Chili garlic butter shrimp is spicy, buttery, and super quick to make! With a mixture of both sweet and spicy, this sauce is too addicting spooned over rice. Using basic and economical ingredients, this dish is bursting with zesty flavor for a great seafood meal!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Chili garlic butter shrimp is a favorite Asian shrimp dish delicious spooned over rice! Drenched in a spicy sauce loaded with garlic and butter, what’s not to love?
Plus, we use a favorite soda typical in Filipino cuisine to balance the spiciness of the sauce with some lemon-lime sweetness to coat each individual shrimp!
Quick, easy, and done in 15-minutes, the chili garlic shrimp marinade is quick to whip up with limited prep time needed!
This post will go over everything you need to know to create this chili garlic butter shrimp recipe.
Recipe difficulty: Too easy…easy for any beginner
Fun chili garlic shrimp recipe Filipino meal made using Sprite, butter, garlic, and a blend of spices! Super addicting to eat using economical ingredients for a flavorful shrimp dish with rice. Only 15 minutes!
Sam’s Pro Tips for the Chili Garlic Butter Shrimp
Shrimp Can Cook Really Fast
This spicy honey garlic shrimp recipe is similar to our Best Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Pasta, where the shrimp is coated in an irresistible sauce! Yum!
As such, shrimp doesn’t need a lot of time to cook. Therefore, it will simmer in the sauce for under 10 minutes only. That’s it!
If you overcook the shrimp, you’ll find that the shrimp tastes hard and rubbery immediately. Not good! Watch it closely as once it starts to change to a reddish-orange color and slightly shrunken, its ready!
Shell On or Off?
So that the chili garlic shrimp with sprite is ready to eat, I like to buy my shrimp already deveined with the shell removed. You’re all set to just eat!
However, another option to cook the shrimp is with the shell on. I find that cooking the shrimp with the shell retains more of the sauce flavor and is super tasty! In a pinch this is not a bad option with family members, but definitely have the shell removed if you’re hosting guests.
The Benefit of Using Sprite in Chili Garlic Butter Shrimp
Sprite or 7-Up is common in Filipino cuisine and really brings out the incredible flavor in the seafood. The lemon-lime sweetness in the sauce counteracts the spice so that it’s not overly spicy.
The result? You get a perfectly balanced sauce with a hint of the Sprite in every bite for a sweet and spicy chili garlic butter shrimp recipe! Delicious!
Ready for Some Spice?
Now the chili garlic sauce ranges from mild to medium, but it can be taken up a notch!
You’ll find red chili flakes and paprika is listed as optional in the recipe. Though, it is strongly encouraged! Both these spices really bring out the sauce and adds another layer of spice. I know myself I tend to go heavier with the red chili flakes in the sauce. Season to preference!
Key Ingredients – Chili Garlic Butter Shrimp
Below are some key and optional ingredients for this recipe:
Shrimp and Herbs
- Shrimp: I have made this dish both ways with the shrimp peeled and deveined, and also with the shell on. If you choose to cook the shrimp with the shell on, the shell will also help prevent the shrimp from overcooking if you leave it on the heat for too long.
- Garlic: Minced garlic is the best way to get that ultimate flavor on the shrimp. I usually buy my garlic already peeled for my recipes using a lot of garlic so that it saves me a ton of work!
- Green onion: While of course green onion will be delicious with the shrimp, it will also add a fresh green color to the dish making it look extra appetizing!
Sauce
- Butter: We all know butter makes everything better! One stick of unsalted butter will coat the two pounds of the chili garlic sauce shrimp for a decadent sauce.
- Hot sauce: You can use any hot sauce you like, but I like to use the Tapatio hot sauce as I cook the shrimp. It’s not too spicy and can easily be adjusted depending on preference. You can even mix Tapatio with vinegar, check out our Filipino Style Spam Garlic Fried Rice Anyone Will Love for this mixture!
- Lemon: Lemon juice pairs great with shrimp! Plan to have some lemon wedges on the side for guests that may want extra!
- Sprite: Only a ¼ cup of Sprite is needed as you don’t want too much liquid! This amount gives the perfect combination with the hot sauce and adds a subtle sweetness.
- Chili sesame oil: By mixing the chili sesame oil with the hot sauce, you’ll get a vibrant reddish-orange color to the sauce. Plus, it will add to the spiciness in the dish.
- Honey: Add a dash of honey at the end to give a beautiful sheen to the shrimp while adding a bit of additional sweetness. The honey will mix with the sauce and glaze the shrimp.
Optional
- Red chili flakes: You will most likely get all the spice you need from the hot sauce, but a little bit of chili flakes won’t hurt right? This is totally optional but will really add to the spice level. I like to add at least ½ a tablespoon or more to the sauce!
- Paprika: Paired with the red chili flakes, the paprika will add a hint of smokiness to our chili garlic butter shrimp and add to that red color. Just a pinch is needed.
More Variations to this Chili Garlic Butter Shrimp
There are a few ways you can variate this chili garlic butter shrimp. Here’s how:
- Change the shrimp seasoning: You can add additional seasoning to the chili garlic shrimp with sprite depending on preference. While cooking in the butter and garlic, cayenne powder, chili powder, or lemon pepper seasoning are all good choices to further season the shrimp.
- Want another shrimp dish? How does an Asian style shrimp scampi sound? Check out our Best Shrimp Scampi Recipe with Pasta that cooks the shrimp in a very similar sauce served with linguini. Seriously a favorite!
- What can I pair with this dish? Of course, we love white rice with this dish! However, for a lighter alternative, try this recipe with our 7-Minute Cilantro Cauliflower Lime Rice! The chili garlic shrimp marinade pairs perfectly with the cilantro. Or for a popular Filipino favorite, our 5-Minute Salted Egg Salad Recipe | Itlog na Maalat is loaded with salted egg, tomatoes, onions, and even a habanero for a tropical side dish perfect with seafood!
- 5-Step Best Beef Salpicao Recipe
- Spicy Filipino Sardines Recipe with Habaneros | Ginisang Sardinas
- Filipino Baked Salmon Recipe with Mayonnaise
- 10-Minute Easy Broccoli Stir Fry
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cloves does a head of garlic have?
Depending on the size of the garlic, there are about 10-15 cloves.
How do you stop rubbery shrimp?
If you’re shrimp tastes rubbery or hard, you have overcooked the shrimp. Once the shrimp turns from translucent to a reddish color and slightly shrunken, it most likely is ready. The time will depend on the size of your shrimp.
What flavors go well with shrimp?
Lemon goes great with shrimp and even garlic. Both of these ingredients are used in this chili garlic butter shrimp.
How much juice can you get from one lemon?
Usually, 1 lemon can yield 3 tablespoons of juice depending on the size of the lemon.
Leave a Reply