What’s better than a recipe that comes together fast, with maximum flavor and minimum dirty dishes? This shrimp fajita sheet pan one-pan-wonder gets dinner on the table with just 30 minutes of prep, and one single pan to clean.
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajita Recipe Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Our Shrimp Fajita Sheet Pan Dinner
- Recipe Tips
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Favorite Sheet Pan Dinner Recipes
- Shrimp Fajita Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe
This recipe is…
The humble sheet pan: this cookware plain Jane might not be colorful and cheerful like your new Dutch oven. And it probably doesn’t have a story behind it like the cast iron skillet you inherited from grandma. But that trusty metal sheet pan may just be the unassuming M.V.P. of your kitchen cookware squad.
That’s because a sheet pan can be used for so much more than toasting nuts or baking a dozen cookies. The beauty of sheet pan dinners where the meat, veggies, and other ingredients get cooked altogether on one piece of cookware is that they not only streamline the process, but there’s only one pan to clean when dinner is done.
This shrimp fajita recipe is a fresh take on the Tex-Mex favorite that’s sure to be a hit with everyone at the table. By showcasing the main ingredients of classic shrimp fajitas — the seafood and crunchy veggies — and leaving off add-ons like sour cream and cheese that weigh the dish down and add unnecessary fat and calories, each serving has just 230 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat. And the combination of red, yellow, and/or orange peppers with purple onions, pink shrimp, and bright green cilantro make this one-pan meal super colorful too.
Want to add more easy sheet pan meals to your busy weekday recipe lineup? We’ve got a dozen more in our collection of Sheet Pan Dinner Recipes, including Cajun Shrimp & Sausage, Curried Chicken & Carrots, and Chimichurri Beef with Sweet Potatoes and Broccolini.
Looking for more family-friendly shrimp recipes? We’ve got a bunch. This honey garlic shrimp is full of flavor, this easy shrimp scampi is absolutely delicious, and this shrimp fried rice is a GREAT way to use up any leftover rice you may have hanging out in the fridge!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only one pan to clean
- Vibrant and colorful thanks to all the veggies, shrimp, and herbs
- Just 30 minutes of prep
- All of the best ingredients of classic fajitas, but without the added fat and calories
Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajita Recipe Ingredients
Our fresh, healthy, and flavor-packed version of the traditional fajita recipe calls for a streamlined list of key ingredients. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Shrimp – to cut down on prep time, buy fresh shrimp that’s already been deveined. Or, keep a bag of frozen deveined shrimp on hand for this and other easy shrimp recipes. Just thaw them in the fridge that morning, or a couple hours before you plan to cook them.
- Veggies – save even more time with pre-cut onions and peppers.
- Lime juice – before you cut the lime into wedges, first give it a few rolls back and forth on your cutting board using the palm of your hand. This breaks up the cells inside the fruit, and helps make it juicier.
- Cilantro – there’s no need to pull the leaves off the stems and chop them (in Mexico, it’s common to eat cilantro whole—including the soft, edible stem, which is packed with flavor). You can just rinse and dry the leaves, trim the ends, and garnish with the rest.
- Seasonings – this streamlined recipe calls for sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. But you can also add spices like red pepper flakes, chile powder, or cayenne.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Use a different protein – you can make this recipe with proteins other than shrimp. Meats like sliced chicken and steak are popular options (you’ll just want to adjust the timing of when you add the meat to the veggies so the meat gets fully cooked.) For a vegan option, try these fajitas with strips of tofu or seitan.
- Skip the lime marinade – fast-track this recipe by skipping the lime marinade.
- Use a different type of onion – if you don’t have purple/red onions on hand, swap in white or yellow onions. Or, slice up a few greens onions: add the white parts for the last 5 minutes of cooking, then sprinkle the raw green slices on for an extra garnish.
How to Make Our Shrimp Fajita Sheet Pan Dinner
This easy recipe comes together in just a few steps, and most of the time is hands-off.
Step 1: Place the peeled shrimp in a bowl and add the lime juice for a marinade. Add just enough water to cover the shrimp completely, stir, and set aside for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2: Toss the sliced peppers and onions with the olive oil and half of the seasonings, then spread out on a sheet pan and roast at 375°F for 35 minutes.
Step 3: Add the shrimp to the pan, season with the rest of the salt and garlic powder, and cook at 375°F for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Step 4: Add the peppers, onions, and shrimp to a tortilla, and garnish with cracked black pepper, cilantro, and lime wedges. Eat while the fajitas are sizzling hot!
Recipe Tips
- Spice up your fajitas with a touch of cayenne, chile powder, or red pepper flakes at the beginning of the cooking process, or serve with hot sauce.
- There are plenty of ways to make this recipe even speedier: you can buy your shrimp deveined, opt for pre-cut veggies, and skip the marinating step if you want to cut out some of the prep time.
- You have the option to toss the peppers and onions in a bowl, or straight on the sheet pan (which saves you from dirtying a bowl). If you go with the second option, just make sure to toss the veggies well with tongs or your hands to make sure the oil and seasonings are evenly distributed.
How to Serve
Serve these fajitas hot from the oven, garnished with lime wedges and cilantro.
How to Store and Reheat
Store in a covered container for up to 3 days.
When reheating, remember that delicate shrimp cook (and get overcooked!) really quickly. So just like in the recipe, it’s a good idea to heat the veggies first using a stovetop or microwave. Then, add the shrimp and continue to cook just until the shrimp is heated through in order to keep them succulent and juicy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Simple refried beans or Black Bean and Corn Salsa would taste great served alongside fajitas. But two recipes that are inspired by elote (the popular Mexican grilled street corn made with mayo, cotija cheese, cilantro, chili powder, and lime juice) are perfect fajita sides: our Mexican Street Corn Salad and Mexican Street Corn and Kale Slaw.
One of the best things about fajitas is that they’re endlessly adaptable, but classic toppings are: salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream, salad greens, sliced avocado, hot sauce, and pickled or raw sliced jalapeños.
At restaurants, this Tex-Mex fave is usually served on a sizzling hot cast iron pan arrives at the table too hot to even touch, along with tortillas and lots of different toppings (including the infamously fat- and calorie-laden sour cream, guacamole, and shredded cheese.) With all those toppings inside a tortilla, it tends to get a little messy.
Our lightened-up version features the fresh veggies, succulent shrimp, spices, cilantro, and lime that are the key ingredients in shrimp fajitas. The better-for-you fajitas are made using just one trusty sheet pan, without dirtying a ton of bowls for toppings, and can be eaten with a fork.
That depends on the meat! (Or in this case, the seafood.)
For this recipe, the shrimp gets added to the oven after the veggies are mostly cooked to keep the seafood from overcooking. If you want to substitute other proteins like chicken or beef, you can adjust the timing so the meat and veggies are done at the same time.
Or, if you’re unsure of the cook times, you may want to foolproof the process by roasting the veggies almost all the way first, then transferring them to a plate off the heat. Then, you can cook the meat to its proper doneness on the same sheetpan, add the peppers and onions back to the pan for a few minutes to heat back up, and serve.
More Favorite Sheet Pan Dinner Recipes
If you tried this Shrimp Fajita Sheet Pan Dinner or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Shrimp Fajita Sheet Pan Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 bell peppers of assorted colors, cut into thin strips
- 1 purple onion, cut into ¼-inch thick discs
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Tortillas, for serving
- cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, for garnish
- fresh lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the peeled shrimp in a bowl and add the lime juice for a marinade. Add just enough water to cover the shrimp completely, stir, and set aside for 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl or directly on the rimmed baking sheet, toss the peppers and onion with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the veggies out onto the baking sheet.
- When the shrimp are finished in their marinade, drain and toss with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
- Season the vegetables with about half of the garlic powder and half of the salt.
- Bake the vegetables at 375°F for 35 minutes, or until wilted but not browning.
- After 35 minutes, add the shrimp to the sheet pan by placing them directly on top of the vegetables. Season the shrimp with the remaining garlic powder and sea salt. Return the pan to the oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through.
- To serve, garnish with the cracked black pepper, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use a different protein – you can make this recipe with proteins other than shrimp. Meats like sliced chicken and steak are popular options (you’ll just want to adjust the timing of when you add the meat to the veggies so the meat gets fully cooked.) For a vegan option, try these fajitas with strips of tofu or seitan.
- Skip the lime marinade – fast-track this recipe by skipping the lime marinade.
- Use a different type of onion – if you don’t have purple/red onions on hand, swap in white or yellow onions. Or, slice up a few greens onions: add the white parts for the last 5 minutes of cooking, then sprinkle the raw green slices on for an extra garnish.
- Spice up your fajitas with a touch of cayenne, chile powder, or red pepper flakes at the beginning of the cooking process, or serve with hot sauce.
- There are plenty of ways to make this recipe even speedier: you can buy your shrimp deveined, opt for pre-cut veggies, and skip the marinating step if you want to cut out some of the prep time.
- You have the option to toss the peppers and onions in a bowl, or straight on the sheet pan (which saves you from dirtying a bowl). If you go with the second option, just make sure to toss the veggies well with tongs or your hands to make sure the oil and seasonings are evenly distributed.
Nutrition
My kids will love this! Question about option 2 though: won’t the shrimp be way over cooked if it goes in at the same time as the veggies?
Hi Kerry! Yes, the shrimp are going to be much more cooked with option 2, but still tasty! We wanted to include it in case there is anyone who might not get back to add the shrimp partially through. Hope your kids enjoy! -Team F&F
Dog pics, please!
Making this tonight! I was trying to think of something to make with what we have and then your “Easy one-pan meals” email popped right up in my mailbox. Hope all is well – excited to “meet” the newest addition! xx
Perfect timing! Enjoy!!
we want to see Gus pup pics!
The snap of him after the groomer had me cracking up.. also love your Gus voice. Ok, I am obsessed!!
Haha ok!
This kind of made me tear up! Dogs are such a special part of our families, my husband and I love ours so incredibly much, and he is also very spoiled! I love the perspective of your dog choosing you, when we went and “chose” our little guy, he was the one who kept running back and snuggling with me, and that’s how we decided he was the one we wanted to bring home!
Aww I love that!!