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.
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!
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
More Chinese Takeout Recipes You'll Love
- Moo Shu Pork
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
- One-Skillet "Egg Roll in a Bowl"
- Honey Sesame Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Dump-and-Bake Kung Pao Chicken
- Dump-and-Bake General Tso Chicken
- Healthy Chicken Chow Mein
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
Shrimp Fried Rice
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
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss together chopped shrimp, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the empty skillet. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add eggs and stir with a rubber spatula until set but still wet, about 15 seconds. Push the eggs to one side of the skillet. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the white parts of the green onions, and the garlic to the skillet; cook until fragrant (about 15 seconds).
- Add rice and stir to break up any clumps or large pieces of egg. Cook until the rice begins to sizzle loudly, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil; stir constantly for 2 minutes.
- Stir in peas, shrimp and any accumulated juices in the bowl, and green parts of the green onions. Cook just until heated through, about 1 minute. Taste and season with salt and pepper or additional soy sauce, if desired.
Notes
- 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.
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