Shrimp Quinoa Bowl

Shrimp quinoa bowl is the perfect easy meal for weeknight dinners. It’s filled with whole grain quinoa, blackened shrimp, and toppings of choice. This healthy dinner recipe is packed with flavor and a great option for everyone in your family.

What is Shrimp Quinoa Bowl?

If this is your first time cooking grain bowls, you’re in for a treat! Most quinoa recipes are bland and lack flavor, but this recipe is packed with fresh ingredients, seasonings, and herbs. Just like our chicken fajita rice bowl, it’s perfect for serving on busy nights when you don’t have a lot of time to cook a big meal.

All you need to do is cook the quinoa, saute the shrimp, and add your favorite toppings. Don’t forget to drizzle this delicious meal with cilantro lime crema or cilantro vinaigrette. It’s the perfect addition to these quinoa power bowls.

Meal Prep Tip: Spend a little time on meal prep earlier in the week, so it’s even easier to assemble the bowls. When you’re ready to eat, layer the cilantro quinoa in a large bowl first, place a few cooked shrimp on top, and scoop on your toppings of choice.

How to Pick the Best Shrimp 

Shrimp is the star of this dish, so you want to make sure you get the best quality you can find.

Either fresh shrimp or frozen shrimp will work wonderfully as long as it’s good quality.

If you buy fresh shrimp from the seafood department at the grocery store, ask when they were caught. This needs to be within 24 hours. If not, go with frozen shrimp instead.

Frozen shrimp are a great option since they’re flash frozen when they’re still fresh. You can buy a bag in the frozen seafood department of the grocery store.

You can choose to buy peeled or unpeeled shrimp depending on if you want to take the extra time to devein and peel them.

To peel the shrimp, remove the shell and use a knife to scrape off the dark vein along the inside of the shrimp. Rinse them free of any lingering shells or veins and place them in a large bowl.

It’s best to buy raw large or extra-large shrimp for this recipe.

How to Make Shrimp Quinoa Bowl

Cook the quinoa in broth or water and then remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. 

In a bowl, toss the shrimp with spices and oil. Cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until fully cooked.

Serve cooked shrimp over quinoa with toppings of your choice.

Variations

Here are some tasty options to make this shrimp quinoa bowl your own.

• Meat: chicken, tofu, scallops, salmon
• Grains: farro, barley, brown rice, wheat berries, black or red quinoa  
• Fresh Veggies: red peppers, red onion, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, romaine lettuce, corn, green onions
• Cheese: cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese
• Herbs: parsley, oregano, cilantro
• Seasonings: curry powder, red pepper flakes 

Other Ways to Cook this Dish  

There are a couple of other ways to cook shrimp and quinoa that work great for this recipe.

You can cook the shrimp in the oven as well. Place the shrimp on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure the shrimp are thawed and seasoned. Bake at 400 F until shrimp is juicy and opaque, about 4 to 6 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp.

Make the quinoa in an instant pot if you don’t want to cook it on the stove. You can also use vegetable or chicken broth for added flavor.  

Storing Tips 

Refrigerate: Keep leftover shrimp and quinoa stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat: Gently reheat the shrimp until just warm enough, or eat them cold. You can heat the quinoa until warmed through in the microwave or eat it cold as well.

Freeze: If you’d like to make this dish in advance, you can freeze it and save it for later.

Place the shrimp in a single layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the shrimp and put them in a large freezer bag and back in the freezer.

Scoop the quinoa into a container with a lid and into the freezer.

Be sure to label and date everything, so you know what you’ve saved later.

FAQs

More Shrimp Recipes

• Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
• Mango Shrimp Salad
• Quinoa Salad with Shrimp
• Shrimp Alfredo with Broccoli

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