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Made with stir-fried shrimp, a medley of fresh veggies, and a ridiculously delicious stir-fry sauce, this Easy Shrimp Stir-Fry is the kind of fast dinner recipe that saves weeknights. It comes together in about 15 minutes, uses simple ingredients, and delivers takeout-style flavor without the high price tag.
Shrimp Stir-Fry at a Glance
- Serves: 4 generously
- Time Needed: 15 minutes start to finish
- Easy to Customize: Swap the vegetables based on what you already have in the fridge and use whatever size shrimp you have on hand.
- Why This Recipe Works: Quickly cooking the shrimp separately keeps them tender, while crisp vegetables and a sweet-tangy homemade sauce give you plenty of flavor without overcooking anything.
Kristen's Key Tips for Shrimp Stir-Fry
When it comes to making quick stir-fry recipes, there are a few universal truths you will hear me repeat over and over, and a few that are very specific to working with shrimp. Here is what helps to streamline the process and keep the results consistent.
- Have everything prepped before you turn on the stove. Shrimp and vegetables cook quickly, so whisk the sauce and chop the vegetables before heating the skillet. Once you start cooking, the recipe moves fast.
- Size of shrimp matters. You can use small, medium, large, or jumbo shrimp for this stir-fry. Just remember that shrimp cook very quickly. As soon as they turn pink and opaque, remove them from the pan to prevent overcooking.
- Don't crowd the pan. Use a large skillet or wok so the shrimp and vegetables have room to touch the hot surface. If the pan is overcrowded, the ingredients release moisture and steam instead of stir-frying, leaving you with watery sauce and soft vegetables.
- Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel before adding it to the skillet. This helps prevent oil splatter and lets the shrimp brown evenly.
- Use fresh, not frozen, veggies. They stay crisp-tender instead of soft and watery.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
5-star Reader Review
Made this for my husband's birthday and he raved about it! He ate two helpings and requested more for lunch the next day. Great recipe. -Abby
Notes on Ingredients
- Shrimp: Use shrimp that is fresh or fully defrosted, peeled, and deveined. This recipe calls for large shrimp, but if you have smaller shrimp on hand, simply cook for less time.
- Vegetables: I love using a combination of sweet yellow or red peppers, green onions, and broccoli. Feel free to use cabbage, bok choy, snow peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, zucchini, and/or yellow onions, in addition to or in place of the vegetables the recipe calls for.
- Shaoxing Wine: Adds nutty, slightly sweet undertones that add serious flavor to the shrimp stir-fry sauce. I love using it for my shrimp lo mein recipe too. But mirin works nearly as well here.
- Honey: Balances the salty soy sauce and tangy vinegar without making the sauce overly sweet. Brown sugar works here too.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce into that glossy, restaurant-style coating.
- Fresh Garlic and Ginger: They pack a lot of flavor, so fresh is best here.
How to Make Shrimp Stir Fry
Make the sauce, cook the shrimp, stir-fry the veggies, and toss it all together. A protein-veggie-packed dinner will be on the table in about 15 minutes!
Step One: Prepare Stir-Fry Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the water, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, honey, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is fully dissolved.
Step Two: Cook the Shrimp
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pat the shrimp dry and place them into the skillet in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute, flip, then cook another 1-2 minutes until the shrimp are pink and opaque throughout. Remove immediately to a clean plate.
Step Three: Stir Fry Veggies
Add the broccoli, peppers, and green onions to the same skillet. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until crisp-tender. Once crisp-tender, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Step Four: Toss it All Together
Give the sauce another quick whisk, then pour it into the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the vegetables. Then, return the shrimp to the skillet and toss everything together until evenly coated. Immediately remove from the heat.
Serving Suggestions
This shrimp stir-fry is hearty enough on its own, but serving it over rice or noodles turns it into a filling meal that stretches a bit further.
Try it with:
- Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Instant Pot Quinoa
- Cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option
- A bag of steamed frozen rice to keep dinner super simple
- Cooked Noodles (a favorite with picky eaters!)
Finish with toasted sesame seeds or sliced green onions for extra flavor and crunch.
Using frozen Shrimp?
How to Defrost Frozen Shrimp Quickly
Remove the shrimp from their packaging and place them directly into a large bowl of cold water. Let them sit in the water for 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes until fully defrosted. Drain, pat dry, and proceed with the recipe.
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-Free: Use tamari or coconut aminos and swap the Shaoxing wine for mirin or dry sherry.
- No Shaoxing Wine? Mirin or dry sherry works here too, but I would suggest reducing the honey by half, as both are much sweeter than Shaoxing wine. For an alcohol-free version, omit it or use chicken stock, but you will lose some depth.
- Adjust Heat: A little bit of hot sauce adds depth and balances out the sauce, rather than making the stir-fry spicy. Feel free to omit, increase, or decrease as needed.
- Protein Swap: Chicken, lean beef, pork, or tofu all work; just adjust cooking time since shrimp is the fastest of the bunch.
- No Cornstarch? Arrowroot powder works as a 1:1 replacement.
Storage Tips
Shrimp is always best served immediately, as it can quickly become rubbery when reheated. That said, leftovers can still be delicious with a bit of care.
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Reheat: Warm gently in a skillet over medium-low heat just until heated through. If microwaving, use 50% power and heat slowly to prevent rubbery shrimp.
More Quick-Cooking Shrimp Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Shrimp Stir Fry
Video
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, or mirin or dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons honey, or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Sriracha
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons peanut, avocado, or canola oil, divided
- 1 pound large shrimp, defrosted, peeled, and deveined
- 2-3 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 large red or yellow bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together ¼ cup water, ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch until well combined and the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. While the oil is heating, pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.
- Add the shrimp to the hot skillet in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute, flip, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque throughout (time will vary based on the size of the shrimp). Once cooked, remove the shrimp to a clean plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add in the fresh broccoli florets and sauté for 1 minute. After one minute, add the sliced bell peppers and sliced green onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often until the vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 teaspoon grated ginger root and saute 30 seconds longer, just until fragrant.
- Quickly whisk the sauce again to fully incorporate, then pour it into the skillet with the vegetables. Let the sauce cook for about 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Return the cooked shrimp to the skillet and toss to coat with sauce. Turn off the heat and remove the skillet from the heat to stop the cooking process.
- Serve with rice and sesame seeds and additional green onions if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I would love to try this recipe, but I don't have the wine or the other subs you mention. Can I use vegetable broth instead? Or just leave the wine out with no sub? Thank you 🙂
Hi Diana! If you happen to have apple juice or white grape juice, use that. If not omit.
I left it out, and the dish was still delicious! My husband and I both loved it! Thanks for answering my question so quickly! This will be in the rotation for sure!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Diana!
Excellent simple tips, easily adaptable to own's taste. Thank you!
Your recipes are so scrumptious! One request, however, is to specify cooked or raw shrimp in the ingredient list where appropriate. It makes a difference. Keep inspiring!
It certainly does make a difference. This is for raw shrimp (and unless specified assume raw) 🙂
Couldn’t taste the garlic or ginger in the dish, also no spiciness to the dish, I doubt I will make again too many things just didn’t go right for me.
Hi Irene! I am sorry you weren't wowed by the flavor in this stir fry. This dish was never intended to be spicy or prominent in garlic or ginger flavor. You can feel free to increase each of those ingredients up to 1 tablespoon each if desired (per recipe notes) and be sure to use fresh ginger and fresh garlic.
We love a good stir fry! This was so easy to make and yummy. All of my kids loved it!
Made this for my husbands birthday and he raved about it! He ate two helpings and requested more for lunch the next day. Great recipe.
I am honored this was your husband's birthday meal! Thank you for taking the time to share your review 🙂
I love seafood and this shrimp stir-fry is my new fav! So delicious and satisfying!