These bacon wrapped shrimp in the oven use thin bacon, a sweet-and-savory brown sugar marinade and a creamy mayonnaise, ketchup and Dijon dipping sauce. They make a hot appetizer for holiday parties or game day, with the glaze reserved separately before it touches raw shrimp.
Why Serve These Shrimp?
- Oven-baked: Thin bacon wraps the shrimp without a frying step.
- Sweet and savory: Brown sugar, herbs and spices flavor the marinade and separately reserved glaze.
- Complete dipping sauce: Mayonnaise, ketchup and Dijon make a tangy contrast.
Allow roughly 10 minutes for preparation and 20–25 minutes for cooking, plus any thawing time. These are planning estimates; shrimp size and bacon thickness affect cooking time.
Jump to:
- Why Serve These Shrimp?
- The Ingredients
- The Secret Is In The Marinade
- Wrapping Shrimp Like a Pro
- Tail on or off?
- Wrap Your Shrimp With THIN Bacon!
- Baking Your Shrimp
- Mayonnaise, Ketchup and Dijon Dipping Sauce
- Prep Ahead and Party Serving
- Popular Shrimp Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Shrimp in the Oven with Dipping Sauce
The Ingredients
- Shrimp: Choose large shrimp (16-20 count) for the best result.
- Bacon (thinly sliced): The key here is thin bacon. Thick bacon won’t crisp up properly, leaving you with chewy bacon.
- Brown Sugar: Sweet and sticky, it caramelizes beautifully, adding a hint of sweetness and also helps the marinade stick.
- Chili Powder & Paprika: These spices bring a touch of heat and smokiness, elevating the flavor without overpowering the shrimp or bacon.
- Italian Seasoning: The dried herbs give a nice balance to the sweetness and spice. It’s like a mini flavor explosion in every bite.
- Garlic & Onion Powder: These add a savory element that ties the entire dish together. Think of them as the foundation that everything else is built on.
The Secret Is In The Marinade
The oil, brown sugar, herbs and spices coat the shrimp before baking. Before adding any raw shrimp, measure two tablespoons of the clean mixture into a separate bowl, cover it and set it aside for the finishing glaze.
After cooking, use a clean brush with the reserved clean glaze. Discard the marinade and brush that touched raw shrimp; keep them separate from the finished food.
Wrapping Shrimp Like a Pro
You do not need skewers for these bacon wrapped shrimp. Lay each wrapped shrimp with the bacon seam down on the baking sheet to help keep it in place.
Tail on or off?
I like to keep the tail on for certain shrimp appetizers like my Cocktail Shrimp. They serve as a mini handle AND look more appetizing.
The tail is optional. To leave it on, hold the tail while peeling away the rest of the shell, then remove the vein.
Wrap Your Shrimp With THIN Bacon!
Cut the thin bacon strips into thirds. Wrap one piece around each shrimp in a spiral with only slight overlap; trim excess if needed. Thick-cut bacon takes longer to cook and can leave the shrimp overcooked before the bacon is ready.
Let the bacon edges just meet, tuck the end underneath and place the seam down on the sheet pan. Leave space between the shrimp.
If brushing before baking, use only the raw-shrimp marinade and a separate brush. Discard that marinade and brush after this step; they are not the finishing glaze.
Baking Your Shrimp
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then check the bacon underneath. If browned, flip and bake about five minutes more; if it needs longer, bake another five minutes before flipping. The original method takes about 20–25 minutes, but doneness determines when to stop: the shrimp should reach 145°F in the thickest part and the bacon must be cooked through. Check several pieces with a thin-tip food thermometer, keeping the probe off the hot pan.
Transfer the cooked shrimp to a clean serving plate and brush with the two tablespoons of clean glaze reserved before handling raw shrimp. Use a clean brush and serve hot with the chilled dipping sauce.
Mayonnaise, Ketchup and Dijon Dipping Sauce
Stir together ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Set out a small bowl at a time and keep the rest chilled.
For a different flavor, try the alternative dipping sauces from my coconut shrimp recipe. The creamy Dijon sauce above is the one used here.
Prep Ahead and Party Serving
- Prep: Thaw shrimp in the refrigerator. You can wrap them earlier on the day of the party; cover, keep at 40°F or colder and cook promptly. Raw seafood should be used within two days of purchase or frozen. Preparing it ahead does not restart that storage clock.
- Portions: One pound of 16–20-count shrimp makes about six appetizer portions of two to three shrimp each. Plan extra for a larger menu.
- Serving: Serve small batches. Keep hot shrimp at 140°F or warmer and the sauce at 40°F or colder. Discard perishables after more than two hours without temperature control, or one hour above 90°F.
- Flavor: Add a little cayenne to the marinade or hot sauce to the dipping sauce if you like more heat.
For the rest of your menu, browse my Christmas party finger foods or bacon-wrapped appetizer ideas.
Popular Shrimp Recipes
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp in the Oven with Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Start with thawed, peeled and deveined raw shrimp.
- Whisk the oil, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. BEFORE adding raw shrimp, reserve two tablespoons of the clean mixture per pound of shrimp in a separate bowl for the finishing glaze. Cover and keep separate.
- Toss the shrimp in the remaining marinade. Keep the bowl and utensils that touch raw shrimp separate from the reserved clean glaze and sauce.
- Cut the thin bacon strips into thirds.
- Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon in a spiral, starting at the head and ending near the tail. Let the edges overlap only slightly. Trim excess bacon if needed.
- Place each shrimp bacon-seam side down on a baking sheet, leaving space between pieces. Discard the raw-shrimp marinade and any brush used with it.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then check the bacon underneath.
- Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup and Dijon mustard in a clean bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
- If the bacon is browned underneath, flip the shrimp and bake about five minutes more. If not, bake another five minutes before flipping. Check several shrimp in the thickest part with a thin-tip food thermometer: they should reach 145°F, and the bacon must be cooked through. Bacon browning alone does not establish shrimp doneness.
- Transfer to a clean serving plate. Use a clean brush to coat with the reserved clean glaze. Serve hot with the chilled dipping sauce.
Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!