Creole Shrimp Toast – Easy & Cheesy

Easy Creole Shrimp Toast is a tasty, bite-size, seafood appetizer. It is baked in the oven and features a crisp, toasted bread round, blanketed with a flavorful filling made with cooked shrimp, sour cream, and two kinds of cheese.

These delectable bites of heaven are so good they will fairly fly off the plate, and take less than 20 minutes to prepare. This easy shrimp toast recipe checks all of the boxes; it’s quick and simple to make, it can be made ahead of time, and best of all, the taste is fantastic.

This recipe was inspired by Chinese shrimp toast appetizers I had at a party. If you follow my blog, you know how much I love shrimp, appetizers, and all things cheese. After just one taste, I was smitten, and I spent the next day coming up with this version, giving it a slightly more spicy and robust, New Orleans-inspired Creole flavor. 

As good as the authentic recipe, just different, this recipe can be made in half the time and is baked in the oven instead of fried. Best of all, It captures the delicious essence of the authentic appetizer.

Ingredients – here’s what’s in it:

• Toast – this easy recipe for baked shrimp toast uses either premade and purchased toasted french bread rounds or baguette slices.
• Shrimp – you can purchase it already cooked and seasoned from your favorite grocery or seafood store, or you can roast your own using my easy 10 Minute Roasted Shrimp recipe. 
• Creole seasoning – gives the savory topping just a bit of a kick. Cajun seasoning, a touch milder, can be substituted to make Cajun shrimp toast.
• Cheese – two kinds of cheese, parmesan and mozzarella, come together to make the filling in this delicious cheesy appetizer. (Parmesan cheese isn’t pictured in the image above.) 
• Mayonnaise and sour cream – bind the topping together and add creamy, tangy deliciousness.
• Spices and seasonings – onion powder, dried thyme, kosher salt, and pepper round everything out and enhance the flavors in this recipe.

Directions – here’s how to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Dice the shrimp into small bite-size pieces.

3. Add the shrimp, mayonnaise, sour cream, mozzarella, parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, onion powder, and one teaspoon of the creole seasoning to a large bowl and mix well.

4. Place the toasted rounds on a baking sheet and top each with a spoonful of the topping mixture.

5. Sprinkle with a pinch of creole seasoning. Bake for six to eight minutes, or until the cheese melts and the topping is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Frequently asked questions:

Sharon’s tips:

For convenience, I like to use purchased toasted french bread rounds or baguette slices in this recipe. If you can’t find them, you can slice a baguette into rounds and toast it before topping it with the shrimp mixture. You can also substitute toasted Texas toast or French bread cut into quarters.

Cooked and seasoned shrimp can be purchased from your favorite grocery or seafood store, or you can roast your own using my easy 10 Minute Roasted Shrimp recipe. 

You can prepare the topping up to 48 hours beforehand. Then, keep it covered and in the refrigerator until you are ready to place on top of the bread and bake it.

This appetizer is about a six or seven on the spicy scale. If you would like to dial back the heat, reduce the amount of creole seasoning, and do not add it to the top before baking. 

You can use frozen cooked shrimp in this recipe, and they should do fine. Just be sure to let them thaw and dry them off before adding them to the topping mixture. I have never tried canned shrimp and I don’t know how they would work. 

More shrimp recipes:

If you love shrimp as much as I do, you might also want to try these popular dishes:

• Easy Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp,
• Roasted Shrimp Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette,
• Southern BBQ Shrimp and Cheese Grits,
• Shrimp and Blue Cheese Pasta,
• Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, and
• The Best Crispy Buffalo Shrimp.

Do you need more menu ideas? Check out all of my seafood recipes here!

★★★ ★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!

**This recipe was originally published on December 20, 2017. It was republished on May 4, 2022, with new photos, an FAQ, and expanded tips.