Chinese Prawn Crackers Recipe

By
Rhonda Parkinson
Rhonda Parkinson
Rhonda Parkinson is a freelance writer who has authored many cookbooks, including two Everything guides to Chinese cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/22/22
Tested by
Tracy Wilk
Photo of Tracy Wilk
Tested by Tracy Wilk
Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Chinese Prawn Crackers

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Chinese prawn crackers, also known as prawn chips and shrimp chips, are those tasty prawn-flavored chips (sometimes in pastel colors) that puff up when deep-fried.

Prawn crackers are an easy snack food to prepare for both kids and adults because you just fry the dehydrated chips, which can be purchased from an Asian supermarket or online retailer. Once they hit the hot oil, they puff up into a delicious treat in a matter of seconds with a texture and flavor that goes very well with beer.

For best results, don't fry too many of the prawn crackers at once, and have a wire strainer or slotted spoon at the ready to quickly remove them from the hot oil. For best results, try frying six to seven chips simultaneously. More than that and it's difficult to quickly remove them from the wok before they start to burn.

"This was the most fun dish to make and would be a perfect party appetizer. These chips puff right up so it’s easy to tell when they are cooked to perfection. It was almost like a little firework in the fryer, and I found the most success flipping the chips with chopsticks." —Tracy Wilk

Prawn Chips
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces prawn-flavored chips, such as Ching Kee brand

  • 4 cups neutral oil, or as needed for deep frying

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Chinese Prawn Crackers ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. Heat the oil to 350 F/182 C in a wok or deep-sided skillet or Dutch oven. To determine if the oil is hot enough, test by either using a deep-fry thermometer or placing a cooking chopstick or wooden spoon upright in the middle of the wok. The oil is ready when bubbles start forming around the chopstick or wooden spoon immediately.

    oil in a pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Place several chips into the hot oil, separating them if needed. Deep fry the chips for a few seconds until they puff up (the process takes less than 5 seconds), then remove the chips and drain on paper towels. Lay out a fresh paper towel for each batch of chips before deep frying.

    Chinese Prawn Crackers fried in oil

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Tip

Prawn crackers taste best served warm. If not serving immediately, store in a sealed container and reheat briefly in a 250 F oven before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
2101 Calories
229g Fat
17g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 2101
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 229g 294%
Saturated Fat 16g 81%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 162mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 6mg 0%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 55mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)