Made with only a few simple ingredients, these Fried Shrimp Balls make for the perfect appetizer or side dish. Fried to golden perfection, each bite is so delightful as the exterior is crunchy and the middle is flavorful and soft.
You may recognize these tasty fried shrimp balls from your local Chinese restaurant, buffet, or dim sum. Usually served with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chile sauce, these little balls of crispy shrimp are so addicting. Luckily, they’re so easy to make at home in a few simple steps.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- spring roll pastry — you can find these in the frozen section of most Asian grocery stores.
- shrimp — I buy peeled and deveined shrimp to save time. This way I don’t have to do it myself.
- salt & pepper — you can also use white pepper if you do not want to see the specks of pepper in the balls.
- sugar — you just need a pinch.
- cornstarch — or potato starch.
- oil — I fry my shrimp balls in vegetable oil.
How to Make Shrimp Balls
- To a food processor, add the shrimp, salt, pepper, sugar, and cornstarch. Blend until it becomes a paste.
- Roll up the spring roll pastry wrappers and slice them into thin ribbons. Slice them as thin as you like.
- Cut the ribbons in half so they’re shorter.
- Add the ribbons of spring roll wrappers to a bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out balls of the shrimp paste one portion at a time, into the bowl of ribbons.
- Roll the shrimp ball around until the balls are coated in the wrappers. Use your hands to press them and shape them if necessary. You can trim off the excess if you prefer.
- Set the shrimp balls to the side, in a single layer as you work on the rest.
- Heat around 2 inches of oil in a pot or pan until it has reached 350F.
- Add a couple of shrimp balls at a time to the oil and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping them around every minute or so other to ensure even frying.
- Set the balls aside on a wire rack to drain.
- Continue to fry until you’ve fried all the shrimp balls. Serve with a sweet and sour sauce or sweet chile sauce.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Don’t add all the shrimp balls at once to the oil as it’ll lower the temperature of the oil. When the temperature of the oil isn’t high enough, it’ll cause shrimp balls to get greasy.
- I use a cookie scoop to ensure every shrimp ball is uniform in size and they’ll fry evenly.
- There will be extra pastry ribbons leftover. What I usually do is fry all of them after I’m done with the shrimp and snack on them. You can also place a layer of fried ribbon under the balls as a garnish.
- The spring roll pastry wrappers come frozen and it’s not recommended to refreeze once thawed. So I usually make a double or triple batch.
- Add a few strands of the cut spring roll wrapper into the oil to test if the oil is ready if you do not have a thermometer.
Make Ahead Tips
- Once cooled, store the fried shrimp balls in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- To reheat, I pop them in the air fryer or oven until the balls have heated through.
Fried Shrimp Balls
Made with only a few simple ingredients, these Fried Shrimp Balls make for the perfect appetizer or side dish. Fried to golden perfection, each bite is so delightful as the exterior is crunchy and the middle is flavorful and soft.
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 10 sheets spring roll pastry, thawed but cold
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- oil, for frying
- sweet and sour sauce or sweet chile sauce, for dipping
Equipment
Instructions
- To a food processor, add the shrimp, salt, pepper, sugar, and cornstarch. Blend until it becomes a paste.
- Roll up the spring roll pastry wrappers and slice them into thin ribbons. Slice them as thin as you like. Cut the ribbons in half so they’re shorter.
- Add the ribbons of spring roll wrappers to a bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out balls of the shrimp paste one portion at a time, into the bowl of ribbons.
- Roll the shrimp ball around until the balls are coated in the wrappers. Use your hands to press them and shape them if necessary. You can trim off the excess if you prefer.
- Set the shrimp balls to the side, in a single layer as you work on the rest.
- Heat around 2 inches of oil in a pot or pan until it has reached 350F.
- Add a couple of shrimp balls at a time to the oil and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping them around every minute or so to ensure even frying.
- Set the balls aside on a wire rack to drain.
- Continue to fry until you’ve fried all the shrimp balls. Serve with a sweet and sour sauce or sweet chile sauce.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Shrimp Tempura
- Chicken Katsu
- Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
- Salt and Pepper Shrimp
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Tempura Udon
- Crispy Chicken Sandwich
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