These grilled prawn tacos are fresh, full of flavour, and ready in under 30 minutes! With smoky chipotle prawns, creamy avocado sauce, and crunchy slaw, they make a simple and satisfying, dairy free lunch or dinner.
If you’ve been around this website for a while, then you know I love an easy taco recipe for a weeknight meal. They are so easy, versatile and honestly just fun to eat!
Some of my favourite tacos are these slow cooked chicken tinga tacos, these grilled salmon tacos, these simple GF fish tacos, and of course you can’t go past a taco bowl! But these prawn tacos definitely have a firm place in my list of favourites!
They’re fresh, flavour-packed, and come together in under 30 minutes, making them perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a laid-back weekend dinner.
The prawns are coated in a smoky chipotle seasoning and grilled until just cooked, then served in warm corn tortillas with a creamy avocado yoghurt sauce and a crunchy cabbage slaw. It’s simple but it tastes like so much more time and effort was involved!
Fire up the BBQ, or if you prefer, use a grill pan or simply a frying pan inside to make these even easier for a weeknight taco feast.
Key Ingredients
These grilled prawn tacos really are super easy, with just a few ingredients. The real hero of the dish is the zesty avocado crema.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prawns – they might also be called shrimp where you’re from! I am using frozen and always Australian caught if possible. They are completely fuss free as they’re already peeled with tails removed. To defrost, leave them in a small bowl of warm water for 15 minutes.
- Chipotle seasoning – I love the McCormick Grill Mates Chipotle & Garlic American BBQ Dry Marinade as it is so full of flavour (I also use it in my chipotle chicken bowls). But you can use any seasoning mix you like, or just use taco seasoning or even use a homemade taco seasoning instead.
- Corn tortillas – I use the small, street style tortillas. I’ve found the Old El Paso Street Market White Corn Tortillas to be the best in terms of taste and texture as they are less likely to tear.
- Lime – essential to the flavour of the sauce and to finish off the tacos to give them that big, fresh and zesty flavour.
- Avocado – makes the smoothest, creamiest sauce that pairs so well on these tacos. The other half of the avo can be sliced up and served in the taco to finish.
- Dairy free yoghurt – this is going to be mixed with the avocado to create a thick and creamy sauce for the tacos. I am of course using a dairy free plain (unsweetened!) Greek-style yoghurt but use any you like.
- Jalapeño – use anywhere from ½ to a whole jalapeno pepper depending on how strong you want the flavour. If you want to minimise the heat make sure to remove the seeds. The ones I have been buying at the supermarket are quite mild but taste and adjust as needed.
- Cabbage – I am using sugarloaf cabbage which works well in a slaw due to its slightly milder and sweeter flavour but you can use any you prefer. Red cabbage gives a pretty pop of colour.
You’ll Also Love: Sausage Rolls
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make these prawn tacos you can use a BBQ or a grill pan on the stove. Just make sure the area is well ventilated as the combo of the high heat and the smoky chipotle seasoning can get in your lungs a bit!
Start by making sure your prawns are defrosted, and then tossing them with some olive oil and the chipotle seasoning. Set these aside while you do the rest of the prep as they’ll cook super quick.
I like to make the sauce using my food processor but a blender will also work. Add in the avocado, dairy free yoghurt, jalapeño, salt and lime juice and blend until smooth. Add a little water to thin it out if needed.
Finely shred the cabbage and add it to a bowl. Add in about half of the sauce and give it a good mix to combine. This will be the slaw for the tacos, so set this and the remaining sauce aside until you’re ready to assemble. I like to also slice up the other half of the avocado.
Finally, it’s time to cook the prawns. Heat the BBQ plate or your grill pan until really hot. Add the prawns to the plate, being careful not to overcrowd and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until the prawns have changed colour. They really don’t take long so you want to keep an eye on them to ensure you don’t over cook them.
Heat the corn tortillas over a flame or in a hot pan before assembling the tacos. Add some of the cabbage slaw, a slice of the avocado and a few grilled prawns. Finish with a good drizzle of the avocado jalapeno sauce, and a squeeze of lime.
These tacos are best eaten immediately after cooking and due to the prawns, I wouldn’t recommend making them ahead of time. But being that they cook so quickly, you don’t really need to!
Recipe FAQs
You can just use a frying pan or skillet over high heat. You might not get the same char, but the prawns will still be delicious.
Make sure your corn tortillas are certified gluten free and double-check your seasoning mix doesn’t contain any hidden gluten. The Old El Paso Street Market White Corn Tortillas that I use are gluten free, as is the seasoning mix.
Yes, this is a great idea! Serve the grilled prawns and cabbage slaw over rice and drizzle with the avocado sauce. Top with avocado slices and lime, and maybe a few corn chips on the side.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More easy prawn recipes:
15 Minute Garlic Prawn Noodles
Prawn Wontons with Chilli Oil
Quick and Easy Spicy Prawn Rice Bowls
Creamy Garlic Prawn Pasta
Grilled Prawn Tacos
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Equipment
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food processor
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cast iron grill pan
Ingredients
- 350-400 grams raw peeled prawns approx. 24 prawns
- 1 tablespoon chipotle seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the avocado sauce:
- ½ avocado
- ½ cup dairy free plain unsweetened yoghurt
- ½ – 1 jalapeno seeds discarded if desired
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup water if needed
To serve:
- ¼ small cabbage finely shredded
- 8 white corn tortillas warmed
- ½ avocado sliced to serve
- Lime wedges to serve
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, toss the prawns with the chipotle seasoning and olive oil. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the sauce.
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In a small food processor or bullet blender, combine the avocado, yoghurt, jalapeño, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to reach your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt or lime juice if needed.
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In a bowl, mix the shredded cabbage with half of the avocado sauce until well coated. Set aside.
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Heat a grill plate on the BBQ or stove over high heat. Once hot, add the prawns and cook for 1–2 minutes per side, or until they turn pink and opaque. Transfer to a plate.
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Heat the tortillas directly over a flame or on the grill plate until slightly charred and pliable.
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Add a spoonful of cabbage to each tortilla, followed by grilled prawns and a few slices of avocado. Drizzle with the remaining avocado sauce and finish with a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Not from Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide
A version of this recipe was originally published on November 1, 2021 but it has since been updated with an improved recipe, new photos, and better information and instructions.