Grilled Sweet Chili Shrimp and Zucchini

Grilled in spicy sweet chili sauce alongside tender zucchini cubes, this grilled sweet chili shrimp is a quick summer meal that’s fantastic as an appetizer or served alongside rice.

We haven’t done shrimp on the grill yet this summer! Honestly, a crime against summer and everything it stands for so we’re remedying that today.

This shrimp and zucchini may actually be the easiest thing I’ve thrown on the grill all summer and yet the flavors are utterly bonkers.

Sweet chili sauce is coming in and taking care of business coating the juicy charred shrimp + tender zucchini cubes in all its sweet and spicy goodness. A little sprinkle of green onions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes and we’re in business.

Is it an appetizer? Is it a main meal? That’s the beauty of this dish, it’s whatever you want it to be! We’ve totally thrown this one down as an app before as well as a lighter main meal alongside some side dishes.

Just know that once you pluck that first shrimp off the plate MANY are going to follow.

This Grilled Shrimp Features…

• Juicy grilled shrimp and tender zucchini cubes
• A sweet and spicy sweet chili sauce
• Minutes to make and great as an appetizer of main dish with rice

Making the Grilled Shrimp

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Sweet chili sauce
• Soy sauce
• Garlic
• Shrimp
• Zucchini
• Vegetable oil
• Green onions
• Sesame seeds

Choosing Your Shrimp

You will need 1 lb of medium shrimp for this recipe. I recommend buying them fresh if possible and make sure they are peeled and deveined prior to grilling.

Tips for Perfect Grilled Shrimp

1. Marinate shrimp 20 minutes – a quick 20 minute marinade in sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and garlic is all the shrimp needs to be infused with lots of flavor.
2. Preheat grill – you want the grill ripping hot at 400F for when you go to add the shrimp to lightly char the outside.
3. Grill shrimp and zucchini on a sheet of tin foil – this will keep the shrimp from falling through the grates. You can also use a grill pan.
4. Do not overcook shrimp – a quick char on both sides is all the shrimp needs to fully cook. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Be aware, the shrimp will likely finish cooking before the zucchini.
5. Brush with sauce during grilling – lightly coat the shrimp and zucchini with additional sweet chili sauce during grilling.
6. Garnish shrimp and zucchini – arrange on a serving plate and drizzle with a little additional sauce, red pepper flakes, green onions, and sesame seeds for extra flavor.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this shrimp.

• Adjust heat level – as is, this shrimp is more on the mild side, however, you can easily kick up the heat by adding your favorite hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
• Use another vegetable – try summer squash, sweet peppers, corn on the cob, green beans, or asparagus. You can also combine several types of vegetables.
• Cook shrimp and zucchini indoors – you can use a cast iron grill pan, regular cast iron, or stainless steel instead to cook shrimp and zucchini on stovetop if you do not have access to a grill.

Serving Suggestions

We love serving this shrimp and zucchini as an appetizer with more sweet chili sauce alongside for dipping. We’ve also served it alongside steamed rice for a full meal.

Sweet, saucy, and spicy with just a little bit of a char that hits SO good! This shrimp and zucchini really is my perfect idea of summer eats and I’m never getting over how easy they are to throw together.

These need to be lining your grill for the remainder of summer, peeps. Make it happen.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More grilled meat + veggie dishes to make next!

• Grilled Chicken Vegetable Pasta
• BBQ Salmon and Broccoli
• Marinated Summer Vegetables and Sausage