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This Keto Bang Bang Shrimp recipe takes just 30 minutes to make. It is a low carb remake of a popular dish from BoneFish Grill that includes Bang Bang Sauce and breaded shrimp.
I keep this dish low carb, grain-free, and refined sugar-free by using a coconut flour breading and a no sugar added, keto-friendly, sweet chili sauce.
So you probably read the title of this recipe and wondered, how in the world do you make Bang Bang Shrimp in a way that’s low-carb, grain-free, nut-free, and without adding sugar?
Bang Bang sauce is super sweet and the shrimp in this dish is almost always covered in flour!
My answer is that you make it very creatively. For this dish, I started with traditional recipes then tweaked and substituted ingredients until it tasted better than what I was used to eating.
I love having this as an appetizer during a game day or as a main dish!
What is Low Carb or Keto Bang Bang Shrimp?
Bang Bang Shrimp (also made at times with chicken) is a restaurant favorite from Bonefish Grill.
It includes breaded protein (I’m using shrimp) and a sweet and spicy sauce.
Keto Bang Bang Shrimp is all about the sauce!
Bang Bang sauce is super easy to make. You just mix mayo, sriracha, lime juice and Sweet Thai Chili sauce in a bowl.
Doesn’t Sweet Thai Chili sauce have sugar?
Yes, but not this one!
Yes! Sweet Thai Chili sauce, one of the main ingredients in Bang Bang Shrimp has sugar in it.
Even though some brands have about 1g per serving, this is definitely not the norm.
Plus, if you’re like me, then you eat this dish with a lot of sauce so it was important for me to remake this sauce in order to enjoy it the way that I like it.
This dish incorporates my recipe for Easy Keto-friendly, Low-Carb Sweet Chili Sauce. Besides being super easy to make, the end result is better than store-bought and it doesn’t have added sugar.
What can I do if I don’t want to make a Low Carb Sweet Thai Chili Sauce?
If you don’t want to make your own Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, then you can buy one at the store. They are usually located in the international food aisle.
You can substitute this in the recipe for my keto and low carb version. Buying the sauce from the store will change the macros, but the overall recipe will still be a much better option.
This Low Carb Bang Bang Shrimp includes Moon Cheese Pepper Jack.
I added Pepperjack Moon Cheese to this recipe for an extra flavor crunch. If you do not have Moon Cheese, then some substitutes might be ground pork rinds or grated parmesan cheese.
Another option would be to simply omit it and just have a coconut flour breading.
Which fat do you use to fry the shrimp?
Shrimp cooks very easily without a lot of oil. In this Low Carb Bang Bang Shrimp recipe, I’m using olive oil.
You need to fill the pan so that slightly more than half of the shrimp is covered.
I’ve also had success with coconut oil but chose not to use it because I ended up needing way too much to get the shrimp brown on all sides.
Do I have to fry the shrimp?
I love the texture of the “breaded” shrimp. However, it’s quite possible to use this sauce on cooked shrimp. This means cooking your shrimp as you would then tossing them in Bang Bang Sauce.
Can you air fry the shrimp?
Yes! I love a good air fryer recipe and have several on the blog. If you want to air fry these shrimp, then you can prepare them like I did in my Air Fryer Shrimp recipe and top it with the sauce!
Air Fryer Shrimp
Get this recipe
More shrimp recipes:
If you’re a fan of using shrimp, then you’re in luck. I share keto shrimp recipes regularly! Some of my favorites are Keto Orange Shrimp, Easy Garlic Shrimp Scampi, and easy Cast Iron Whole30 Shrimp (which I enjoy with my blend Chimichurri Sauce recipe).
Ingredients
Grain-free Breaded Shrimp
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup Coconut Flour
- 1/4 cup Moon Cheese Pepperjack
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 large egg beaten
- Oil for Frying
No-sugar Added Bang Bang Sauce
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp Easy Keto Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1/4 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp Fresh Chives optional for garnish
Instructions
- Add baking powder, coconut flour, Moon Cheese, salt, and black pepper to a food processor
- Blend until the Moon Cheese becomes more like a flour/meal (there will be a few larger bits and that's ok. Transfer to a shallow bowl so that you can bread the shrimp
- Dip each shrimp into the beaten egg then coat it with the breading mixture. Place the coated shrimp on a plate until all are coated
- Heat your oil to 350 degrees in a frying pan
- Fry the shrimp for approximately 1 minute per side then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate for draining
- Add ingredients for the No Sugar Added Bang Bang Sauce to a bowl. Mix with a fork.
- Place the breaded shrimp on a serving dish and top with the Bang Bang Sauce drizzle as well as the fresh chives.
Bryan says
This looks delicious AND it’s low carb? I’m definitely going to figure out how to add this to my meal prep haha great recipe! Thank yo
drdavinahseats says
Thanks a lot, Bryan! I’m amazed by how many keto & low carb options there are! 🙂
Michelle says
This looks amazing! I just have almond flour on hand though. Do you think I could substitute that for the coconut flour with minimal changes?
drdavinahseats says
Thank you!! I haven’t tried it with almond flour but I don’t see why not! I’m only using coconut flour as a coating!
Thanks for asking!
shelly moore says
What kind of oil do you use for frying??
drdavinahseats says
Hi! There’s actually a section in the post that addresses this. I’m using Olive Oil. But some other suggestions are above. Thanks!
Suzette says
I made this three nights ago. I doubled the recipe, fried the shrimp in avocado oil, and served it over cauliflower rice. It was THE BOMB!! After 4 of us finished eating, there was just enough leftover for me to take it for lunch the next day. I will definitely make it again!
Megan says
This sauce was absolutely fantastic! I used chicken instead of shrimp and still had excellent results.
Davinah says
Thanks so much, Megan for taking the time to share that! I can’t wait to enjoy this dish again! ?
Rosi says
So good! I didnt have the moon cheese so I tried to make my own cheddar crisps and crumbled some of that with the coconut flour and almond flour. I also added some ground pork rinds in the mix. I also added some freshly grated ginger root to the bang bang sauce! This was one of the best things I’ve made in a long time!!
Davinah says
Yay! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this! 🙂
Candice says
Can these be made in an air fryer?
Davinah says
Yes! I haven’t tried this though so I’m not sure for how long. I’d recommend using the seafood setting/temp & checking at 5 minutes then at 2 minute intervals until they are done!
Nikki says
My niece is home from college for spring break and has requested bang bang chicken.. her mom and I are keto/gluten free. I’ll be making this in addition to regular bang bang chicken. So excited to give it a shot! Thanks for the substitution suggestions if You don’t have moon cheese.
Davinah says
Yay! I’m sooooo excited that you’re going to try this! It’s one of my favorites! I’m also slightly jealous because I could go for this right now! Enjoy your time with your niece! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Kem says
Was very good! Made my sauce a little spicier and used pork rinds instead of moon cheese only because I didnt have! Excited to try more fabulous recipes!!
Davinah says
Hi Kem!
So happy you enjoyed the dish & used one of the substitutes for the breading! My family loves spicy food so glad you decided to amp things up!
Best,
Davinah
Sjay says
How many pieces would you say per serving if I used jumbo shrimp? 🙂
Davinah says
Hi Sjay – this really depends on what you mean by jumbo shrimp. The recipe has 4 servings. So, if you have 16/20, then a serving is about 4-5 jumbo shrimp.
Thanks,
Davinah
Norma says
Wow! Just made this today and it was delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Totally recommend it!!!
Davinah says
Norma,
I’m so happy that you enjoyed this and returned to write this comment! Appreciate the feedback.
Best,
Davinah
Keaton says
Are you using fresh or frozen shrimp?
Davinah says
Hi Keaton,
It depends on what I have at home. But, if I’m using frozen, I always thaw them out before cooking them.
Thanks,
Davinah
luda says
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Davinah says
Thank you! This is one of my favorites!
Malik says
I was honestly surprised at who great this was. I’m a pescatarian and am loosely following low carb/paleo so finding great recipes can’t be very difficult at times. The Bang Bang sauce reminded me of one of my favorite restaurants and was spectacular. The sweet chili sauce needed only a few minutes and came out to a great consistency. The only downer on that was having to by the Xanthin powder as it was a little expensive but that has nothing to do with the recipe. I tried the air fryer version and both me and was really surprised with how great everything came out. I put mine (the second batch because we couldn’t finish the first batch fast enough!) on a bed of spinach and had a beautiful salad. Hoping that you will continue to make these awesome recipes! I know I’l be watching!
Davinah says
Hi Malik!
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write such a detailed and thoughtful review. So happy that you enjoyed this! I loveeee using the Bang Bang sauce as a topping for salads, crab cakes, and as a dip for things like chicken fingers! Hope you get to make more recipes from my site soon!
Best,
Davinah
Amy says
Ok….these are delicious!!!! Superb sauce! Here’s my issue (and it’s definitely mine!)…my shrimp didn’t come out nearly as perfectly golden as yours. Heat too low? Too much oil? Didn’t cook long enough? I’m definitely a novice at frying! Please help…cannot wait to make these again!
Davinah says
Hi Amy!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed this! Typically, hot oil helps give fried food a golden color. Since shrimp cooks pretty quickly, I’d recommend heating your oil for a little longer before adding the shrimp. If you have a thermometer, make sure your oil is 350 degrees.
Hope that helps! Really appreciate you for taking the time to stop back and leave a comment + review!
Ann says
I started with the breaded shrimp and decided to just pan fry the raw shrimp in some garlic butter. We liked the shrimp un-breaded better. The sauce was amazing! I can see using it on Salmon and chicken too! Thanks for the recipe!
Davinah says
Hi Ann!
I do this all the time to skip steps. I also enjoy the sauce as a salad dressing too! Happy you enjoyed this 🙂
Best,
Davinah