Name: Spicy Baked Coconut Shrimp with Maple-Mustard Dipping Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Jumbo Shrimp (Peeled and Deveined, 454g); ½ cup Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened 40g); 3 Tbsp Coconut Flour (about 21g); ¾ tsp Cayenne Pepper; ¼ tsp Salt; 2 Eggs; Cooking spray/oil (for greasing); ¼ cup Greek Yogurt (about 50g, Coconut for Paleo); 2 Tbsp Mustard (30g Recommendation: Spicy Brown); 4 tsp Maple Syrup (Stevia sweetened recommended)

Hot and Spicy Baked Coconut Shrimp paired with a sweet Maple-Mustard Dipping Sauce. A Paleo and Keto friendly appetizer that’s just as crispy and crunchy as the deep fried version, but actually healthy!

Jump to Recipe

Fun fact: I bought the bag of shrimp I used for the recipe 9 months ago. Yes, that long!

I was starting to have a shrimp phase back then, but this one night I used way too much ginger in the recipe and ended up just cringing at the thought of shrimp in general.

And then I kept getting hooked on one thing after the other and that bag remained in the freezer.

But now I just moved to a new apartment so I wanted to finish off as much of my frozen food as I could before this happened, and the phase (forcefully at first) came back. And that too with quite a bang!

Bake or air fry these easy coconut crusted shrimp for a healthy appetizer, and then dip them in a sweet maple mustard sauce that pairs perfectly with the hot and spicy seafood.

Ingredients for this Spicy Paleo-friendly Coconut Shrimp

A clean and good list of ingredients make these baked coconut shrimp super diet friendly – Paleo, Keto, Low Carb, Whole30, Gluten-free!

Shrimp: Use the peeled and deveined ones so that you don’t need to do any pre-cleaning. Most stores have these available fresh or frozen.
I like to leave the tail on since it makes the process easier – you can see why below.
Unsweetened Shredded Coconut – Be sure there isn’t any sugar added, or the prawns will have a really odd taste.
Coconut Flour – This gives the shrimp an extra nutty flavor. It replaces the typical all-purpose flour or cornstarch in regular versions, making his recipe not only Paleo and Keto, but Gluten-free as well!
Cayenne Pepper – I use a fair bit in here to give them a slightly spicy taste, but feel free to tone it down or even use some other spice like paprika or dried oregano.
Salt – I would actually say this is optional since the seafood in itself has some natural saltiness.
Eggs – The glue!
Cooking spray/oil (for greasing)

An easy paleo, keto, low carb whole30 and gluten free baked shrimp coated with coconut flour, shredded coconut and cayenne pepper for a crunchy and crispy dish without a deep fryer!

How to bake these healthy Paleo shrimp

A super easy process for making these coconut flavored baked shrimp:

Toast the shredded coconut for about 2 minutes at 350°F – this adds in a slight bit of extra crunchiness and prevents it from getting soggy while dredging.
Rinse and pat dry the shrimp – you want the shrimp dry so the breading can stick on.
Prep 3 shallow bowls to coat the shrimp: coconut flour + cayenne pepper + salt, whisked eggs, toasted shredded coconut.
Take a shrimp at a time holding it by the tail (that’s why I leave it on), and dredge it in the following order: seasoned coconut flour, egg, shredded coconut.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and bake at 400°F.
I did 20 minutes since my shrimp were jumbo, but you would need less or more time depending on the size of yours.

You can also use an air fryer here – cook them for about 15-18 minutes at about 375°F.

Tips for Crispy Crunchy Baked Shrimp

Toast the shredded coconut first.
Make sure you coat the shrimp completely when dredging.
Spray coconut coated shrimp with cooking oil spray on the baking sheet before you put it in the oven. This is key.

Meal prep these freezer-friendly coconut breaded shrimp and freeze them with “breading” or after baking them in the oven or cooking in an air fryer, like a healthy shrimp tempura!

A Sugar-free Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce

This is a simple dipping sauce that needs just 3 ingredients: Yogurt, Mustard and Maple Syrup.

To keep it paleo, be sure to use a coconut yogurt.

And for a sugar-free sauce, use stevia sweetened maple syrup like this one from Lakanto.

An alternative would be to make the sauce with honey – it would go really well with the spicy shrimp, but won’t be sugar free and as low in calories.

How to store this keto coconut baked shrimp?

This shrimp has a crispy and crunchy coconut coating when just baked, so it’s best had fresh.

But if you have extras, they’ll keep in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

For a freezer-friendly alternative, let each piece freeze individually on a baking sheet and then place them in a freezer-safe zipper bag.

With both options, reheat them in the oven until heated through.

Keep the maple mustard sauce in a separate container or the spiciness of the baked coconut shrimp will be toned town a lot. The shrimp will also turn soggy.a

What about making it ahead of time and then baking?

To meal prep, first dredge and coat the shrimp in the seasoned coconut “breading”.

Then like the cooked version, freeze each breaded shrimp individually on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer-safe zipper bag.

You don’t need to thaw them, but add an extra 5 minutes when baking

Some ways to serve Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp

I loved them just plain – these shrimp were just slightly spicy and sweet from the coconut and might not even have needed the maple mustard sauce.

But outside of that dip, here’s some other good pairings:

Crispy Smoky Sweet Potato Fries
Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower
Or Cheesy Polenta (Not paleo or Keto though)
Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli
A classic Salad