Shrimp Pineapple Skewers
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These Shrimp Pineapple Skewers are a straight shot of summer: vibrant, easy to make, and bursting with flavor from a silky honey garlic marinade. Toss these on the grill and serve over rice or a big salad for an easy, breezy al fresco meal.
I think it’s near fact that most foods taste better skewered and grill, or maybe it’s just that food on sticks is fun to eat? These shrimp pineapple kabobs definitely bear out that concept, because they are easy to make, delicious, and just plain fun.
We’re giving plump shrimp a bath in the best sweet and savory marinade — the same one used for this honey garlic shrimp skillet — then pairing them with juicy pineapple, crisp bell pepper, and chunks of sweet onion for an all-in-one skewer you can toss on the grill. These have a slightly Hawaiian-inspired feel to me, and are delicious served over rice, quinoa, or a big bowl of greens.
Related: Greek Shrimp Skewers
Ingredient & Substitution Notes
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need. Find full amounts in the print-friendly recipe card below.
- Raw Shrimp. Purchase pre-peeled and deveined shrimp to save yourself time. Any size works, just use common sense to be sure they are large enough to fit on a skewer. If anything, I would say larger shrimp are better for this, because they will give you more cook time on the grill which will allows your onion and pepper to become more tender.
- For the Marinade: honey, low-sodium soy sauce, fresh minced garlic, fresh minced or grated ginger, toasted sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. In a pinch, leave out the ginger or substitute 1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger. It’s slightly different but still really good.
- Pineapple. Fresh pineapple is so good on the grill!
- Bell pepper. Any color or colors.
- Sweet onion. Substitute red onion or shallot, or just leave it out if onion chunks are not really your thing.
Experiment freely with any other veggie or addition you like. Half the fun of kabobs is adding whatever you like!
How To Make Shrimp Pineapple Skewers
- Marinate the shrimp. This can be done for as little as 15 minutes, or to really maximize flavor, allow up to 12 hours — in the refrigerator, of course. I like to reserve half the marinade to simmer down as a flavor-intense sauce to pour over the skewers just before serving.
- Prep and thread the skewers. Discard the used marinade, and set the reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium-low heat to thicken slightly.
- Grill over medium heat for roughly 3-4 minutes per side.
- Drizzle skewers with simmered sauce and dig in!
Tips & Tricks
- Chop the pineapple, peppers, and onion into relatively even cubes. Be sure the chunks of peppers and onions, in particular, are not too large.
- If you don’t plan to use the sauce, you can just cut the amount of marinade you make in half.
- Start any stovetop rice, quinoa, or pasta before you thread the skewers, because once these hit the grill they cook fast!
Serving Suggestions
These kabobs have a slightly tropical, Hawaiian vibe to me, and I love them with a simple bed of fluffy white rice or brown rice, plenty of sauce for drizzling, and maybe some grilled veggies or just a big summer salad on the side. A few leaves of fresh parsley makes a pretty and fresh finishing touch.
Related Recipes
Looking for more tasty skewer recipes? Try these Mediterranean-inspired shrimp, pork and pineapple kabobs, or Greek chicken skewers. More grilling favorites include grilled lemon pepper chicken and grilled lemon chicken thighs.
Whatever you choose, corn and tomato salsa, lemon orzo salad, or a white bean tomato cucumber salad are the perfect accompaniments!
If you try these Shrimp Pineapple Skewers, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.
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Shrimp Pineapple Skewers
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 pound medium raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
- 1 sweet onion peeled and chopped into 1” square chunks
- 2 bell peppers any color, seeded and chopped into 1” square chunks
- rice quinoa, or another grain, for serving
Instructions
- In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Place shrimp in a bowl and pour half of the honey mixture on top. Stir to combine, then set aside to marinate for about 15 minutes, or in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
- While the shrimp marinates, prep the pineapple, onion, and peppers. All should be chopped into roughly 1” cubes.
- Pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan set over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Let cook for 5-6 minutes, until slightly thickened into a sauce. (This is optional; if you skip it, you can just cut the total amount of marinade you make in half.)
- When ready to grill, thread the marinated shrimp, pineapple, onion, and peppers onto long skewers. Discard the used marinade.
- Cook skewers over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. (The shrimp cook quickly, so keep a close eye, but you do want to leave the skewers on long enough for the onion and pepper to get a little tender.)
- Serve skewers right away with the sauce drizzled on top and rice, quinoa, or any other grain you like on the side.
