12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (2024)

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Need a unique dip for your shrimp co*cktail appetizer? Or, introduce kids to shrimp with a tray of different dipping sauces for shrimp to see which one they like best.

12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (1)

Do your kids like shrimp?

My girls were both initially hesitant to try them but I used a few tried and true mommy tricks to coax them into trying them.

Hint? It is all about the dipping sauces to help entice them to try the new food.

Now roasted shrimp co*cktail is one of the holiday appetizers they most look forward to having each year.

I hope this list of easy shrimp dipping sauces help you to enjoy a delicious seafood dinner with your family or set out a new shrimp co*cktail for your next party!

12 Easy Shrimp Dipping Sauce Recipes Kids Love

If your kids are new to shrimp, a fun way to get them to try a taste is to offer a little tray of dips for them to dunk the shrimp in.

Make the game more about which dip is the tastiest so their attention is slightly distracted from the shrimp itself.

For the record, the Peanut will eat just about anything if there is mustard involved. Little Pea is obsessed with Chick-Fil-A sauce.

So whether you're looking for a fun way to introduce shrimp to your kids or a new twist on a classic shrimp co*cktail, there's sure to be a dipping sauce on this list that works perfectly for you.

Start with Perfect Shrimp

The tastiest shrimp for dipping starts with perfectly cooked shrimp. To get perfectly cooked shrimp, you need two important steps:

1. Thaw the Shrimp Properly

If you're working with a bag of frozen shrimp, learn the best way to thaw frozen shrimp here.

2. Cook them Perfectly

Then, once they are thawed, use this trick for perfectly roasted shrimp for your appetizer tray.

In a rush? You can use still-frozen shrimp with this easy boiled shrimp recipe in just THREE minutes!

How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp

How to Cook Frozen Shrimp

Frozen Shrimp in Air Fryer: Cooking Tips

Pick Your Favorite Shrimp Sauce (or Two!)

12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (6)

Then, pile up those gorgeous pink shrimp on a platter and tuck in a few dipping cups of one or two of these delicious sauces for dipping shrimp:

Homemade Remoulade

My all-time favorite seafood dip is a spicy remoulade sauce.

I’ve tried store-bought prepared ones and they never hold up to the deliciousness of a homemade version.

My easy remoulade sauce for crab cakes works just as great as a shrimp dipping sauce.

Remoulade Sauce for Crab Cakes

This spicy cajun remoulade sauce for crab cakes is a great dipping sauce for shrimp or po'boy sandwich spread, too! Made from easy things you have in your pantry mixed with a few classic creole ingredients for a creamy sauce you'll want to use again and again.

4.97 from 52 votes

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (7)

Homemade Tartar Sauce

When you make your own homemade tartar sauce, you can make it either sweet or vinegary to match your mood.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Make your own homemade tartar sauce in under 5 minutes for spreading over easy baked fish sandwiches or dunking frozen fish sticks for a delicious family dinner.

5 from 1 vote

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (8)

Homemade Yum Yum Sauce

This easy homemade yum yum sauce is great for making yum yum shrimp to serve over jasmine rice for dinner, but my kids love it as a condiment for dipping cooked shrimp or even chicken nuggets!

Homemade Yum Yum Sauce

Easy homemade yum yum sauce for dipping shrimp or chicken for an easy dinner or appetizer. You can adjust the spice level and texture to make the perfect dip for your family.

5 from 1 vote

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (9)

Bang Bang Sauce

This Bonefish Grill copycat recipe of their super popular bang bang shrimp appetizer is also delicious as a dipping sauce for shrimp or even chicken!

Sweet and spicy and just the perfect amount of creamy, my easy homemade bang bang sauce recipe comes together with 5 ingredients in just a minute:

Bang Bang Sauce

Homemade bang bang sauce is an easy Bonefish Grill copycat recipe that tastes amazing with shrimp or chicken. You can use this spicy sauce as a dip for an appetizer or drizzle it over a bang bang shrimp rice bowl or toss it with your favorite pasta and chicken and shrimp!

5 from 44 votes

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (10)

Spicy Sandwich Sauce

Originally this spicy sauce recipe was used for making reuben sandwiches, but it would make an absolutely perfect dipping sauce for shrimp, too.

You could even use it to drizzle over shrimp on a delicious toasted bun for a homemade shrimp po'boy sandwich.

Spicy Sauce

This creamy, spicy sauce is the perfect sandwich spread for a grilled rueben. It also makes an excellent dip or drizzle for shrimp.

5 from 1 vote

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (11)

Funky Ketchup

We all know that straight-up ketchup is likely to be most kids’ preferred dipping sauce but I lovethis slight twist of a ketchup-mustard version.
Get the recipe here.

co*cktail Sauce

I always have a spicy jar of co*cktail sauce in our fridge, but you can find mild prepared ones at the store that are wonderful. If you feel called to make one from scratch, this is our favorite co*cktail sauce:
Get the recipe here.

Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce

Fish is a conduit for butter. Period.

Can you think of anything yummier than agarlic butter shrimp dipping sauce?? Me neither.
Get the recipe here.

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce

And for the kids who are still totally skeptical about this fish business, serving up a dip they are more familiar with from their favorite fast-food chain definitely can’t hurt.

Though it was made for chicken, this homemade copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce is a surprisingly awesome dip for fish.

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce

Make the deliciously famous chicken nugget and french fry dip everyone adores with this easy copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce recipe that uses easy pantry ingredients you have right at home.

Serve the sauce chilled from the fridge with a warm fresh batch of oven baked or air fried frozen chicken nuggets or your favorite baked french fries or potato wedges.

5 from 1 vote

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (12)

Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Cilantro can be hit or miss with kids.

If yours love it like I do, this easy cilantro lime ranch sauce recipe is a great dip for spicy shrimp or for pairing with baked coconut shrimp.

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing

Homemade cilantro lime ranch dressing is made with buttermilk, ranch seasoning, and easy roasted tomatillos. Drizzle this over a taco salad, use a creamy taco sauce, or serve it with spicy sweet potato chips for an appetizer.

5 from 2 votes

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (13)

Buffalo Sauce

If you're looking for a little heat, buffalo sauce actually makes a fantastic dip for shrimp, especially crispy breaded shrimp.

Creamier than regular co*cktail sauce, this homemade buffalo sauce recipe takes just 5 minutes and 3 ingredients to make.

Easy Homemade Buffalo Sauce

This easy buffalo sauce recipe can be used as a dip for chicken or shrimp, drizzled over a salad, or used in countless appetizer recipes. Make it ahead days in advance in just minutes!

5 from 2 votes

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (14)

Chimichurri Sauce

If you're looking for a brighter, fresher dipping sauce, my easy chimichurri sauce has oodles of parsley, cilantro, and red wine vinegar. It would be an amazing dip for roasted shrimp as well as the steak marinade the original recipe mentions.

Chimichurri Steak

Need an easy grilling recipe for flank steak? This delicious chimichurri sauce makes the beef tender and pairs so well with fresh tomatoes during the summer.

5 from 1 vote

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12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (15)

Chipotle Aoli

Don't be intimidated, this is just a fancy name for flavored mayo. Plain mayo is not my favorite, but mix in chipotle powder, lime juice, fresh cilantro and other seasonings, and I'm sold! This would be perfect for topping a shrimp taco as well as a tasty shrimp dip.
Get the recipe here.

More Seafood Recipes for Kids

Want to help teach your kids to love shrimp and other seafood dishes? Don't miss these family-friendly seafood recipes they're sure to love:

Easy Fish Recipes for Kids

35 Easy Shrimp Recipes for Busy Nights

5 Best Spices for Salmon

Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetables

12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (20)
12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp (2024)

FAQs

What can you use besides co*cktail sauce for shrimp? ›

Five 2-Ingredient Sauces for Shrimp co*cktail
  • Curried Yogurt Sauce. This is a simple blend: start with 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, and lots of salt to bring out the flavors, then adjust as needed. ...
  • Sriracha Mayonnaise Sauce. ...
  • Ketchup-Mustard Sauce. ...
  • Avocado Hot Sauce. ...
  • Sour Cream-Chipotle Sauce.
May 1, 2019

What is shrimp dipping sauce made of? ›

All you need is ketchup, horseradish and lemon juice to make homemade co*cktail sauce. Delicious – Shrimp is expensive and deserves a sauce of equal quality.

What is Jamie Oliver's dipping sauce for prawns? ›

Jamie Oliver's Marie Rose Sauce recipe is a simple blend of mayonnaise, ketchup, lemon juice, and Worcestershire Sauce with a pinch of Tabasco for added heat. Quick and easy to prepare, Jamie Oliver's Marie Rose Sauce is the ideal seafood dipping sauce.

What can I dip shrimp in? ›

But you can also use co*cktail sauce, tartar sauce, soy sauce, honey mustard, or just about anything else you want. I guess it really depends on what kind of flavors you prefer. This may sound boring but it's what I like best with fried shrimp: Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup ketchup & a dash of Tabasco.

What are the five great sauces? ›

The five French mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato. Developed in the 19th century by French chef Auguste Escoffier, mother sauces serve as a starting point for a variety of delicious sauces used to complement countless dishes, including veggies, fish, meat, casseroles, and pastas.

What is a substitute for sauce? ›

Substitute Tomato Paste For Tomato Sauce

If you have a can of tomato paste in your pantry, you are in luck—this is the best substitution for tomato sauce. All you need is the tomato paste and water. Mix together 1 part tomato paste and 1 part water until well blended.

What pairs well with co*cktail shrimp? ›

The best side dishes to serve with shrimp co*cktail are potato salad, macaroni salad, cornbread, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, asparagus soup, stuffed mushrooms, scalloped potatoes, chicken spaghetti, chicken broccoli casserole, chilly roasted potatoes, tomato cucumber corn salad, Spanish rice casserole, garlic ...

What's the difference between sauce and dipping sauce? ›

A sauce is a liquid substance used to enhance a dish. Gravy and pasta sauce are examples. A dip is usually thicker so it can stick to things dipped into it. Think about guacamole and chip dip.

What is in Bobby Flay's Bobby sauce? ›

His fry sauce in particular has become a staple of Flay's, reflecting his signature style with a spicy twist. The best part about the recipe for Bobby Flay's fry sauce? It requires just three ingredients: mayonnaise, roasted red pepper puree, and adobo sauce.

Is shrimp sauce the same as Yum Yum sauce? ›

Almost every teppanyaki restaurant will serve it, though its name differs depending on whom you talk to. White sauce (a deceptive moniker), shrimp sauce, yummy sauce, yum yum sauce — are all used interchangeably.

What is Marie Rose sauce made of? ›

Marie Rose sauce (known in some areas as co*cktail sauce or seafood sauce) is a British condiment often made from a blend of tomatoes, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and black pepper. A simpler version can be made by merely mixing tomato ketchup with mayonnaise.

What sauces do Chinese use for seafood? ›

Seasoned Soy Sauce (蒸鱼豉油, ZHĒNG YÚ CHǏ YÓU)

Seasoned soy sauce is a light soy sauce (i.e. a “regular” soy sauce) with seasonings added, usually for use in seafood dishes.

What sauce does Ina Garten use? ›

Asking a pro chef this question could be insulting, but Garten has always been honest about her use of quality store-bought ingredients, which is one of the reasons she's developed such a cult following. In response to Kathy, Garten simply responded, "That's easy! Rao's Marinara Sauce."

What is usually served with shrimp? ›

Fried shrimp goes well with french fries,coleslaw and hushpuppies. Steamed shrimp with co*cktail sauce and saltine crackers is delicious with corn on the cob and boiled potatos. Shrimp scampi is served witk pasta and a salad and garlic bread. Sweet mango with a spicy kick is perfect with shrimp.

What are the 4 main sauces? ›

To the original four sauces (Velouté, Béchamel, Allemande, and Espagnole) enshrined by his predecessor, royal chef Marie-Antoine Carême a century earlier, Escoffier added Hollandaise and Sauce Tomate, and reclassified Allemande. (Mayonnaise, one of his essential cold sauces, is now considered the sixth mother.)

What makes shrimp taste better? ›

Marinate your shrimp

Shrimp have a rather mild flavor on their own, so using a marinade can infuse them with herbs and spices that help your shrimp shine. And, when you let your shrimp marinate overnight, the flavors get absorbed into the meat so that they are locked in, maximizing the punch when you take a bite.

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