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Chipotle Shrimp Tacos – An easy shrimp taco recipe with spiced shrimp, a cool lime coleslaw, and topped with creamy chipotle sauce. Packed with so much flavor and ready in minutes, so it is perfect for a weeknight dinner.
My family loves Mexican food and seafood. My guys would eat shrimp, fish, crab, scallops and anything else every day if they could. So shrimp tacos are pretty high up on their list of dinner requests. Whenever shrimp is on sale at the grocery store, I stock up so it is in my freezer all the time.

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos
The first shrimp tacos that I made were Baja Shrimp Tacos and they quickly became a staple, but sometimes you just want to mix things up. Smoky chipotle powder and chipotle in adobe gives these shrimp so much flavor. The chipotle sauce is great to have on hand for just about anything. Use it as a spread to put on sandwiches or burgers, even dip chips or fries in it. It is creamy, smokey perfection!
I used the same coleslaw that I put on my Pork Tacos. It is cool and creamy with a little lime juice and cilantro. Super simple to make with just a couple ingredients. It pairs really well with the smokey chipotle sauce. Because lets face it shrimp tacos with slaw is the perfect pairing of juicy shrimp and crisp coleslaw.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Shrimp – I like to use large shrimp that are already deveined. Then all you have to do is remove the tails. You can buy frozen shrimp in a bag from the grocery store and just thaw when you want to make these.
- Olive Oil
- Chipotle Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Mayo/Sour Cream – this is the base for the chipotle sauce, so whichever want you want and like works just fine.
- Chipotle in Adobo – you will need a pepper as well as some of the liquid in the can
- Lime
- Tortillas – we like corn tortillas best for shrimp tacos, but flour works great as well.
The recipe card includes the instructions for the Mexican Coleslaw, but it is an optional topping. You can top with plain lettuce or shredded cabbage as well.
I love this easy shrimp taco recipe because it is just a few spices that are tossed with shrimp and then sauteed until they are cooked. It takes less than 10 minutes to get them ready. You can make the sauce the day before and throw together the coleslaw while the shrimp are cooking. It is a dinner you can get on the table in about 20 minutes. Use your favorite corn or flour tortillas and serve with slices of avocado.
How to Make Shrimp Tacos
- Season Shrimp. Toss thawed shrimp with oil and spices. Remove the tails to make them easier to eat in the tacos.
- Make Sauce. Finally chop the chipotle in adobo pepper, and mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. You can cover and store in the fridge up to 2 days ahead.
- Make Coleslaw. Mix together mayo, lime juice, cilantro, and salt until well combined. Toss together with coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage until everything is well coated. Store in the fridge until you are ready to use.
- Cook Shrimp. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for about 3 more minutes. You want the shrimp to be pink and opaque.
- Serve. Serve shrimp in tortillas top with coleslaw and chipotle sauce.
What to Serve with Chipotle Shrimp Tacos
Mexican style recipes are some of my all time favorite, and part of the reason is the sides! You can go crazy or stick to the basics.
Tacos are such an easy dinner to make on busy weeknights, or when you want something different. Using shrimp mixes up taco night and even makes them healthier. So stock up next time it is on sale and you can make these any night of the week. You can thaw shrimp under cold water in just minutes, so it is even great for last minute dinners when you don’t have anything planned.
More Great Shrimp Recipes
- One Pan Spicy Garlic Shrimp
- Easy Shrimp & Grits
- Shrimp Cakes
- Speedy Shrimp Pasta
- Crispy Baked Shrimp
- Shrimp Scampi
Chipotle Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
Shrimp
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled deveined and tails removed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Chipotle Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayo or sour cream
- 1/2 chipotle in adobo pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
To Make Shrimp
- In a bowl toss shrimp with oil and the spices.1 pound shrimp, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes each side until the shrimp is pink and opaque.
To Make Mexican Coleslaw
- In a bowl mix together mayo, lime juice, salt, and cilantro until well blended. Add coleslaw mix and toss until well coated. Set in fridge until ready to use.2 Tablespoon mayo, 1 lime, 2 teaspoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cup coleslaw mix
To Make Chipotle Cream Sauce
- In a bowl mix together mayo with chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and lime juice until well blended. Set in fridge until ready to use.1/3 cup mayo or sour cream, 1/2 chipotle in adobo pepper, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo sauce
To Assemble Tacos
- Fill warm tortillas with coleslaw, shrimp, and sliced avocado. Drizzle with chipotle sauce.8 corn or flour tortillas, 1 avocado
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Awesome shrimp tacos! Simple yet bursting with flavor
I only can immagine how these tacos taste! My favorite!
YUM!! Such a fantastic recipe!! My family would LOVE these!
What a great way to celebrate taco Tuesday with! I cannot wait to make them!
This quickly became a favorite at my house! So good!
wow superr! thanks for sharing !
+These are absolutely incredible! I’ve made them twice, and even my husband has commented about how tasty they are. I can attest to how easy the tacos are to make and how quickly you can get this meal on the table. The second time, I just made the adobo cream sauce and did not make the separate sauce to go on the coleslaw. Stil VERY yummy and even quicker. I found that 4 shrimp per fajita sized flour tortilla was the right amount to cook since there are only 2 of us in my household. Try this recipe!