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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 mystery ingredients or the price tag.
If your family loves quick stir fry recipes like my Chicken and Bok Choy Stir-Fry, or Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, this shrimp version deserves a spot in your regular rotation too. It is the kind of healthy family dinner I turn to again and again!
Key Takeaways: Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Serves: 4 generously
- Time Needed: 15 minutes start to finish
- Easy to Customize: Swap the vegetables or protein based on what you already have in the fridge.
- Why This Recipe Works: Tender shrimp, crisp veggies, and a glossy garlic-ginger sauce with the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavor that is sophisticated enough for the adults yet completely kid-friendly.
Recipe Highlights
Kristen's Keys
Keep these tips in mind when making this shrimp stir fry recipe as they will help streamline the prep and intensify the flavor.
- Have everything prepped before you turn on the stove. Shrimp and vegetables cook quickly, so have the sauce whisked together and veggies chopped before the skillet gets hot. This is the same strategy I use for my Moo Goo Gai Pan recipe and it makes this dinner practically foolproof.
- Use a large skillet or wok. You want to select a pan that will be able to handle high heat and has quite a bit of surface area so that everything cooks evenly.
- Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel before adding it to the skillet. This will help prevent oil splatter and allow the shrimp to evenly brown.
- 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 husbands 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.
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, simply omit it or use chicken stock, but you will lose out on some depth.
- Adjust Heat: A little bit of hot sauce depth and balances out the sauce, rather than make the stir fry spicy. Feel free to omit, increase, 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.
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.
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!
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the broccoli, peppers, and green onions to the same skillet. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until crisp-tender.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds longer, just until fragrant. Any longer risks burning them.
- 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.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet and toss everything together until evenly coated and 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.
Storage Tips
Shrimp is always best served immediately, as it can quickly become rubbery when reheated. That said, leftovers can still be delicious when treated with 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 tablespoon honey, or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 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 tablespoon 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 a the hot skillet in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute, flip, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the shrimp is opaque throughout (time will vary based on size of 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 saute for 1 minute. After one minute, add the sliced bell peppers and sliced green onions, and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often until the vegetable are crisp-tender.
- Add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 teaspoon grated ginger root and saute 30 seconds longer.
- Quickly whisk sauce again to fully incorporate and 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.
- 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.
great recipe!
This is the most delicious shrimp stir fry I've ever made! My husband & I loved it!
Thank you, Mary
You are so very welcome, Mary! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.