestled in a warm tortilla. Get ready to make a big batch because it will be hard to eat just one!

Imagine enjoying the popular Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish Grill, tasting better than ever, made at home, and in a taco. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Made with crispy shrimp, Thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha, fish taco slaw, tortillas, and all the fixings, these tacos will have you going back for rounds 2, 3, 4, and more!

Looking for more of the best shrimp recipes? Check out these Spicy Shrimp Tacos or these Drunken Tequila Lime Shrimp next.

What is Bang Bang Shrimp?

Taco Tuesdays have never looked or tasted better with this dynamite shrimp taco recipe!

Bang Bang Shrimp is crispy fried shrimp that are made with cornstarch and creamy buttermilk. These crispy shrimp get tossed in Bang Bang Sauce made of mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha.

They’re delicious in pasta, tacos, or even just by themselves as an appetizer!

Bang Bang Shrimp Taco Ingredients

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp. Whether you use large shrimp or jumbo shrimp, make sure the shells are removed and the shrimp deveined. Depending on how many tacos you are looking to make, you may need extra shrimp to double the batch.

Shrimp batter. To get those crispy shrimp, dredge the shrimp in buttermilk, arrowroot powder or cornstarch, and panko bread crumbs.

Bang bang sauce. The spicy sauce is made with just 3 ingredients: mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha.

Tortillas. You can’t make tacos without tortillas! For this recipe, I used flour tortillas, but you can use corn if you prefer.

Toppings. Although optional, these toppings really seal the deal when it comes to creating the perfect bite with each taco. I recommend topping your tacos with sliced jalapeños, cilantro, avocado, and a lime wedge.

Garnish. Before serving, complete the dish with sliced green onions.

For cooking. I like using olive oil spray for cooking, but you can use any spray oil.

Coleslaw Mix

This homemade marinated cabbage slaw comes together with really pretty purple or red cabbage, a touch of sour cream, mayonnaise, fresh lime juice, and finished off with the bold flavors of a large jalapeño, and fresh cilantro.

How to make Spicy Shrimp Tacos

Making Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

1. Prepare batter ingredients. In 3 separate shallow bowls, add the buttermilk, arrowroot powder, and panko bread crumbs.

2. Preheat the air fryer to 400° F and lightly spray the basket with olive oil.

3. Prepare the shrimp. Coat each shrimp in buttermilk, then arrowroot powder, back in the buttermilk, and then coat with panko bread crumbs. Lightly spritz the shrimp with olive oil on both sides.

4. Air fry the shrimp. Place the shrimp in an even layer in the air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches. Air fry for 6 minutes, flip, and cook for 3-5 minutes until shrimp are fully cooked and begin to turn golden brown.

5. Make the bang bang sauce. While the shrimp are cooking, combine the mayonnaise, sweet thai chili sauce, and sriracha in a small bowl.

6. Toss shrimp with bang bang sauce. When the shrimp are finished cooking, transfer to a bowl and cover with bang bang sauce.

7. Prepare the tacos. Layer each tortilla with cabbage slaw, bang bang shrimp, and any additional toppings you like.

How to Make Cabbage Slaw

1. Prepare the sour cream mixture. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, and lime juice.

2. Make the slaw. Add the shredded cabbage, jalapeño, and cilantro. Toss to combine, until cabbage is fully coated with sour cream mixture.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Cutting shrimp. I recommend cutting the shrimp into bite-sized pieces before dipping them into the batter and air frying. I find that it makes the tacos easier and cleaner to eat!

Cleaning shrimp. If you are new to cooking, cleaning, or preparing shrimp, I recommend checking out my post on how to clean shrimp.

Panko breadcrumbs. Looking to make the shrimp gluten free? Substitute the regular panko with gluten free panko.

Soft tacos. One thing I love about taco recipes is their ability to be customized based on personal preference! For this recipe, you can use your favorite tortilla. Whether you like flour tortillas, yellow corn tortillas, white corn tortillas, a cold or room temperature tortilla, a warm tortilla, or if you are looking to cut calories, you can use a large piece of lettuce as a make-shift tortilla shell.

Spray oil. I recommend using spray oil for cooking like olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.

Make Bang Bang Spicy Sauce Ahead of Time

If you are looking to save some time, you can make your sauce ahead of time and store it in a glass container.

The sauce will keep for about 3-4 days after making it, however, I recommend using it within 1-2 days of preparing it for the best flavor.

If you make the sauce ahead of time, take it out of the fridge ahead of time and bring it to room temp before tossing the shrimp with it.

How to Enjoy Bang Bang Shrimp

Get creative and enjoy Bang Bang Shrimp in other ways! Whether you are serving shrimp as an appetizer or main course, you have a few options on how to serve this banging shrimp recipe.

If you are looking to serve it as an appetizer, you can make the shrimp, garnish with chives, and place them on a serving plate with toothpicks.

Meal prep an easy lunch by making bang bang shrimp and serving them over a bowl of white rice, brown rice, or jasmine rice. Top with shredded cabbage, jalapeño, avocado, cilantro, and drizzle with a touch of extra sauce.

Another great way to enjoy bang bang shrimp is to serve them as a hearty main course by making an easy pasta dish. Toss your spicy shrimp with your favorite pasta, I recommend linguini, garnish with jalapeño, avocado, cilantro, an extra drizzle of bang bang sauce, and maybe even a squeeze of fresh lime.

How to get Extra Crunchy Shrimp

There is nothing better than getting that extra crispy crunch with fried shrimp.

I always recommend air frying because you get a great crisp without all the added calories of oil and don’t have to deal with the mess of frying. However, if you want that extra crisp, keep reading!

That extra delicious crisp comes from pan frying in oil. I recommend using a deep cast iron pan because it will retain the heat well and the higher wall of the pan will keep the oil from splattering.

Another great safeguard while deep frying is to use a splatter guard. This will help make cleaning up easier, too.

If you have an at-home deep fry machine, that is another great option to get super crispy shrimp.

How many tacos will this recipe make?

Depending on how many shrimp you are putting in each taco, this particular recipe will make roughly 6-8 tacos.

I personally like to use jumbo shrimp for this recipe. In a 1 pound bag, you will get anywhere between 10-12 pieces of shrimp.

I use about two shrimp in each taco and will sometimes slice them into bite-sized pieces before cooking or serving. If you are looking to make more tacos, you can stretch the shrimp and use less in each taco.

The less shrimp you use in each taco, the easier they are to eat. However, I do know some people like loading on the shrimp, so it’s all about personal preference in how you like your bite to taste!

More Shrimp Recipes

• One Pan Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti
• Air Fryer Shrimp And Peppers
• Lemon Orzo Salad With Garlic Butter Shrimp
• Shrimp Pho Noodle Soup

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