The best low calorie prawn salad ever
If you’re looking for a salad with tons of flavor and crunch, this is the recipe for you. At just 206 calories, this low calorie prawn salad is the perfect blend of tender, succulent prawns and crunchy veggies, all topped off with a delicious creamy dressing. It can be made as a light lunch or a quick side dish whilst in a calorie deficit.
If you’re someone who doesn’t like salads, this salad is for you! It doesn’t taste like a salad, it has so much flavor. When I’m not making this mango and habanero prawn salad, this is my go to. It is so easy to throw together and has the most incredible blend of flavors!
When it comes to making lunch, the quicker the recipe, the better. You’ll be surprised to know that for all of its flavor and deliciousness, this salad actually requires just a handful of ingredients. Plus, this recipe can easily be refrigerated so you can make it in advance for the whole week!
Low calorie prawn salad
Salads alone can taste quite bland and unappealing – at least to me. I always look for ways to add to salads whilst keeping them healthy. Prawns are my go to salad toppings for a variety of reasons. The first being how easy they are to use. They often come pre-cooked and require minimal preparing. They’re also a great source of protein and super low in calories!
This low calorie prawn salad has so much flavor with such minimal effort. It can be challenging to find low calorie recipes that still taste delicious whilst in a calorie deficit. This prawn salad will quickly become one of your favorite low calorie recipes, it is that good!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It takes less than 15 minutes to throw together.
- Easy to make with just a few ingredients.
- Can be meal prepped for the week.
- This recipe is gluten-free, egg-free and can easily be made dairy-free.
- This salad is high in protein.
- The best low calorie prawn salad recipe ever!
Ingredients
Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.
To make this low calorie prawn salad you will need:
- Prawns – I used fresh, peeled prawns for this recipe. You can cook them in many different ways but the easiest is to use a frying pan. Alternatively, you can use pre-cooked prawns which work just as well for this recipe.
- Black bean sauce – Black bean sauce is the secret to giving this salad such a flavorful and delicious taste. I like to thin out the sauce with a little water and cooking the prawns, this way, the prawns can soak up the sauce easier giving them a delicious coating. You can opt for light soy sauce here if you prefer.
- Seasonings – To really add some flavor to this salad, I like to mix a little garlic, parsley, ground coriander (cilantro), salt and black pepper into the black bean sauce.
- Brown sugar – I always like to add a pinch of sweetness, it really enhances the black bean sauce.
- Salad – I used a mix of lettuce, cucumber, carrot and spinach for the salad. You can opt for a pre-made mix which I often do, it’s just much easier and quicker.
- Cream cheese dressing – There is nothing better than a creamy, tasty dressing to top off a salad. To make this simple cream cheese dressing, you only need two ingredients! Light cream cheese and sriracha make a super creamy dressing with a spicy kick. For a dairy-free alternative, use dairy-free cream cheese.
How to make this low calorie prawn salad
See below for ingredient quantities and exact instructions.
- Mix the black bean sauce, seasonings and water together in a small bowl. Toss the prawns in the sauce.
- Cook the prawns on a frying pan over medium heat. Once the sauce begins to bubble, add the brown sugar and mix. Continue cooking the prawns until the water has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
- Make the dressing by mixing together the cream cheese and sriracha until smooth. You can add more sauces/seasonings if preferred but the combination of the cream cheese and sriracha gives a super creamy salad dressing with a spicy kick.
- Toss together your salad ingredients in a medium bowl, add the prawns and top with the dressing. Serve and enjoy!
Top tips
Make your own salad – Although I love the effortlessness and convenience of a pre-made salad mix, a fresh mix of vegetables you put together yourself just elevates any salad recipe. If you have a little extra time, definitely mix your own salad!
Meal prep this recipe – This salad is so easy to meal prep. This salad lasts in the fridge for 3-5 days making it the perfect quick and easy meal prep lunch.
Storage
This salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More salad recipes…
Low calorie prawn salad
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Small bowl
Ingredients
- 75 g Prawns
- 40 g Black bean sauce
- 50 ml Water
- 1/2 tsp Brown sugar
Cream cheese dressing
- 30 g Light cream cheese
- 15 ml Sriracha
Salad
- 100 g lettuce
- 80 g sliced cucumber
- 80 g sliced carrots
- 10 g diced red onion
Toppings (optional)
- Sesame seeds
- Croutons
- Sriracha for drizzling
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the black bean sauce, water and seasonings of choice.
- Add in the prawns and mix. You can let the prawns marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge to enhance the flavor.
- Cook the prawns on a frying pan over medium heat and add the brown sugar once the sauce begins to bubble.
- The prawns are ready once the sauce has thickened and the water has evaporated. This should take around 7 minutes.
- Make the dressing by mixing together the cream cheese and sriracha until smooth.
- Add the salad to a bowl and add the prawns, top with the dressing and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
What is the recipe for the black bean sauce? This sounds amazing!
Hi Randy, the black bean sauce I used in this recipe is just a shop bought one!