One-pan coconut shrimp curry made with a creamy and aromatic coconut curry sauce made from scratch. This delicious dinner is so easy and ready in no time! Serve over steamy rice, homemade naan bread, and wedges of fresh lime.
This recipe is one of the easiest dinners that you can make at home in under 30 minutes! Forget take-outs, ditch jarred sauces, and make this simple curry instead. This is a very easy and tasty curry sauce that has the right balance of flavors and spices.
What is Curry?
Curry originally comes from India but can be found in other cuisines as well such as Thai, Filipino, Sri Lankan, Bengali, and the Caribbean. A curry sauce is made with a combination of spices, with the main spice being turmeric which is used to give color to the curry and to flavor it.
The most common type of curries that you’ll find served in the West is a mild tomato-based curry often mixed with coconut milk. Here are a few good examples: Indian Rajma kidney bean curry, Indian butter chicken, sweet potato curry, eggplant and chickpea curry, vegan coconut curry, and coconut chicken curry.
Tip!
When cooking a tomato-based dish, avoid using a cast iron pan. Instead, use a stainless steel skillet.
The Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make coconut shrimp curry:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Shrimp – use thawed jumbo raw shrimp that is deveined and peeled. You can leave the tail on just for aesthetics, or remove it for easy eating. I used 31-35 shrimp count (7-8 shrimps per portion).
- Coconut milk – I recommend using full fat and creamy coconut milk for a rich and flavorful curry sauce.
- Tomato sauce – I like to use tomato sauce or passata for a smoother sauce, but it can be substituted with a can of diced/crushed tomatoes. If the tomatoes are acidic, add some type of sweetener (I used brown sugar in this recipe).
- Coconut oil – can be substituted with any neutral-tasting oil but coconut oil works best here.
- Aromatics – white or yellow onion, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger.
- Spices – ground turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili powder. For more of an Indian flavor, add half a teaspoon of garam masala that you can either make yourself or buy online.
- Cilantro and lime to finish off the curry.
How to Make Shrimp Curry
- Saute the aromatics and spices: Heat the coconut oil, saute the onion, garlic, and ginger then add the spices and cook for 30 seconds.
- Form the sauce base: To the aromatics and spices, add the tomato sauce followed by the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for a couple of minutes until you get a smooth homogenous sauce. Add sugar if using, and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the shrimp: Drop the shrimp in the curry sauce, and cook for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat as soon as the shrimp is no longer opaque but not overcooked.
- Finish off the curry! Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
What Else Can I Add To My Shrimp Curry?
Feel free to add some vegetables such as peas, sliced bell peppers, cauliflower florets, chickpeas, zucchini, or potato.
You can also change it up and swap the shrimp for chicken or fish.
What to Serve With
Serve with any type of rice. I like to serve coconut shrimp curry with fluffy basmati rice (make it in the Instant Pot) or jasmine rice, but Brown Rice works very well here too. If feeling adventurous, try it with Coconut Rice or Jeera Cumin Rice.
With homemade naan, I have a great Naan eecipe that you can try.
Over mashed potatoes, unusual but tastes great! Make Mashed Potatoes in in the Crockpot, or try my Boursin Mashed Potatoes.
With a Simple Side Salad, or French fries.
Storing Tips
- Fridge: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until just warmed through, stir well before serving.
- Freezer: To freeze, make sure that the curry has cooled down completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Thaw and reheat: Thaw the curry in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the microwave until just warmed through. Stir well before serving.
More Delicious Shrimp Recipes
Let me know in the comments if you’ve made this recipe. What did you think? Don’t forget to share it with others so they can have a delicious shrimp curry too!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Coconut Shrimp Curry
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ yellow onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic grated
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon garam masala optional, Note 2
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 cup tomato sauce or plain passata
- 1 cup coconut milk fresh or canned
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound (450 g) shrimp peeled and deveined, I used 31-35 count
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
For serving
- A few mint leaves and cilantro leaves for garnish
- Lime wedges for garnish
- Cooked rice
- Naan bread
Instructions
- In a stainless steel skillet (see Note 1), heat the coconut oil, saute the onion, and ginger until soft and the onion is translucent (2 minutes). Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the spices, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato sauce followed by the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer then cook for a couple of minutes until you get a smooth homogenous sauce.
- To the sauce, add the brown sugar and season with salt and pepper.
- Drop the shrimp in the curry sauce, and cook for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat as soon as the shrimp is no longer opaque (be careful not to overcook it). Shrimp is easy to overcook so keep an eye on it before it curls too much.
- Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Serve over warm white rice and naan bread.
Notes:
- When cooking a tomato-based dish, avoid using a cast iron pan. Instead, use a stainless steel skillet.
- For more Indian flavor, add half a teaspoon of garam masala.
- Feel free to add some vegetables such as peas, sliced bell peppers, cauliflower florets, chickpeas, zucchini, or potato. You can also change it up and swap the shrimp for chicken or fish.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave until just warmed through, stir well before serving.
- Nutrition: a rough estimate per serving without rice.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Gill Thomson says
the coconut prawn curry was absolutely lovely. We both had empty plates, I halved the recipe.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Empty plates are always a good sign!
Junika says
This was simple and delicious! Do not leave out the lime juice. We doubled the lime juice!