Shrimp Fajita Quinoa Bowl

Shrimp Fajita Quinoa Bowl is a quick and flavorful option if you are craving fajitas but don't want to eat tortillas. Made with juicy, perfectly spiced shrimp, fresh peppers and onions, it's served over quinoa that's brightened with lime juice and cilantro.

Fajitas seems to be one of those dishes that everyone loves. My favorite kind is with shrimp because I love shrimp in general, but shrimp spiced with Mexican seasoning and paired with sautéed peppers and onions is such a great combo!

For this recipe, I decided to turn shrimp fajitas into a bowl, mainly because I love turning all meals into macro bowls but also, because I wanted to replace tortillas with a healthier grain, in this case protein-packed quinoa, for a balanced and flavorful, no-fuss dinner.

The shrimp gets its bold flavor from my homemade taco seasoning and it is sautéed in one skillet with peppers and onions. I serve this dish over cilantro-lime quinoa, a side of avocado and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Ingredient notes

• Shrimp: The easiest and most economical option is to use frozen jumbo wild shrimp. If you have access to good quality fresh shrimp, consider yourself lucky and use that!
• Onion: Yellow, white or sweet onions will all work in this recipe.
• Bell Peppers: All colors will work. I used red, orange and yellow.
• Quinoa: You can use plain white, red or a combination of white and red quinoa (my favorite).
• Taco seasoning: my homemade taco seasoning is perfect for all sorts of Mexican-inspired dishes, including these shrimp fajita bowls. If you prefer to use store bought fajitas seasoning, that’s ok, too! Just make sure it’s good quality.

How to make a shrimp fajita bowl

You will need a large skillet for the shrimp, peppers and onions, and a pot for the quinoa.
STEP 1: Marinate the shrimp in some oil and seasoning. Set aside while you’re chopping veggies.

STEP 2: Cook the quinoa by mixing the grains with water and a little bit of oil and boiling on low heat for 15 minutes. Once cooked, cool it slightly and add lime juice and chopped cilantro.

STEP 3: Slice peppers and onions and sauté them in oil in a skillet until soft and caramelized. Then, remove the veggies from the skillet and use it for sautéing the shrimp. No need to clean the skillet in-between as it’s all going to come together in the end.

STEP 4: Add cooked veggies to the shrimp, drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice and give it a stir.

STEP 5: Assemble! This is the fun part. Place some quinoa in a bowl and top with the shrimp fajitas mixture. I like to place the shrimp and veggies on one side so that I have space for other toppings.

STEP 6: Add whatever fajita toppings you like. I usually keep it pretty simple and only add half a sliced avocado and more lime juice but you can make this bowl more “loaded” by adding sour cream or crema, cheese, coleslaw or greens.

Serving suggestions

Here are some ideas on what to serve with this Shrimp Fajitas Bowl:
1. Guacamole (homemade or store bought)
2. Fresh Pico de Gallo or garden salsa
3. Your favorite jarred salsa
4. Sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
5. Spicy mayo or Sriracha mayo
6. Cotija cheese or queso fresco
7. Canned refried beans
8. Bagged slaw mix
9. Pickled jalapeños
10. Hot sauce, such as Choula

Make sure to also check out this epic list of 20 Best Sides for Shrimp Tacos which includes a ton of tasty and exciting ideas for side dishes and toppings that will work with this dish, too!

Meal prep and reheating

This dish is ideal for meal prep. Just divide your quinoa into 4 parts and place in airtight containers (I like glass containers with plastic lids). Top with the shrimp and onion-pepper mixture, pop the lid on and store in the fridge until ready to eat, for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, heat up in the microwave, for 1-2 minutes, garnish with your favorite toppings and dig in! Be careful not to microwave for too long or the shrimp will become rubbery.

More dinner ideas

• Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
• Creamy Coconut Shrimp with Cauliflower Rice
• Kale and Barley Salad Bowl with Seared Salmon
• Cauliflower Shawarma Bowls
• Egg Roll in a Bowl

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Recipe

Shrimp Fajita Quinoa Bowl

Shrimp Fajita Quinoa Bowl is a quick and flavorful option if you are craving fajitas but don't want to eat tortillas. Made with juicy, perfectly spiced shrimp, fresh peppers and onions, it's served over quinoa that's brightened with lime juice and cilantro.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 438kcal

Author: Agnieszka

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ lb raw jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
• ▢ 2-3 bell peppers sliced into strips
• ▢ 1 large onion sliced into strips
• ▢ ¼ cup neutral tasting oil such as avocado oil
• ▢ 1 cup dry quinoa
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 lime
• ▢ ½ cup cilantro chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon homemade taco seasoning or good quality store bought fajitas seasoning, I like Simply Organic

Instructions

• If your shrimp is frozen, make sure it is completely thawed. Dry the shrimp in paper towels and toss with 2 tablespoon oil and taco/fajitas seasoning. Set aside to marinate.
• Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the package or follow the 1:2 ratio (1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water), stir quinoa into cold water, add ½ teaspoon salt, bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Once cooked, let cool slightly, squeeze in juice from ½ lime and stir in chopped cilantro saving about 1 tablespoon for garnish.
• Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a skillet and sauté peppers and onions until soft and slightly caramelized, stirring from time to time, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the onions and peppers from the skillet and set aside. Cook the shrimp in the now empty skillet for about 2-3 minutes on each side until pink.
• Transfer peppers and onions back to the skillet and toss everything together, squeezing the remaining ½ lime over the shrimp-veggie mixture.
• Assemble the bowls. Place some quinoa in a bowl and top with the shrimp fajitas mixture. Serve with your favorite toppings: sliced avocado or guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, cheese and more chopped cilantro.

Notes

Tail on or off the shrimp? Typically, when you buy peeled frozen jumbo shrimp, the tails are still on. Personally, I remove the tails for this recipe because it can get messy to eat but it’s up to you.

For bell peppers, you can use any colors you like. I like to have a nice variety of color, so I typically use red, orange and/or yellow peppers.

If you make my homemade taco seasoning, store the rest in an airtight container or jar and enjoy again for another Mexican inspired dish.

If you are using store bought fajitas seasoning, that will save you some time! However, make sure to use good quality fajitas seasoning, NOT taco seasoning. Taco seasoning tends to have starch in it to bind and thicken taco meat but for this recipe you only want dry spices.

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 214mg | Sodium: 1311mg | Potassium: 639mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2378IU | Vitamin C: 85mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 3mg

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Meet the Author

Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.

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