With crispy breaded shrimp and a creamy, tangy sauce, this Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp recipe delivers restaurant flavor with ease–and without the excess grease!
A Copycat Recipe Made Lighter
If you have ever had Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp, you know what all the fuss is about. With crispy, juicy fried shrimp and a creamy dipping sauce that is slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and perfect craveable, it is easy to see why this is a popular menu item.
And with a few tips and handful of ingredients, we can make a copycat version of bang bang shrimp that is crispy, crunchy, and incredibly flavorful–with one key difference.
Instead of deep-frying the shrimp, I prefer to bake the seasoned breaded shrimp–just like I do for for my recipe for coconut shrimp. Not only does this significantly lighten-up the appetizer, but it makes the recipe so much easier to prepare at home. No hot oil or grease splatters to worry about! Just delicious, crispy bang bang shrimp.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
You will find the full list of ingredients, along with quantities in the recipe card. Below is a quick glance at what you need and tips to help you make the right selection.
- Shrimp: It is best to use extra-large peeled, deveined shrimp. As for the tails, the option is yours whether to leave them on or not. Removing the tails makes for easier eating, but leaving the tails on is more authentic to what you get at restaurants.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: For the lightest, crispiest breading.
- Egg Whites: Feel free to use 2 whole eggs or a bit of buttermilk in place of 3 egg whites. But I find that the egg whites help to the panko adhere to the shrimp and keeps the breading light and crispy.
- Bang Bang Sauce: A simple, yet outrageously flavorful sauce made with with mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha.
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- For the Bang Bang Sauce. You want to first prepare the bang bang sauce by mixing together the mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha in a small bowl. Once combined, cover and pop in the fridge to let the flavors marry together while the shrimp bakes.
- Prepare Breading Station. I use a three-step breading process to ensure the shrimp is well seasoned and the breadcrumbs adhere to the shrimp. It is best to use three shallow dishes. One for seasoned flour, one for egg whites mixed with Sriracha, and the final for panko breadcrumbs plus seasonings.
- Pat Shrimp Dry. Before breading the shrimp, pat it dry with a paper towel–this will help the breading adhere well to the shrimp.
- Bread Shrimp. Dip each shrimp in the flour mixture, followed by the egg mixture, and finally the breadcrumb mixture. Use your hands to gently pat the breadcrumbs to the shrimp to adhere and then place the breaded shrimp onto a greased baking dish.
- Bake. To ensure the breading gets golden and crispy, give the shrimp a quick spray with cooking oil before baking. After 10 minutes, flip and continue to bake until the shrimp is cooked through.
- Toss with Sauce. To give the crispy shrimp it’s signature bang bang flavor, you want to toss the baked shrimp with some of the prepared sauce. Just be sure to let the shrimp cool for a couple minutes so that the breading stays crispy.
- Serve. Serve immediately with additional sauce on the side.
Alternative cooking Method
Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
Instead of baking Bang Bang Shrimp, air fry it by breading the the shrimp as directed. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil and place the breaded shrimp in a single layer. Air fry at 360℉/185℃ for 5 minutes, remove the basket or tray, flip the shrimp and air fry another 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through and the breading is golden. Transfer the shrimp to a clean bowl, toss with the bang bang sauce, and serve immediately.
More Favorite Shrimp Recipes
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Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat the oven to 425℉/215℃. Generously coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
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Prepare the Bang Bang sauce by mixing ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, and 2 teaspoons Sriracha. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
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Set out three shallow dishes. In the first dish, whisk together ¼ cup of flour with ½ teaspoon each of smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt. In the second dish, whisk together the egg whites with Sriracha sauce. In the final dish, combine 1 cup of breadcrumbs with ½ teaspoon each of smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
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Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Dip the shrimp in the flour mixture, shake off excess, then into the egg mixture, shaking off excess, then in the panko mixture. Use your hands to gently pat the breadcrumbs to the shrimp to adhere. Shake off excess and place the breaded shrimp onto the baking dish in a single layer, being careful to not overcrowd the baking dish.
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Lightly spray the top of the breaded shrimp with the cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden. Remove the pan, flip the shrimp and continue baking for an additional 3-5 minutes, until the breading is golden and crisp outside and cooked through.
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Place the crispy baked shrimp onto a serving platter or in a large dish and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the Bang Bang. Gently toss to coat the shrimp with the sauce.
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Serve the shrimp immediately with additional sauce on the side.
Shrimp: Extra-large or jumbo shrimp is best. If you use smaller shrimp, the baking time will need to be reduced.
Eggs/Egg Whites: Feel free to replace the eggs with 1/2 cup of buttermilk or milk if desired. The buttermilk will help the breadcrumbs adhere to the shrimp in the same way eggs do.
Air Fryer Instructions: Instead of baking Bang Bang Shrimp, air fry it by breading the the shrimp as directed. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil and place the breaded shrimp in a single layer. Air fry at 360℉/185℃ for 5 minutes, remove the basket or tray, flip the shrimp and air fry another 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through and the breading is golden. Transfer the shrimp to a clean bowl, toss with the bang bang sauce, and serve immediately.
Storage: Because Bang Bang Shrimp is breaded and coated in sauce, it is best served immediately. Leftovers will become soggy and the dish will lose its crispy, saucy component it is known for.
Nutritional values are based on using ~3 tablespoons of dip per serving.
Calories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 6gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 768mgPotassium: 89mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 182IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
