These shrimp cakes are quick and easy to mix up and they only take about 5 minutes to cook. Crispy and golden brown on the outside, loaded with tender, juicy shrimp on the inside. They are amazing served with remoulade, Keto Yum yum Sauce or a spicy garlic mayo.

Ingredient Notes
- shrimp - You can use pre-cooked shrimp or raw shrimp for this recipe. You can even substitute crab. (I get my fresh seafood here)
- garlic - If you dont have any fresh garlic on hand, add some garlic powder, dried minced garlic, or even sub in any of your other favorite alliums.
- crushed pork rinds - The pork rinds serve as a binder. This is what helps the shrimp cakes stay together, but also keeps them low in carbs (I use this brand)
- mayonnaise - You can leave this out and the recipe will still turn out delicious. I like to add it because it adds a bit of creaminess to the patties. (get my homemade mayo recipe here)
- sea, pepper, paprika - these are pretty standard seasoning for shrimp cakes. You could also use your favorite cajun seasoning or even a blackened seasoning.
- olive oil - this is just for pan-frying the shrimp cakes. You could also use avocado oil, coconut oil, or any other high smoke point oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this recipe works great with raw or pre-cooked shrimp. Just make sure that in either case, you dry the shrimp very well so that the patties do not fall apart.
I like to serve these with my homemade Remoulade Sauce recipe or Keto yum yum Sauce, but they are also amazing with this Garlic Dill Tartar Sauce or Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Aioli. Any type of spicy mayo would be great also.
Yes, I recommend fulling thawing the shrimp first and then drying it really well before chopping it.
To keep these shrimp cakes gluten free, I used pork rinds as my binder in place of breadcrumbs, Panko, or breeding. You could also use blanched almond flour, or golden flaxseed meal.
Substitutions
- If you aren't concerned with keeping these shrimp cakes low carb or whole30, you can substitute Panko for the pork rinds
- If you aren't a fan of pork rinds, you can substitute equal parts almond flour and Parmesan cheese
- Want to add more veggies? These are excellent with chopped bell peppers added
- For a whole30 compliant mayo, I recommend making your own, or using Primal Kitchen
- You can substitute crab for the shrimp, or do a mixture of both
More Keto Seafood Recipes
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Shrimp Cakes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 8 shrimp cakes 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These keto shrimp cakes are crunchy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Perfect for an appetizer, or add some of your favorite low carb side dishes and make it a meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined, and chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup crushed pork rinds (I use this brand)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, eggs, garlic, green onions, pork rinds, mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon zest, mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Form the mixture into 8 equal sized patties,
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium to medium-high heat. Cook, flipping once until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 6 minutes total.
Notes
Whether you are using raw shrimp or pre-cooked shrimp, it is very important that you throughly dry them. This will help keep your patties from falling apart.
net carbs per serving: 1.8g
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Pan-frying
- Cuisine: Cajun
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 shrimp cakes
- Calories: 274
- Fat: 17.1g
- Carbohydrates: 2.4g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 26g
Keywords: shrimp cakes, fish cakes, shrimp recipes, keto appetizer recipes, whole30 compliant recipes
Rebecca says
OK, initially, I was a little hesitant to use the pork rinds, but once I got through the recipe, cooked these up, I am HOOKED! This is hands down one of the best recipes EVER! They are so freaking simple.
I made them a little small and ended up with eleven delightful patties, 2 of which I toasted up in the toaster oven at work and I just can't even right now. I made my own little caper dill lime aioli to go with them, too.
So, yes! THESE ARE FREAKING DELICIOUS AND I AM DEAD.
Thank you, Kyndra!
★★★★★
Makayla says
Can you freeze the shrimp cakes after they are prepared and cooked?
Kyndra Holley says
Yes, absolutely. Then simply pan-fry them or air-fry them when you are ready
Pamela says
I made these last night for the first time, but I couldn’t use the pork rinds because husband has high blood pressure, so I used 1/2 cup of salt free bread crumbs and they still came out great and didn’t fall apart at all! I made a little mayo/mustard/lemon juice/white pepper sauce to put on top of them. Will definitely make again, super easy but fancy at same time.
★★★★★
Monica says
These are delicious! I made 1/2 the recipe and it was plenty for the two of us. I decided to try cooking them in my air fryer. I hate the splatters with oil frying. Since the shrimp cakes were quite wet, I put them in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes so they would be easier to transfer to a preheated air fryer. I made smaller cakes because I thought they would be easier to handle. Half the recipe made 6 shrimp cakes. I cooked them in a preheated air fryer at 370 for 8-10 minutes, flipped them for another 5 minutes. I lined the air fryer with parchment after preheating. They turned out fantastic. I am going to try a little Old Bay spice next time.
★★★★★
Robin says
I added Old Bay and a little finely chopped bell pepper. Popped in the air fryer like you suggested. It was amazingly delicious!
★★★★★
Anonymous says
Amazing recipe, perfect the very first time! Can’t wait to try more of her recipes!
★★★★★
Randy says
We did a combination of crab meat and shrimp plus added red peppers and celery. Fried in butter...quite tasty.
Carol says
So exited to make these! Looks so good!
Colleen says
So easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Kim Baker says
This is an awesome recipe! It is easy, tasty, and quick! I made the Garlic Dill Tartar Sauce (https://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/garlic-dill-tartar-sauce/#tasty-recipes-36384-jump-target) to go with it. It was a big hit in my home.
★★★★★
Justine says
They’re perfect 🍤 😋
★★★★★