Is Shrimp Cocktail Keto Friendly? A Detailed Look

Shrimp cocktail is a classic appetizer that most people love. The combination of tender shrimp with a tangy cocktail sauce is hard to resist! However, if you’re following a keto diet you may be wondering – is shrimp cocktail keto friendly?

In this detailed article, we’ll take an in-depth look at shrimp cocktail and break down the carbs, calories and nutrition to determine if it can fit into a low-carb keto eating plan. We’ll also provide tips for making your own keto-friendly shrimp cocktail at home.

What is Shrimp Cocktail?

Shrimp cocktail is a dish consisting of chilled shrimp served with a spicy tomato-based cocktail sauce. The shrimp are usually cooked (either grilled, boiled or steamed) and then chilled before serving

Traditional shrimp cocktail recipes call for the shrimp to be served over ice with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce on the side for dipping. The sauce typically contains ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.

Some modern versions of shrimp cocktail forego the cocktail sauce and instead toss the shrimp in a spicy chili sauce or creamy dressing. The shrimp can also be served on a bed of lettuce for a shrimp cocktail salad.

No matter how it’s served the key components of shrimp cocktail are

Cooked shrimp – either grilled, steamed or boiled
Chilled shrimp
Tangy, spicy dipping sauce
Lemon wedges, lettuce or vegetables for serving

Shrimp cocktail is often thought of as an appetizer, but it can also be served as a light meal. It’s a refreshing choice for a hot summer day!

Nutrition Profile of Shrimp

Before determining if shrimp cocktail is keto-friendly, let’s look at the nutrition profile of shrimp itself:

High in protein – A 3 oz serving of shrimp contains about 18g of protein. Shrimp provides all 9 essential amino acids making it a complete protein source.
Low in fat – Shrimp contain less than 1g of fat per serving. They are an ideal lean protein.
Low in carbs – There are 0-1g net carbs in 3 oz of shrimp. The tiny amount of carbs come from the naturally occurring glycogen.
Rich in vitamins and minerals – Shrimp provide high amounts of selenium, phosphorus, vitamin B12 and iodine. They also contain vitamins A, E and several B vitamins.

So on its own, shrimp is an excellent keto-friendly food choice. It’s packed with protein, low in carbs and nearly fat-free.

Now let’s see how the nutrition changes when shrimp are prepared in a cocktail…

Is Shrimp Cocktail Keto-Friendly?

When determining if shrimp cocktail fits a ketogenic diet, there are a few important factors to consider:

1. Ingredients in the Cocktail Sauce

Most traditional cocktail sauces contain sugar, which adds carbohydrates. Here are the carbs found in common cocktail sauce ingredients:

Ketchup – 4g net carbs per tablespoon
Horseradish – 2g net carbs per tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce – 1g net carbs per teaspoon
Lemon juice – 1g net carb per tablespoon

To make shrimp cocktail keto-friendly, either limit the amount of sauce or choose lower carb ingredients like:

Sugar-free ketchup
Prepared horseradish
Reduced sugar Worcestershire
Hot sauce

2. Breading or Batter on Shrimp

Some shrimp cocktail recipes bread or fry the shrimp before chilling and serving. This adds a significant amount of carbs from the breading or batter.

To keep shrimp cocktail keto-friendly, choose grilled, steamed, boiled or raw shrimp without any coating. Opt for jumbo shrimp if you prefer larger shrimp.

3. High-Carb Garnishes

Garnishes like croutons, crackers and cocktail onions can pile on the carbs. Stick to keto-approved options like celery, cucumber, pickled onions or sliced avocado.

Lemon wedges are perfect for squeezing fresh juice over your shrimp without adding carbs.

Keto-Friendly Shrimp Cocktail Nutrition

When you choose large peeled, grilled shrimp and make your own low-carb cocktail sauce, a 4 oz serving of shrimp cocktail has around:

Calories: 120
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 3g net
Protein: 24g

This nutrition profile fits perfectly into a ketogenic diet!

Shrimp cocktail made with sugary bottled cocktail sauce will be higher in carbs. Check nutrition labels and ingredients lists if ordering shrimp cocktail in a restaurant.

Tips for Making Keto Shrimp Cocktail

Here are some tips for making your own keto-friendly shrimp cocktail at home:

Choose raw, peeled jumbo shrimp – Rinse well and pat dry. Grill, boil or steam until pink and cooked through. Chill in fridge.
Make lower-carb cocktail sauce – Combine sugar-free ketchup, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire, lemon juice and hot sauce to taste.
Use keto garnishes – Top shrimp with sliced avocado, cucumber, celery, pickled onions or a squeeze of lemon.
Serve over ice – Fill a bowl or glass with crushed ice and arrange chilled shrimp attractively on top.
Swap shrimp for other seafood – Clams, mussels, lobster and crab legs also work well in a shellfish cocktail.

Keto-Friendly Shrimp Cocktail Recipes

If you don’t want to come up with your own recipe, here are some delicious keto-friendly shrimp cocktail recipes to try:

Keto Shrimp Cocktail with Spicy Mayo

Recipe from I Breathe I’m Hungry

This easy recipe uses prepared horseradish and sugar-free ketchup for the cocktail sauce. It also includes a spicy sriracha mayo that can be used for dipping.

Easy Keto Shrimp Cocktail

Recipe from The Art of Keto

This 5-ingredient cocktail sauce is dairy-free and sweetener-free. It’s flavored with horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.

Keto Shrimp Cocktail Salad

Recipe from Low Carb Yum

This fun take on shrimp cocktail turns it into a salad with cucumber, avocado and tomato on a bed of lettuce.

5 Tips for Success with Keto Shrimp Cocktail

Use jumbo shrimp and peel/devein them yourself to limit carbs and preservatives.
Make your cocktail sauce from scratch so you control the ingredients.
Skip the sugar, ketchup, crackers and breading.
Choose healthy fats like avocado vs mayo-based sauces.
Watch portion sizes as even keto foods can add up in calories.

The Verdict on Shrimp Cocktail and Keto Diets

Shrimp cocktail can absolutely be part of a keto diet! Follow the guidelines in this article to choose your ingredients wisely and limit carbs.

Opt for large peeled shrimp without breading or batter and make your own cocktail sauce using low-carb ingredients. Top with keto-approved garnishes instead of croutons or crackers.

When prepared properly, shrimp cocktail is a nutritious and delicious keto-friendly appetizer! It provides a good source of protein and essential nutrients without spiking blood sugar or kicking you out of ketosis.

So if you love shrimp cocktail, there’s no need to give it up on a ketogenic diet. Just follow these tips to create a keto-friendly version at home. Enjoy!

is shrimp cocktail keto friendly

This Keto Shrimp Cocktail with 3 Sauces takes the classic shrimp cocktail appetizer of the 90’s to the next level! Sweet, succulent shrimp with your choice of any or all of these 3 keto friendly dipping sauces that can be made in advance in just minutes? What’s not to like about that?

I LOVE SHRIMP. There. I said it. As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing bad about shrimp. I love the texture and subtle flavor of them hot or cold. They’re also cute, and with their tails still on, they make great finger foods with a built-in handle, amiright?

If you are allergic to shellfish, I’m sorry you can’t enjoy this recipe. And finally, these dipping sauces are great for a lot of different things. You can use them to dip vegetables or even chicken tenders.

Sometimes Mr. I just want to eat a bunch of cold shrimp with these sauces for dinner because I’m hungry. On other occasions, I’ll make a salad, add a lot of cooked shrimp, and dress it with the spicy Sriracha dipping sauce.

Most of the time, though, I make this keto shrimp cocktail as an appetizer for friends or when we pack a cooler and head out on the boat to fish or to our favorite beach on a nearby island that is out of the way. This Keto Shrimp Cocktail with 3 sauces is the perfect beach picnic food!.

Should be enough to make you fully on board with this keto shrimp cocktail idea. Let’s talk about the sauces now.

Here’s a classic cocktail sauce with lots of sour horseradish, but none of the added sugar and carbs you’d find in most sauces. This sauce doesn’t have much fat like the shrimp or the cocktail sauce, so use it the least of the three. Or, eat it with something fatty to keep your keto macros in check, with fat being the main macro and protein being the secondary.

The second sauce is more keto friendly as it’s a pesto mayonnaise containing lots of fat. This is my favorite sauce out of the three. It’s rich and full of flavor, and it goes great with cold shrimp or even lobster. You can also mix it with chopped cooked chicken to make an easy chicken salad. Super versatile, if you’re a fan of basil pesto then you’ll love this one.

However, the third sauce is a bit thinner and has a sweet and spicy kick from the Sriracha hot sauce. It is also made with mayonnaise. I love this one as a salad dressing, but it complements the sweet shrimp perfectly as well. This sauce is great for dipping fish sticks or crispy chicken tenders. You can find a version of this recipe in my cookbook, Keto for Life, along with my recipe for pecan-crusted chicken tenders that go well with it. ).

Because of this, this keto shrimp cocktail with 3 sauces is a great choice whether you’re going to the beach, the pool, or just want a quick and easy keto appetizer, lunch, or dinner that you can make in minutes.