Shrimp Stir Fry Recipe

This easy Shrimp Stir Fry is loaded with tender shrimp, crisp vegetables, and a flavorful sauce for a quick weeknight meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian-inspried

Keyword best-shrimp-stir-fry, shrimp-stir-fry-recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 259kcal

Teriyaki Sauce: Heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. To the pan add water, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper.
Whisk to combine then increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until dissolved.
Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce, mixing until well combined. The sauce will begin to thicken in 1-2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Set aside to cool. (You can do this up to 2 days in advance and store chilled until making the stir fry).
Shrimp: Pat dry the shrimp with a paper towel, and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook the shrimp over medium-high heat in two tablespoons of oil for 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate.
To the skillet add reserved vegetable oil and sesame oil. Add snow peas, bell peppers, and onion. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook the vegetables for 3-5 minutes or just until crisp-tender.
Add the shrimp back to the skillet and pour the teriyaki sauce over the shrimp and vegetables tossing to coat. Cook over medium heat just until the shrimp are warmed through.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve immediately over cooked white rice or fried rice.

Shrimp: The shrimp used in this recipe are on the larger size. If the shrimp used are smaller, they will cook more quickly so adapt the cooking time according to the size of the shrimp. If overcooked, the texture will become rubbery.
Protein: You could add diced chicken to the shrimp for a shrimp and chicken stir-fry.
Soy Sauce: You can use gluten-free tamari to keep this stir fry gluten free.
Cornstarch Slurry: It’s important to dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Whisk until it’s completely smooth to prevent adding lumps to the sauce.
Bell Peppers: You could use any variety of bell peppers or vegetables depending on your preference.
Snow Peas: The snow peas are a scrumptious addition. That said, you could swap them out with frozen petite peas adding them back to the skillet with the shrimp at the end of cooking with the sauce. They defrost quickly when added to the rest of the ingredients.
Vegetables: You could use broccoli, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, bamboo shoots, bok choy or zucchini in place of snow peas. You could also add water chestnuts for crunch.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is strong and packs a punch of flavor. You can use regular sesame oil or toasted sesame oil. A little goes a long way so make a special effort to measure accurately.
Serving Options: You can serve this Shrimp Stir Fry over cooked jasmine rice, basmati rice, brown rice or long grain rice. You could also serve it with rice noodles or cauliflower rice.