This gluten-free recipe for light, crispy shrimp lives up to the best pub-style meal you ever remember having. An easy gluten-free shrimp batter uses fizzy soda water to achieve an ultra airy, tempura-like coating that stays on, even with deep frying. I’ll show you how!

If you’ve missed classic fried shrimp, this gluten-free seafood batter has the same spot-on taste and texture, just as good as you remember it!

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Best Light & Crispy Gluten-Free Shrimp

Creating a recipe for battered gluten free fried shrimp has been on my radar since this widely popular gluten-free fish batter started to rack up tons of rave reviews. I’ve been asked to turn it into a GF shrimp batter, and I figured it would be as easy as switching out the seafood.

Well, making something like tempura shrimp proved not be as straight forward…But, luckily in the end, I was able to come up with an easy gluten free shrimp recipe even better than anything I remember eating.

While my original seafood batter uses gluten-free beer, I opted for plain club soda here to keep the ingredients uncomplicated enough for weeknight gluten free dinner ideas, but with a taste the best seafood house.

Because of its smaller size, when making a gluten free shrimp batter I omitted the baking powder that was in the original recipe. While larger seafood can take a more substantial coating, I found the shrimp got lost in it. I wanted more balance between shrimp and breading, more along the lines of tempura.

For the ultimate crispy battered and fried shrimp experience (and to truly relive something you never thought you’d enjoy again), I highly recommend making a batch of copycat Red Lobster gluten-free cheddar bay biscuits and fresh creamy, tangy GF coleslaw recipe to round it all out!

Must-Read Ingredient Tid Bits

  • Gluten-Free Flour Blend – Generally I recommend Cup4Cup GF flour for my baking recipes, but since it contains a lot of cornstarch in the blend, it didn’t work for shrimp batter. (Makes it thicker, harder to coat, and more dense.) I recommend King Arthur Measure-for-Measure or a blend that does not list cornstarch as one of the top 3 ingredients.
  • White Rice Flour – Used to dredge the shrimp before dipping in the batter, which helps the breading stay on. A combination of rice flour and GF flour is also used for the batter to create a light texture. If your flour blend does not contain any cornstarch, that may be substituted, but rice flour is best!
  • Shrimp – Use a large to jumbo size shrimp, about 31-20 count per pound. I tested the recipe both with tails on and off. Keeping the tails on is actually easier because you can use them to dip the shrimp in the coating.

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Prep the shrimp

The shrimp should be peeled with their tails left on. You can remove the tails, but then you will have to fully dip the shrimp in the batter and “fish” it back out, which takes more time.

I used frozen and thawed shrimp, which has excess moisture. To prep it, lay the shrimp on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Place a top layer of paper towels over and press to blot up excess moisture.

Shrimp being dried while laying between paper towels on pan.

Shortcut dredge and batter prep

Dredging the shrimp helps adhere the breading to it as it cooks. Here’s a faster way to do this – shake in bag with rice flour, salt, and pepper. Then mix up the dry ingredients for the batter. It’s best if the batter is as cold as possible, so I wait to add liquid ingredients right before frying.

Dry batter ingredients in glass bowl.

Right oil temp is key!

Pour the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed deep skillet. Add enough oil until it covers about 2 inches deep. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of 375ºF. The temp of the oil for frying is key so it doesn’t become too brown or too greasy. 

Thermometer testing oil temp.

Dip and fry

Add the club soda and egg to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, thinner batter. Take a shrimp by the tail and dip it in, letting the excess drip off.

Move it to the hot oil and repeat so you have about 7-8 shrimp frying. Cook for about 2 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Transfer the fried shrimp to the paper towel-lined plate to briefly absorb excess grease. Since you will be cooking in batches, I then transfer it to a baking sheet with wire rack set inside a 200ºF oven. Serve and enjoy!

Shrimp being dipped in batter.
Battered shrimp being fried.
Crispy shrimp laying on a paper towel after bing fried.

My Top Frying Secrets For Success

  • If you can get fresh shrimp this would be best because it contains less moisture than frozen and the coating will adhere better. Otherwise make sure to blot the shrimp with paper towels before dredging.
  • Maintaining proper oil temperature is crucial! If it is too low, it takes too long to fry and becomes greasy. The oil temp decreases as cold seafood continues to go in the batter. Continually check the temp and adjust to make sure it stays around 375ºF. Also be sure to not overcrowd the pan, which will bring down the oil temp.
  • King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour, or a flour blend that doesn’t contain cornstarch as a main ingredient, yields a better fish batter consistency.
  • Want some classic, pub-style fried shrimp? Swap out a gluten-free beer instead of the club soda and serve with “chips”!
Overhead shot of crispy shrimp on a white plate with a dish of shrimp suace.
Fried shrimp is made for dipping! We’ve done cocktail, tarter, bang bang or a remoulade sauce. A simple squeeze of lemon is pretty magical too.

What about leftovers? Gluten-free shrimp is best the day it’s made, but I have warmed up leftovers with pretty great success. Best way? Air fryer at 350ºF for about 3 minutes. Next best? Oven at 375ºF. Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet and lay the shrimp on top. Bake for about 5 minutes. Microwave? No way, sorry. 🤷‍♀️

Vertical image of inside view of a piece of battered shrimp.
If you thought making fried shrimp gluten-free would be difficult or you’d have to sacrifice taste and texture, you will be flat-out overjoyed with this easy recipe!

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A hand dipping the crispy shrimp in a white dish of shrimp sauce.
5 stars (1 rating)

Battered Crispy Gluten-Free Fried Shrimp

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
This gluten-free recipe for light, crispy shrimp lives up to the best pub-style meal you ever remember having. An easy gluten-free shrimp batter uses fizzy soda water to achieve an ultra airy, tempura-like coating that stays on, even with deep frying. I'll show you how!
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Ingredients
 

For Dredging

Gluten-Free Batter

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Lay the shrimp on the paper towels. Place another layer on top and press gently to blot up excess moisture. Set aside while the the shrimp batter is prepared and oil preheats.
    1 ½ pounds large peeled shrimp
  • In a large ziplock bag combine the mixture for dredging – white rice flour, salt, and pepper. Shake to combine and set aside.
    ¼ cup white rice flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • Preheat the oven to 200℉. Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet and set in the oven. Line a plate with paper towels. After the shrimp cooks it will be transferred from the oil, to the plate, to oven to keep warm while frying batches.
  • For the batter, in a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – gluten-free flour, white rice flour, paprika, salt, seasoned salt, onion powder, and pepper. Set aside. You will add the cold, liquid ingredients right before frying so the batter stays cold.
    1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour blend , ¼ cup white rice flour, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pour the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed deep skillet. Add enough oil until it covers about 2 inches deep. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of 360-375ºF. This will take about 10-15 minutes to heat. Use an instant thermometer to maintain and keep testing the oil temp. Adjust the heat accordingly throughout frying.
  • While the oil is heating, add the shrimp to the ziplock bag and shake to coat evenly. When the oil is the proper cooking temp, add the soda and egg to the batter. Whisk to combine.
    12 ounces club soda, 1 large egg
  • Take shrimp from the ziplock bag and dip into the batter bowl by holding the tail. Coat all sides up to the tail. Let the excess drip off and transfer to the oil. Cook about 7-8 shrimp at a time. Don't overcrowd the pan or the oil temp will reduce too much. Cook for 2 minutes, using flipping halfway through.
  • Transfer the cooked shrimp to the paper towel-lined plate to briefly absorb excess grease, then transfer to the wire rack baking sheet in the oven. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Serve immediately.

Notes

Gluten Free Flour
King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour or a flour blend that doesn’t contain cornstarch as a main ingredient, yields a better batter consistency. Otherwise the batter becomes too thick and doesn’t coat the seafood well.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below. It helps others when searching for recipes and I LOVE feedback!