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Sweet and spicy honey sriracha shrimp are coated in a spicy-sweet sauce for an easy, one-skillet dinner in just 15 minutes! Serve the shrimp over rice, in tacos, with ramen noodles, or on top of a fresh, crisp salad.
Table of Contents
You can’t beat an easy shrimp recipe, and this spicy honey sriracha shrimp stir fry makes the perfect weeknight dinner! The quick meal only requires a handful of basic ingredients. Pair it with broccoli and rice, stuff it into tacos or lettuce wraps, or add it to a salad. You’ll love the healthier, homemade version of this restaurant-quality entrée!
Red Lobster Honey Sriracha Shrimp
There are endless versions of this sweet-and-spicy dish, including the popular crispy sriracha honey shrimp at Red Lobster, where the shrimp is coated in crispy corn flakes and panko, fried, and drizzled with sriracha honey. Other renditions start with a sriracha shrimp marinade, and the shrimp are then transferred to wooden skewers and grilled.
Here, there’s no need to spend time waiting for the shrimp to sit in a honey sriracha shrimp marinade, and no need to turn on the grill. Instead, this quick stir-fry creates a sweet and spicy sauce in the same pan that you use to cook the shrimp. Toss everything together at the end, and dinner is served!
Ingredients for Honey Garlic Sriracha Shrimp
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite honey sriracha shrimp recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Salted butter: adds flavor and richness to the sauce.
- Sesame oil: gives the dish a nutty flavor that’s a classic hallmark of Asian cuisine. Don’t skip this key ingredient!
- Garlic and ginger: for savory, zesty flavor in the sauce.
- Honey: makes the glaze thick, sweet, and sticky to perfectly coat the shrimp.
- Sriracha: this hot chili sauce provides the perfect spicy flavor.
- Less-sodium soy sauce: adds a salty, umami flavor to the dish. I use the less-sodium variety, but any will work.
- Seasoned rice vinegar: for a touch of acid and even more flavor to cut through the rich garlic butter sauce.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the dish and balance the sweetness.
- Shrimp: fresh or frozen raw shrimp will work. If starting with frozen shrimp, thaw them quickly in a colander under cold running water. 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!
How to Make Honey Sriracha 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. I’ve included the detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Sauté garlic cloves and ginger in butter and sesame oil in a large cast iron skillet.
- Simmer the spicy, sweet honey sriracha sauce for about 2 minutes. Remove to a small bowl.
- Stir-fry the shrimp in the same skillet.
- Pour the spicy sriracha sauce mixture over the shrimp, cook for 1 more minute, and then serve.
How to Know When Shrimp is Done
The shrimp are done when they’re just barely pink and opaque. 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.
Serving Suggestions
Honey sriracha 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, or baked store-bought egg rolls. Don’t forget fortune cookies for dessert, too!
Honey Sriracha Shrimp Tacos
Use the shrimp and sauce in soft tacos, too! Just add them to warm flour tortillas or corn tortillas, and top with sesame seeds, lime juice, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, and a cool creamy cabbage slaw to balance the sweet heat.
Storage
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.
How to Reheat
Reheat the leftover shrimp and 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.
Recipe Variations
- For spicier shrimp, add extra sriracha or garnish the finished dish with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Omit the sriracha for a mild dish.
- 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 sriracha sauce instead.
- 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.
Tips for the Best Honey Sriracha Shrimp Recipe
- Spread the shrimp out in a single layer in the skillet in order to achieve a crispy exterior. I use this large 14-inch cast iron pan so that the shrimp have plenty of room to sear. 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.
- The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your shrimp. You know the shrimp are done when they turn pink and opaque. It’s fine if they’re still a little bit translucent in the center when you add the sauce back to the pan, since the shrimp will continue to cook in the skillet for another minute or so. Just be careful that you don’t overcook the shrimp or they will become tough and rubbery.
- 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 and spicy 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.
- Garnish the dish with extra toppings for even more flavor. We love toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onions, fresh parsley, lime or lemon wedges, chopped peanuts, cashews, or crushed red pepper flakes. An extra dash of sriracha is great, too!
More Easy Shrimp Recipes to Try
Grilled Honey Lime Shrimp
50 minutes mins
Skillet Shrimp Fajitas
30 minutes mins
Southern Shrimp and Grits Recipe
25 minutes mins
Honey Sriracha Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons grated or pressed garlic (from about 2 large cloves)
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons Sriracha
- 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, extra Sriracha
Instructions
- Melt butter and sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add honey, Sriracha, soy sauce, and rice vinegar; cook until the sauce is thick and foamy, about 1 ½ – 2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Transfer 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 Sriracha.
Notes
- Spread the shrimp out in a single layer in the skillet in order to achieve a crispy exterior. I use this large 14-inch cast iron pan so that the shrimp have plenty of room to sear. 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.
- The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your shrimp. You know the shrimp are done when they turn pink and opaque. It’s fine if they’re still a little bit translucent in the center when you add the sauce back to the pan, since the shrimp will continue to cook in the skillet for another minute or so. Just be careful that you don’t overcook the shrimp or they will become tough and rubbery.
- 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 and spicy 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.
- Garnish the dish with extra toppings for even more flavor. We love toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onions, fresh parsley, lime or lemon wedges, chopped peanuts, cashews, or crushed red pepper flakes. An extra dash of sriracha is great, too!
This was amazing!!! Just the right amount of heat and sweet and the garlic and ginger topped it off. We served ours over basmati rice and topped with chopped cashews, cilantro and sesame seeds. I think I have a new favorite meal! Thanks Blair!
Thank you so much, Pat! We’re happy to hear it was such a hit!
Absolutely delicious
Thank you, Kimberly!
Great flavor and easy to make! We just did one tbsp of sriracha it was plenty spicy for our tastes! We served over brown rice with green onions and sesame seeds. This one is a definite keeper!!
Thank you, James! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.