Shrimp fajitas are an easy dinner that’s sure to impress! Bell peppers and onion are sautéed in a hot skillet, then tossed with jumbo shrimp and a fresh squeeze of lime juice for the best fajita night meal.
Why You’ll Love These Shrimp Fajitas
Shrimp is one of my go-to proteins when I want a quick and easy dinner. It just cooks so fast! But when I’m itching for a bold taste of Mexico, this shrimp fajitas recipe is one of my favorites. It’s quicker to cook than chicken fajitas or steak fajitas, and I always have my homemade fajita seasoning on hand which makes the process even easier and oh so delicious. Here’s what else you’ll love about my recipe:
- Best one-pan meal: Everything cooks in one pan in about 15 minutes. It doesn’t get any better than that!
- The fajita seasoning is top notch: It’s freshly made, which means it packs a bolder, more authentic flavor without any fillers.
- Many ways to serve: Turn this into a complete fajita night with tortillas, avocado slices or guacamole, and chopped cilantro. I’ve got even more serving ideas below!
Shrimp Fajitas Ingredients
- Jumbo Shrimp: Fresh or frozen jumbo shrimp works great. If using frozen, make sure to thaw it the night before in the fridge.
- Bell Pepper: I love using red and yellow bell peppers for a bright pop of color, but you can pick any color you prefer.
- Onion: Yellow, white, or red onions will work in this recipe. I’ve chosen to use white this time around.
- Fajita Seasoning: My homemade recipe is the way to go for the most robust flavor. It’s a simple combination of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Olive Oil & Lime Juice: This helps the seasoning stick to the shrimp while adding bright, zesty flavor. And as always, fresh lime juice is best!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Shrimp Fajitas
Marinate the shrimp: In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the fajita seasoning, oil, and lime juice until they’re evenly coated. You can cook them immediately or let them sit for about 15 minutes. However, avoid marinating for longer, as shrimp is delicate and can become mushy.
Sauté the peppers and onion: In a large skillet, sauté the peppers and onion with the remaining oil until they’re tender and nicely caramelized. Once done, transfer them to a plate.
Sauté the shrimp: Cook the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Keep a close eye on them, as shrimp cooks quickly and can easily be overcooked.
Toss it all together: Add the bell peppers and onions back into the skillet, sauté for another minute, and squeeze in one last burst of lime juice for the perfect finish.
Ways To Serve
- Best sauces and salsas: Choose anything from guacamole, pico de gallo, red salsa, salsa verde, this creamy chipotle sauce, or lime crema!
- Tortillas: I love making my cassava flour tortillas for the perfect chewy texture. But feel free to choose your favorite options!
- Side dishes: Make a batch of Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice for a side dish if you’re building plates or bowls.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Store in the fridge: Leftover shrimp fajitas will stay good in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze for later: Although you can freeze leftovers, I think making it fresh every time is best for flavor and texture. Plus, it’s so easy to whip up!
- For reheating: Microwave a bowl or plate of the shrimp fajitas for about a minute, until warmed through.
More Shrimp Recipes
- Shrimp Tacos: With the best cilantro lime bacon slaw!
- Creamy Chipotle Shrimp: A tasty way to use my Chipotle sauce.
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers: Ultimate summertime recipe.
- Citrus Shrimp Ceviche: The best refreshing appetizer.
- Shrimp Scampi: Another great one-pan dinner.
- Or browse through my list of shrimp recipes or Mexican recipes for more ideas!
If you make this shrimp fajitas recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- All-Clad Saute Pan The stainless steel pan I'm using for this recipe!
Ingredients
Shrimp Fajitas
- 1 ½ pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lime
- 8 tortillas
Fajita Seasoning
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Toppings
- avocado (or guacamole), sour cream, and salsa
Instructions
- Make the fajita seasoning. In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Season the shrimp. In a large bowl, add the shrimp, two tablespoons of olive oil, the juice from half a lime, and the fajita seasoning. Toss it all together until the shrimp is well coated, then set it aside to marinate while you cook the onions.
- Sauté the onion and bell peppers. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened and the onions have started to caramelize. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté the shrimp. In the same skillet, add the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until they turn pink and opaque.
- Combine the shrimp and fajita veggies. Add the bell peppers and onions back to the skillet, give everything a toss, and squeeze more lime juice on top. Serve immediately with tortillas and extra toppings such as sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole.
Lisa’s Tips
- You can use either a cast iron pan or stainless steel pan – either works! To see my favorite cookware, check out my Shop page.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally published January 2021, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
Behind The Scenes
After developing nearly a thousand recipes for the website and my cookbook, I find myself still going back to the same dozen or so recipes when I want something fast and easy. Maybe I should make a separate list of those? A “Lisa’s Favorites” list. Anyone interested to know what else would be on the list? But point being, these shrimp fajitas are one such recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! It fits perfectly with our protein and veggie packed meal plans. Instead of tortillas, I’ll serve leftovers over a bed of brown rice. The flavors are amazing. ♥️
Wonderful! Happy to hear this shrimp fajitas turned out perfectly, Lisa.
Definitely making this again. Easy. Fast. And delicious. There were no leftovers. Loved that there is very little more because there are few ingredients. My son and husband loved it. Thank you for the meal idea and recipe.
Thrilled to hear this shrimp fajitas was a winner with your family, Julie!
Lisa we have your cookbook and every recipe in it is a new a favorite. Your recipes can be trusted to hit the mark. I don’t know how you manage it but my husband and are greatly blessed to have encountered you. Thanks so much. You make our lives simpler.
Hi Lisa – Thanks for your feedback! Happy to hear you and your husband are loving all the recipes so far.
I made this for my family this evening, and it turned out so so good. It was perfectly flavored., and we all loved it. We will be putting this recipe on our dinner rotation. I highly recommend it.
Glad the whole family enjoyed this shrimp fajitas recipe, Lynn!
I love love love this easy quick delicious recipe. I will make it again this week for my family. So flavorful alone but adding pico and guacamole made it so good.
I hope your family loves these shrimp fajitas as much as you do, Sue!
These were delicious! I made with your fruit salsa recipe, which paired really well!!
I’m sure this tasted amazing with fruit salsa! Enjoy, Casie!
CORRECTED COMMENT TO ORIGINAL POST BELOW – Cook with the heads on, then take them off for better flavor.
This comment is for those who may be in an area where they have access to freshly caught shrimp. We live in NE Florida where we have a large seafood market that is right on the ocean where the shrimp boats and other fishermen bring in fish and seafood freshly caught. I learned that if you can get the “heads on” shrimp and have time to cook them, then pull the heads off before using them in a recipe, they have so much more flavor cooked this way. I noticed in the video Lisa mentions leaving the tails on for more flavor; this is the same concept with leaving the heads on. My husband’s mother used to buy fresh shrimp and freeze them. She would completely open up a used milk carton (1/2 gal), stuff the shrimp in it and fill it up with water, fold the top of the carton back down and secure it, and leave it in the freezer until she used the shrimp. When she filled it with water, she left room for expansion, as the ice expands. When you thaw it, just let water run slowly across the top of the iced shrimp, and they thaw quickly. They are just as fresh as when you buy them this way, no freezer burn. It seems like this is a little time-consuming, but well worth it, and if you are cooking for one, you could use a smaller milk carton such as a quart size. Bon Appetite!!
Hi Susan – I would have to agree with you as well for keep the shrimp tails on for maximum flavor and juiciness!
This is definitely a keeper. I believe I said out loud ‘this is so good’ after every bite. It certainly does not disappoint!
Thrilled to hear you’re loving this shrimp fajitas recipe, Katie!
These shrimp fajitas were AMAZING! I paired them with cilantro lime cabbage (no bacon) and the chipolte sauce. Will definitely be making them again and again and again.
The perfect combination for a shrimp fajita dinner! Happy to hear you enjoyed all three recipes, Christine.
Made this with mango pineapple salsa. SO GOOD
This sounds amazing with pineapple salsa! Glad you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas, Liz.
Love this recipe! Here’s an easy way to remove shrimp tails to get all the flesh out: Pinch the tail just behind the flesh and squeeze it forward as you gently pull the shrimp from the tail. This works on both cooked and raw shrimp.
Thanks for sharing your quick tip on the shrimp tails, Chuck! That’s how I do it as well.
Wow! I’ve been making your recipe for Chicken Fajitas all summer, but now this Shrimp Fajita recipe adds a nice change to a quick and flavourful dinner. We all loved it and they are already asking when I will be making it again. Thank you Lisa for adding to many of your recipes that are in my repertoire of gastronomic dishes. My family loves you and so do I for bringing healthy ways of eating to us!!
Happy to hear everyone is loving this shrimp fajitas (and the chicken fajitas), Wendy!
Delicious Sunday dinner. Thank you!
Hi Iris – Glad you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas recipe!
This Shrimp Fajitas recipe truly is simple and delicious. I always keep frozen shrimp in the freezer. They defrost fast and this meal comes together in minutes.
Happy to hear you’re loving this shrimp fajitas for an easy and delicious dinner, Arlene!
The Shrimp Fajitas were absolutely delicious!!! I plan on making these for a friend’s birthday party soon. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy you loved them, Demetria! And they’re the perfect meal for a party. Enjoy!
So happy you love the recipe, Arlene! And you’re smart to keep frozen shrimp on hand. They really are great for when we need dinner in minutes!
Lisa. I have been making your shrimp fajitas recipe for years. It is so easy and tasty! I like to serve it to lunch guests. And chicken can be used instead of shrimp for non seafood people. I love your fajita seasoning recipe. I keep a shaker bottle of it on hand to use in other recipes. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas. We have enjoyed a number of these. Gail Hall, Ottawa, Canada
Hi Gail – It’s always a great idea to keep the fajita seasoning on hand! Happy to hear you’ve made good use of it to make all the fajita recipes, especially this shrimp fajitas!
Made my own fresh corn tortillas!
Wonderful! I’m sure that tasted great with these shrimp fajitas.
Fantastic shrimp fajita recipe. I made it last weekend and my husband has already requested it again!
Awesome! So happy you both love the recipe.
This is one of my favorite shrimp recipes from Lisa. So easy, full of flavor and always a hit! The shrimp is well seasoned and so juicy! I love it! And you can use it for different recipes as she shows at the bottom – which I love so you always have ideas for leftovers. The fajita seasoning is the best and I make it a bunch at a time so I have it ready whenever I make Mexican food. Just make it and you’ll want it weekly!!
Thanks so much! I’m thrilled you love these shrimp fajitas. And yes, that seasoning is everything!
These were delicious! I made them with already cooked shrimp which made the recipe even easier and quicker to put together for a weeknight meal. I made the lime crema to put on top and we will definitely be adding these to our rotation. Thank you, Lisa!
Hi Chloe – Happy to hear you love this shrimp fajitas dinner! The lime crema is the cherry on top :)
I love this! Easy and delicious!!
Hi Caroline – Happy to hear you love this shrimp fajitas!
Delicious
Hi Lynette – I’m glad you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas recipe!
This fajita recipe is the best one I’ve found…to start with. I doubled the seasonings. Also I added chicken too the extra seasoning went on the chicken and I used the rest in the vegetables along with a bit of olive oil!! They were delicious!!
Thanks so much, Sandra! I’m happy you loved the recipe.
My husband and I combined this and the steak fajita recipe for dinner tonight and we were blown away! Another recipe that doesn’t disappoint
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed both the steak and shrimp fajitas recipe, Stef!
Incredible! Authentic fajita taste. I didn’t add salt, but I did add mushrooms. Absolutely delicious.
Happy to hear you’re loving this shrimp fajitas recipe Lauren!
Wondering if the 1 and half pound of shrimp is after tails removed ? Using frozen shrimp which have been deveined and tails removed
Yes, it’s after the tails have been removed!
I don’t usually make comments but this recipe is exceptional! The flavor is authentic and my husband and I really enjoyed this very easily prepared dinner.
Thanks so much for leaving a review Liz! Glad both you and your husband enjoyed this fajitas recipe :)
OMG…those was SO GOOD!
I added half of a jalapeño. I’m from Texas and adding it to my monthly rotation!
This was a delicious weeknight meal! I followed the recipe exactly. My family loved it.
This recipe is fabulous!! Really easy and delicious. I am loving your website.Thanks for all the great ideas <3
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!! Thank you!!
Hope you love it Laurie!
This was absolutely delicious!! Loved all the seasonings and it was so easy And quick to make! Loved it! Ole!
Happy to hear you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas!
I printed this out…. thinking about how yummy this would be. Then I saw the sodium content… 2046mg per serving??? Is that a typo?? That’s like 1500 more than I usually eat per meal!!
Hi Carol – it did look like an error on the nutrition auto calculation. I’ve fixed it! And you can further reduce the sodium by eliminating the salt. Enjoy!
Delicious and oh so easy!!! Thank you Lisa for your AMAZING recipes, we love them
All.
Glad you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas Lana :)
Simple but very nice tasty dish
Simple and delicious. It’s so easy to make the spice mix and way healthier than the salty store bought packaged stuff. I made a few tweaks to the spice mix, using chipotle chili powder instead of regular chili powder and added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp of adobo seasoning. I served it with homemade quac, sour cream, Mexican cheese mix and pickled jalapeños. Really good!
Glad you enjoyed these shrimp fajitas Shelley!
I’m making it for the second time. I love it and make enough for leftovers. I have a gas cooktop and char thin corn tortillas over the flame, for the wrap. I also do a pico de Gallo, chopped avocado, and cilantro. So delicious. Always on my list of regulars now. Thank you!
Love toasting tortillas over an open flame! Glad you enjoyed this shrimp fajita recipe Rosalind.
Very easy to make. I like it, but my husband gave it a very lukewarm “it was good”. He says he wanted it to have more flavor. Would love suggestions for how to amp up the flavor.
Thank you!! I made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was a success, as it’s the case with all of your recipes. This, too, will surely become a must in our house!
Wonderful! Glad this was a hit Giulia!
Thanks for another great recipe! I had a 1 pound bag of shrimp with shells on (and I didn’t know how many ounces of actual shrimp it would end up being after removing the shells) so I used half of the seasoning mixture amounts and it worked very well. Next time I will use half of the salt. I substituted Baby Bok Choy chopped for the bell peppers and it worked well.
Love the veggie substitution idea Deb!
I prepped the taco mix the night before so this dish did not take me more than 15 minutes to put together. Again a very easy, healthy and delicious meal. And I got thumbs up from the family. Just love it!
Amazing! Glad everyone enjoyed this recipe Babette :)
Wonderful! Tasted better than a restaurant. I’ve been intimidated to cook shrimp in the past, but this was so easy!
Cooking shrimp couldn’t be any easier! Happy to hear you enjoyed this shrimp fajitas Richard :)
Ahhhmazing! Another delicious dish from Downshiftology. I served this with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and almond flour tortillas.
So glad you enjoyed these shrimp fajitas Alan!
Hi Lisa,
This is just a quick note to correct a tiny mistake in your recipe. I also love your chicken fajitas. Your recipe has a header that displays Chicken Fajitas instead of Shrimp Fajitas. I use Paprika Recipe Manager and spotted the mistake there. I absolutely adore all the recipes I have made of yours. I have lost 110+ pounds a lot of it based on your citrus ginger scallops. I use the exact same recipe for shrimp. It is divine and super light calorie wise. All your efforts on all fronts are spectacular. It’s hard to find someone who blogs who also loves some heat in their recipes. I also have an older set of All-Clad stainless cookware. Your sense of quality is very visible in every thing you do. Thank you for your wonderful site!😋🤗
Mark Rossi
Hi Mark – Thanks for catching that mistake! Also, I’m glad you’ve been enjoying all my recipes so far and that they’ve had a positive impact :)
Had to swap the cumin and let the peppers cook for longer, as I like them more tender, but this was SO tasty! I had fallen in love by looking at your IG already, but now I am definitely bookmarking this recipe for future use.
Thank you!
Excited to hear this shrimp fajitas was a win Cristina! Can’t wait to hear about what you make next :)
My 10 year old son and I made this tonight for dinner and he loved it. Can you share some kids friendly meals to make together? Thank you!
Happy to hear both of you enjoyed these shrimp fajitas! Will be sure to keep in mind of more family-friendly recipes :)
I love the flavours that you’ve used and this is such a great family meal too.
Thanks Amanda! It really is a family favorite.
You had me at ‘simple’! Love this dish for a weeknight dinner but I can whip up a large portion and serve it at parties too. Yum!
It truly is one of the best dinner recipes! :)
Love that this dish is Sea Food. One of my favorite meal. This dish looks spicy and flavorful and easy and quick to make too.
It sure is a weeknight favorite :)
shrimp fajitas are definitely my fav – the smell of cumin is the best! i just sniff it for a few minutes before i add it to any recipe! yum – can’t wait to make this
The spices definitely make this recipe!
I don’t cook with shrimp nearly enough. Such a wonderful, flavorful meal! I love all those spices and how easily it comes together.
This is a delicious and easy way to incorporate more shrimp into your routine!
Lisa,
Thank you for all you do!!! This is so helpful to all of us that are on a journey back to health.
I am writing to better understand the nutrition information. For example on the shrimp fajita, it’s four servings. So the protein is listed as 41g, do I divide that by 4? is that the case with fiber/fat/sugar/etc.
Thank you for taking the time to help me understand this.
Hi Alinda – The nutritional information will always be per serving :)