Home » Seafood » Buffalo Shrimp Recipe

Buffalo Shrimp Recipe

This fiery Buffalo Shrimp Recipe will bring the heat to your dinner and appetizer menus. Cool down with a side of buttermilk ranch or blue cheese dip and enjoy a restaurant favorite at home.

Buffalo Shrimp Recipe

Easy Buffalo Shrimp Recipe

Do you ever feel like just snacking for your dinner? You know the days I’m talking about, those days you’re in the mood for finger foods instead of a full scale meal. Those are the kind of days I serve up Cajun seasoned wings, buffalo wings or dips like my chicken bacon ranch dip or three cheesesteak dip. It’s a fun way to bring variety to meal time and my boys go for it every single time. This buffalo shrimp is a family favorite, that’s packed with flavor and perfect for dipping, too. How to make spicy Buffalo Shrimp: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Make Coating – In a large plastic storage bag, toss together flour, cornstarch, salt, Creole or seafood seasoning, garlic, lemon pepper, onion powder and cumin. Seal bag and shake until seasonings are evenly distributed.
  • Shrimp – Add shrimp. Seal bag and toss until coated.
  • Refrigerate – Set bag, into fridge open for 30 minutes. Repeat sealing and shaking after 15 minutes of chill time.
  • Heat Oil – Heat oil to 350-360°F. Remove shrimp from fridge and seal bag and shake again to coat.
  • Cook – Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden. Have nearby a pan lined with paper towels. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on pan. Season with additional seafood or Creole seasoning immediately.
  • Make Sauce – Melt together hot sauce, butter, cayenne, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Keep warm.
  • Combine – After all shrimp is cooked, toss in sauce. Serve immediately with bleu cheese or ranch dip and celery on the side.
Step-by-step preparation images and ingredients for buffalo shrimp

How to Make the Best Buffalo Shrimp Recipe

The biggest mistake you can make when preparing shrimp is over-cooking it. Depending on the size, shrimp takes mere minutes to cook, and can be ready to eat in no time flat.

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Buffalo Shrimp: 2 pounds large-jumbo tail on raw shrimp, all purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, lemon pepper, seafood or Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, granulated garlic, onion powder and vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying.
  • To make the homemade Buffalo Sauce you’ll need: Hot sauce, butter, cayenne, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: Mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, a whisk to sift together the breading ingredients, a saucepan to make the buffalo sauce, a Dutch oven, deep pot or deep fryer, a thermometer and stainless steel spider or slotted spoon to remove the cooked shrimp from the oil.
  • It’s important that you stay engaged when cooking shrimp so you can adjust the cooking time based on the size of the shrimp you’re frying. I used jumbo shrimp for this recipe. You can adapt using whatever size you enjoy most.
  • This recipe can be easily halved, including the delicious homemade buffalo sauce.
  • The purpose of allowing the shrimp chill time after breading is so that, the breading will fully coat and adhere to each piece. I highly recommend using a large storage bag for easy clean-up.
  • You can serve this Buffalo Shrimp with a homemade ranch dip or blue cheese dip to cool down the heat.
  • You may also adapt the amount of cayenne in the recipe to suit your taste.
  • Buffalo Shrimp is best made and eaten. I don’t recommend reheating leftovers.
Buffalo Shrimp Recipe on a platter

More Southern Style Shrimp Recipes to Make

  • Skip the drive thru and enjoy this Shrimp Fried Rice at home.
  • If you’re a fan of Cajun food, checkout my recipe for spicy Shrimp Creole served over a big bowl of white rice.
  • Another simple dinner option is Shrimp Scampi that can be on the table in no time flat.
  • Chow down on a homemade Shrimp Po’boy for supper!
  • Shrimp Salad  makes for a satisfying warm weather meal served on a bed of lettuce or a Kaiser roll.
  • You may also enjoy this recipe for Shrimp Cocktail from Barefeet in the Kitchen for holiday small bites and casual soirees.
Single buffalo shrimp with dipping sauce

Thanks for visiting come back soon!

Disclosure ~ If  a purchase is made using one of the affiliate links on this website we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Helpful Kitchen Items:

Buffalo Shrimp Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, seafood
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: buffalo-shrimp-recipe, fried-shrimp, kickin-fried-shrimp
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 326kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp Creole or seafood seasoning
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne may adjust to taste
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 2 lb jumbo or large tail-on shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 quart vegetable or peanut oil for frying
  • Sauce:
  • 1 cup hot sauce i.e. Frank's
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • few dashes Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • In a large plastic storage bag, toss together flour, cornstarch, salt, Creole or seafood seasoning, garlic, lemon pepper, onion powder and cumin. Seal bag and shake until seasonings are evenly distributed.
  • Add shrimp. Seal bag and toss until coated. Set bag, into fridge open for 30 minutes. Repeat sealing and shaking after 15 minutes of chill time.
  • Heat oil to 350-360°F. Remove shrimp from fridge and seal bag and shake again to coat.
  • Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden. Have nearby a pan lined with paper towels. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on pan. Season with additional seafood or Creole seasoning immediately.
  • Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt together hot sauce, butter, cayenne, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Keep warm.
  • After all shrimp is cooked, toss in sauce. Serve immediately with bleu cheese or ranch dip and celery on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1185mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

2 Comments

    1. Buffalo chicken is classic. Changing the main ingredient will change the amount of cooking time of course, but the breading can be used for chicken, sure.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating