Honey Cilantro Lime Shrimp

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Total Time 25 minutes

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This Honey Cilantro Lime Shrimp looks like one heck of a fiesta on your plate. Chock full of sweet and savory, tangy and salty, this shrimp is everything you’ve ever wanted and then some. Make a triple batch if you plan to share. 

If you love everything shrimp, then you’re going to go gaga for recipes like my Easy Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp, Baked Coconut Shrimp, Garlic Lime Shrimp Marinade, or these Southwest Shrimp Salad Stuffed Avocados

top view of honey cilantro lime shrimp in a pan.

To sauce or not to sauce, that is the question. 

In all honesty though, this is a question I ask myself when making these recipes with saucy ingredients. Me, I’m a huge fan of sauce. Any kind, any style, meat or no meat — give me a big bowl of homemade marinara and I’m all in. I could eat it with a spoon, soup-style. 

Because I only share recipes I would eat myself and serve to my family or guests, I make them as authentically “me” as possible. I feel like that’s the ticket on this blog and in life in general, share what’s real and people will be naturally attracted to that. 

I realize I might be the first person to ever overly philosophize about sauce. (Or philosophize about sauce at all?) These are the things I think of, that keep me up at night. Weird, right? 

ALL THAT is to say, I tend to make a lot of dishes on the saucy side because I prefer to serve them over rice or noodles or sop up the sauce with chunks of baguette or thick-sliced French bread or, sometimes, my spoon. If this isn’t your jam, you can always halve the sauce. This makes for a lightened-up version of this dish as well. Sauce or no sauce, you’re going to love it! 

close up of honey cilantro lime shrimp on a plate.

HOW DO YOU MAKE HONEY CILANTRO LIME SHRIMP? 

Four simple steps separate you from enjoying the best shrimp dish of your entire life. 

First, I whisk together the butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and garlic. Second, to a skillet set at medium-high heat, I add the shrimp and then I pour over the sauce. Third, I let that sauce come to a boil while I keep stirring the shrimp here and there to make sure it all cooks up evenly and the sauce thickens a bit. This takes about 6-8 minutes. 

Finally, I sprinkle cilantro over the shrimp and sauce, give a quick stir, and serve it right away. Whether that means all by itself or over rice or pasta, that’s up to you. 

top view of a pair of hands holding a plate with honey cilantro lime shrimp and a fork on it with a pan of more shrimp on the side.

WHAT DO I SERVE WITH HONEY CILANTRO LIME SHRIMP?

I like to serve mine in the following ways: 

  • Over rice! White, brown, cauliflower (if you’re eating on the healthy side) — it all works wonderfully with this shrimp recipe. 
  • On top of noodles — I like a wide egg noodle but you could use penne, spaghetti, angel hair pasta…just about any kind will work. 
  • You could also serve this over a hardier grain like quinoa, barley, or millet if you want a dose of whole grains. 
  • Serve this in a dish and use your favorite bread to sop up the juices. 
  • If you are a fan of grits, I’ve heard nothing goes better with shrimp! 

WHAT KIND OF SHRIMP SHOULD I BUY?

That’s up to you. For ease of use, I like to buy my shrimp already peeled and de-veined. It cooks faster and is less mess for me (or you) the cook. 

If you buy shell-on shrimp, and you want to peel and de-vein it beforehand, check out my instructions for doing that can be found in my Easy Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe

I also prefer to buy the large or jumbo shrimp because they still cook up fast but don’t dry out as quickly as the smaller ones will. Plus, who doesn’t like a nice, big, meaty shrimp over a tiny little cocktail one? 

close up of a piece of honey cilantro lime shrimp on a fork with a plate of more shrimp faded underneath.

ARE CILANTRO AND CORIANDER THE SAME THING? 

Cilantro leaves and coriander seeds come from the same plant — the coriandrum sativum plant. 

The cilantro herb is used often in Mexican food and Asian food. It has citrus undertones and people either seem to love it or hate it. Some people even think it smells or tastes like soap (that’s a genetic trait — really!). 

Coriander is a seed that is used often with cumin and cinnamon. It’s sweet and has a slightly nutty flavor. Coriander is used a lot in Latin American foods and Indian foods as well. 

However you plan to make and serve this dish, I can guarantee you’ll love it!

top view of honey cilantro lime shrimp with a fork on a plate with a pan of more shrimp and a fork on the side.
Honey Cilantro Lime Shrimp easy dinner recipe | lecremedelacrumb.com
4.78 from 9 votes

Honey Cilantro Lime Shrimp

This Honey Cilantro Lime Shrimp looks like one heck of a fiesta on your plate. Chock full of sweet and savory, tangy and salty, this shrimp is everything you've ever wanted and then some. Make a triple batch if you plan to share. 
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
0 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 1 ½ pounds large or jumbo shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and tails removed if desired
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 3 teaspoons minced garlic
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions 

  • Whisk together butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, and garlic.
  • Add shrimp to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic sauce.
  • Bring sauce to a boil, stirring shrimp occasionally, until shrimp is fully cooked and sauce has thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
  • Stir in cilantro and serve immediately.

Notes

If you want to make a lighter version, you can cut the sauce ingredients in half. I like to make the recipe as written and serve the shrimp and extra sauce over rice!

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 429mg | Sodium: 1788mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 752IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 260mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Tiffany of Creme de la Crumb in the kitchen

Welcome!

Hey there, I’m Tiffany – chef, photographer, mother, and avid taco eater. I am passionate about turning simple flavors and ingredients into tasty meals the whole family will love, with minimal prep and cleanup so there’s more time to spend eating and enjoying. Stay awhile, and help yourself to a taco or two!

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16 Comments

  1. Paige says:

    4 stars
    Recipe should say to thaw shrimp beforehand. Delicious but watery if you don’t pre-thaw

  2. D. McFadden says:

    4 stars
    My sauce never thickened…..and it didn’t get that nice dark color like your picture…it was more like a scampi. I was hoping it was going to be like a sticky texture. I added cornstarch and more soy sauce to thicken it and cooked for an additional 15 minutes to get it to a thicker darker consistency. It was very good with the alterations.

  3. Eileen says:

    Excellent!!!

    1. Tiffany says:

      Thank you for your feedback, Eileen!

  4. Zara says:

    Can we hae frozen shrimp for this superb recipe?

    1. Tiffany says:

      I definitely recommend thawing your shrimp for best results.

  5. Pam Gregory says:

    ABout to come out of my “I can’t cook reputation”. These recipies are inspirational. Now to get some fresh lemons and limes.

    1. Tiffany says:

      Yessss! You can do this, Pam! Have fun!! 🙂

  6. Heather says:

    I boiled mine for 10 minutes and the sauce never thickened…still tasted good.

    1. jessica says:

      i had the same issue as heather but still tasted good.

    2. Sarah says:

      same issue here, it never thickened at all, can you troubleshoot at all?

  7. Marie ulon says:

    Can one use lemon instead

    1. Tiffany says:

      If you’d prefer that flavor instead of lime- sure!

  8. GailSusan says:

    15 pounds of shrimp??

    1. Tiffany says:

      It says 1.5 pounds

      1. Melinda Lee says:

        5 stars
        Yummy! Just make sure and thouroughly dry shrimp before marinating.