Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers are the perfect summer recipe! Perfectly flavored with homemade basil pesto. They are easy to make, healthy, and please a crowd. Skewers are for much more than beef and chicken!
Now that it’s grillin’ season, you have to try this simple Healthy Pesto Shrimp recipe!
It’s one of our warm weather go-to recipes, along with this flavorful Strawberry Balsamic Flatbread. We devour this shrimp every week or so in the summertime. It totally fits with our love of healthy food recipes!
We have to admit, it was a little surprising to find out that the kids like it too. Maybe now that they’re older, we can move past the chicken nuggets and macaroni!
What Kind of Shrimp is Best for the BBQ
For Grilled Pesto Shrimp, jumbo or colossal-sized shrimp are best to use in the recipe.
Furthermore, for the best possible results, buy fresh shrimp on the day you plan to cook them.
You can purchase your shrimp with or without the shell and tail, but you’ll want to remove the shell and tail before cooking.
This recipe is written for raw (frozen or fresh) shrimp.
Table of Contents
How To Make Pesto
If you enjoy making your own pesto, great! If not, no worries. We often use a store-bought pesto with similar results. A delicious meal that takes almost no effort at all.
The 5-ingredients for pesto are simple:
- Fresh Basil
- Fresh Garlic
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Pine Nuts
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE PESTO: In a food processor (we use our mini prep), pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing.
Step-By-Step Instructions
The recipe couldn’t be easier.
- Marinate Shrimp – Once you make your pesto or buy your favorite store-bought variety, cover and marinate your shrimp for a few hours in a medium bowl. Keep in the refrigerator while marinating.
- Soak Wooden Skewers – if using wooden skewers to grill your shrimp, soak them in water for about 20 minutes. You can use metal skewers to avoid this step.
- Skewer – thread shrimp on skewers. You use about 7 skewers.
- Grill – preheat your outdoor grill (or indoor grill pan) on medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and place shrimp on the hot grill. Cook until shrimp turns pink at the bottom, about 3-4 minutes. Then, turn the shrimp over and continue cooking until the shrimp is opaque for about another 3-4 minutes.
Pro Tip: For best flavor, make sure your BBQ grill is clean!
We sometimes serve the shrimp recipe as an appetizer before a meal because it’s light and goes with just about everything. Over salad works too!
Serving Grilled Shrimp with Pesto to a Crowd
Serving this Shrimp Pesto recipes to a crowd?
Then, place them on a platter over a bed of greens with a lemon wedge or leave them on the stick for a fun handheld appetizer.
We also like this recipe when friends come by because it’s low carb and gluten-free, so everyone can usually eat it.
Either way, they’re delicious and nutritious.
More Healthy Recipes
Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies
Zesty Shrimp Salad
Pesto Shrimp with Pasta
For a heartier meal, this shrimp pesto recipe is incredibly tasty over pasta!
Simple cook 8 ounces of angel hair pasta in a large pot of salted water for approximately 7 minutes. Reserve about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the pasta in a strainer.
Finally, place your cooked shrimp in the cooked pasta, with a little of your reserved water, and stir to combine. Top with grated Parmesan, then serve!
Tips & Tricks
- We find that if the shrimp are packed too tight on the skewers, it takes a bit longer to cook and can easily be overcooked. Better to use more skewers with fewer shrimp on each.
- The trick to cooking the best shrimp is not overcooking it. Shrimp cooks very quickly, and if you continue to cook it longer than necessary, the proteins will continue to contract and leave you with a tough, rubbery result.
- You can soak your wooden skewers in water for at least 20 minutes, so the shrimp stay moist, or use metal ones to avoid this step.
- Serve with a fresh lemon wedge for enhanced flavor.
- This shrimp recipe is best consumed the day you make it.
You’ll also love our Pesto Pasta with Avocado and our Shrimp Salad! Both make wonderful Summer Recipes!
FAQs
Let Us Know How It Goes
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Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers Recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- grill
- Kitchen tongs
Ingredients
For Basil Presto
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (chopped)
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts (toasted or leave them out if you want a skinnier recipe)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the Shrimp
- 1 1/2 lbs fresh jumbo shrimp (21/25 shrimp, peeled and deveined (weight after peeled))
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 7-10 wooden skewers (or metal skewers)
Instructions
For the Pesto
- In a food processor (we use my mini prep), pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing.
For the Shrimp
- Combine raw shrimp with pesto in a medium bowl, mix well and marinate for at least 1 hour or place in the fridge overnight. Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 20 minutes (or use metal ones to avoid this step – which is what we prefer). Thread shrimp onto skewers.
- Heat grill (outdoor or indoor grill pan) over medium heat until hot. Spray lightly with non-stick spray. Place the shrimp on the hot grill and cook until shrimp turns pink on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes; turn and continue cooking until shrimp is opaque and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes more.
Notes
- We find that if the shrimp are packed too tight on the skewers, it takes a bit longer to cook and can easily be overcooked. Better to use more skewers with fewer shrimp on each.
- The trick to cooking the best shrimp is not overcooking it. Shrimp cooks very quickly and if you continue to cook it longer than necessary, the proteins will continue to contract leaving you with a tough, rubbery end result.
- You can soak your wooden skewers in water for at least 20 minutes, so the shrimp stay moist or use metal ones to avoid this step.
- Serve with a fresh lemon wedge for enhanced flavor.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on July 16, 2016. We updated it with enhanced instructions and recipe details on March 25, 2021.
Enjoy this healthy grilled pesto shrimp recipe as an easy weeknight meal or for your next cookout, but make sure you make more than you think you’ll need. They’re a family favorite around our house!
Other Summertime Favorites:
Strawberry Balsamic Flatbread
Watermelon Punch
