Bang Bang Shrimp Bowl is a summer staple at our house! This irresistible flavor combination hits the spot with tasty crispy shrimp, and a rainbow of vegetables on rice noodles topped with a creamy yet spicy sauce. Spice up family dinner with this go-to recipe.
We are all about making our favorite restaurant meals at home! This copycat Barburrito dish is a winner. Packed with tasty veggies, crispy shrimp, and smothered with easy homemade bang bang sauce.
This shrimp is crispy yet not fried, but don't you worry, it's stil so good and light! Need to mix it up? For frying and air frying directions check out our original Bang Bang Shrimp recipe.
Bowls are one of our go-to meals to pack in the most vegetables and flavor, especially in the summertime! Try our Black Bean Quinoa Bowl or Autumn Harvest Bowl. Or try our fun variation of Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos.
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Ingredients
This meal is so fun to make because you can customize the vegetables to fit your taste preference. Make it bar style and let people add what they want!
- Shrimp-This recipe requires raw shrimp. We like to use shrimp that is already peeled and deveined but you can also do that process yourself. Make sure to thaw the shrimp beforehand. If you use precooked shrimp, the shrimp will become rubbery. For more details check out our Bang Bang Shrimp recipe.
- Cooking Oil- To get that crispy texture, we cook the shrimp in a light layer of cooking oil.
- Sauce- This Bang Bang Sauce is not only delicious but easy to make. Check out our original recipe made with rice vinegar, mayonnaise, sweet Thai chili sauce, sriracha and salt.
- Rice Noodles- The base of the bowl is rice noodles. You can also use regular rice or even quinoa.
- Vegetables- Sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, and garnished with cilantro, you can't go wrong with this rainbow of colors. Use your favorite vegetables instead of the suggested.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Bang Bang Shrimp Bowls
Learn how to cook Bang Bang Shrimp Bowls with these easy to follow step by step process photos.
- In a small bowl mix together the mayo, sriracha, sweet Thai chili sauce, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
- Coat the shrimp with cornstarch and spices. Use a gallon ziplock bag to toss.
- Cook the shrimp in heated cooking oil. Flip over after 2 minutes and cook the other side. Be sure not to over cook!
- Slice the vegetables and cook the rice noodles according to package directions.
- Assemble the bowls with rice noodles, then vegetables, and then the cooked shrimp. Drizzle with the bang bang sauce and enjoy.
Hint: Cut the vegetables and cook the rice noodles before make the shrimp so you can quickly assemble the bowls.
Substitutions and Variations
Try some of our favorite substitutions and variations for different fun flavors!
- Rice- Instead of rice noodles, traditional rice works great. It taste best with Jasmine rice.
- Quinoa- This recipe would also taste great on a base of quinoa. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Assemble as you would with rice noodles.
- Crunchy- Add chopped peanuts to the top for additional garnish, flavor, and a little crunch.
- Greek Yogurt- Substitute half of the mayo with plain Greek yogurt or low fat sour cream for a lighter version of this sauce.
Learn From Us
The first time I made these, I coated the bang bang shrimp completely in the bang bang sauce, which was delicious but left the rest of the bowl lacking a bit. Now instead of doing that, I use the bang bang sauce as a dressing and let it flavor the whole thing. It's more delicious and this way the kids even eat up all those veggies!
Extra Vegetables
We love adding vegetables depending on the season. Some delicious add-ins are zucchini, summer squash, edamame, fresh corn and avocado. Get creative and try something new!
Storing Bang Bang Shrimp Bowls
Store the vegetables, rice noodles, sauce, and cooked shrimp in separate containers for optimum freshness. Reheat the shrimp in an air fryer for the crispy texture. Store the shrimp for up to 4 days.
While you can freeze the cooked shrimp, the other ingredients do not freeze well.
Top tip
Prep the night before by cutting the vegetables and then storing them in an air tight container in the refrigerator. You can also premake the sauce. This makes for easy prep the next day.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Bang Bang Shrimp Bowl
Ingredients
- 12 oz rice noodles cooked according to package directions
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise see note 1 below
- ¼ cup sweet Thai chili sauce
- 2-4 teaspoons sriracha see note 2 below
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or lime juice
- salt optional, to taste
For the Bowls:
- 2 cups cabbage sliced, red or green
- 2 cups cucumber sliced
- 1 cup carrots sliced or shredded
- 2 cups bell peppers any color, sliced
- 1 jalapeno sliced, optional
- cilantro chopped, for topping
For the Shrimp:
- 1 lb large shrimp thawed, raw, deveined and de-tailed
- 3 Tablespoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4 Tablespoons avocado or cooking oil divided
Instructions
- Start cooking rice noodles according to package directions. When they are done, rinse in cold water and set to the side.
- While the noodles are cooking slice the cabbage, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, jalapeno if using, and cilantro. Set to the side.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Place corn starch, salt and pepper in a zip top bag and shake to combine. Add the shrimp and shake to coat well. Place half the shrimp in hot oil (should be sizzling if you sprinkle a drop of water into it) and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side. Shrimp is done when it's pink and reaches 140° F. Remove shrimp and place on a paper towel lined plate, heat the rest of the oil and repeat the process.
- Make your bowl by placing the rice noodles at the bottom, then layering on the veggies and lastly the shrimp. Drizzle the bang bang sauce over the whole thing, top with cilantro and enjoy!!
Notes
- Substitute half of the mayo with plain Greek yogurt or low fat sour cream for a lighter version of this sauce.
- Bang Bang sauce is supposed to have a bit of a kick to it. If you are sensitive to spice, start with 1 teaspoon of sriracha sauce and add until desired spice level. If you like things extra spicy, feel free to use as much sriracha as you'd like, just make sure not to drown out the other flavors.
- Feel free to use regular rice instead of rice noodles if you prefer!
- This bowl has a lot of flexibility! Feel free to use any fresh vegetables. Other veggies we have used and love are: zucchini, summer squash, edamame, fresh corn and avocado.
- Make sure not to over cook the shrimp or it will be tough and rubbery! It is done at 140° F and should be light and tender.
Andrea says
One of our top family meals! We make this often and love making it for guests!