Homemade Crispy Shrimp Tempura Recipe - (2024)

Shrimp Tempura is a recipe from my father-in-law, who is a retired chef for a 5-star restaurant in Dubai. His recipe is, by far, the best one my family has ever tried.This post contains affiliate links/ads. Seedisclosure/privacy policy.

One of my favorite cuisines is Japanese cuisine. I could eat Japanese foods day in and day out and not get tired of it. That’s just how I love that kind of food.

My father-in-law was a chef for a 5-star hotel in Dubai. He is retired now, but his knife skills remain unparalleled. Though he is retired, he still cooks, that is, he cooks for our family.

My favorite dish that he makes is the Shrimp Tempura. I have tasted different versions of the Shrimp Tempura, but his is the best among the best. The best thing about it is it’s easy to make.

He showed and taught me the ways and the ingredients to create a great batter for the Shrimp Tempura. The first time I ate the tempura he made, I thought that he used a ton of different ingredients.

I had that thought because chefs who I know, watch from the TV, or listen from the radio use different ingredients that I have not even heard of.

But his ingredients are basic and are found even in regular grocery stores like Walmart.

Oh did I say my daughter loved the Shrimp Tempura? She loved it so much that she even ate the tail of the shrimp. Yes, she ate the tail even when it’s not usually eaten.

We didn’t stop her from doing that because we, too, ate the tails and they were delicious and crispy. They taste like ordinary crackers we eat for snack time.

The Shrimp Tempura is so crispy that everything can be eaten just fine. I’m warning you that you might end up eating even the tail just because of how crunchy every single part of the tempura is.

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Homemade Crispy Shrimp Tempura Recipe - (1)

From time to time, my father-in-law makes this food using his Japaneseshrimp tempura recipe. It’s really a delicious dish that can be eaten as appetizer or meal. Just a side note, the batter use for this recipe can also be used for vegetable tempura.

We usually use sweet potato, eggplant, and kale for vegetable tempura. So, if someone you know cannot eat shrimp, then, you can use the vegetable tempura instead.

Just make sure to fry the vegetable ones first before frying the shrimp in the same oil. Or you can always use a different set of batter and oil exclusively for vegetables.

Without further ado, here is the recipe for the Shrimp Tempura.

I hope you like it just as much as my family and friends enjoy this recipe.

Homemade Crispy Shrimp Tempura Recipe - (2)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 quarts vegetable oil for deep frying
  • 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup ice water
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 5 ice cubes

Equipment/Tools:

  • Frying Pan (for cooking)
  • Bowl (for mixing ingredients)

Instructions:

Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix all-purpose flour, ice water, cornstarch, egg, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Once completely mix, add ice cubes to the batter. This is the secret to allowing the batter to stay fresh and to prevent the batter from becoming sticky.

In a separate bowl, pour the remaining all-purpose flour.

Coat all the shrimps with flour. Dip the shrimp into the batter to coat one at a time. Place a few shrimps in the hot oil. Deep fry for 1 minute or until all sides are golden brown.

Remove tempura from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve as hot and crispy.

Final thoughts:

There you have it… my father’s recipe for the homemade tempura shrimp or some call it shrimp tempura panko. It’s looks easy to do because it truly is. The best part of this recipe is that the batter can be used to make vegetable tempura. Vegetable tempura uses vegetable vice shrimp. That’s all.

I’m pretty sure your guests or even your family will love this Shrimp Tempura.

Note: Shrimp tempura calories here.

Are you ready to try this recipe? Are you going to make it for your family, friends, or just for yourself?

Homemade Crispy Shrimp Tempura Recipe - (3)

Other Asian food recipes you may like:

Traditional Egg Roll (Lumpiang Shanghai)

The Best Filipino Pansit Recipe Ever

Quick, Easy Egg and Beef Fried Rice

If you link to pin this recipe on Pinterest, please use the image below.

Homemade Crispy Shrimp Tempura Recipe - (7)

Homemade Shrimp Tempura

Homemade Crispy Shrimp Tempura Recipe - (8)

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This Homemade Shrimp Tempura is a recipe from my father-in-law, who is a retired chef for a 5-star restaurant in Dubai. His recipe is, by far, the best one my family has ever tried.

Recipe type: Dinner/Appetizer

Ingredients

  • ½ lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 quarts vegetable oil for deep frying
  • 2¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup ice water
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp white sugar
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 5 ice cubes

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix all-purpose flour, ice water, cornstarch, egg, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Once completely mix, add ice cubes to the batter. This is the secret to allowing the batter to stay fresh and to prevent the batter from becoming sticky.
  3. In a separate bowl, pour the remaining all-purpose flour.
  4. Coat all the shrimps with flour. Dip the shrimp into the batter to coat one at a time. Place a few shrimps in the hot oil. Deep fry for 1 minute or until all sides are golden brown.
  5. Remove tempura from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve as hot and crispy.

Homemade Crispy Shrimp Tempura Recipe - (2024)

FAQs

What is shrimp tempura batter made of? ›

A simple and traditional tempura batter is typically made of ice water, flour, and egg yolks. Variants of tempura batter are sometimes made with soda water, baking soda, cornstarch, potato starch, or rice flour to enhance the crispy texture.

Why is my shrimp tempura not crispy? ›

This idea behind the excess internal steam causing the tempura to not remain crisp also informs the way we prepare the ingredients for tempura. By removing as much excess water as possible, you're able to ensure the most shatteringly crisp tempura.

What is the secret to perfect tempura? ›

The secret to crispy tempura is my addition of potato starch, carbonated water, and vodka. The potato starch helps lighten up the texture of the batter. If you only used flour, you would get thicker crusts that would get soggy fairly quicker because of the amount of gluten present.

How to make shrimp tempura? ›

Pour water and egg yolk into the well and mix just until moistened; batter will be lumpy. Stir in egg whites. Dip one shrimp at a time into batter to coat; do not batter tails. When three shrimp have been battered, carefully place them into the deep fryer and fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.

What is the difference between battered and tempura batter? ›

Tempura is a specific method of deep-frying, where the food is dipped in a batter made of water, egg, and a lower-gluten starch like cake flour or rice flour. It produces a lighter, crisper shell than beer-batter, cornbread batter, or panko breading.

What flour is tempura batter made of? ›

Most tempura batter is made with wheat flour. Cake flour has a lower protein content and therefore less gluten than all-purpose flour, making it a better choice for tempura—but both options will work.

What oil is best for tempura batter? ›

Use vegetable oil for frying tempura — corn, canola, safflower or peanut, but not olive oil. Sesame oil is highly fragrant and adding a couple of tablespoons or more can add its perfume to your tempura.

Is tempura batter mix the same as panko? ›

Specially formulated tempura flour is available in supermarkets. This is generally light (low-gluten) flour and occasionally contains leaveners such as baking powder. Tempura does not use breadcrumbs (panko) in the coating.

Should you let tempura batter rest? ›

If you can't use the batter right away, place it in the refrigerator temporarily (for a few short minutes) to keep it cold until you're ready to cook. Don't make the batter ahead and let it sit in the fridge for an extended period of time. Freshly made tempura batter should be used as soon as possible.

Why do you put cold water in tempura batter? ›

Regardless of whether you decide to use a flour mix or to create your own batter, the key to nailing the perfect tempura batter is to use icy cold water. This slows down the formation of gluten to prevent the crust from absorbing too much oil and turning your tempura into heavy, fried food.

Should tempura batter be thick or thin? ›

The batter consistency should be light and watery when it's ready. This is all you need to make the Tempura batter! Hint: You can adjust the batter thickness after a test fry, by adding a touch more flour (thicker coating) or water (thinner coating), just remember to keep it cold!

Can you use cornstarch instead of flour in tempura? ›

If you need a gluten-free alternative to tempura flour, you can use a combination of rice flour and cornstarch. This blend will help create a light and crispy coating similar to traditional tempura flour.

How does shrimp tempura stay straight? ›

Like other low-fat proteins, shrimp shrink when they're cooked. And when they shrink, shrimp curl up. To keep them flat for use in tempura (see "Light as a Feather"), chefs make several shallow "release" cuts in the shrimp before frying. Here's how it works.

How do you keep shrimp tempura from curling? ›

Make small slits on the underside of each shrimp.

Press the shrimp flat on a cutting board to open them up before you start cooking. The cuts that you make will disconnect the underside of the shrimp, making it less likely to curl up so tightly.

What type of shrimp is used for shrimp tempura? ›

Any excess moisture will keep the tempura from getting crispy and make it soggy. Tip: We typically use black tiger prawns to make shrimp tempura at home. Tempura specialty restaurants in Japan use the more-expensive Japanese tiger prawns.

Is tempura batter the same as flour? ›

Tempura batter is made from three key ingredients: flour, egg, and cold water. The main difference between tempura batter and conventional batter is that tempura batter uses significantly less oil and no breadcrumbs. With Tempura batter, you'll get a delicate, crispy result that is lighter than conventional batter.

What's the difference between deep-fried shrimp and tempura shrimp? ›

Tempura does not use breadcrumbs (panko) in the coating. Deep-fried foods that are coated with breadcrumbs are called furai, Japanese-invented Western-style deep-fried foods, such as tonkatsu or ebi furai (fried prawn).

Is tempura mix the same as flour? ›

Tempura batter mix (天ぷら粉) is a convenient flour mixture for tempura. It contains cake flour, starch, baking powder, egg powder, and an emulsifier. Use it as a batter to deep-fry vegetables, seafood, and protein.

What does tempura flour contain? ›

This tempura flour is ideal for making homemade tempura and other fried dishes. White and light, it is made from a mixture of wheat flour and tapioca starch specially designed to fry with less oil than traditional flour. Once cooked, the dough is both thin and crispy without being too fatty.

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