This Grilled Shrimp Recipe is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare shrimp! Made with a sweet and slightly spicy marinade and grilled to perfection, these Grilled Shrimp Skewers are infused with flavor and coated in a rich glaze that is mouthwatering delicious.
Looking for more easy shrimp recipes? Don't miss shrimp stir-fry, air fryer shrimp, and shrimp tacos.
The Best Grilled Shrimp Recipe
There are good grilled shrimp recipe and great grilled shrimp recipes. But this recipe for Grilled Shrimp Skewers stands out among them all. And it all comes down to flavor. Finger-licking good flavor!
Using a combination of sweet honey, tangy lemon juice, and flavorful garlic, the simple marinade quickly infuses flavor into the shrimp. But this recipe doesn't stop there! As the shrimp skewers grill, reserved marinade is brushed onto the skewers, creating a slightly caramelized glaze on the shrimp that makes this recipe divine.
Whether enjoyed as an appetizer, or paired with Grilled Vegetable Kabobs or Succotash, you can't go wrong with these Grilled Shrimp Skewers! Especially considering you can whip them up in under 30 minutes. And yes, that is including the time it takes to marinate the shrimp.
How to Make Grilled Shrimp Skewers
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare Shrimp Marinade
The marinade for these shrimp skewers is made with garlic, honey, lemon juice salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper. It is very similar to the recipe I use for Honey Garlic Salmon and Honey Garlic Pork Chops, and adds a slightly sweet, slightly spicy, slightly acidic flavor to the shrimp in a short period of time.
Use Large Shrimp
It is best to add peeled and deveined large or jumbo shrimp to the marinade, rather than smaller sized shrimp. The larger size shrimp still cook insanely fast, but are much easier to skewer than smaller-sized shrimp and less prone to burning. Having the peels removed also helps the marinade to really infuse the shrimp with flavor AND makes the grilled shrimp skewers easier to eat.
Marinate Shrimp
Let the shrimp marinate for 15-30 minutes. And don't let the shrimp marinate longer than 60 minutes or the lemon juice will begin to cook the shrimp.
Soak Wooden Skewers
If you are using wooden skewers, not metal skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes, while the shrimp is marinating. This will prevent them from burning while the shrimp skewers grill.
Skewer Shrimp
Thread the shrimp onto skewers before grilling which will make flipping the shrimp easier and prevent the shrimp from falling through the grill grates.
Grill Shrimp Skewers over Direct Heat
Grill the shrimp skewers until they are pink and opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side, brushing them with the reserved marinade before and after flipping the skewers. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp or else it will become tough.
How to Defrost Frozen Shrimp
If using frozen shrimp for this recipe, your shrimp will need to be fully thawed before adding to the marinade. To thaw shrimp, you have two options.
- Traditional Method: Place a bag of frozen shrimp in a large bowl to catch any potential leaks, and place it in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- Fast Method: For faster thawing, take the shrimp out of its package and place them into a sealed storage bag. Submerge the bag of shrimp in a large bowl of cold water and let sit at room temperature for no longer than 15-20 minutes, allowing the shrimp to thaw.
Storing Leftover Shrimp
- Storage: Grilled shrimp is best enjoyed the day it is prepared. However, if you have leftovers, allow the shrimp to cool, and store the cooled shrimp in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
- Leftovers: Enjoy the leftover shrimp cold on a salad or in a wrap, or heat to enjoy in shrimp tacos or over creamy grits.
- Reheat: To reheat the leftover grilled shrimp, lightly heat them in a dry skillet over medium heat until just warm. Do NOT microwave, as that will cause the shrimp to become rubbery.
More Favorite Grilled Entrees
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Burgers
- Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Burger
- Greek Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breasts
This grilled shrimp makes one of the fastest, most flavorful meals! I truly hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before placing shrimp on the skewers. This will prevent the skewers from catching fire on the grill.
- In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, honey, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Reserve ¼ cup marinade for brushing onto shrimp while grilling.
- Add the shrimp to the remaining marinade and gently toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes up to 1 hour. Do not allow the shrimp to sit in the marinade for longer than 60 minutes or the acid will begin to cook the shrimp.
- When ready to grill the shrimp skewers, preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
- While the grill is preheating, remove the shrimp from the marinade and thread on skewers.
- Grill shrimp until pink and opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side, brushing with reserved ¼ cup marinade before and after flipping the skewers. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Sheila G
My family loved this!! Delicious and so easy to make!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Sheila!
Kristyn
So much flavor & easy to make! My whole family enjoyed them! Most of my kids have learned to love shrimp, so now they want it all the time!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that your family enjoyed Kristyn! Thank you for sharing!
Cheryl
Third time making this tonight! A great combination of sweet and spicy! A definite keeper!
Kristen Chidsey
Wahoo! Love hearing you enjoy so much!
Jennifer
Came out so yummy!! Loved it!
Vivian
Grilled Argentina red shrimp using this recipe. Delicious!! Definite keeper. Thank you.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Vivian!
David
Excellent. This is a winner, I’ll be making this again and again.
Kristen Chidsey
That is what I love to hear! Thanks for sharing David!
Chelsea
I don’t have honey, is there anything I can use in place of it?
Kristen Chidsey
You can use maple or agave syrup or even brown sugar. Enjoy!
Jess
Omg...thank u for this recipe! So easy and so unbelievably yummy!! It’s nice to have an easy dinner that tastes like I’ve slaved away. Total crowd pleaser!!
Beth
I live in AZ so we do a lot of grilling almost year round! I love how quick, easy and tasty this recipe is and I know I will enjoy it year round too!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed so much Beth!
Jean
Made this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! We will definitely be having this again soon.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Jean! So glad you enjoyed!
Marilyn
Amazing with shrimp. Would this work with salmon?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Marilyn! This glaze is delicious on Salmon. I typically bake it, but if you can grill as well. Here is my favorite Baked Salmon recipe.
Alli
Made this last night and it was a hit! My kids usually don’t like shrimp. I keep trying new recipes in hopes to find one they like. This is the ONLY time they said they liked it and ate it all!! It’s a winner 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
WAHOO!!! Love love hearing how much your kids enjoyed! Thanks for sharing Alli!
Stephanie
So stink'n good! I loved the hint of sweetness from the honey.
Kristen Chidsey
The honey really does add a great dimension. So glad you enjoyed.
Melissa
Yum - great recipe we'll have it make this again soon!
Erin
A delicious recipe! We loved the sweet and spicy flavor of the shrimp!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad you enjoyed this Erin!
ellen
I am really enjoying your recipes. This one "Grilled Shrimp" is on the menu for this weekend.
I appreciate all the work you must do to keep in-form our cooking skills. 😻😉🐞👫
eHw
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you so much Ellen! Enjoy the shrimp and your weekend.