You’ll love these quick and easy shrimp fajitas that you can make in just one skillet in about 25 minutes! Loaded with plump juicy shrimp, tender charred vegetables, and an amazing homemade fajita seasoning blend, these fajitas are paleo, gluten-free, keto, and Whole30-compatible!
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A quick and easy weeknight meal!
Love the flavor of my Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas recipe, but want to eat more healthy seafood? Make my one-pan shrimp fajitas recipe!
Just grab some shrimp, colorful bell peppers, an onion, and some common pantry items to make a smoky homemade fajita seasoning. Then, sear the shrimp in batches in a skillet and dinner’ll be ready in minutes!
Serve with lettuce wraps, grain-free tortillas, salsa, and guacamole for a nourishing and satisfying dinner. Trust me, these shrimp fajitas are so easy and delicious, you’ll feel compelled to always keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer—just so you can make this on short notice anytime!
Frozen shrimp tip!
Here’s a way to quickly thaw frozen shell-on shrimp for this recipe: dump the shrimp in a colander and run cool water over them in the sink for about 5 to 10 minutes or until they’re thawed. Make sure to pat them dry really well with paper towels before starting the recipe. (I don’t normally use this thawing method with shelled shrimp because they get water-logged and misshapen.)
Ingredients
Shrimp fajitas
- Jumbo shrimp (21-25 per pound): Frozen shrimp is one of the best emergency proteins to stock in your freezer because it thaws quickly and cooks in a flash!
- Chili powder: Chili powder is a spice blend that commonly consists of ground dried chiles, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and oregano. There’s no globally-consistent formulation of chili powder, so just pick a store-bought brand you like. The chili powder will be the base of the shrimp fajita seasoning, though I add additional spices to boost the flavor and smokiness.
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- Bell peppers: Grab two bell peppers and vary the color! For this recipe, I like to use a red bell pepper and either a yellow or orange one.
- Onion: Any color onion will work.
- Garlic cloves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Lime juice: The splash of acid at the end—plus extra lime wedges—balance out the spices perfectly.
- Fresh cilantro: You can use Italian parsley if you hate cilantro.
Toppings and accompaniments
- Tortillas or lettuce leaves: To keep the dish gluten-free, I like to use grain-free tortillas from Siete (the cassava flour and chickpea flour ones are the most like flour tortillas) or corn tortillas. Doing a Whole30? Use butter lettuce leaves or romaine leaves!
- Lime wedges
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo (optional topping)
- Guacamole (optional topping)
- Sour cream (regular or dairy-free) or avocado crema (optional topping)
How to make shrimp fajitas
In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and some avocado oil.
Toss well and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the bell peppers, onions, a sprinkle of salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and bell pepper are slightly softened and charred in parts, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add in the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Taste the veggies and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Transfer the cooked fajita vegetables to a plate.
Swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil in the empty hot pan and add half the shrimp in a single layer to the pan.
Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes per side or until the shrimp is opaque and just cooked through.
Transfer the shrimp to the veggie platter.
Repeat the cooking process with the remaining shrimp.
When the second batch of shrimp is finished cooking, turn off the heat and add the cooked shrimp, veggies, and accumulated juices back into the pan.
Squeeze on fresh lime juice and toss well.
Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges, lettuce leaves or warm tortillas, salsa, guacamole, and dairy-free sour cream if desired!
What to serve with fajitas
I like to serve these fajitas with a variety of toppings and tortillas! My favorite paleo toppings include guacamole, roasted tomato salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream (dairy-free), or avocado crema.
For paleo side dishes, you can serve the fajitas with my paleo Mexican cauliflower rice or Mexican-inspired watermelon salad.
And if you’re not paleo, you can also serve these fajitas with traditional Mexican rice, black beans, or refried beans.
How to save leftovers
I bet you won’t have leftovers, but if you do, you can save them in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. I normally eat the leftover shrimp and veggies cold, but feel free to microwave them for about a minute or until heated through.
More easy shrimp recipes!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
Shrimp Fajitas
Ingredients
Shrimp Fajitas
- 1½ pounds jumbo shrimp (21-25 per pound) peeled and deveined
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium red bell pepper deseeded, cored and sliced into ¼-inch strips
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper deseeded, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch strips
- 1 small onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Toppings and Accompaniments
- 1 lime cut into wedges for serving
- Butter lettuce leaves optional
- grain free tortillas optional
- salsa optional
- guacamole optional
- sour cream (dairy free) optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon avocado oil. Toss well and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the peppers and onions and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and bell pepper are slightly softened and charred in parts, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Taste the veggies for seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.
- Swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil in the empty pan and add half the shrimp in a single layer to the pan and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes per side or until the shrimp is opaque and just cooked through.
- Transfer the shrimp to the veggie platter and repeat the cooking process with the rest of the shrimp.
- When the second batch of shrimp is finished cooking, turn off the heat and add the cooked shrimp and veggies back into the pan.
- Add the fresh lime juice and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, lettuce leaves, grain-free tortillas, salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream,
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We love Fajitas! These look perfect and I will be adding this to our meal plan!
Love this recipe! The right amount of spice. Great flavor. My husband loved these too!!
Lady this is a killer recipe! Made this tonight and it knocked our socks off! So delicious and easy prep, quick cook time. Thank you!
Thanks Michelle for another winning recipe! We had these fajitas for dinner tonight and it was awesome! My husband said this recipe stays in the rotation from now on. It was so easy and quick, and the favor was spot on.
Question: Can I use the same seasonings and cooking procedure with beef or chicken?