Honey garlic shrimp is a quick and easy dinner that’s ready with one skillet in just 15 minutes! Serve the sweet and savory stir-fry shrimp with rice and broccoli.
Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry is a Perfect Weeknight Dinner
You can’t beat an easy shrimp recipe, and this sticky honey garlic shrimp makes the perfect weeknight dinner! The simple stir-fry cooks quickly and only requires a handful of basic ingredients. Pair it with broccoli and rice, or add a salad, other veggies, and egg rolls on the side. Don’t forget some fortune cookies at the end! You’ll love the healthier, homemade version of this restaurant-quality dish.
If you’re looking for even more easy shrimp recipes for busy weeknights, be sure to try this dump-and-bake shrimp scampi linguine, shrimp and vegetable stir fry, southern shrimp and grits, blackened shrimp, shrimp dip, a pan of garlic butter shrimp with Old Bay, and this easy shrimp po’ boy, too!
This was the absolute most delicious meal I’ve made in a while per my husband’s words. At first I thought he was crazy because of how simple it was to make until I took a bite. My husband was right!!!! There are no words that can describe how delicious this was. Will definitely be making a lot! It was so good my 7 year old wanted to eat it too!
– Adrienne
Ingredient Tips and Notes for Success
- Fresh or frozen raw shrimp will work in this dish. If starting with frozen shrimp, thaw them quickly in a colander under cold running water (or thaw them overnight in the fridge).
- I use large shrimp here, but any size is fine. For extra large or jumbo shrimp, increase the cooking time slightly. For smaller shrimp, reduce the cooking time. You’ll need to peel and devein the shrimp before cooking. Leave the tails on or take them off — that’s up to you!
- Sesame oil gives the dish a nutty flavor that’s a classic hallmark of Asian cuisine. Don’t skip this key ingredient! Use any extra to make sweet and sour meatballs, too.
- Rice vinegar provides a touch of acid to cut through the rich garlic butter sauce.
- For a thicker sauce, let it cook an extra minute or so, but remember — the sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools in the bowl. Since there is no cornstarch in the sauce, it will not be quite as thick as other Asian sauces. Instead, it’s more like a sweet butter glaze. If you prefer a very thick sauce, you can add a cornstarch slurry by mixing a small amount of cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water, stirring that into the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency.
How to Make Honey Garlic Shrimp
Seriously, the best shrimp recipe for an easy weeknight dinner! This meal comes together very quickly, so have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go. Once you start cooking, the entire dish will be done in about 5 minutes!
- Sauté the garlic and ginger in butter in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add the honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar; cook until the sauce is thick and foamy (about 1 minute). Stir in the salt and pepper.
- Transfer the sauce to a small bowl; do not wipe out the skillet.
- Spread the shrimp out in a single layer in the skillet in order to achieve a crispy exterior. If you crowd them too tightly in the pan, you’ll end up steaming the shrimp and miss out on that great sear. If necessary, you can stir-fry the shrimp in batches.
- Cook shrimp in the hot skillet until just barely pink and opaque, about 1 minute per side. It’s fine if they’re still slightly translucent in the center when you add the sauce back to the pan, since you’ll continue cooking the mixture for another minute or two. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp, or they will become tough and rubbery.
- Pour the sauce back into the pan and cook for about 1 more minute. Toss to make sure that all of the shrimp are coated in the sticky sauce.
- Serve over rice and garnish with sliced scallions, chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, lemon or lime wedges, or chopped peanuts.
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!
Watch How to Make It
Honey Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons grated or minced garlic (from about 2 large cloves)
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Optional, for serving: lemon or lime wedges, sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes, cooked rice, steamed broccoli, hot sauce
Instructions
- Melt the butter and sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar; cook until the sauce is thick and foamy, about 1 – 1 ½ minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a bowl; do not wipe out the skillet.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer. Cook over medium-high heat for about 1 minute per side, or just until the shrimp turn pink and opaque.
- Pour the sauce over the shrimp. Cook for about 1 more minute, stirring to coat the shrimp in the sauce.
- Serve immediately; garnish with desired toppings and additional soy sauce or hot sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Honey garlic shrimp and broccoli is a classic combination! Add a side of fluffy white rice, brown rice, or even cauliflower rice and you’ve got a restaurant-quality dish in no time. Other good side dish options to pair with the shrimp include ramen noodles, sesame peanut noodles, ramen noodle coleslaw, sesame ginger snap pea salad, egg roll in a bowl, or baked store-bought egg rolls. Don’t forget fortune cookies for dessert, too!
Storage Tips
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen shrimp in the fridge overnight.
Reheat the leftover shrimp and honey garlic sauce in a skillet over low heat, just until warmed through. Be careful not to cook the shrimp for too long or it will become tough. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or just until heated through.
Great, simple, quick delicious recipe. My family loved it. Worried it would be too sweet, but it was perfect. It needed no adaptations. Will try honey garlic sauce with other proteins.
– Kathryn
Recipe Variations
- Double all of the ingredients to feed a larger family. If using two pounds of shrimp, you will need to cook the shrimp in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan.
- For an even sweeter, richer flavor, stir 1-2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce into the skillet.
- Swap out the shrimp and use stir-fried chicken or beef (such as flank steak) with the honey garlic sauce instead.
- Make it spicy with the addition of crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of sriracha hot sauce.
- Store fresh ginger root in the freezer so that it’s always available when you need to grate off a little bit for a recipe! You can also substitute with a smaller amount (about ¼ – ½ teaspoon) of dried ground ginger here.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
Baked New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp Recipe
20 minutes mins
Marinated Grilled Shrimp
35 minutes mins
Fried Shrimp
40 minutes mins
Originally published in February 2022, this post was updated in August, 2025.
I’ve been hooked on your recipes- they’re so simple to make and most of the time I have all ingredients on hand. This dish was wonderful, the sauce is one of the tastiest homemade asian-style sauces I’ve had. I poured the extra over some edamame. Thank you for sharing the goodness!
That’s so good to hear, Cara. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note. I’m glad that you enjoy the recipes! 🙂
Hi Blair, I love the site and especially this recipe. I thought you’d want to know that it was included in the monthly newsletter from Rachiele Custom Sinks without attribution. The recipe is copied verbatim, and includes your pictures.
Oh, geez. Thank you for letting me know, Alex. This type of thing is so frustrating. 🙁
Great, simple, quick delicious recipe. My family loved it. Worried it would be too sweet, but it was perfect. It needed no adaptations. Will try honey garlic sauce with other proteins.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kathryn!
Delicious. I made this tonight and cooked salmon, shrimp and green and red peppers in it.It would have been great with rice but we are on KETO and using honey was a stretch. I highly recommend it.
Thank you, Carol! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Blair I appreciate the time that you take to share yours recipes with us thank you so much and I love yours recipes I learn a lot from you and there are very good and helpful.
Thank you, Rosa! You’re very welcome. We’re so glad you enjoy the recipes!
This was the absolute most delicious meal I’ve made in a while per my husband’s words. At first I thought he was crazy because of how simple it was to make until I took a bite. My husband was right!!!! There are no words that can describe how delicious this was. Will definitely be making a lot! It was so good my 7 year old wanted to eat it too!
This made our day, Adrienne! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave such great feedback.