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Vegan fried shrimp is perfect for a fancy dinner at home – as an appetizer or entrée. Hearts of palm is cut into bite-sized pieces, breaded in seasoned panko breadcrumbs, and fried until beautifully crisp. Serve it with cocktail sauce for dipping.
At one time in my life, I would have listed fried shrimp as one of my top 5 favorite foods. With crispy panko coating and cocktail sauce for dipping, it was a regular pick for birthday dinners.
I’m not alone in that. Fried shrimp is one of the most popular foods for date nights and celebratory meals.
Once I went vegan, I assumed that experience was behind me. After all, vegetarians and vegans don’t eat fish or other sea life.
But then I realized that a lot of the experience of eating shrimp comes down to breading, sauce, and texture. Shrimp itself doesn’t have a ton of flavor outside of vague fishiness. However, add some Old Bay seasoning, breading, and cocktail sauce with zingy horseradish, and that all changes.
Luckily, it’s easy to do all of those things with plant-based ingredients. That makes a vegan fried shrimp experience not far out of reach.
So what about the “shrimp” itself? While there are store-bought vegan shrimp on the market, I prefer to use hearts of palm. Those packaged vegan shrimp are often made with konjac, and that’s not my favorite. I find it to be rubbery.
However, hearts of palm have a lovely toothsome texture and light briny flavor. (If you like jarred artichoke hearts, you’ll enjoy hearts of palm.)
Hearts of palm are harvested from the inner core of certain palm trees. I became a fan of the ingredient about a decade ago when I started using it to make vegan ceviche.
Where can you find hearts of palm?
You can find hearts of palm in cans, jars, or vacuum packaging in the center aisles of grocery stores. They’re often next to the artichoke hearts and other brined foods.
Note that hearts of palm vary in width. The organic hearts of palm I used for these pictures is a little skinnier than most, which is ideal as far as breading to filling ratio. But any will work for this recipe.
Make cocktail sauce from scratch or buy jarred
As far as I’m concerned, cocktail sauce is a must to really bring this experience home. Below you’ll find an easy recipe for making cocktail sauce from scratch.
Or if you prefer, vegan cocktail sauce is readily available in most grocery stores. Trader Joe’s has a cocktail sauce that happens to be vegan. That’s what I usually buy when I don’t feel like making my own.
When looking for cocktail sauces, check the ingredients. Some brands use non-vegan Worcestershire sauce, which includes anchovies.
How to make fried vegan shrimp
Drain a 14-ounce can or jar of hearts of palm. (The drained weight is 7.7 ounces.) Pat the hearts of palm dry on a clean kitchen towel.
Cut the hearts of palm into roughly 1/2 to 1-inch pieces. That’s about 3 to 5 pieces per standard-sized sticks.
Make a breading station with the following:
- A plate with all-purpose flour
- A small bowl with a mix of flour and non-dairy milk
- A plate with panko breadcrumbs seasoned with Old Bay seasoning
One piece at a time, roll the hearts of palm in flour.
Dip it in the flour/non-dairy milk mixture.
Then coat it in seasoned breadcrumbs.
Fry in a skillet with oil at a medium-high heat for about four minutes, turning as it browns.
When the hearts of palm is brown all over, move it to a towel-lined plate to drain. Season with a couple more dashes of Old Bay seasoning.
Make cocktail sauce to go with it by combining the following in a small bowl:
- Ketchup
- Prepared horseradish
- Hot sauce
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional but recommended)
If you’d like to serve the vegan shrimp on the side of a cocktail glass as shown, carefully make a small cut into the side of a few of the breaded & fried hearts of palm. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
Put sauce in a cocktail glass. Then place the vegan shrimp on the side through the slits.
Make it your own
You can make this dish your own by varying the seasonings. Instead of Old Bay seasoning use any of the following:
- Cajun seasoning salt
- Paprika
- Granulated onion
- Granulated garlic
- Cayenne
- Salt & pepper
Instead of serving vegan shrimp with cocktail sauce, serve it with lemon wedges, malt vinegar, lemon dill aioli like in my vegan crab cakes, or sriracha mayo like in my beer battered fried green tomatoes.
What to serve with it
Vegan fried shrimp is a terrific appetizer all on its own. You can add it to tacos by replacing the Gardein in these vegan fish tacos. Or it can be a main course with any of the following:
- Spinach salad with strawberries
- Corn chowder
- Buffalo grilled corn
- Lemony potatoes or baked potato
- Roasted cabbage or coleslaw
- Pesto rice
- Roasted asparagus with chickpeas & spinach
- Buttery garlic noodles with red wine mushrooms
- Sautéed kale with garlic
How to reheat
To reheat fried hearts of palm, I recommend using the air fryer for the crispiest coating. In fact, it’s virtually indistinguishable from when it’s freshly made.
To reheat, air fry at 375 degrees for 5 minutes, stopping once to carefully turn the pieces.
Fried vegan shrimp with cocktail sauce
Ingredients
For fried vegan shrimp
- 14 ounce can hearts of palm drained (7.7 ounces drained weight)
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour divided
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning plus a couple shakes more
- Organic canola oil for shallow frying
For cocktail sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- ½ to 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce optional
Instructions
To make fried vegan shrimp
- Put the drained hearts of palm on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.
- Move the hearts of palm to a cutting board. Cut them into 3/4 to 1-inch long pieces. From a standard can, you'll get 3 to 5 "shrimp" per each stick of hearts of palm, depending on the thickness of each one.*
- Now it's time to make a breading station. Put 2 Tablespoons of flour on a dinner plate. Put the remaining Tablespoon of flour in a small bowl with non-dairy milk. Use a fork or whisk to evenly combine it and get out any lumps. Finally, put 1/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs on a plate with 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning. Use your fingers to evenly combine the seasoning throughout the breadcrumbs.
- Before you begin breading the hearts of palm, bring a non-stick skillet to a medium high heat with about a half inch of organic canola oil (or your preferred neutral-flavored high-heat oil).
- While the oil heats, bread the hearts of palm. One at a time, roll a piece of heart of palm in the flour until it's covered. Tap it on the side of the plate to remove any excess. Then dip it into the milk mixture. Tap it on the side to remove any excess. Finally, roll it in the seasoned panko breadcrumbs. (As you're breading the hearts of palm, if you run out of breadcrumbs, put another 1/4 cup on the plate, along with an additional 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning.)Set the breaded heart of palm on a clean plate, and continue until all of the pieces are breaded.
- Once all of the hearts of palm are breaded, drop a breadcrumb into the oil in the skillet. If oil immediately bubbles around it, it’s ready for frying.
- Put the hearts of palm into the oil (working in batches, if necessary, so as to not overcrowd). Fry for about 4 minutes, rotating the hearts of palm as they brown, so that every part is fried. If you're working in batches, the oil will continue to get hotter as you cook. So subsequent rounds may not take quite as long to cook. Lower the heat, if needed. Once they are brown all over, they are done.
- Once the hearts of palm are brown all over, move them to a clean, towel-lined plate to drain.
- Shake more Old Bay seasoning on the breaded hearts of palm while it's still hot. Serve with cocktail sauce for dipping.
- Optional: If you’d like to serve the vegan shrimp on the side of a cocktail glass, carefully make a small cut into the side of a few of the breaded & fried hearts of palm. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Then put cocktail sauce into the glass, and place the vegan shrimp on the side through the slits.
To make cocktail sauce
- In a small bowl, combine ketchup, 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish, hot sauce, and vegan Worcestershire sauce, if using. Taste and add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of prepared horseradish if you'd like a more pungent flavor.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Content, recipe, and photos updated January 5, 2021. Originally posted October 29, 2012. This breaded hearts of palm was originally a recipe for a Doctor Who-themed fish fingers & custard.
Somer says
I am seriously missing out, I want to pull a Dr. Who all nighter with you while eating this scrupmtiousness….. I’ll bring Monte Cristo’s 😉
Cadry says
I can’t think of a more delightful evening! It’s a date! 😀
FoodFeud says
I haven’t seen any Dr. Who but I hear good things. Plus, I’m always in when food is involved ;). I like the breaded hearts of palm idea! Sounds really interesting.
I have a hard time finding even mock witch in these parts…
Cadry says
Color me disillusioned! I thought you could find anything in New York! 😉
Abby says
I’ve never watched Dr. Who, but I love hearts of palm and eat a few avocados a week. In fact, I’m eating one right now! Fun recipe 😉
Cadry says
Yes, avocados make everything better!
Maggie Muggins says
That’s a pretty smart idea they came up with for the show, if an actor quits, there’s not some awkward moment were there’s someone different playing the same person and they just expect you to ignore it. It’s like the show never has to end, ever!
I’ve never had hearts of palm, I always imagined it would taste similar to artichoke, I have no idea why, but am I close? Either way, I like your spin on fish sticks with custard (ew!) yours sounds and looks much, much more appetizing 🙂
Cadry says
Yes, it’s a pretty genius character quirk that he regenerates into a new person whenever he “dies.” It’s something you could only get away with in science fiction! It was a concept they created when the show was only a couple of years old in the 60’s. The actor playing the Doctor at the time had an illness that involved the hardening of the arteries and caused memory problems and such. He needed to leave, but since the show was so popular, they needed to come up with an alternative to canceling. It makes it almost like a new show when a different Doctor comes onboard and makes new traveling companions. It creates buzz and energy around the show. There’s risk that the audience won’t gel with the new Doctor and the show will tank, but so far they’ve done a pretty good job with casting. I’ve really liked all three Doctors in the new series, and from the old episodes I’ve watched, they were consistent too. It certainly works better than on soap operas (Young & the Restless comes to mind) when one day an old character suddenly looks totally different!
I should have mentioned in the post how hearts of palm tastes! I’ll go and add that. But you’re right, jarred hearts of palm tastes similar to jarred artichoke hearts, especially around the stem area of the heart.
chow vegan says
Yum! What a great idea to bread hearts of palm! I normally just toss them into a salad as is. 🙂
Cadry says
Yes, they’re great in salads too! Another favorite way of eating them is in a hearts of palm ceviche. http://cadryskitchen.com/2010/03/23/eat-your-heart-out/
Chef Amber Shea says
I am LOVING the Doctor Who theme this week!! I got attached to Chris Eccleston, but then really fell in love with David Tennant. I’m STILL not 100% on board with Matt Smith, but I know that’s mainly because I fell so hard for DT. 🙂
Cadry says
Yay! I’m glad to find another Doctor Who fan! My viewing experience sounds like it was just like yours! I was so attached to Eccleston, and I didn’t think I could get onboard with Tennant. Then Tennant completely won me over. He’s just so likable! I like Matt Smith a lot, but he still hasn’t surpassed Tennant for me. (Surprisingly, my husband prefers Smith.)
I’ve been re-watching the new series recently from the 2005 beginning, and it’s strange to see Eccleston again after getting used to these two new doctors. I have to say, I liked him better the first time around. In some episodes, he comes off as a jerk, which I didn’t remember.
Chef Amber Shea says
I’m overdue for a re-watching of those early episodes, myself! 😉
GiGi says
As you already know I have not experience the Doctor Who series, but alas I have experienced hearts of palm as a stand-in for fish. I ‘ve made crab cakes from hearts of palm.
Great recipe Cadry!! I have never tried mockwitch.
Cadry says
Oh, hearts of palm would be great in a crab cake-style recipe! Do you have it posted on your blog?
Kristy says
I was just thinking about fish sticks recently- I went through a crazy amount when I was kid. I never, in a million years, would have thought to use hearts of palm as a replacement. I think I’m going to try this because Maxwell just informed me that he’s trying to become vegetarian during the week, but he really likes fish (have you ever heard of such a thing? A 12 year old who likes fish???). I wonder if he might find this to be a suitable substitute? If he doesn’t like them, I know I will- they look great! 🙂
Cadry says
What great news about Maxwell! Good for him! I think you’d like these breaded hearts of palm, but they don’t taste like fish. The only similarity is the flakiness. I purposely didn’t add any nori flakes to them, because I’m not into seaweed at all. There are a few frozen items on the market now that emulate fish sticks. You could check those out for Maxwell! For me, I was always more into the breading and malt vinegar than I was eating the fish. So Isa’s beer battered tofu in Vegan Brunch is probably my favorite for that purpose.
Caitlin says
i never thought to bread hearts of palm. how genius! the dip looks great, too 😉
Cadry says
I usually just have them plain too in salads or diced into “ceviche” with lime juice, avocado, and onions. But if you need to add more “fried” into your life, this is a tasty way to do it! 😉
Amanda says
Brilliant idea, Cadry! I have a can of hearts of palm in the cupboard, that I picked up on a whim and have never known what to do with them. Thanks for the inspiration.
Cadry says
Oh, that’s great! For something on the non-fried side, I also recommend hearts of palm ceviche for an appetizer. http://cadryskitchen.com/2010/03/23/eat-your-heart-out/
Jenny says
BREADED hearts of palm? I’m speechless. That sounds so good. I love h of p.
Cadry says
Thanks, Jenny! I love hearts of palm too, but I don’t use it nearly enough. Always good to have some new ways to try it! 🙂
Melissa says
This recipe sounds delicious!! I can never get enough avocado.
Cadry says
Me neither! Avocado is the best!
luminousvegans says
I absolutely adore hearts of palm AND avocados…this looks like a winning combo. Yum!
Cadry says
Yes, a winning combo for sure! 🙂
Bianca N Phillips says
Oooh, this is so smart!! I never liked real shrimp (or any fishy food), but I’ve had vegan packaged shrimp a few times, and it’s okay. But yes, it is a little rubbery! Hearts of palm a great sub, and I love them!!