These Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos are made by stuffing warm corn tortillas with crispy fried shrimp, a simple cabbage slaw, and creamy chipotle sauce. The whole recipe takes less than an hour to assemble! This is the perfect fast and easy weeknight dinner for when you’re craving authentic baja-style shrimp tacos but don’t want to go out to eat.
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The Crispiest Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos You’ll Ever Eat
Living in California for so much of my life firmly established my love of beer battered seafood tacos. To this day, it’s the first thing I seek out when I go back for a visit!
Because Texas doesn’t cater to my specific love of beer-battered shrimp tacos, I’ve once again had to create a version to make at home. And these tacos are absolutely DYNAMITE.
The beer batter is so light and crispy–the shrimp never ever feel dense or soggy. It’s law that they must be served on warm corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and the best creamy chipotle sauce you’ve ever had! Finish the tacos off with a squeeze of fresh lime and they’re *chef’s kiss* perfect.
Love baja-style beer-battered tacos? Try my beer-battered fish tacos made with flaky white fish!
Key Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Shrimp. Any raw shrimp will work here! I don’t typically go for huge shrimp so that they’ll cook quickly and will fit in the tortillas. I recommend using size 21-25 count.
- Cornstarch. Tossing the shrimp in a bit of cornstarch before battering them really help the batter cling to all the nooks and crannies of the shrimp.
- Beer. Beer makes the batter extra crispy! The bubbles from the CO2 in the beer create a light and airy batter vs a heavy and dense one. The sugar in the beer also creates the golden-brown color of the crust. Use a lighter-bodied beer (not a stout) like a Mexican lager, pale ale, or German beer. I’m partial to Shiner Bock.
- Oil. Since we’re frying our shrimp, you’ll need good frying oil. My favorite is canola, but peanut or vegetable will also work. Use something that’s neutral in flavor and that has a high smoke point (i.e. not olive oil!).
- Chipotle. To make our creamy chipotle sauce, you need canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. You can find them in the Hispanic aisle at any grocery store.
- Tortillas. I’m partial to corn tortillas here, but feel free to swap flour in if that’s what you prefer.
- Cabbage. I love cabbage on seafood tacos and it’s traditional for Baja-style fish tacos in particular. I toss mine with a bit of lime juice, and chopped cilantro for extra flavor.
Jenny’s Tip: The beer is the star ingredient of the shrimp taco batter, so choose a good one! In my opinion, the best beers for making the batter are Mexican lagers, pale ales, or German beers. Opt for a pale, crisp beer and avoid heavy, dark beers like stouts and porters. Since this recipe only uses 1 cup, there’s enough leftover for a drink with your tacos!
Helpful Cooking Tools
How to Fry Up Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos
- Make the beer batter. The beer batter for these shrimp tacos is a simple combo of flour, beer, baking powder, and spices.
Jenny’s Tip: Chill the batter for 30 minutes before coating the shrimp and frying. Going straight from the cold fridge to the piping hot oil will shock the batter and make it extra crispy! Adding ice cubes also helps keep the batter cold as you work!
- Preheat your oil. You need just 1.5 inches of oil for this recipe, so no need to bust out a deep fryer. Use a probe thermometer to check that the oil has reached 375ºF before you start frying. (If you place the battered shrimp into cold oil, the batter will soak up the oil and become greasy rather than crisp up on contact.)
- Fry the shrimp until crispy. I suggest frying the shrimp in batches; every time you add more battered shrimp to the pan, the temperature of the oil will drop! Make sure to let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
- Assemble your tacos. I like to prep the cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, and chipotle sauce while the batter chills in the fridge. This lets you quickly assemble your crispy shrimp tacos in record time after you’ve finished frying everything! You can also use store bought pico de gallo for ease!
Side Dish Suggestions
Prepare a Mexican-inspired feast by pairing the tacos with one or more of the following sides:
- Mexican Rice or Arroz Verde
- Borracho Beans or Refried Beans
- Guacamole, Salsa Verde, and Tortilla Chips
- Coconut Margaritas or Strawberry Mango Margaritas
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Taco Recipes to Try Now
Grilled Fish Tacos
Chicken Tinga Tacos
Crispy Potato Tacos
Carne Asada Street Tacos
Blackened Fish Tacos
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Baja-Style Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos
Video
Ingredients
Beer Battered Shrimp
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 count)
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 cup beer, like modelo or another lager-style beer
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- Ice cubes
- Canola oil, for frying
Chipotle Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 lime, juiced
- 3 canned chipotle peppers
- 1 tablespoon Adobo Sauce from chipotle pepper can
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Taco Ingredients
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 8 corn tortillas, warmed
- 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Make the chipotle sauce. In a small food processor or blender, combine the mayo, crema, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, chipotles, adobo sauce, and sugar. Blend until smooth and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the beer batter. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the ancho chile powder. Whisk in the beer until the batter is smooth, then transfer the bowl to the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil. In a 4 qt dutch oven, heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil to 375 F over medium heat. Use a thermometer so you can keep the temperature consistent.
- Prep the shrimp. After peeling the shrimp and removing the tails, pat them very dry with paper towels and then transfer them to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and toss well. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the top and toss the shrimp until they’re coated.
- Fry the shrimp. Remove the batter from the fridge and stir in a couple of ice cubes so that the batter is very cold. Once the oil is hot, dip 1/3-1/2 of the shrimp in the batter, shaking off the excess, then gently lower them into the oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes, agitating the shrimp a bit they fry, until they’re golden brown and crispy. Use a mesh skimmer to transfer the shrimp to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Continue to fry the shrimp in batches, letting the oil heat back up between batches. Sprinkle the hot shrimp with a bit of salt as they come out of the oil.
- Assemble the shrimp on the warmed corn tortillas with the pico de gallo and shredded cabbage. Drizzle with the chipotle sauce and serve with lime wedges for squeezing. You can also toss the cabbage with a bit of lime juice and cilantro to make a quick slaw.
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Everything about this recipe was amazing! It was flavorful, easy to follow, and just so dang good!!
That makes me so happy to hear! This is one of my all-time favorite taco recipes!