This Shrimp Taco Bowl is made with succulent grilled shrimp, black beans, corn, avocado, cabbage, and a creamy cilantro dressing to pull it all together.
» You might also like this Shrimp Scampi Without Wine.
Not only is the bowl delicious, but it’s also a healthy and filling meal that will leave you feeling satisfied. We’re always looking for great ways to use shrimp and this bowl is one of our favorites.
If you’re a fan of shrimp tacos, this bowl is just a deconstruction of your favorite flavors. You can use canned or fresh corn and black beans. I like to use my Instant Pot to make beans from dried in under 30 minutes.
To keep the dish light and low in calories and carbs, we use shredded cabbage for the base. If you’d rather use rice, feel free to substitute.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shrimp – I buy cleaned, deveined and peeled shrimp from Butcherbox. It’s incredibly easy to just pull as many as I need out of the freezer. I’d suggest around 5-6 small 50/60 shrimp per bowl, but if your shrimp is larger, maybe just 4 shrimp. Go with how much you want to eat.
- Taco seasoning – I like to make my own using this recipe, but you can also buy taco seasoning to use.
- Cooking oil – I use olive oil because I like the extra flavor it adds. You could use any cooking oil you like.
- Cabbage – I buy a head of green cabbage and shred it myself. You could also buy a bag of coleslaw cabbage to keep it easy.
- Cherry tomatoes – I like using cherry tomatoes because they have a burst of flavor and they don’t water down the bowl. You can use a regular tomato chopped if that’s what you have, but don’t add it to the bowl until last, so it doesn’t water it down.
- Black beans – Made from dried or from a can, whichever you prefer
- Corn – Cut from the cob or from a can, whichever you prefer
- Avocado – Haas avocados have the best flavor and texture
- Cilantro – Use the cilantro on the salad and in the dressing, if you like it. You can substitute parsley for the cilantro if you don’t like cilantro.
- Sour cream – Makes a rich and flavorful dressing.
How to Make a Shrimp Taco Bowl
Sprinkle the cleaned and peeled shrimp with 3 teaspoons of the taco seasoning. Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium-low heat. When hot, add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove from the pan.
Divide the cabbage among the bowls. Arrange the tomatoes, black beans, corn, avocado, and shrimp around the bowl.
To make the dressing, mix the cilantro, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon taco seasoning in a bowl. Thin it with a few drops of water. Drizzle the sauce over the top of the bowls. Serve.
Variations You Can Try
- Vegan: Switch out the shrimp for tofu, or another plant-based alternative. Use a vegan sour cream in the dressing.
- Spicy: Mix the sour cream with a spicy sauce like sriracha or hot sauce for a spicy topping. Or, add some extra red pepper flakes to your shrimp’s seasoning.
- Low-carb: Use cauliflower rice or mixed greens as a base for the taco bowl instead of rice.
- Fusion: Make a fusion taco bowl by switching up the toppings. Top the bowl with pickled radish and kimchi to give it a Korean twist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen cooked shrimp?
It’s best to use frozen raw shrimp in this recipe. The seasonings will stick on easier to raw shrimp than already cooked shrimp. However, if you only have already cooked shrimp to use, it will be fine. Just sprinkle the seasoning onto the shrimp once they have thawed while cooking.
Should the corn and beans be served cold?
It depends on your preference. You can use them straight from the can after rinsing and draining, or heat them up in a pan or in the microwave. I have eaten it both ways and enjoy it cold and warm.
Can I Save Any Leftovers?
This bowl won’t keep well in the refrigerator with the dressing on it, so if you are making the salad ahead of time or anticipate having leftovers, I would recommend putting the dressing only on what you intend to eat.
Without the dressing, leftovers can be kept in an air tight container for 3-5 days. This makes it a really handy thing to do for meal prep. You can make a few of these salads to take for lunch throughout the week. Just add the dressing when you serve it.
To freeze, keep them in an airtight container in the freezer for 2 weeks.
Can I Use Rice Instead of Cabbage?
Yes, you can use rice as the base of this bowl if you want. Jasmine rice is a good choice. I also really like cilantro lime rice in the bowl, for added flavor.
I use cabbage to keep the calories and carbs low in this bowl. I think it goes really well with the other ingredients and it add a nice crunch. But you can leave the cabbage out of the bowl as well, if you just want the main ingredients.
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Easy Shrimp Taco Bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound shrimp cleaned, deveined and peeled
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 small tomato chopped
- 1/2 cup canned black beans drained
- 1/2 cup canned corn drained
- 1 avocado sliced
- Handful of tortilla strips or chips
For the cilantro dressing:
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
Instructions
- Sprinkle the cleaned and peeled shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the taco seasoning. Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Once heated, add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove from the pan.
- Divide the rice among the bowls. Arrange the tomatoes, black beans, corn, avocado, shrimp, and tortilla chips around the bowl.
- To make the dressing, mix the cilantro, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon taco seasoning in a bowl. Thin it with a tablespoon or two of water. Drizzle the sauce over the top of the bowls. Serve.
Nutrition
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Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.