This shrimp stir fry recipe is fast, easy, and unbelievably delicious. Ready in 20 minutes with juicy shrimp, crisp veggies, and a crave-worthy homemade sauce.
The secret to making this shrimp stir fry so good is the sauce. We use the same one we whisk together for fried rice. It’s savory, a little sweet, and flavorful. Tossed with juicy shrimp and veggies, it transforms a quick weeknight dinner into something that tastes restaurant-worthy.
Once you try this recipe, I’m betting you’ll be making it on repeat, because that’s exactly what happened with our family.
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: I prefer extra-large or jumbo shrimp for this recipe (look for 16-20 count on the package). If yours are frozen, see the quick-thawing tip below the recipe (it only takes a few minutes with cold running water).
- Veggies: Stick with quick-cooking vegetables, such as onions and snap peas. Zucchini, asparagus, green beans, small broccoli florets, bell peppers, and bok choy also work beautifully.
- Garlic: I love a kick of garlic, and highly recommend adding 2 cloves. I like to slice them thinly so you can see them in the stir fry.
- Sauce: I use our fried rice sauce for this and love it. The basic recipe only has 4 ingredients. It is a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. If you’re up for it, you can also add mirin, Chinese 5-spice, and a bit of heat with chile paste, but the basic sauce is still really good! Another option is to use our ginger stir fry sauce.
- Butter: This is my secret for making the sauce nice and creamy. You’ll add one tablespoon just before serving.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Shrimp Stir Fry
Tip 1: Salt, then rinse your shrimp. Before cooking, toss the shrimp with a bit of salt and let them sit in a colander for a few minutes. The salt firms up their texture and seasons them throughout. After rinsing, the shrimp taste cleaner, cook more evenly, and stay plump and juicy. Try this trick for all your favorite shrimp recipes. I also use it when making this shrimp burger recipe.
Tip 2: Cook the shrimp first. Sear the shrimp until they’re just barely done, then remove them from the skillet. This keeps them from overcooking and gives you time to stir fry the veggies until perfectly tender.
Tip 3: Use our sauce. Our fried rice sauce is incredible for fried rice, but it’s also the secret to this quick and flavorful shrimp stir fry. It takes just 2 minutes to make: simply simmer soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and any optional add-ins until the sugar has dissolved. Keep a jar in your fridge. It lasts for a week and works with almost any stir-fry.
Tip 4: Finish with butter. Just as the stir fry is finishing up, turn off the heat and swirl in a little butter. It melts into the sauce, making it silky, slightly creamy, and extra delicious.
More Stir Fry Recipes
Quick Shrimp Stir Fry
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
It’s a good night when this quick and easy shrimp stir fry is for dinner. Thanks to quick cooking shrimp and veggies, it’s fast! Thanks to the sauce, it’s really delicious! It’s so much more delicious than simply stirring in plain soy sauce or store-bought stir-fry sauce. The sauce takes 3 minutes to make, so I highly recommend making a batch! For more ways to use it, see our fried rice sauce recipe. For serving, I love this over steamed jasmine rice or this coconut rice.
You Will Need
For the Stir Fry1 pound peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp, 16-20 count (450g)
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil (like avocado, grapeseed, or canola)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into quarter-moons
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 ounces snap peas, sliced on the diagonal (170g)
4 tablespoons fried rice sauce (recipe below)
1 tablespoon butter
Fine sea salt, as needed
Cooked rice or noodles, for serving, optional
For the Sauce (Makes about 1 cup)¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce (190g)
¼ cup brown sugar (50g)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons mirin, optional
¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice, optional
1 tablespoon sambal oelek or gochujang, optional, for heat
Directions
1Make the sauce: Add soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves. If you are adding them, stir in the optional ingredients. You will have leftover sauce, see tips for storing instructions.
2Prepare the shrimp: Place the shrimp in a colander and toss with ¼ teaspoon salt. Let sit for 1 minute, then rinse and pat very dry with paper towels.
3Cook the shrimp: Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon each of high-heat oil and toasted sesame oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook until they start to curl and turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4Cook the vegetables: If the pan is dry, add a little more oil, then add the onion to the pan with a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring around the pan until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the snap peas and garlic, and cook for another minute.
5Add the sauce: Pour in 4 tablespoons of the sauce and return the shrimp to the pan (along with any juices). Cook until the snap peas are just tender, 1 to 2 minutes more.
6Finish: Turn off the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Taste, and add an extra spoonful of sauce if you’d like. Serve immediately with rice or noodles.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Storing the sauce: Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container like a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Shake before using. You can also freeze in ice cube trays for longer storage.
- Frozen shrimp: Rinse the shrimp in a colander under cold running water until they are no longer frozen hard, 3 to 5 minutes. They can still be very cold.
- The nutritional information provided are estimates.
How long is it safe to keep this sauce in the fridge? Tip #3 (under the picture of the shrimp) says it keeps for weeks, but in the comments section on the recipe card, it says you can keep it one week. Please clarify, as out-of-date foods can make people sick.
One week. We apologize for being confusing! I’ve edited the article to be more clear.
Great recipe! Just enjoyed it for Sunday dinner. Far better than any other fried shrimps I’ve tasted before. If you allow, just one question – I don’t know why but it’s next to impossible to find toasted sesame oil (untoasted, or not for frying is available) and you use quite often in your recipes. What can I use instead of it?
Thank you so much. I’m really glad you enjoyed the stir fry. Toasted sesame oil has a very specific nutty, smoky flavor, so there isn’t a perfect substitute, but you do have a couple good options. The easiest swap is a small amount of tahini mixed with a neutral oil, It gives a similar sesame note.
I just love your website and your recipes! I make them often. I will try this recipe soon and then leave my review, but both this recipe and the sauce sound wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
That’s wonderful, Andrea! Thank you for being here!
question. shrimp cooks fast. could you wait until step 5 and add cook the shrimp with the rest for 2 minutes until the shrimp curls? that way the shrimp does get over cooked. or did you account for the added cooking time with the origional steps.
Hi Jim, I like the sear you get when cooking it separately. Since nothing else is in the pan, they get all the surface area to themselves. That said, yes, you can add them later on if you’d prefer to.
Delicious and Simple, I added Sliced Green + Yellow Peppers .
That’s amazing, Sonia! So happy you enjoyed it!