Shrimp Burgers
These Shrimp Burgers feature juicy, flavorful shrimp patties packed with finely minced shrimp and veggies. Make these patties into delicious shrimp burgers topped with your favorite toppings, like fresh tomatoes and avocado and/or homemade guacamole.
Enjoy shrimp and avocados in more of my favorite easy recipes like Shrimp Salad Stuffed Avocado and Avocado Shrimp Salad.
These juicy burgers are so full of flavor! They’re loaded with fresh veggies, cilantro, and of course, are made out of shrimp. On their own, these shrimp burgers are amazing… but when you throw them together with a nice dollop of smashed avocado, and they become total rock stars.
The guacamole on these burgers isn’t your usual guac! However, I do have a more traditional Guacamole recipe you’ll also love. These burgers are topped with smashed avocado that’s been made flavorful with just fresh lime juice, salt, chili powder and cumin. The chili powder and cumin perfectly balance the fresh cilantro and veggies!
Shrimp avocado burgers are ideal for summer. They’re bursting with vibrant flavors and plenty of perfectly cooked shrimp. Ideally, they should be served with a Piña Colada to really enjoy that signature summery flavor! Next time you want to impress everyone at the pool party, this is the recipe to use.
Ingredient Notes
Shrimp – You can use fresh or frozen shrimp, just make sure they’re fully thawed and liquids are drained off prior to using.
Vegetables – The shrimp patties are filled with yellow onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers, green onions and cilantro.
Lemon – Freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest adds the most amazing fresh flavor.
Bread Crumbs – I recommend using panko bread crumbs for the very best consistency. These are used to help bind the patties so they hold their shape while cooking. Use gluten free panko bread crumbs if need to keep the recipe gluten free.
Cayenne Pepper – You can add more or less of this to your patty mixture depending on your spice tolerance.
Avocado – Test to see if your avocado is ripe by giving it a gentle squeeze. It should have a little softness to it but still be pretty firm.
Lime Juice – Make sure this is freshly squeezed for the very best flavor.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Shrimp Burgers
Blend half of the shrimp. Pulse half of shrimp (8 oz.) in a food processor until blended well. Scrape it out into the strainer over a mixing bowl.
Blend the veggies. Add the onion, celery, garlic, bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro to the food processor and pulse until finely diced (1). Scrape the veggies out into the strainer over a mixing bowl.
Blend the remaining shrimp. Add remaining shrimp, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the food processor and pulse a few times to finely minced (2). Scrape it out into the strainer as well (3).
Strain the veggies. Press on the veggies in the strainer to get as much juices out of it as you can (4). Discard the juices (5) in the mixing bowl and add the shrimp and veggies into it.
Mix everything together. Add egg, mayo, bread crumbs, salt, and cayenne pepper to the mixing bowl (6). Mix everything well until all ingredients are evenly incorporated (7).
Form the patties. Use an ice cream scoop to get even amount of shrimp mixture and shape the patties. Form burger patties that are about 4 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick (8).
PRO TIP: Grease your hands with some oil to make it easier to shape.
Cook the patties. Add the patties to the pan with oil and don’t cook too many at one time. Give them a little room in between. Cook shrimp patties for 7-9 minutes on each side, until all done and firm to the touch in the center (9).
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Whole preparing the shrimp burgers, use gluten-free panko bread crumbs and use gluten-free buns to serve them as sandwiches.
I recommend using Brioche buns for this shrimp burger recipe because they’re delicate and soft, so they best compliment the delicate shrimp patties.
The best toppings include smashed avocado (scroll down to the recipe for more info) and fresh sliced tomatoes. You can also add some lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, and sauces like avocado dressing, ranch, or remoulade.
You have so many options! A few of my favorites include Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Cauliflower, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Coconut Rice (my personal favorite). Or, stay on the lighter side with veggies like Grilled Corn on the Cob, roasted cauliflower, and Cucumber Salad!
Tips for Keeping the Shrimp Burgers Together
- Make sure to pat the shrimp dry whether you’re using fresh or thawed shrimp.
- Press the juice out of the veggies in the fine mesh strainer.
- Mix the ingredients for the burgers well so that everything is evenly incorporated throughout the mixture.
- Don’t shape patties too thick or too thin, about 1/2 inch in thickness is ideal.
- Cook over heat that’s a little lower than medium so the burgers have time to cook through without cooking too fast on the outside.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Leave some room between the patties.
- If possible, use a non-stick cooking pan and make sure to use oil.
- Once you’ve added the shrimp patties to the pan, let them cook undisturbed.
Storing and Reheating
Storing: Make sure to store leftover shrimp burger patties in the refrigerator, in an air-tight container. Properly stored they should be good for 2-3 days.
Reheating: You can easily reheat them for a couple of minutes in a pre-heated cooking pan over medium-low heat. I do not recommend using a microwave to reheat them.
Tools For This Recipe
(Affiliate links)
Digital Instant Read Thermometer
Cutting Board – use plastic cutting board when working with raw meats!
Mixing bowls – stainless steel with grip
More Easy Burger Recipes To Try
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Shrimp Burgers Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing bowls, cutting board, knives see more tools above in the post
Ingredients
Shrimp Burgers:
- 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and de-veined
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 2 celery ribs
- 1 green onion stalk
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 3 lg. garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves not packed
- 1/2 lemon – zest
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2-2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper more or less depending on your spice tolerance
- Salt
- 2 Tbsp oil for cooking
To Make The Burger:
- Brioche burger buns
- tomato slices
- 1 Avocado
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Shrimp Burgers:
- Set a large fine mesh strainer over a mixing bowl.If the shrimp is wet, pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Pulse half of shrimp (8 oz.) in a food processor until blended well. Scrape it out into the strainer over a mixing bowl.
- Add yellow onion, celery, garlic, bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro to the food processor, (you may have to chop them into big chunks to fit better,) and pulse until finely diced. Scrape the veggies out into the strainer over a mixing bowl.
- Add remaining shrimp, lemon juice and lemon zest to the food processor and pulse a few times to finely chop. Scrape it out into the bowl.
- Press on the veggies in the strainer to get as much juices out of it as you can. Discard the juices in the mixing bowl and add the shrimp and veggies into it.
- Add egg, mayo, bread crumbs, salt, and cayenne pepper to the mixing bowl. Mix everything well until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Preheat a large (preferrable non-stick) cooking pan over medium to medium-low heat and add some cooking oil.
- Use an ice cream scoop to get even amount of shrimp mixture and shaper the patties. (Tip: grease your hands with some oil to make it easier to shape.) Form burger patties that are about 4 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. You will end up with 5-6 patties.
- Add the patties to the pan, don't cook too many at one time. Give them about an inch in between. Cook shrimp patties for 7-9 minutes on each side, until all done and firm to the touch in the center.
Burgers:
- While burgers are cooking, smash the avocado in a small bowl with a fork. Add lime juice, salt, chili powder, and cumin. Mix well. (Increase amount of avocado and spices in accordance to however many burgers you are preparing.)
- Build cooked shrimp burgers with some tomatoes on the bottom and a hearty dollop of smashed avocado on top.
Notes
- Make sure to pat the shrimp dry whether you’re using fresh or thawed shrimp.
- Press the juice out of the veggies in the fine mesh strainer.
- Mix the ingredients for the burgers well so that everything is evenly incorporated throughout the mixture.
- Don’t shape patties too thick or too thin, about 1/2 inch in thickness is ideal.
- Cook over heat that’s a little lower than medium so the burgers have time to cook through without cooking too fast on the outside.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Leave some room between the patties.
- If possible, use a non-stick cooking pan and make sure to use oil.
- Once you’ve added the shrimp patties to the pan, let them cook undisturbed.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in May 2016.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Hello
The recipe looks amazing, can you substitute the shrimp with crab or lobster? I found out I have a shrimp allergy.
Thanks
Hi Trina!
You can actually substitute crab and lobster here, it will just be different amount. I think that lobster can be substituted evenly because of the density and texture but you may need a little more crab. (Like 1 lb of crab)
Here is a crab cake recipe you can compare it to: https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2017/04/spicy-mango-crab-cakes.html
I hope it works out well!
I just made these and they turned out delicious! I too had problems with them falling apart however now that I have read everyone else’s comments and your suggestions I totally know how to fix it for next time. And there WILL be a next time. They were delicious!
Didn’t care for these at all. Had to throw the first 3 away as they fell apart when attempting to turn. Added extra breadcrumbs to the remaining and they still wanted to fall apart. Not worthy of ever making again
I’m sorry they fell apart on you. You could eat them with a fork though, I wouldn’t throw them out 🙂
You can try straining off some access liquid before adding the bread crumbs and the egg. If I pulse the veggies a little too much, they become juicier, so I have to strain off extra juices. I hope you’ll give them another try!
I cannot have bread crumbs or anything with flour. Any suggestions on how to make these without such? They sound delicious and I LOVE some avocado. Awaiting your ingenious reply!
I’m sorry it took me long to respond! Is it a gluten sensitivity? I use gluten free bread crumbs in my shrimp burgers and it works well.
Let me know if it’s not a gluten allergy and we can try to come up with something. Free free to email me lyuba1118@gmail.com
I made these the other night with some leftover shrimp (they were freezer burnt, might I add) and the burgers were delicious. I had to add more bread crumbs so they could hold together better, but they were very delicious and a new way to eat shrimp for me!
I am SO happy to hear that you liked it!! Yay 🙂
I made your shrimp burgers tonight at they were amazing. My 2 teen girl (quite picky) tried them and loved it! I did add about double the breadcrumbs because even after pressing the chopped veggies everything was still quite wet and I didnt want them falling apart and added a 2nd egg just to really make sure they stayed together. Great recipe and thank you for sharing!
Hi Ginny!
My first thought it may be too much liquid. Some water may have gotten in after washing shrimp. You can also add a couple of extra tablespoons of bread crumbs. I’m glad you liked them 🙂
Just made these and they taste great, but they didn’t hold together that well. Any thoughts?
Same here. I drained the shrimp and added more breadcrumbs but they were entirely too soft and did not hold together well at all.
I’m sorry Sonya, I”m not sure why. May be if you squeeze the pulsed shrimp to strain off extra juice? I’ve made shrimp meatballs and burgers and they usually hold well. Did it get stuck to the pan may be? I’ve made it in the cast iron skillet once and some got stuck and broke.
What an amazing idea! I never would have thought to turn shrimp into a burger. Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you, Lauren! I hope you enjoy them!
These look so good. Thanks Lyuba.
Thank you, Liz!
I can eat an avocado any way to I get them–i would love this even though I don’t like shrimp 🙂
I am also an avocadoholic! These look wonderful and they are perfect for summer!
Thank you, Lauren!