Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
This Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajita recipe comes together in a flash anytime you need a quick and healthy meal. Spoon the succulent shrimp, peppers and onions into warm tortillas.
Your guide to perfectly made Shrimp Fajitas
When it comes to making perfect shrimp fajitas, it’s all about cooking each ingredient perfectly. Nothing is worse than still-crunchy peppers and over-cooked shrimp, right?
An easy-to-clean-up sheet pan meal is totally possible, but you have to know what order to add the ingredients to the pan, and how long to cook each part of the recipe.
Unfortunately, as I’ve found out through lots of testing, it’s not an add everything to the pan at the same time situation.
But, by taking care to add the vegetables and shrimp to the pan in just two additions, you’re guaranteed to end up with a dinner where every single ingredient is perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.
Why you’ll love this Shrimp Fajitas Sheet Pan Recipe
- One pan meal! Everything comes together on one sheet pan, so cleanup is streamlined.
- This recipe requires only a handful of basic ingredients, but hugely flavorful.
- With lean protein and lots of veggies, it’s a healthy weeknight meal everyone will love.
What you’ll need for Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- shrimp – you’ll want shrimp that is peeled and deveined for this shrimp fajita recipe. If it has the tails on, remove them before cooking for easiest serving and eating.
- taco seasoning – you can use either store-bought or homemade taco seasoning.
- olive oil – I like olive oil for both the shrimp marinade and for cooking everything on the sheet pan, but vegetable or canola oil works here, too.
- lime juice – adding citrus juice will help flavor and tenderize the shrimp. Lemon juice works, too.
- bell peppers – I used red and yellow bell peppers in these sheet pan shrimp fajitas, but you can use whatever color you like best, including green or orange.
- onion – I used red onion for the pretty color, but yellow or white onion works just as well in this recipe for shrimp fajitas.
What size shrimp should I use for this shrimp fajita recipe?
I used a 36 – 40 size shrimp for these shrimp fajitas. These are a nice medium size shrimp that cook pretty quickly, and are a good bite size for eating.
You are welcome to use a larger or smaller size for this shrimp fajita recipe, if you have those on hand. You will just need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
You can leave the vegetable cooking time for the sheet pan shrimp fajitas the same, but once you add the shrimp to the pan, adjust the cooking time down if you are using smaller shrimp, or up if you are using larger shrimp.
The internal temperature of the shrimp needs to come to 145 degrees F, no matter what size it is, for food safety. Be sure to check the temperature periodically as the shrimp cooks so that you avoid overcooking it.
If you use a very large size shrimp for this recipe for shrimp fajitas, you may want to cut it into smaller, bite sized pieces, either before or after you cook it just for easier eating. Up to you!
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What tortillas to use for shrimp fajitas?
These sheet pan shrimp fajitas will work well with just about any tortillas. I personally prefer smaller, street taco sized (usually about 4 inch) flour tortillas.
I warm them up briefly either in the microwave or using the gas flame on my stove.
You can also use white corn or yellow corn tortillas, especially if you’d like to keep this recipe gluten free (you’d also need to be sure to use a gluten free taco seasoning if this is the case).
Whole wheat tortillas would add fiber and make this shrimp fajita recipe even healthier.
If you love hard shells, you can use those and make these more of a crunchy shrimp taco situation.
How to make the fajita marinade
No need to be intimidated by a homemade marinade, because the marinade for this shrimp fajita recipe is SO simple.
Grab a ziploc bag and add some shrimp, olive oil, taco seasoning and lime juice to it. Slosh it around for a few seconds to combine everything, and you’re done with the shrimp fajita marinade.
The shrimp only needs to marinate for 30 minutes, so you can simply leave it out at room temperature while you prepare the rest of your ingredients for the sheet pan shrimp fajitas (like chopping up the veggies).
How to Make Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
1. MARINATE. Combine shrimp, olive oil, taco seasoning and lime juice in a large zip top bag and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to marinate.
2. VEGGIES. Place the peppers and onion on a a rimmed baking pan and toss with oil and taco seasoning. Bake until the veggies begin to soften.
3. SHRIMP. Stir the veggies and add the shrimp to the pan. Return to the oven and bake until the shrimp are cooked through.
4. SERVE. Serve the shrimp and veggie mixture with tortillas, cilantro and lime wedges.
Best Shrimp Fajita Recipe Home Chef Tips
- If you have access to fresh shrimp, that’s fantastic! But if not, choose the highest quality frozen shrimp you can find.
- Warm tortillas in a dry skillet or directly over an open gas stove flame for a few seconds on each side to make them pliable and soft before serving.
Toppings for this Shrimp Fajitas Recipe
I like to keep it simple with a sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, but feel free to add more toppings to your shrimp fajitas. Some other ideas include
- diced tomatoes
- pickled jalapenos
- guacamole or sliced avocado
- pico de gallo or salsa
- shredded lettuce
- hot sauce
- sour cream
Best Shrimp Fajita Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound 36-40 size shrimp peeled, deveined and tails removed
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 tablespoons taco seasoning divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 bell peppers any color, thinly sliced
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- Warmed tortillas, chopped cilantro and lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Place shrimp, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and lime juice in large zip top bag. Seal bag and massage contents until everything is well combined. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place peppers and onion on large rimmed baking pan. Drizzle vegetables with remaining 3 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Toss to combine, and then spread into even layer on pan.
- Transfer to oven and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.
- Stir vegetables and then spread into an even layer again. Remove shrimp from marinade; discard marinade. Arrange shrimp evenly over vegetables. Return to oven and cook 5 to 6 minutes longer or until shrimp reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and are opaque throughout.
- Serve shrimp and vegetable mixture with tortillas, cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
- If you have access to fresh shrimp, that’s fantastic! But if not, choose the highest quality frozen shrimp you can find.
- Warm tortillas in a dry skillet or directly over an open gas stove flame for a few seconds on each side to make them pliable and soft before serving.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! Loved how easy it was to pull together with the pre-made taco seasoning. Will definitely be making again!
I am so glad to hear that, Sara. I’m all about those easy meals on a weeknight!