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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Big Flavor Without a Lot of Work
These Blackened Shrimp Rice Bowls pack in so much smoky, zesty flavor with surprisingly little effort. The shrimp cook fast, the rice keeps it filling, and all the fresh toppings make every bite bright and fresh. It feels like something you'd order at a trendy restaurant — but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
That Creamy Lime Sauce Though
The creamy lime sauce seriously ties everything together. It’s cool, tangy, garlicky, and perfect with the smoky shrimp and warm rice. You’ll want to drizzle it on everything — and maybe keep extra in the fridge for tacos, wraps, or grilled chicken later in the week.
Fresh, Colorful, and Totally Customizable
One of the best things about these bowls is how easy they are to make your own. Add extra avocado, swap in chicken, toss in black beans, or pile on more veggies depending on what you have on hand. The colorful toppings make dinner feel fun and fresh without a ton of extra prep.
Great for Busy Nights or Meal Prep
These shrimp bowls come together quickly, which makes them perfect for busy evenings when everyone’s hungry like now. They also work great for meal prep since the shrimp, rice, and toppings can all be prepped ahead of time and assembled later. Easy, flavorful, and actually exciting leftovers? That’s a win.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Here's a look at everything you'll need to make blackened shrimp bowls.
Lime Rice
- Cooked white rice. Leftover rice works great. Jasmine rice is my favorite but really any type of rice will work.
- Lime. You'll use the zest and the juice.
- Butter. This is for cooking the rice.
Creamy Lime Sauce
- Mayonnaise.
- Sour Cream. Plain Greek yogurt can be used for a healthier option.
- Lime juice.
- Garlic. I use paste but fresh is great, minced or even powder will work.
- Salt. Sea salt adds extra flavor but regular salt works just fine.
- Water. Use a teaspoon or so of water to thin out the sauce if desired.
Blackened Shrimp
- Raw shrimp. If using frozen, thaw first. Do yourself a favor and opt for peeled & deveined. Tails on will add more flavor but you do tails off if you don't want to deal with shells.
- Blackened seasoning. Store bought of make your own. See FAQs for a quick recipe.
- Oil. For cooking. Avocado or any neutral oil works.
Bowl Toppings
Choose your favorites or substitute with other toppings of your choice.
- Avocado. Sliced.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Red onion. Sliced thinly.
- Corn. Grilled or sliced off the cob is best.
- Cilantro. Fresh is best but I often use dried for convenience.
- Lime. For garnish and to add extra squeeze of lime.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
These bowls come together in a few steps. Here's a look at the process:
- Warm rice with butter; add seasonings.
- Whisk together creamy lime sauce ingredients until smooth.
- Pat shrimp and toss in seasonings.
- Sear shrimp on one side.
- Flip shrimp to cook other side until blackened.
- Assemble bowls with rice, shrimp and veggies. Drizzle with cream sauce.
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Yes! Just thaw the shrimp completely and pat them dry before seasoning. Dry shrimp helps the blackening seasoning stick better and gives you a better sear.
Jasmine rice is a great choice because it’s fluffy and slightly fragrant, but you can use any white or brown rice or even cauliflower rice if you want a lighter option.
Blackened shrimp has a little kick from the seasoning, but it’s usually more smoky and flavorful than super spicy. The creamy lime sauce helps tone down the spice a bit.
Yes. You can prep the rice, sauce, and toppings ahead of time and cook the shrimp fresh, right before dinner.
To meal prep as lunch, cook the shrimp in advance and enjoy chilled. If you want to reheat, heat the shrimp separately for just about 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Heat the rice for about 1 minute. Then combine shrimp with rice and add toppings and sauce.
If you want a shortcut, bottled cilantro lime dressing, cilantro lime cremosa, or avocado ranch all work great. You can also swap the sauce for plain Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lime for something lighter and simple.
Yes! You can make and customize your own seasoning blend instead of using store-bought. Here's a recipe you can start with a tweak:
Blackening Seasoning
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
cayenne pepper to taste
If you've tried this Blackened Shrimp Rice Bowl, leave a 🌟 star rating or comment below to let others know what you thought of it!
Blackened Shrimp Rice Bowl with Creamy Lime Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 lb shrimp peeled & deveined
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil avocado or neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 3 tablespoon blackened seasoning See FAQs to make your own
Lime Rice
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 lime juice and zest
- salt to taste
Creamy Lime Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ½ lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- salt to taste
- water to thin (if desired)
Bowl Toppings
- 1 avocado peeled & sliced
- 4 oz cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup corn
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
- ½ lime sliced or wedged
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Instructions
- Season shrimp. Pat shrimp dry (important for proper blackening). Add blackening spices to a bow. Toss shrimp with melted butter. Coat generously with spice mix and set aside.
- Prepare rice. Add 1 tablespoon butter to frying pan over medium heat. Add cooked rice, lime zest, juice, and salt. Stir and heat for about 5 minutes or until rice is warmed through. Turn to low and cover to keep warm.
- Prepare sauce. Whisk all the ingredients for the creamy lime sauce until smooth. Thin slightly so it drizzles easily.
- Cook shrimp. Heat a oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes per side or until completely plump on both sides.
- Assemble bowls. Divide rice between 4 bowls. Add blackened shrimp on one side, and vegetable toppings on the other. Drizzle creamy sauce on top and serve.
Notes
- Do not overcrowd shrimp in the pan, or they’ll steam which can cause them to become rubbery.
- Cook rice or use leftover or microwave jasmine rice for faster prep time.
- Use store-bought creamy lime dressing, avocado ranch, or cremosa to save time.
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