Name: Shrimp Fried Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into ½-inch pieces; 4 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce, or more to taste, divided; 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar; 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 6 green onions, thinly sliced with the white and green parts placed in separate piles; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 4 cups cooked rice, cooled; 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; ½ cup frozen peas, or more if desired

This easy Shrimp Fried Rice is a one-skillet, 20-minute meal that's perfect for busy weeknights!

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Side shot of a plate of shrimp fried rice with a fork

This easy Shrimp Fried Rice recipe is a one-skillet, 20-minute meal that's perfect for busy weeknights. Once you taste the delicious homemade shrimp fried rice, you'll never want a Chinese takeout version again! Serve the simple dish with a side of egg rolls, steamed broccoli, or ramen noodle coleslaw.

Chinese Shrimp Fried Rice

The best shrimp fried rice is also the easiest! You don't need any hard-to-find ingredients, you don't need to spend hours prepping in the kitchen, and you don't even have to drive to the nearest Chinese restaurant for takeout. Instead, you can whip up this mouthwatering dinner from start to finish in about 20 minutes -- with just one pan!

Shrimp fried rice is a dish that includes cooked rice that's stir-fried in a skillet along with bite-size pieces of tender shrimp, eggs, peas and scallions. It's tossed in a mild, kid-friendly sauce that's salty, slightly sweet, and has just a hint of toasted sesame flavor. This is a delicious and easy dinner that you can adapt to suit your family's taste preferences. For instance, swap out the shrimp for chicken or pork; add broccoli or green beans instead of peas; and use cooked brown rice or jasmine rice instead of the long-grain white rice.

Close overhead shot of a skillet of easy shrimp fried rice

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need for shrimp fried rice. When preparing Asian-inspired recipes, it's always my goal to use simple, easy-to-find options that any of us can easily source in a local grocery store. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

Shrimp: I like large shrimp for their meaty texture. Frozen shrimp is fine, because you can quickly thaw it under cold running water in a colander when you're ready to use it.
Soy sauce: less-sodium soy sauce is always our preference. This salty sauce adds nice umami flavor to the dish.
Brown sugar: for a slight hint of sweetness.
Butter: to stir-fry the shrimp, eggs and rice. I like the flavor and browning that you get from butter, but you can substitute with a neutral oil (like canola or vegetable oil) if necessary.
Eggs: a classic addition to fried rice.
Green onions: for a mild onion flavor and bright color.
Garlic: for more flavor.
Rice: cooked and cooled.
Hoisin sauce: this is like a Chinese version of barbecue sauce, with a thick texture and a sweet-and-salty taste.
Toasted sesame oil: gives the dish that classic Asian flavor, so don't substitute with other types of oil. You can find this in the International or Asian foods aisle at almost any grocery store.
Peas: there's no need to thaw the frozen peas before you add them straight to the skillet.

The Best Rice for Fried Rice

We like long-grain white rice here, but you can use any cooked, cooled rice that you prefer. Try brown rice, jasmine rice or basmati rice. For a shortcut, use two packets of microwaveable "ready rice" for this recipe. You'll need to microwave the rice and let it cool before preparing the dish.

It's important to make sure that you leave plenty of time for the cooked rice to cool before using it in the dish. Warm or even lukewarm rice will not fry well, and instead will stick together and clump in the skillet. This recipe is a great way to take advantage of leftover rice from a previous meal!

Side shot of two plates of Chinese fried rice on a wooden table

How to Make Easy Shrimp Fried Rice

Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking, because this easy shrimp fried rice recipe comes together very quickly!

Marinate the shrimp in soy sauce and brown sugar while you heat the skillet.
Cook the shrimp with the soy sauce mixture in butter just until cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.
Melt additional butter in the skillet and cook the eggs for about 15 seconds.
Add more butter, along with the garlic and the white parts of the scallions. Cook until fragrant, about 15 more seconds.
Stir in the cooked rice, breaking up any clumps of egg or rice with a spoon or spatula.
Cook until the rice begins to sizzle and pop loudly, about 3 minutes.
Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the peas, the cooked shrimp, and the green parts of the scallions to the pan. Cook just until everything is heated through, about 1 more minute.
Taste and season with additional salt, pepper or soy sauce, if necessary.

Marinating chopped shrimp in a large bowl with soy sauce and brown sugar

Cooking eggs with green onions in a skillet

Process shot showing how to make homemade shrimp fried rice

Square shot of a skillet full of easy shrimp fried rice

What to Serve with Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice

Fried rice is often served as a side dish with other Chinese entrees such as Moo Shu Pork, Chicken and Broccoli, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Mongolian Beef with Broccoli, Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry, or General Tso's Chicken.

Thanks to the addition of the shrimp and eggs, this dish is also hearty enough to serve as a main course. To round out the meal, try pairing the fried rice with steamed broccoli, oven-roasted sesame broccoli, ramen noodle coleslaw, or a sesame ginger snap pea salad. Don't forget about spring rolls or egg rolls, too (pick up some prepared egg rolls in the frozen section at your grocery store).

Front shot of two plates of easy shrimp fried rice on a wooden table

Storage

Leftover fried rice will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the shrimp fried rice for up to 3 months; however, the texture will not be quite as good when thawed.

To reheat refrigerated or frozen fried rice, simply transfer the rice to a hot skillet, and cook, stirring regularly, until it's warmed through.

Square overhead image of a pan of shrimp stir fry rice

Recipe Variations

Swap out the hoisin sauce for oyster sauce. We like the sweetness that you get from hoisin, but oyster sauce adds nice, rich, savory flavor.
Omit the shrimp and replace it with extra vegetables like broccoli, shredded carrots, corn, or sliced red bell pepper.
Instead of shrimp, use diced chicken breast or thighs, or diced pork tenderloin.
Use cooked, cooled brown rice, jasmine rice or basmati rice in lieu of the long-grain white rice.
Make pineapple fried rice by stirring in bite-size chunks of fresh or canned (drained) pineapple for a sweet-and-savory combination.

Close up side shot of a skillet of Chinese shrimp fried rice with a wooden spoon

Tips for the Best Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

I prefer the meaty texture of jumbo, extra-large, or large shrimp. Dice them into bite-size pieces so that they cook uniformly and so that they're easier to eat when the meal is done.
Allow plenty of time for your cooked rice to cool before using it in the recipe. Warm (or even lukewarm) rice doesn't fry as well. Try leftovers from a previous meal, or take a shortcut with microwaveable packets of "ready rice."
Prep all of the ingredients in advance, because the cooking process moves very quickly and you want to be able to focus on the skillet.
Make separate piles of the white/light green parts of the green onions and the darker top parts of the green onions. The white parts have an oniony punch and a more substantial texture, so they withstand longer cooking times better. Wait to add the dark green tops at the end.
Use butter to stir-fry the ingredients. It has more flavor than oil, and helps the rice brown nicely in the pan.
Cook with medium-high heat. If the temperature of your skillet is too cool, you'll end up with steamed rice, rather than crisp, brown, fried rice. Err on the side of HOT.

Overhead shot of a skillet full of homemade shrimp fried rice recipe

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