Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Vegetables is one of my favorite BBQ recipes, and it’s no secret why. Combining the smoky flavor of the grill with succulent shrimp and garlicky vegetables, this dish will have the whole family begging for more.
The best part? My grilled shrimp kabob recipe includes a secret technique to get evenly cooked veggies and shrimp every time. Say goodbye to botched grilling attempts, and say hello to foolproof eats with this easy summer dish!
Why Should You Make This Recipe?
Pairing my famous Grilled Shrimp Recipe with the nutritious, garden-fresh taste of marinated veggies, these BBQ shrimp and vegetable skewers have so much to love:
- Evenly cook your shrimp and veggie skewers every time using a simple, ingenious grilling recipe/technique I learned from folks over at America’s Test Kitchen.
- This dish combines the mouthwatering flavors of garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs for a visually impressive presentation using one simple ingredient: my easy shrimp marinade!
Key Ingredients For The Recipe:
Wondering what to put on skewers with shrimp? With these flavorsome and fresh ingredients, you can find all you need for the perfect dinner at your local grocery store.
- Shrimp Kabob Seasoning: For the shrimp kabob marinade, combine olive oil, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, parsley, salt, and black pepper. If preferred, add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Shrimp: You’ll need 1 lb. of large or jumbo shrimp that has been peeled and deveined. While I prefer the larger shrimp (16-20 count), you can make this recipe using 21-25 count as well. If you are using frozen shrimp, thaw it before marinating it.
- Mushrooms: To ensure even cooking, I recommend using baby bella mushrooms (also called cremini mushrooms) that are equal in size as much as possible. If they are too big then cut them to make them to make sure they are equal in size. I also recommend cutting the stems to provide an even/uniform surface on the skewer while grilling it.
- Peppers: Select 1 ½ large red or yellow bell peppers. These peppers should be stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces that approximate the size of your mushrooms.
How to Make Shrimp Kabobs on the Grill
Want your shrimp skewers with veggies cooked to perfection? Take the guesswork out of the grill with my foolproof cooking method!
When making shrimp shish kabobs on the grill, remember that shrimp cooks very quickly—much more quickly than vegetables.
To ensure even cooking, folks over at America’s Test Kitchen suggest pre-cooking the vegetables in the microwave for a few minutes. This way, they are semi-cooked and softened by the time they hit the grill. As a result, they are fully cooked by the time the shrimp is perfectly grilled.
Microwave Vegetables
- Prepare the plates: Line two microwave-safe plates with paper towels.
- Cook the bell peppers: On one plate, spread a single layer of the chopped bell peppers. Microwave the peppers on high for 2 minutes, then set them aside to cool.
- Cook the mushrooms: On the other plate, spread an even layer of the mushrooms. Microwave the mushrooms on high for 3 minutes, then set them aside to cool.
Make the Marinade
- Combine the ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, fresh garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the mixture to use as a sauce later.
- Marinate the kabobs: Mix the shrimp and cooled vegetables in the marinade. Once fully coated, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water during this time.
Thread the Skewers
- Thread the ingredients: Run the skewer through the center of a shrimp, from tail to head. Follow the shrimp with a mushroom, threaded through its cap. Then, add another shrimp, followed by a piece of pepper. Repeat this sequence two more times for a full kabob.
- Finish the skewers: Repeat this threading process until you have used up all your shrimp and vegetables. Make sure that the ingredients are snugly pressed into the center of each skewer.
Try My Foolproof Skewering Technique For Best Results:
To ensure even grilling, thread the vegetables and shrimp so that the largest surface area of each piece will touch the grill.
- For the shrimp, thread the skewer so that it hits both the tail and the head. The skewer should be able to lie flat after threading the shrimp.
- For the mushroom, thread the skewer through the cap horizontally, so that the top of the cap is unpierced.
- For the peppers, thread the skewer through each end of your cut. The small pieces should be able to lay almost flat after being threaded.
Grill
- Heat the grill: Preheat a gas grill to medium-high for 10 minutes.
- Grill the kabobs: Place skewers on the grill, cooking each side for 3-4 minutes. While they cook, lightly brush each side with leftover shrimp kabob sauce. The kabobs are done when the shrimp turn pink and opaque, and the vegetables are tender with grill marks.
- Serve: Transfer the skewers to a serving plate with lemon wedges, if desired. Season the kabobs with fresh parsley and top them with the remaining sauce.
Expert Tips:
Easy dinners just got easier: You won’t believe how simple these grilled shrimp and vegetables will be once you learn these clever tips.
- Use large shrimp for this recipe for the best grilling results. Small shrimp cook much more quickly than most vegetables, leaving you with mismatched grill times.
- Don’t skip pre-cooking the vegetables. Vegetables take longer to cook than shrimp, so pre-cooking them ensures that both ingredients finish grilling simultaneously.
- If you use wooden skewers, be sure to soak them before putting them on the grill. If you are using metal skewers you can skip this step.
- Make sure the grill is fully heated before placing the skewers on top.
- If you do not own a grill, you can make this recipe using a grill pan. However, be sure to cook shrimp kabobs in batches instead of overcrowding the pan.
- Lightly brush the kabobs with leftover marinade a few times while they’re on the grill. Not only will this intensify their flavor, but it will also avoid dry, tough kabobs.
- Don’t leave the kabobs’ side while they’re on the grill. Shrimp cooks very quickly, so your full attention is essential to avoid overcooking.
- Season your dish with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley before serving it for maximum flavor. For extra juicy shrimp, drizzle some shrimp shish kabob marinade on top!
FAQs
Shrimp and pepper kabobs are an easy meal you can whip up any day of the week. Now you can make your time on the outdoor grill even easier with these common cooking questions:
Vegetables that cook quickly are great options for vegetable kabobs. For example, red onion that has been quartered and separated and zucchini make one of my favorite recipes. Whatever vegetable you use, though, just make sure they’re evenly cut.
I recommend grilling your kabobs on medium-high heat, around 400 degrees F.
To make these seafood kebabs in the oven, follow the same pre-cooking method for the vegetables. Then, once the kebabs are assembled, broil them for 4 minutes on each side.
I find that 3-4 minutes per side is the perfect grill time for shrimp skewers. When in doubt, cook your kabobs until the shrimp is pink and opaque, and your vegetables are tender with grill marks on them.
The ideal time for marinading shrimp is 30 minutes.
You can use both fresh or frozen shrimp. If you use frozen shrimp be sure to thaw it before marinading it.
You technically can, but I wouldn’t recommend it mainly because it will change the cooking time and it might get quite rubbery after grilled. However, if that is all you have, keep in mind that it will take less time for your shrimp kabobs to cook.
How to Store Leftovers
To save your shrimp shish kabobs for later, remove the shrimp and vegetables from their skewers. Then, store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
What to Serve with This Recipe
Shrimp mushroom kabobs are delicious by themselves, but they’re utterly irresistible when served alongside other tasty dishes! Find the most satisfying main course pairings right here.
- A big bowl of salad like my Mexican Corn Salad, Corn Black Bean Salad, or any of my Quinoa Salad recipes would work wonderfully on the side.
- If you are serving a crowd, then serve it with my Healthy Coleslaw without Mayo or Greek Yogurt Coleslaw.
- If you want to have a Mediterranean inspired side dish serve with Tabbouleh Salad or Turkish Tomato Salad with White Beans.
Can’t Get Enough of Shrimp?
If you are like me, a fan of quick and easy shrimp dinners, here are a few more shrimp recipes to inspire you:
And if you cannot get enough of grilled seafood, be sure to check out my Grilled Mahi Mahi and Mahi Mahi Marinade recipe as well.
Diet Key
This Recipe is:
Grilled Shrimp Kabobs Recipe
Ingredients
For the vegetables:
- 1 ½ large red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small pieces
- 12-14 baby bella mushrooms , About 8 ounces
For the marinade:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed*
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Shrimp:
- 1 lb. shrimp, 16-20 or 21-25 count, peeled and deveined
Instructions
- Line a large microwave-safe plate with a layer of paper towel. Spread bell peppers skin side down in an even layer. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Line another microwave safe plate with a layer of paper towel. Spread mushrooms in an even layer and microwave for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- While the vegetables are cooling, make the marinade by mixing together olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, parsley salt, and pepper in a bowl. Give it a whisk until fully combined.
- Reserve 3 tablespoons of the marinade to use as sauce later.
- If you are using wooden skewers, this is the time to soak them in water (they should be soaked for at least 30 minutes.)
- Add the shrimp and the now-cooled vegetables. Toss to coat. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- To thread shrimp and vegetables onto the skewers: Lay a shrimp down and run the skewer through the center. Thread a mushroom onto the skewer through the sides of the cap, pushing it closer to the shrimp. Follow the mushroom with another shrimp and then a piece of pepper. Repeat shrimp and vegetable sequence two more times. Do not discard the marinade as we will use some of it to brush them as they are grilling.
- When the skewer is full, gently press them so that they fit snugly in the center.
- Follow the same steps for the rest of the skewers until you run out of shrimp and vegetables.
- Heat a gas grill to medium-high (about 400 degrees F.) for about 10 minutes.
- Place shrimp kabobs on the hot grill. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side brushing it with the leftover marinade a few times to make sure they are not drying. In the end, shrimp should be pink and opaque and vegetables should be tender.
- Transfer onto a plate. Sprinkle it with fresh parsley and drizzle it with the reserved marinade/sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes 5 to 6 skewers of shish and vegetable kabobs.
- Shrimp: If you are using frozen shrimp be sure to thaw it before marinating it.
- To store leftovers: To save your shrimp shish kabobs for later, remove the shrimp and vegetables from their skewers. Then, store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- When grilling shrimp kabobs, be sure to keep a close eye on them as shrimp cooks very fast.
- To make ahead: If you want to make it 24 hours ahead, make the marinade without using lemon juice (we will add that before grilling), precook the veggies in the microwave, and marinate the veggies and shrimp in an airtight container overnight in the fridge. 30 minutes before you are ready to grill, stir in the lemon juice. Thread onto skewers and grill as written in the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FLAVORFUL! The marinade is out of this world! But Make sure to eat immediately off the grill. Beware too High heat on a Mesquite Lump Charcoal Grill, it will cook rapidly.
YAY! I am happy to hear that you like this recipe Earl.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
Aysegul
Omg!!! That was the best marinated shrimp kabobs my hubby and I ever made. Thank you for the recipe. We will be making it again.
Hey Lisa,
This makes me so happy to hear. Thanks for coming back and taking the time to leave a review.
Cheers,
Aysegul
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! My husband said these skewers were the best he’d ever eaten. The marinade is delicious, and complements the shrimp and veggies very well. I had never tried the technique of microwaving the veggies first before skewering, but now won’t do it any other way! I did add onions and zucchini (as suggested), and microwaved these each for 1 minute as well. I used the same paper towel-lined plate to microwave each veggie in turn (removed each micro’d veggie into one large glass bowl after each was cooked) and added the marinade to these while they were still warm, making them extra flavorful. Hours later, I added the shrimp and a bit more marinade 30 minutes before grilling (plus brushed on marinade while cooking, and drizzled a bit over the top when serving, as suggested). We served these over rice with a creamy-crunchy chopped slaw on the side. I’m so glad we have leftovers to eat again tonight, and look forward to trying some of your other delicious-sounding recipes!
Laura,
This is music to my ears. I am thrilled to hear this technique worked for you.
We are the same way, no more undercooked veggies 🙂
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave such a detailed review of the recipe.
Cheers!
Aysegul
Can the vegetables be microwaved and skewers be prepped ahead of time? Or is it best to microwave vegetables right before grilling? Thanks!
Hi Alex,
I have never tried it that way but I think it should be fine. Just make sure that they are semi-cooked before threading them on skewers.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can help in any way.
Cheers!
You should all try this recipe, I highly recommend it! Followed the recipe exactly, turned out perfect.
Thanks Natasha! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
Cheers!
We love serving these any time we have guests over. They are the perfect way to start any meal!! Everyone loves them!
That makes me so happy. Thanks for coming by Natalie.
I made these last night and they were so darn good. They were not as beautiful as yours but absolutely delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
This is music to my ears Beth. I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this shrimp kebab recipe.
Cheers!