This bacon-wrapped shrimp recipe is my go-to party appetizer. The spicy maple glaze, combined with a few simple tricks, makes them completely irresistible.
There aren’t many things better than shrimp wrapped in bacon, especially when they’re coated in that sweet and spicy maple glaze. With my recipe, the shrimp turn out juicy and flavorful, and the bacon crisps up perfectly.
Whenever I serve these to friends and family, they fly off the plate. People can’t get enough! For more bacon-wrapped goodness, see our easy jalapeño poppers.
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: Use fresh, high-quality extra-large shrimp for the best flavor and texture. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them overnight in the fridge.
- Bacon: I’m usually a thick-cut bacon kind of girl, but for bacon-wrapped shrimp, I prefer thin-cut bacon. It cooks more quickly and crisps up beautifully. Since shrimp cook fast, I like to par-cook the bacon before wrapping so it’s crisp by the time the shrimp are done.
- Maple Syrup and Sriracha: These two ingredients combine to create a sweet and spicy glaze that makes this shrimp recipe so delicious. I also use this combo when making our baked ribs and BBQ chicken wings. If you don’t have Sriracha, Gochujang is an excellent substitute.
- Skewers: Use wooden toothpicks or metal skewers to secure the bacon around the shrimp. If using wooden ones, soak them in water for about 30 minutes first to prevent burning in the oven.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Tip 1: Salt, then rinse your shrimp. Before cooking, toss the shrimp with a bit of salt and let them sit in a colander for a few minutes. The salt firms up their texture and lightly seasons them. After rinsing, the shrimp taste cleaner, cook more evenly, and stay plump and juicy.
Tip 2: Give the bacon a head start. Bake the bacon for about 10 minutes before wrapping the shrimp. Pre-baking the bacon allows some of the fat to render without fully crisping. The bacon should look partially cooked but still floppy. Let it cool slightly before handling.
Tip 3: Brush with maple glaze. Whisk together maple syrup and Sriracha (or Korean Gochujang) to make the sweet and spicy glaze (it’s so good!). Brush both sides of the partially cooked bacon with the glaze so that every strip is well coated. You’ll brush on more after wrapping the shrimp.
Tip 4: Wrap, glaze, and bake. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Brush a little more glaze on top, then bake for about 5 minutes. Switch the oven to broil for another 4 to 6 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and caramelized. Yum.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes I Love
- Garlic Shrimp Scampi
- Cilantro Lime Butter Shrimp
- Chili Lime Shrimp Wonton Cups
- Sesame Ginger Shrimp Marinade
Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love these bacon-wrapped shrimp with the most delicious spicy maple glaze! We par-cook the bacon before wrapping it around the shrimp so both cook perfectly (raw bacon would take too long to cook, and the shrimp will overcook).
You Will Need
20 extra-large shrimp, shelled with tails left on, about 1 pound
10 strips thin-cut bacon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot chili sauce
Half a lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
1 scallion, finely chopped, for serving
Wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
Directions
1Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2Par-bake bacon: Place the bacon slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake until the bacon has rendered some of its fat, is starting to brown on the edges, but is still floppy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to paper towels to drain excess fat. Discard any fat on the baking sheet, but leave the foil intact.
3Prepare shrimp: Place the shrimp in a colander and toss with ¼ teaspoon salt. Let sit for 1 minute, then rinse and pat very dry with paper towels.
4Make glaze: Stir the maple syrup and sriracha in a small bowl.
5Glaze the bacon: Lightly brush both sides of the par-cooked bacon with the glaze, then cut it in half crosswise, making 20 half-strips of bacon.
6Wrap the shrimp: Wrap each shrimp with a half-strip of bacon and use one of the soaked skewers to secure it in place. Place each shrimp onto the baking sheet. Then, brush or spoon the leftover glaze over the wrapped shrimp.
7Bake: Bake the shrimp for 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, and then broil for 4 to 6 minutes, rotating the shrimp once until the bacon is crispy. Serve shrimp with lemon wedges on the side and scallions scattered on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store leftover bacon-wrapped shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet and warm in a 375°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the shrimp are heated through. Avoid microwaving, as it can make the bacon chewy.
- Make-ahead: You can also make them ahead of time by assembling the shrimp and par-baked bacon, then refrigerating for up to 24 hours before baking.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
it is awesome
Delicious! At least this is what my guests said as I did not move fast enough to try one. I loved the prep details; wrapping the shrimp was easy and par-cooked bacon was crispy in the end. I assembled the shrimp a few hours before cooking and kept them covered in the fridge. I had big shrimp and my bacon was much wider on one end. So for some I used 1 bacon strip per shrimp, for others half, while for others I used the tootpick to hold 2 pieces together. It all looked wonderful.
Amazing. Our friend Sharon made these for a girls happy hour on her patio. I had to make the same week for a dinner get together. My husband even appreciated them the next day. Very important though, do not over cook bacon as hard to wrap. My friend Sharon’s shrimp were prettier than mine! 🙂
Great stuff! Like it!
This recipe is fabulous! It is well written, accurate, repeatable and very, very good. These are the important things to know that will make it work perfectly. Use large raw shrimp. We used 6 – #13-15 for an appetizer for two. They cost about $4. Be sure to use thin sliced bacon. The rest is easy if you pay attention as they cook. The sauce is the perfect combo of sweet and hot. Must use real maple syrup. The lemon and scallion garnish seals the deal. Don’t change a thing.
Dumb question. I am making this tomorrow. Do you use cooked or raw shrimp?
Thank you
We use raw shrimp.
Ohhh nice! Looks delicious!
This looks AWESOME! I was planning to make bacon wrapped shrimp soon, and this tip on par-cooking the bacon is fantastic!
Have you ever cooked the bacon slightly the night before, wrapped and then broiled the next day? Did it turn out the same? Looking for ways to save time.
Hi Erin, we have never tried this, but it seems like a good option for cutting prep time.
Just made this Bacon Wrapped Shrimp for Super Bowl gathering tonight and it was a big hit. The sauce was delicious and I had to make extra as guests were also drizzling sauce on baked onion rings. Will definately make this shrimp recipe again. 5?
I came to your site last night looking for directions on how to bake bacon because we were going to have breakfast for dinner and I wanted an easier way to get the bacon done.
THEN I saw the recipe for the bacon wrapped shrimp. We had bacon wrapped shrimp for dinner. 🙂 Yummy. I put the glaze on half, not sure if the kids would like it. Ended up making some extra glaze to dip the shrimp in after they were cooked for the rest! For our size shrimp it was best with about 1/3 strip of bacon.
Thank you for a fun and yummy dinner.
LOVE. LOVE, LOVE these.
Even people who claim not to be “seafood” people like them and request them. I just read the comment where it states that it should be ok to make them the night before and then just pop the pan into the oven. I am definitely going to try this as I hate to putz with things like this while I have guests.
Love this recipe. I like my coconut shrimp too but I really like this with scallops too. Love your blog!! I tried to give it 5 stars but it didn’t work.
I have made this shrimp appetizer nearly weekly for the last year…. It is ALWAYS a hit!!! Made it for the first time a year ago for the staff party at my kids’ school where I sub and it was such a hit, I’m making it again this year…. and I NEVER repeat appetizers!! Shortcuts (not for the purists or those economizing) I get the pre-cooked bacon. It’s thin and already pre-cooked! I don’t do that most times, but on a Friday, during the school year, when I’m coming from subbing, driving the kids, feeding the kids and then going out… the pre-cooked saves a bundle of time!!! Thank you for this recipe… it has become my “signature” dish!
Tried this recipe and it was a big hit. Gee are we related? I was told by my friends to make it again for the our football get togethers
I was hoping to serve these for appetizers at Thanksgiving. With all the other cooking we have to do, do you think they could be assembled the night before so we could just throw the baking sheet in the oven when the guests arrive?
Yes, assembling the night before should be fine.
thanks for this recipe adam.
I am on low carb diet, i kept to your recipe just used a little diff sauce. But your way of cooking the bacon first, then wrap the shrimp, then baking and broiling, is perfect. I’ve been looking for the right way to get this recipe cooked right and your method nailed it. I cant wait to try this with scallops
Serving this dish at a party is it best to keep shrimp warm in a food warmer?
The shrimp are best warm, but if you are in a pinch, they still taste great at room temperature.
oh my. You have an entire section dedicated to sriracha! The shrimp look fantastic. I’m glad I found your site. Have a blessed day!
Hi Mary, We sure do — we just love Sriracha! So glad you found us 🙂
I bet the maple syrup/sriracha combo would be great as a marinade for tofu.
bommbs!!! i will cookit often!
I made these for a New Year’s Eve party and they were a HIT! I made them exactly as described, but could only find 26-30 count shrimp, so the cooking time was a couple minutes shorter. I should have doubled the recipe; it’s a keeper!
Making this for New Year’s Eve. Love this because it has simple ingredients I already have and it combines sweet and spicy. One question, though; what do you do with the lemon juice??? I’ll add it to sriracha and syrup and hope for the best. 🙂
The Mexican food place next to our apartment complex serves this shrimp as an appetizer but I have it as an entree and can’t ever finish all the shrimp! I’m so glad to be able to have recipe, now I don’t have to spen so much money at the restaurant. These are outstanding!
Love this recipe. One trick I’ve learned when making appetizers that call for wrapped bacon is to use thin bacon. Thin bacon still provides the flavor and reduces the cooking time. To make your bacon thin place a single strip of bacon on a cutting and drag a knife across the bacon. This will make the bacon thinner, almost double the length of the bacon and reduce the cooking time.
Do you use raw shrimp or cooked shrimp?
The shrimp are raw. They are then roasted wrapped in the bacon.
Great tips!
Hi Erik, You are SO right. Thin bacon is the way to go, here! Thanks so much for your insight!