Try these sweet chilli prawn tacos for tasty and healthy meal ideas!
This recipe is easy, made with fresh or frozen prawns or shrimp. Cook prawns with garlic, chilli, coriander (cilantro) and sweet chilli sauce.

Fill the tortilla wraps with a healthy salad; red cabbage, grated carrot, cucumber, spring onion, red bell peppers, sweetcorn and coriander leaves. Then pile on the spicy prawns.
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How to make Prawn Tacos?
This prawn tacos recipe is a delicious, easy-to-make meal. Packed with healthy ingredients, they make for a satisfying and nutritious meal.
Check out our video above, jump straight to the recipe or read on for more advice.
Ingredients:
You can easily adjust the ingredients needed to make this seafood taco recipe to suit your diet. We give some suggestions below.
Prawns / Shrimps
We use fresh peeled raw king prawns for these seafood tacos.
You can use frozen prawns; defrost before use. If not already peeled, make sure to do so before cooking.
If using cooked prawns, add them to the frying pan at the same time as the garlic, chilli and coriander stem and warm through over medium-high heat.
In the UK, we call them prawns; in the US, you may refer to them as shrimp. Either way, they can both be used for these wraps.
You can use any size of shrimp, from jumbo tiger prawns to coldwater prawns.
Garlic and Chilli
Diced and cooked with the prawns for extra favour and spice.
Coriander
Separate the coriander (cilantro) leaves from the stems, use the chopped stems for cooking, and use the leaves as part of the salad inside the taco.
Sweet chilli sauce
There are many brands or supermarkets brands available to choose. We used blue dragon sweet chilli sauce, which has medium heat.
Sweet chilli sauce has a high sugar content; you can buy low sugar versions or make a sweet chilli sauce using sweetener instead.
Taco wraps
We use soft shell taco wraps for this prawn recipe; you can use small tortilla wraps or corn wraps instead or try wholemeal for a healthier option. You can warm the tortillas first if desired.
If you prefer, you could switch the soft tacos to the hard, crunchy taco shells instead.
Or even healthier than soft tortillas, use large salad leaves for shrimp lettuce wraps.
Salad
We have used red cabbage, grated carrot, cucumber, spring onion, red bell peppers, sweetcorn and coriander leaves mixed as a salad to fill our taco shells.
Of course, you can use any salad or veggies you like; make them with what you want!
Lime
Cut wedges of lime are perfect for adding a citrus twist. Squeeze the lime juice from one wedge into the sweet chilli sauce with prawns.
Serve the remaining wedges of lime with the shrimp tacos so people can add more to suit their taste preferences.
Optional Extras
These ingredients are optional to add extra oomph to your shrimp tacos.
Peanuts
Adding peanuts to this prawn wraps recipe gives a lovely crunch. Give them a rough chop and sprinkle on top.
Chilli
Like things spicy... Add chilli flakes or finely chop up some extra red chilli pepper. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper.
Sour Cream
Tone down the spicy shrimp with some sour cream on the side.
Instructions:
It is best to prepare all the ingredients and have the tacos filled with salad before cooking, as the prawns don't take long to cook.
Follow the instructions in the recipe card below to make prawn tacos (shrimp wraps).
๐ Step by Step Recipe
Prawn Tacos (Shrimp Wraps)
Ingredients
Prawn Tacos Ingredients (See blog post ingredients for suitable substitutions)
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 165 g Raw King Prawns - Peeled
- 3 cloves Garlic - diced
- 1 Red Chilli Pepper - diced
- Small Handful Fresh Coriander Leaves and Stems (Cilantro)
- 3 tablespoon Sweet Chilli Sauce
- 1 Lime - cut into wedges
- Salt & Pepper
- 4 Soft Taco Wraps - or Tortilla Wraps
Salad (Adjust to what you like)
- ยผ Red Cabbage - Shredded
- ยผ Cucumber - Thin batons
- ยฝ Red Pepper (Bell) - Finely sliced
- ยฝ tin Sweetcorn
- 1 Carrot - Grated
- 2 Spring Onions - Sliced lengthways
To serve - Optional
- 1 tablespoon Peanuts - crushed
- 1 Fresh Chilli Pepper - Finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon Chilli Flakes
Instructions
- Prepare salad items. You can change salad items used to suit your taste.ยผ Red Cabbage, ยผ Cucumber, ยฝ Red Pepper (Bell), ยฝ tin Sweetcorn, 1 Carrot, 2 Spring Onions
- Remove coriander leaves from the stems to add to the salad.Finely dice the coriander stems and the garlic, and chilli pepper.1 Red Chilli Pepper, Small Handful Fresh Coriander Leaves and Stems (Cilantro), 3 cloves Garlic
- Bend the soft tacos into a u-shape and rest against each other. Prop the two end ones up with lime wedges.Fill with salad items and coriander leaves.4 Soft Taco Wraps, 1 Lime
- Remove excess liquid from raw prawns using kitchen paper towels.165 g Raw King Prawns
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add prawns and cook on one side for 3 minutes.2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Turn to the other side and add the chopped coriander stems, garlic and chilli, you prepared earlier. Cook for additional 3 minutes, until prawns have turned pink throughout
- Add sweet chilli sauce and a small squeeze of lime juice.3 tablespoon Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Stir through until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.Salt & Pepper
- Divide the prawns evenly on top of the salad in the taco shells. Spoon the sauce over the top.
- Optional Extra Toppings -Like them spicy? Add more fresh chopped chillies or chilli flakes.Want an extra crunch? Sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top.Serve with a wedge of lime so people can add more sourness if desired.1 tablespoon Peanuts, 1 Fresh Chilli Pepper, 1 teaspoon Chilli Flakes, 1 Lime
Video
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Prawn tacos make a great main meal or lunch.
You could serve them with a salad, rice salad, or fries on the side as they are light.
For a healthier option, try air-fried chunky chips or potato wedges.
These shrimp tacos also taste great cold, wrapped into big tortilla wraps for lunch.
And there you have it, our prawn tacos recipe!
We hope you enjoy making (and eating) them as much as we do. Let us know how you got on in the comments below, or tag us in your photos on social media.
More Prawn Recipes
Are you looking for more prawn recipes ideas? We have a fantastic tapas dish of garlic and chilli prawns in olive oil, Prawn Cocktail or for a healthier option, try our Thai king prawn salad with chilli dressing.
We also have a green pesto prawn pasta or if it's noodles you like, try prawn pad Thai.
If you like curry, you will love our king prawn masala curry.
Our prawn poke bowl has a great honey and garlic glaze, or try out our Marie Rose Sauce, suitable to use instead of the sweet chilli sauce in this recipe.
Ruth Madden says
A simple, but delicious recipe. Thank you.
Luke and Kay says
Hi Ruth,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! ๐ We're thrilled you enjoyed the prawn taco recipeโsometimes simple really is the most delicious. ๐ฎ๐ค Let us know if you try any fun twists or sides with it next time!
Cheers,
Kay and Luke
Grace says
Made these for my family, and we all absolutely loved them! Thanks for the recipe ๐
Luke and Kay says
Thanks so much, Grace! We're thrilled to hear that you and your family loved the prawn tacos. ๐ Itโs always great to know when a recipe hits the spot! Let us know if you try any other dishes from us!
Nic says
Oooh my kids are obsessed with tacos but I'm a bit fed up of the usual minced beef or chicken recipes... Definitely giving this a go!
Luke and Kay says
Hi Nic,
Thank you for taking the time to review our Prawn Tacos! We're thrilled to hear your kids love tacos, and that you are considering spicing up the usual recipes with ours ๐
Allyssa says
This is really flavorful and highly recommended! Thanks a bunch for this prawn tacos wraps recipe it turned our really flavorful!
Kay says
Thank you so much, Allyssa ๐
Nice to hear you thought our prawn tacos were full of flavour, and you would highly recommend ๐