Creamy Coconut Shrimp Curry

I do not use the adjective “creamy” if I don’t mean it. I’d never play you like that.

However, this easy curry is more than deserving of such a promising descriptor. A thick, silky, dreamy sauce coats fat curls of seared shrimp under a yellow blanket of herbs, spices, and heat.

this recipe

Taking a bite of juicy shrimp shrouded in a creamy sauce is like burying yourself in a big pile of freshly cleaned, warm laundry. It’s cozy, it’s comforting, and you never want to get out.

WATCH how to make Creamy Coconut Shrimp Curry 👇

Let’s Make Easy Shrimp Curry

There’s no magic to the creaminess of this curry. With blended, roasted nuts and thick, canned coconut milk, it has no choice but to turn creamy.

With fresh ginger, turmeric, curry powder, and soy sauce, it has no choice but to turn insanely flavorful too.

I want you to know that I rewrote this recipe several times without the use of a blender.

But no other option could yield absolute creaminess in all its glory, and I wanted to honor the almighty adjective.

So, I took out a few extra ingredients, sped up the cooking time, and streamlined the process to make pulling out the blender worth it. Again, I wouldn’t play you like that.

If you can take a moment to stop licking the sauce off the sides of the blender, you might have time to cook some shrimp. They get seared, hot and fast, in a skillet slicked with coconut oil.

Try this recipe with scallops, chicken, or even tofu for a vegetarian (actually, vegan!) option.

You’ll pour the sauce from the blender, slow and lazily, into the same skillet to cook for a few moments. Then, stir in bright green, whole leaves of cilantro or parsley.

I just asked you to take out the blender, so I will absolutely not ask you to “finely chop” the tiny leaves of a delicate herb. Just pluck them from the stems, throw caution to the wind, and chuck them right into the sauce.

The lime juice and zest stirred in at the end adds another layer of punch, and this easy curry becomes impossible to ignore. Mom and I had to stop our conversation several times to exclaim, “Mmm!”

Serve this with rice, flatbread, or just with a spoon, and be sure to enjoy it with a family member or friend. This dinner shows us all the true meaning of the word “creamy”, and that’s information worth sharing.

Print Recipe

Creamy Coconut Shrimp Curry

(7 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

A healthy, colorful weeknight dinner. Juicy shrimp covered in a thick, silky sauce with turmeric and ginger.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk (from a can)
• ½ cup roasted unsalted macadamia nuts or cashews
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar or agave
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined, patted dry
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (preferably virgin or unrefined)
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• ½ cup parsley or cilantro, whole leaves
• 1 lime, zested and juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)

Instructions

1

In a blender, combine the coconut milk, 1 cup water, macadamia nuts, ginger, turmeric, curry powder, soy sauce, and sugar. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Taste and add salt (up to 1/2 teaspoon) if necessary. The level of seasoning will depend on how salty your soy sauce is.

2

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil on medium-high heat until barely smoking. Add half the shrimp in a single layer, cook without stirring until golden on one side, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl (the shrimp will not be fully cooked yet). Repeat with the remaining tablespoon of oil and the remaining shrimp.

3

Stir the coconut milk mixture into the now-empty skillet and simmer until thickened, 4-6 minutes.

4

Reduce heat to low, stir in the shrimp, then cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro or parsley, lime zest and juice, then taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Nutrition

• 384 Calories

Notes

A particularly fruity, dare I say buttery, Chardonnay pairs well with the spice and richness of this curry.