This deep-fried battered vegan fried shrimp recipe will blow your mind. If you miss the traditional American-style shrimp in a basket, this recipe is for you! Made from your choice of store-bought vegan shrimp or homemade vegan shrimp made from king mushrooms, battered in crispy bread crumbs and fried to perfection.
I've always been a seafood lover and it was one of the hardest things to give up when I went vegan. When I was a kid, I always ordered: "shrimp in a basket" at our local restaurant. When I started making homemade vegan shrimp, I knew that I had to try to recreate this dish for my kids too!
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🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Vegan Shrimp - you can use vegan shrimp that comes frozen from the store or you can make my homemade vegan shrimp from king oyster mushrooms. I find the Loving Hut brand vegan shrimp at my local Asian market or order them online from Vegan Essentials.
- Vegan Butter - to saute the shrimp before battering. You can use any brand of butter you want or my homemade vegan butter or simply use oil.
- Plant Milk - soy or oat work best because they are thicker.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - as an acid to thicken the milk. You can also use lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Flour - I use all-purpose white flour, but you can also use a grain-based gluten-free flour.
- Cornstarch - to make the breading extra crispy. You can use potato starch as well.
- Salt - for flavor
- Panko Breadcrumbs - for the crispy coating. This is a key ingredient in making it taste like the fried shrimp that you would get at a restaurant. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs to make the dish gluten-free.
- Cajun Seasoning - for added flavor and to add a little spice. I like Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, but you can also Old Bay seasoning.
🔪 Helpful tools
A deep fryer makes it super easy, but it's not necessary. You just need a pot deep enough to hold about an inch or 2 of oil.
🥄 Instructions
Prepare the shrimp
- Saute your vegan shrimp of choice in a little vegan butter (You can use store-bought or my vegan shrimp made from king mushrooms.)
Prepare the batter
- Line up 3 bowls.
- In the first bowl put 1/2 cup plant-based milk and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and stir. (After a few minutes your milk will become curdled and thick.)
- In the second bowl mix 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then stir.
- In the third bowl, mix panko bread crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning mix like Tony Chachere's creole seasoning (or Old Bay seasoning.)
Fry the "shrimp"
- Heat about 2 inches of cooking oil in a pot to 370° F (or use a deep fryer and set the temperature to 370° F).
- Dip your sauteed "shrimp" in the thickened milk and coat it well. Then coat it in the flour mixture.
- Dip the flour-coated "shrimp back into the milk quickly, then coat it in the breadcrumbs.
- When you have 5-6 shrimp prepared, add them to the oil by carefully dropping them in.
- Allow them to cook for about 2-3 minutes until they become golden brown. You may want to use tongs to flip them if they are floating on one side.
- Remove from oil (with tongs or a skimmer basket) and serve hot with a dipping sauce.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- When you dip the shrimp in the milk the 2nd time, just get it wet for a second. Don't let it sit in the milk or the flour coating will come off.
- Making sure your oil is at 370° F before adding the breaded shrimp will make it crispy. If you cook it at a lower temperature, it will soak up oil and can be soggy. This is why I deep-fry them and not pan-fry them.
- If you don't have a deep fryer or thermometer, test a shrimp first to see if your oil is hot enough. It should sizzle and bubble rapidly and become golden brown after about 2-3 minutes.
📝 A note about deep frying
Just because you are frying the shrimp in a lot of oil doesn't mean that you are consuming that much oil. The process of deep-frying actually cooks the food with less oil being absorbed than if you were to pan-fry it. Cooking food in hot oil above 325° F makes food crispy without absorbing as much oil as if you had pan-fried it. That is why I also frequently make deep-fried oyster mushrooms, deep-fried tofu, and deep-fried cauliflower. You can read more about deep frying in this article by Jessica Gavin.
🥡 Storage and reheating
These are best served hot and fresh. I recommend only making as much as you can eat in 1 sitting. If you have extras, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, but they will not be as crisp and fresh.
✨ Dipping sauces
I like to dip these shrimp in cocktail sauce. To make your own cocktail sauce, mix together 1/4 cup of ketchup with 2 tablespoons of ground horseradish and stir well. Check out my other popular dipping sauces below.
🌟 More vegan seafood recipes
I was a seafood lover before I went vegan and it was one of the hardest things to give up. I've created lots of mock seafood recipes that satisfy my cravings - see all of my vegan seafood recipes.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Vegan Fried Shrimp
Equipment
- Deep fryer or pot that will hold about 2 inches of oil.
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegan shrimp
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1/2 cup plant-based milk (soy or oat work best)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoons Tony Chacheres or Cajun or Old Bay seasoning
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
PREPARE THE SHRIMP
- Saute vegan shrimp of choice in a little vegan butter (You can use store-bought or my vegan shrimp made from king mushrooms.)
PREPARE THE BATTER
- Line up 3 bowls.
- In the first bowl put 1/2 cup plant-based milk and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and stir. (After a few minutes your milk will become curdled and thick.)
- In the second bowl mix 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons of corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir.
- In the third bowl, mix panko bread crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning mix like Tony Chachere's creole seasoning (or Old Bay seasoning.)
FRY THE "SHRIMP"
- Heat about 2 inches of cooking oil in a pot to 370° F (or use a deep fryer and set the tempature to 370° F).
- Dip your sauteed "shrimp" in the thickened milk and coat it well. Then coat it in the flour mixture.
- Dip the flour-coated "shrimp back into the milk quickly, then coat it in the breadcrumbs.
- When you have 5-6 shrimp prepared, add them to the oil by carefully dropping them in.
- Allow them to cook for about 2-3 minutes until they become golden brown. You may want to use tongs to flip them if they are floating on one side.
- Remove from oil (with tongs or a skimmer basket) and serve hot with a dipping sauce.
Notes
- When you dip the shrimp in the milk the 2nd time, just get it wet for a second. Don't let it sit in the milk or the flour coating will come off.
- Making sure your oil is at 370° F before adding the breaded shrimp will make it crispy. If you cook it at a lower temperature, it will soak up oil and can be soggy. This is why I deep fry them and not pan fry them.
- If you don't have a deep fryer or thermometer, test a shrimp first to see if your oil is hot enough. It should sizzle and bubble rapidly and become golden brown after about 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
This was delicious! I'm not vegan, so I used actual shrimp, lactose free milk and lime instead of apple cider vinegar. Gluten free panko, and I was out of cornstarch so I just left it out. They came out delicious, and it was easy to make. Good tip on the second mill bath being only a brief dip. Hope to make again!
Great recipe!
Thanks so much, Mili! Glad that you liked it! 🙂
This tasted just like the shrimp in a basket that I remember from when I used to eat shrimp. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
You're welcome! I'm so happy that you liked the recipe, Grace.