This delightfully delicious Shrimp Avocado Salad features perfectly seasoned, tender pan-seared shrimp and crispy veggies that are drizzled with an easy homemade dressing!

❤️ Why You’ll Love this Shrimp Avocado Salad

• Succulent seasoning pan-seared shrimp
• Great mix of fresh crisp veggies
• Bright and colorful salad, perfect for special occasions 
• Can also be made with salmon, steak or chicken

If you’re looking for a protein packed, nutrient dense salad that’s not only quick and easy, but is also bursting with incredible flavor, this Shrimp Avocado Salad will check all of those boxes. It’s a no fuss recipe that you can have prepared, plated and on the table in just 20 minutes!

Shrimp and avocado are a classic combination that go hand and hand. But when you add this sweet, zesty and tangy salad dressing, you’ll have the one of the most amazing, mouth-watering salads.

Not a fan of shrimp? No worries! The veggies and salad dressing will work beautifully with grilled chicken, steak of even pork tenderloin.

The salad alone is so delicious, you can also just leave out the shrimp and serve it as a fresh and flavorful side salad.

🛒 What You’ll Need to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad

• Jumbo shrimp
• Romaine lettuce
• Avocados
• Cherry tomatoes
• English or baby cucumbers
• Yellow or orange bell pepper
• Red onion
• Lemon juice
• Sugar-free Keto honey
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic
• Garlic salt
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Large nonstick skillet
• Large salad bowl
• Salad spinner
• Salad dressing shaker or immersion blender

🔪 How to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad

To Make the Shrimp

Drizzle the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add in the shrimp and sprinkle the smoked paprika, garlic salt and pepper on both sides.

Sear the shrimp for about 2 minutes on each side and once they turn pink, remove them from the pan and set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the salad.

To Assemble the Salad

Remove the core from the head of romaine lettuce, slice in quarters lengthwise, then chop into bite size pieces. 

Tip: This salad spinner helps make washing and drying lettuce much easier!

In a large salad bowl, add in the lettuce.

Tip: Now you can serve the salad any way you like, but I prefer to arrange the ingredients in rows because it makes a pretty presentation. I dress the salad right before serving, then toss it all together and serve.

Just to the right of the center, add in the shrimp.

Slice the avocados in half, remove the pits and slice in half again.  Remove the peels, then slice into thick strips.  Place the avocado to the left of the shrimp.

Tip: You can also keep the avocado slices together for a fancier presentation.

Slice the tomatoes in half and place them to the left of the avocado. Chop the bell pepper and add it to the right of the shrimp.

Slice the red onion into thin strips and place to the left of the tomatoes. And lastly, slice the cucumber into half moons and place them to the right of the bell pepper.

Tip: Another way to display the veggies and shrimp is to arrange them in clusters, which works well in a large round salad bowl. I did this with my Antipasto Salad, Taco Salad and Buffalo Chicken Salads and they look really pretty!

To Make the Dressing

Add all of the dressing ingredients in the cup of a salad dressing shaker, mason jar or immersion blender and shake/mix until well combined.

Pour over the salad right before serving and store any leftovers in the fridge for a few days.

Is Shrimp OK on Keto?

Shrimp are a very nutritious option for those on Keto or a low carb diet. For 6 ounces there are 34 grams of protein in shrimp, approximately 1 gram of carbs and zero sugars. This makes shrimp a perfect source of protein while keeping your carb intake to a minimum.

How Many Calories Does a Shrimp Salad Have?

The number of calories will vary based on what all you add to the salad, how large the shrimp are and how much dressing you use.

For this shrimp salad with avocado, you’re using a homemade Keto dressing that helps keep the calories around 306 per serving!

Tips for Making the Best Shrimp Salad

• If you’re not going to serve this salad immediately, wait to add the dressing. Even though this is a much lighter dressing that a creamy dressing, it will wilt the salad greens the longer it sits. Plus, the lemon juice will cause the shrimp to become tough if they sit too long.

• Once you cut avocados they will begin to oxidize and turn brown. The lemon in the dressing will help prevent that. But if you’re not dressing the salad right after making it, you may want to spritz a little lemon juice on them to keep them fresh looking.

• This recipe is already really fast to make but you could meal prep some of it the night before. You can chop up all your veggies and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. You can also cook your shrimp the day before, but I prefer the shrimp to be freshly cooked and still warm when I add them to the cool veggies.

• This vinaigrette style dressing is best when it’s freshly made. But if you need to store it in the fridge, it stores perfectly and won’t separate because it’s beautifully emulsified when you mix it up.

What Seasoning Goes Best with Shrimp?

You can season shrimp with so many wonderful herbs and spices. Because the dressing for this recipe is super flavorful, I did not go overboard with strong seasonings.

But if you want more robust flavored shrimp, you can use some of this Cajun Seasoning, this Blackened Seasoning or any of your favorite spices.

Can I Add Cheese to This Salad?

Absolutely! Feta, goat cheese or shredded parm are all great choices. If you’re tracking macros, just make sure you make an adjustment based on the type and amount you use.

Variations and Substitutions

Dressing: If you like more of a creamy style dressing, my homemade Keto Ranch Dressing or Chipotle Ranch always taste great with raw veggies and will really compliment the shrimp. Other great options are Apricot Vinaigrette, Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette and Creamy Balsamic Dressing.

Veggies: When it comes to salads you just about can’t go wrong adding any of your favorite vegetables. Artichoke hearts are awesome in this salad, and you could use roasted red peppers instead of the raw orange bell peppers. Olives, although considered fruit, also makes a great addition.

Salad greens: Romaine is a crispy salad green that holds up well to heavier toppings. But if you want to change it up, you can use baby spinach, bibb lettuce or even iceberg. Spring mix is not recommended because it a little too delicate and will wilt easily.

Protein: One of the great things about this recipe is the flavors go great with almost any type of meat or seafood you’d like to use. You could use Salmon, Pork Tenderloin, Chicken Tenders or even Grilled Steak.

Are Shrimp Salads Healthy?

This Keto Avocado Shrimp Salad recipe is powerhouse of healthy nutrients! Check out this overview of what you get with each serving:

Shrimp: Shrimp is very nutritious. It is fairly low in calories and provides a high amount of protein and healthy fats, in addition to a variety of vitamins, like B and D plus several healthy minerals.

Salad Greens: Depending on the type you use, most lettuce is high in calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium. It’s also a great source for beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.

Avocados: Rich in many nutrients, including fiber, healthy fats, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, and folate.

Tomatoes: A major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.

Cucumbers: Low in calories but high in water and several important vitamins and minerals. They also are a good source of antioxidants, including flavonoids and tannins.

More Keto Shrimp Recipes

• Coconut Shrimp with Dipping Sauce
• Creamy Cajun Shrimp
• Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
• Fried Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce
• Grilled Lime Cilantro Shrimp Skewers
• Creamy Shrimp Alfredo
• Bang Bang Shrimp