This easy vegan shrimp recipe is bound to satisfy all your seafood cravings. It’s perfect for finger food with your favourite sauce, or served in a sandwich or on top of a salad. Have it ready in less than an hour with only 10 ingredients.
What Is Vegan Shrimp?
There are quite a few choices when it comes to vegan shrimp substitutes. If you’re looking for a truly authentic alternative, there are plenty of mock shrimps on the market. When it comes to homemade vegan shrimp substitutes, the goal is to find something that resembles the distinct shrimp shape as much as possible.
My two favourite options include using either king oyster mushrooms (aka trumpet mushrooms) or soy curls (which is what we’re doing in this recipe). Their shape is not as similar to shrimp as with mushrooms, but the taste and texture are absolutely perfect for making vegan fried shrimp.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Fried Vegan Shrimp
Dry soy curls - these are simply dehydrated strips of soy protein made out of whole, non-GMO soybeans that are slowly cooked until they're soft, then processed by a machine that breaks them into strands. Handpick the bits that look the most like shrimp for a more authentic appearance.
Vegetable broth - the base for the marinade that gives the fried shrimp that soft and slightly chewy middle.
Paprika, garlic powder and salt - to season the marinade.
All-purpose flour - used for breading the soy curls.
Plant-based milk - soy, oat, almond, hemp… any kind will work.
Cornstarch - for thickening the batter.
Breadcrumbs - to make that extra crunchy outer coating of the shrimp.
How to Make Vegan Shrimp
Marinate the Soy
To a medium bowl, add the vegetable broth, paprika, garlic powder and salt and whisk well to combine. Add the soy curls and stir to coat. Let the soy curls soak for about 30 minutes.
Bread the Shrimp
In one bowl, add just the flour. In another bowl, mix milk, flour, cornstarch, garlic and onion powders, and in the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs.
Remove the curls from the marinade and then dredge them first in the flour bowl and shake off excess. Then dip them in batter and finally coat them with breadcrumbs. Set aside on a plate.
Fry the Shrimp
Heat oil over medium-high heat, and when hot, carefully add the soy curls in a single layer, giving space around each soy curl. Fry the soy curls on one side until golden brown, then carefully flip over and fry the other side until the soy curls are browned all over (2 - 4 minutes per side).
Serve with Cocktail Sauce
This fried vegan shrimp goes perfectly with homemade vegan cocktail sauce. I like to keep things simple and make my sauce by blending half a cup of ketchup with three tablespoons of horseradish sauce and a tablespoon of capers.
More Vegan Meat Recipes
Vegan Shrimp
ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup dry soy curls
For the coating
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup plant-based milk
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ cup cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- ½ cup breadcrumbs, plus more if needed
instructions
- To a medium bowl, add the vegetable broth, paprika, garlic powder and salt and whisk well to combine. Add the soy curls and stir to coat. Let the soy curls soak for about 30 minutes.
- Prepare the breading station. In one bowl, add just the flour. In another bowl, mix milk, flour, cornstarch, garlic and onion powders. In the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs.
- Remove the curls from the marinade and then dredge them first in the flour bowl and shake off excess. Then dip them in batter and finally coat them with breadcrumbs. Set aside on a plate.
- In a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, pour enjoy oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and when hot, carefully add the soy curls in a single layer, giving space around each soy curl. Fry the soy curls on one side until golden brown, then carefully flip over and fry the other side until the soy curls are browned all over (2 - 4 minutes per side).
- Drain the fried soy curls on a paper towel and serve with vegan cocktail sauce.
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