These shrimp tapioca crepes are naturally gluten-free, made with tapioca starch, juicy shrimp, and fresh vegetables, and ready in about 35 minutes. Perfect for lunch, dinner, or a light appetizer, they have a chewy crepe-like texture with a savory, flavorful filling. If you enjoy Brazilian street food, you may also like my Brazilian chicken coxinhas.
A popular Brazilian street food, these shrimp tapioca crepes combine chewy tapioca pancakes with a savory shrimp filling for an easy gluten-free meal that is both light and satisfying.
Quick Look: Shrimp Tapioca Crepes
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes.
- 🔥 Cook Time: 15 minutes.
- ⏳ Total Time: 35 minutes.
- 🍽️ Servings: 6 crepes.
- 🔥 Calories: 150
- 🦐 Flavor Profile: Savory, fresh, and lightly seasoned with sweet shrimp flavor.
- 🥞 Texture: Soft and chewy tapioca crepes with a tender, juicy shrimp filling.
- 🧩 Difficulty: Easy.
- 🌾 Diet-Friendly: Naturally gluten-free.
- 🍳 Cooking Method: Stovetop.
- 🇧🇷 Origin: A Brazilian street-food favorite inspired by the tapioca crepes of Northeastern Brazil.
- 🥗 Meal Type: Light lunch, dinner, or snack.
- 📦 Make-Ahead Friendly: The shrimp filling can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.
- 🛒 Key Ingredient: Hydrated tapioca starch, which creates the signature chewy crepe without any wheat flour.
- 🧪 Why This Recipe Works: Hydrated tapioca starch forms flexible crepes without flour, while the savory shrimp filling adds protein and flavor without making the dish heavy.
- 💡 Chef's Tip: Keep the tapioca layer thin and even in the skillet for crepes that fold easily without cracking.
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The Inspiration Behind These Shrimp Tapioca Crepes
If you had the chance to play Iron Chef and had a mystery basket of ingredients in front of you... what would you do with tapioca flour, shrimp, and fresh leaves and vegetables?
Well, I went for native Indian and African-influenced shrimp tapioca crepes (or as we'd say in Portuguese, tapioca com camarão no dendê). 🙂
If you have never tried your hand at making tapioca crepes/tacos, I suggest that you don't think twice.
INGREDIENTS
- Tapioca Crepes: A staple of Brazilian cuisine, tapioca crepes are naturally gluten-free and made from cassava starch. They have a soft, slightly chewy texture that pairs well with both sweet and savory fillings.
- Shrimp: Large shrimp provide a meaty texture and cook quickly, making them ideal for a light but satisfying filling.
- Dendê (Palm) Oil: Common in Bahian cooking, dendê oil adds a distinctive golden color and rich flavor to the shrimp mixture. While optional, it gives the dish a more authentic Brazilian taste.
- Mixed Leafy Greens: Fresh greens add texture, color, and balance to the rich shrimp filling.
- Lime Juice: A squeeze of lime brightens the flavors and complements the natural sweetness of the shrimp.
- Cilantro or Parsley: Fresh herbs add a burst of freshness and help tie all the flavors together.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS
Use cooked lobster, crab, or scallops instead of shrimp for a different seafood variation.
Skip the dendê oil if you can't find it. The crepes will still be delicious, although they will have a milder flavor and less of the traditional Bahian character.
Swap the mixed greens for spinach, arugula, or finely shredded kale.
Replace the purple cabbage with green cabbage or leave it out altogether for a softer texture.
Use parsley instead of cilantro if you're not a fan of cilantro's flavor.
Add diced avocado just before serving for extra creaminess and freshness.
Turn up the heat with a pinch of cayenne pepper or a few slices of fresh jalapeño. Make it vegetarian by replacing the shrimp with sautéed mushrooms, hearts of palm, or a mixture of roasted vegetables.
Try a different protein such as shredded chicken or flaky white fish for a new take on the filling.
Add a sprinkle of queso fresco or crumbled feta before folding the crepes for a richer flavor.
HOW TO MAKE SHRIMP TAPIOCA CREPES
I am not kidding, all you have to do is mix together tapioca flour, water, and salt... and then sift the mixture over a heated non-stick skillet.
Sprinkle an even layer of hydrated tapioca starch over a nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Cook for 1–2 minutes, or until the starch fuses together into a flexible crepe. The surface should look dry and hold together when gently lifted with a spatula.
Sauté the shrimp just until pink and opaque. They should curl slightly but still look plump. Remove from the heat immediately to keep them tender.
To complete the dish, I filled the tapioca crepes with mixed leaves and shredded purple cabbage, cherry tomatoes, herbs...
... and the sautéed shrimp, creating a complete, quick, and gluten-free dish.
Although popular in the entire country, tapioca crepes are a traditional dish from the Northeastern region of Brazil with native Indian origins. They are commonly served for breakfast, afternoon snacks, or as a dessert, depending on the filling. Since our shrimp tapioca crepes are a complete meal, they can be served for lunch or dinner. The filling I chose is more of a contemporary take on one of my favorite Afro-Brazilian Bahian dishes.
Brazilian tapioca crepes are made from hydrated tapioca starch, which comes from cassava root. Unlike traditional crepes, they contain no wheat flour and are naturally gluten-free.
Yes. Traditional tapioca crepes are naturally gluten-free because they are made from cassava starch rather than wheat flour.
Regular crepes are made with flour, eggs, and milk, while tapioca crepes are made from hydrated cassava starch. Tapioca crepes have a slightly chewy texture and are naturally gluten-free.
Dendê oil has a rich, earthy, slightly nutty flavor and gives many Bahian dishes their characteristic color and taste.
The shrimp filling can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. For the best texture, cook the tapioca crepes shortly before serving.
Yes. Thaw the shrimp completely and pat them dry before cooking to prevent excess moisture in the filling.
These crepes pair well with lime wedges, a simple green salad, avocado salad, or fresh fruit for a light Brazilian-inspired meal.
MORE TAPIOCA RECIPES
... and hopefully you'll enjoy these shrimp tapioca crepes as much as I did, without feeling guilty! 😉
Did You Love These Shrimp Tapioca Crepes? If you make this recipe and love it, stop back, give it a 5-star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment.
Shrimp Tapioca Crepes
Ingredients
- Tapioca crepes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1-2 tablespoon minced garlic cloves
- 12 large shrimps raw, fresh or thawed, shelled and deveined
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- Juice of ½ lime plus 4 lime wedges to serve with crepes
- 2 tablespoons palm oil optional
- 1 cup Mixed leaves
- ¼ cup shredded purple cabbage optional
- 4 cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the tapioca crepes according to the directions in the RECIPE. Please, double the tapioca crepe recipe in order to prepare 4 crepes. When they are ready, spread only a bit of salted butter on top.
- To prepare the shrimp, pat them dry and reserve. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and let cook until color changes to a light pink, about 2-3 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper and cumin, swirling the pan to combine. Then, add the lime juice and then the palm oil, if desired, swirling/stirring until incorporated. Remove skillet from the heat.
- Place tapioca crepes on a serving plate/ paper basket, top each with about ¼ cup of mixed leaves and about 1 Tablespoon of shredded purple cabbage per crepe if desired. Top with 2 cherry tomato halves as well as 3 sautéed shrimp per crepe.
- Sprinkle a bit of cilantro or parsley on top of each and serve immediately while still warm. Serve shrimp tapioca crepes with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the filling, along with your favorite beer, or guaraná soda (or Ginger Ale). Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Absolutely loving this recipes and your pictures here.
I've always wondered about those ingredients and Iron Chef..how very interesting right?!
Haven't used tapioca flour in a while, I have to make this.
Hugs.
What a a gorgeous meal, Denise! I am pretty sure it tastes just as it looks! I am so glad I could find topioca flour in Kinshasa! This will definitely be on my to do list!
Denise, once I was dining at a Brazilian restaurant and they served round rolls, I don't remember the name of the bread! All they said that it was made of topioca flour! I hope you do have a recipe for that tasty bread! Thank you in advance! Have a great weekend!!
Hi, Hadia! Thank you! Yes, I have the recipe. It is called "pão de queijo" (Brazilian cheese rolls). It can be made with either tapioca flour or sour starch (a course, fermented tapioca flour popular in Brazil which is also a derivative of cassava -- the same root the produce tapioca flour). If you use our search bar (on the side of my pages) you will find in one post both the traditional and quick recipes, in other something with a Mediterranean flair, and also waffles made with tapioca flour and cheese. 🙂 I'll be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Enjoy!
I wish to try making tapioca soon, seems fun and easy to make and the filling .. oh so delicious
Really creative dish! And sounds so tasty. I love shrimp! Love your photos, too -- really good. Thanks so much for this.
Simple and delicious crepes Denise!
We recently discovered some tapioca flour in a deli/gourmet super market here in the north of Athens so you just gave as a fantastic recipe to try it!
Summer is a fantastic season for seafood (we'll be publishing our new olives and octopus recipe in the next days ourselves) so this will be tested very very soon:):):)
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful Brazilian culture with all of us!
Lots of hugs!
Panos and Mirella
xoxoxoxo
Thanks a lot, my friends! If you click on link recipe for tapioca crepes, you see detailed pictures of how to make them and what they suppose to look like. They are pretty versatile since they can be filled with both savory and sweet fillings, and served for breakfast, lunch/dinner, snack or dessert depending on the filling. I hope you guys enjoy them! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Sending you hugs from Texas.
I soooooooo wish I lived closer to you. Wow, your food really is amazing, I love prawns (shrimp), especially loving the sound of this dish. Looks vibrant and fresh and healthy. I want it in my belly now. 🙂 Seriously, your blog posts are amazing, my 'must make' menu has at least 15 of your recipes on it. YARM!
Sounds like a divine meal to me! Thanks for sharing another Brazilian recipe with us!!!
You always teach me something new Denise! I never heard of tapioca crepes but they look wonderful!
Denise - I love those photos playing with flour - amazing! And these tapioca crepes sound amazing - love the flavorful shrimp and cabbage filling! Simply delicious!
The photos of playing with flour look amazing! These crepes look absolutely delicious as well!
Mmmm, looks like a variation on 'Shrimp Tacos'- this looks quite unique and delicious- something I haven't heard of before!
Oh....I love shrimps..!!!
Shrimp is a favorite of mine! These tapioca crepes would make a wonderful summer dinner! Thank you for the inspiration Denise.