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These grilled shrimp tacos are a perfect dinner party recipe or healthy weeknight meal, featuring spiced shrimp, Mexican slaw, and a spicy mayo drizzle.
Ready for my new favorite shrimp recipe? Grilled shrimp tacos with slaw! Oh YES. Imagine: smoky shrimp spiced with cumin and chili powder, served atop a crunchy Mexican slaw and drizzled with spicy mayo. Top with a spritz of lime juice and torn fresh cilantro, they’re pretty heavenly.
They’ve got a festive vibe that works for entertaining, but they’re just as good for an easy dinner in. I made them for a dinner party, and with a frozen daiquiri in hand, life felt pretty great.
Don’t want to grill? Go to Easy Shrimp Tacos.
How to make grilled shrimp tacos (basic steps!)
The grilled shrimp is quick to cook: the longest lead time in this taco recipe is thawing the shrimp and preheating the grill. Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipe):
- If you’re using frozen shrimp, thaw it.
- Preheat the grill to medium high direct heat (375 to 400 degrees).
- While you’re waiting, make the toppings (Mexican slaw and spicy mayo).
- Mix the shrimp with olive oil and seasonings (cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder). Toss them on the grill and grill 1 to 2 minutes per side, until bright pink and cooked through.
- Serve in a tortilla with the coleslaw, spicy mayo, cilantro, and lime juice.
Make the Mexican slaw, or here’s a shortcut!
The other main part of this grilled shrimp recipe is making the Mexican coleslaw! It takes some time to chop up the veggies and mix them with olive oil, vinegar, and spices. You can do this while the grill preheats.
But if you’re in a time crunch, here’s a shortcut! Simply shred the cabbage, then squeeze it with lime juice from a few wedges and a pinch of kosher salt. It’s a shortcut I use repeatedly, and it tastes almost as good!
Spicy mayo: the icing on the cake!
The final component to these grilled shrimp tacos: spicy mayo! It’s an easy version of a taco sauce. All you do is mix mayonnaise and Mexican hot sauce together (use Cholula brand if you can find it). You don’t even really need to measure: just use the amounts to taste.
The approximate ratio I like to use is 1 tablespoon mayonnaise plus 1 teaspoon Cholula hot sauce.
What to serve with these tacos
I served this healthy grilled shrimp tacos recipe at an outdoor dinner party, and it was a hit! Looking for some ideas on how to serve your tacos? Here’s what my dinner party menu looked like:
- Grilled Shrimp Tacos
- Refried Bean Dip or 5 Minute Bean Dip with tortilla chips
- Mexican Coleslaw (left over from the tacos!)
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
- Lime Frozen Daiquiris (or try Frozen Margaritas or any of my Best Margarita Recipes)
- Chopped Pineapple, for dessert
It was the tastiest lineup, and my 2-year-old gobbled it all up! He especially loved dipping chips in the bean dip (of course!).
How to thaw frozen shrimp
Wondering whether to get frozen or raw shrimp for grilled shrimp tacos? A myth about fish is that “fresh is best” — but frozen works, too! It can be fresher than raw shrimp if it’s frozen right away. What’s the best way to thaw shrimp? Here are a few options:
- Thaw by placing in the refrigerator overnight. Make sure to plan ahead if you choose this option.
- Thaw under running cold water the day of. Place the frozen shrimp into a large bowl with very cold water. Stir the bowl every 5 minutes to break up frozen shrimp clumps. The shrimp should be defrosted in about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp.
How to keep tortillas warm?
Finally, let’s talk tortillas! A warm tortilla is key to a good taco. Usually, I warm the tortillas over a gas flame on the stovetop (see How to Warm Tortillas). But for this recipe, since you already have the grill fired up, you can heat your tortillas right on the grill! It also gives them a bit of a charred flavor.
But how do you keep them warm once you take them off the grill? Try a tortilla warmer! I don’t buy many gadgets that have only one purpose. But I haven’t found a better way to keep my tortillas warm! It’s basically an insulated pouch that traps in the heat and keeps them warm and soft. At the rate that tacos are served in my house, it’s been a godsend.
Get it here: Tortilla warmer $14
This grilled shrimp tacos recipe is…
Dairy-free, gluten-free, and pescatarian.
Grilled Shrimp Tacos
These grilled shrimp tacos are a perfect dinner party recipe or healthy weeknight meal, featuring spiced shrimp, Mexican slaw and a spicy mayo drizzle.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings (8 tacos) 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (we used 26–30 per pound size)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups Mexican Coleslaw (¼ recipe; or 2 cups shredded red cabbage)
- 8 tortillas
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoons Mexican hot sauce (such as Cholula)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 2 limes, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium-high direct heat (375 to 400 degrees).
- Thaw the shrimp and peel it (if it’s in the shell). In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and kosher salt.
- Make the Mexican Coleslaw (or shred the cabbage and sprinkle with lime juice and a bit of kosher salt).
- Mix together the mayonnaise and Mexican hot sauce.
- Warm tortillas on grill for 10 seconds per side. Then grill the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until bright pink and cooked through.
- To serve, place the coleslaw into a tortilla and top with grilled shrimp. Drizzle with the spicy mayo and top with torn cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Looking for more taco recipes?
That’s it — how to make grilled shrimp tacos with slaw! Let me know if you make them in the comments below. If you’re looking for other taco recipe ideas, here are some of my favorites:
- Crispy Cauliflower Tacos
- Easy Black Bean Tacos
- Quick Refried Bean Tacos
- Easy Tofu Tacos with tofu crumbles
- Epic Fish Tacos
- Best Jackfruit Tacos
- 5 Minute Egg Tacos
- Loaded Quinoa Tacos
- “Verde” Lentil Vegan Tacos
- Spiced Chickpea Tacos
- Refried Bean Tacos
- BBQ Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
- Huevos Rancheros Tacos
- Vegetarian Lentil Tacos
Last updated: July 2025
These were delicious!
I made the shrimp and your Mexican slaw and they were so fresh and flavorful and yummy! We really enjoyed them and I plan to make them again!
Thank you for making it!
This was delish! ThNk you!