The Best Shrimp Marinade Recipe

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Last Updated on March 28, 2025 by Toya

This delicious homemade shrimp marinade recipe only needs a handful of easy-to-find ingredients and tastes amazing. It’s also versatile and will work for any shrimp recipe!

If you’re looking for a shrimp marinade that’s full of flavor, easy to make, and requires no special ingredients, you’ve found the perfect recipe. My easy shrimp marinade is made using the simplest, pantry-friendly ingredients and creates the best zesty, savory marinade that’ll make your shrimp taste amazing!

The best part? You don’t need anything fancy to make this marinade work—just a few basic items you likely already have in your kitchen including olive oil, soy sauce and some honey!

Also, this shrimp marinade is so adaptable. I’ve tried it with the ingredients listed below, but I’ve also gone ahead and tweaked it multiple times by switching up the type of soy sauce or the oil I use, and also by playing around with different herbs, and even adding a few other types of spices. 

Every time I’ve made this basic shrimp marinade, it has come out tasting incredible. So if you don’t like the same old thing all the time, you can also make some tweaks of your own whenever you feel like it.

Before you make it, here are a few important things you should know. I answer some of the most common questions when it comes to making shrimp marinades and using them.

How long should shrimp marinate?

Shrimp should marinate for 15-30 minutes. Marinating for longer than that can cause the shrimp to become mushy, especially since the marinade contains an acid and salt.

Can I marinate shrimp overnight?

Nope, It’s not recommended to marinate shrimp overnight because they are delicate and can over-marinate, a get a mushy texture.

What are the best ingredients for a shrimp marinade?

The best shrimp marinades typically include a combination of some, or all of these ingredients: olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, herbs (like parsley or cilantro), and spices (like chili flakes or paprika). Also, adding a sweetener like honey or brown sugar can help balance the flavors, and acidic ingredients like lemon or lime juice can brighten the taste.

Should I marinate shrimp in the fridge or at room temperature?

Shrimp should always be marinated in the fridge.

Can I reuse shrimp marinade?

No, you should not reuse shrimp marinade that has been in contact with raw shrimp. It may contain harmful bacteria. However, you can reserve some marinade that hasn’t been exposed to raw shrimp, to use as a sauce or for cooking.

Ingredients you’ll need:

¼ cup olive oil – For this recipe, it’s best to use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. However, if you don’t have it on hand, alternatives like avocado oil, sunflower oil, or coconut oil will also work well.

1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro – This is an optional ingredient, but adding some fresh herbs will add those fresh flavors and aromas to the marinade. I prefer parsley, but you can use other herbs if you prefer.

1 tablespoon soy sauce – I like using soy sauce in my marinade recipes as it adds saltiness and richness to the marinade.

1 tablespoon of honey – Honey helps to balance out the acidic and savory flavors of the marinade. But, if you do now have it on hand, you can substitute with equal parts brown sugar.

1 teaspoon lime juice – I usually make this recipe with freshly-squeezed lime juice. But if you prefer to you can use freshly squeezed lemon juice too. I do not recommend store-bought lime or lemon juice though. Also, if you have no citrus on hand, you can use other acids like vinegar.

½ teaspoon salt – This brings out all the marinade flavors.

3 cloves garlic, minced – You can use garlic powder here. But I personally prefer the freshness of minced garlic. It adds that bold, slightly pungent, fresh flavor to my shrimp marinade. While I like using minced garlic, I do not like mincing these tiny cloves. So, if you hate mincing garlic like I do, you should get yourself a garlic press to make this step easier.

1 teaspoon chili flakes – Chili flakes are used here to add some spiciness to the marinade. If you do not have it, you can replace the chili flakes with cayenne pepper, paprika or even some black pepper.

¼ teaspoon onion flakes or onion powder – I use onion powder in most of my marinade recipes, but if you’re out, onion flakes can work too. You can also give them a quick grind if you want to.

1 lb large shrimp – Large fresh or frozen shrimp are the best for this recipe!

How to Make Shrimp Marinade

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, chopped parsley, salt, minced garlic, chili flakes, honey, and onion flakes or powder.

Add the shrimp to the marinade and toss to ensure they are evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors soak into the shrimp.

After marinating, cook the shrimp on a hot grill or stovetop for 2-3 minutes per side until they are pink and fully cooked. Serve immediately.

How should you cook marinated shrimp?

Marinated shrimp can be cooked in several ways. It all depends on what you’re feeling for at the moment. The marinated shrimp can be:

• Grilled: Preheat the grill and skewer the shrimp. Then grilled them for about 2-3 minutes per side until they turn pink and opaque. Reserve some of the marinade (make sure they did not come into contact with any raw shrimp). Then pour some melted butter into the to drizzle over the shrimp once they’re cooked.
• Sautéd: Heat some oil in a pan over medium-high heat and cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side until they are pink and cooked through.
• Baked: Arrange the marinated shrimp on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 6-8 minutes, until they are fully cooked.