Cider-Battered Shrimp with Lime-Avocado Mayo

Name: Cider-Battered Shrimp with Lime-Avocado Mayo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 3 skewers
Ingredients: 1 medium ripe avocado; ¼ cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1 teaspoon lime zest; ¼ teaspoon saltCider-battered shrimp; 1½ cups Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix; ⅓ cup sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling; 1 bottle (12 oz) hard apple cider (or gluten-free beer); ½ teaspoon sriracha; 12 large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry; 12 bamboo skewers; Canola oil, for frying

on Jul 14 2026

Table of Contents

Meet your new favorite party appetizer: crispy, golden gluten-free cider-battered shrimp with a cool, zippy lime-avocado mayo for dipping. Think of it as a grown-up corndog, with sweet shrimp in place of the hot dog and a light, flavorful batter made from our Cornbread & Muffin Mix and a splash of hard cider. It won the Grand Prize in our 2012 recipe contest for good reason: big impact, little effort, and ready in about 20 minutes. Deliciously gluten-free, the way Pamela's has done it since 1988.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time about 25 minutes

Serving Size 3 skewers

Ingredients

Lime-avocado mayo

1 medium ripe avocado
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
¼ teaspoon salt

Cider-battered shrimp

1½ cups Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 bottle (12 oz) hard apple cider (or gluten-free beer)
½ teaspoon sriracha
12 large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
12 bamboo skewers
Canola oil, for frying

Shop Gluten-Free Cornbread and Muffin Mix, 12 oz.

Directions

Make the mayo: in a medium bowl, mash the avocado with the mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt until combined. Cover and refrigerate. This can be made a few hours ahead.
Make the batter: in another bowl, whisk together the Cornbread & Muffin Mix, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stirring constantly, slowly pour in the cider until you have a loose batter about the consistency of oatmeal. You will not use the whole bottle. Stir in the sriracha. If it is too loose, add a little more mix.
Skewer the shrimp: thread each shrimp onto a bamboo skewer, piercing it in two places so it stays secure.
Fry: fill a small deep saucepan with about 2 inches of canola oil and set it over medium-high heat. Using a candy or deep-fry thermometer, heat the oil to about 315°F (see the frying note). Working in batches of three or four, dip each shrimp in the batter, use a spoon to coat it completely, and lower it into the oil. Fry 2 to 3 minutes, until the batter is golden and the shrimp are pink and opaque. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Keep the oil at temperature between batches.
Serve immediately with the lime-avocado mayo.
For the crispiest, least greasy shrimp: 315°F is lower than the 350 to 365°F many cooks use for battered frying, and low oil is the main cause of soggy batter. If your first batch comes out pale or greasy, raise the temperature toward 350°F, do not crowd the pan (which drops the temperature), drain on paper towels, and serve right away. The shrimp still cook through in 2 to 3 minutes.
To keep it gluten-free: Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix is GFCO-certified gluten-free, so this batter fries up crisp with no gluten. Use a gluten-free cider or beer, and check that your other ingredients are gluten-free too.

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Serve, make ahead, and store

Serve: pile the skewers on a platter with the lime-avocado mayo in the center for a party or game-day appetizer. The mayo is versatile on its own, and is great on fish tacos, grain bowls, or any seafood.
Make ahead: the mayo can be made a few hours ahead (press plastic wrap onto the surface so it does not brown). Peel and skewer the shrimp ahead, then batter and fry just before serving.
Store: fried shrimp are best hot and fresh, and do not hold well, so fry them just before serving.

Variations

Non-alcoholic: use sparkling apple cider or club soda in the batter. The carbonation still lightens it.
Spicier: add extra sriracha to the batter or the mayo.
Beyond shrimp: the same batter is great on firm white fish, onion rings, or vegetables.

Gluten-Free Cornbread and Muffin Mix, 12 oz.

We've Got Answers

Yes. This batter is made with Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix and hard cider, so it fries up crisp and golden with no gluten.

Gluten-free beer works, and for a non-alcoholic version use sparkling apple cider or club soda. The carbonation helps keep the batter light.

Yes, a few hours ahead. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate so the avocado does not brown.

How do I keep the batter crispy and not soggy?

Yes. It is made with Pamela's GFCO-certified Cornbread & Muffin Mix, with a gluten-free cider or beer in the batter.

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