Shrimp Fried Rice

Published February 23, 2022. Updated February 28, 2022

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Shrimp Fried Rice – this Chinese take-out favorite is made with tender jasmine rice, plenty of fresh vegetables, and high in protein shrimp and eggs. It’s an umami rich dish with plenty of crave-able flavor.

Bowl full of shrimp fried rice shown from above.

Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice

This easy shrimp fried rice recipe is a classic stir-fry favorite! It’s completely delicious and easily worthy of being included in your dinner rotation on repeat.

I’ve made this version to be generous with the vegetables including carrots, onions, peas, bell pepper and cilantro. And you’ll also find a fair amount of shrimp to make it more of a meal in one.

The important thing to note here (as with just about any fried rice recipe) is that you’ll want to use leftover rice from the day before so it will soak up the moisture and doesn’t end up soggy. In other words plan ahead if you don’t usually have some on hand.

The chopping will take a bit of time but from there it’s a total breeze and it cooks quickly. And when it’s done to make it spicy finish your serving with Sriracha to your hearts content.

Two servings of shrimp fried rice shown in blue bowls with chopsticks.

Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine
  • 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 2 Tbsp light olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 lb. medium or small shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Few pinches salt
  • 1 cup diced carrot (1 extra large)
  • 1 cup diced red bell pepper (1 small)
  • 3/4 cup green onions, white and light green portion, sliced, plus 3 Tbsp green portion for serving
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp peeled and minced ginger
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 cups leftover cooked jasmine rice*
  • 3 large eggs, blended together in a bowl
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Optional – 3 Tbsp chopped cilantroPhoto of ingredients used to make shrimp fried rice.

Collage of 6 photos showing steps of sautéing shrimp and vegetables for fried rice.

How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice

  1. Mix sauce: In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, and sriracha. Set aside.
  2. Preheat skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Cook shrimp: Add shrimp and a few pinches of salt cook shrimp through, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate.
  4. Saute vegetables: Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add carrots and saute 2 minutes.
  5. Add bell pepper and white/light portion of green onions. Saute 2 minutes. Toss in garlic and ginger and saute 30 seconds longer.
  6. Stir-fry rice: Scoot mixture to the far side. Drizzle in sesame oil to empty side. Add rice then spread even. Let cook tossing only occasionally about 3 minutes.
  7. Season with sauce: Add the sauce mixture and peas and cook 1 minute longer.
  8. Cook eggs: Scoot mixture to one side of the pan, add eggs and few pinches of salt and scramble and cook eggs (break up into pieces).
  9. Garnish: Return shrimp, add green onion greens and cilantro and toss. Serve warm.

Collage of six images showing rice being sauteed with vegetables and shrimp for fried rice.

Possible Variations and Helpful Tips

  • Use brown rice: Cooked brown rice can be used in place of white rice.
  • Try other vegetables: Good options included mushrooms, corn, edamame, pea pods or broccoli.
  • Make it with pineapple: Omit the eggs and add a few handfuls of small diced fresh pineapple instead.
  • Add peanuts: For a light crunch toss in some peanuts at the end.
  • Shrimp size: This can be made with small, medium, large or extra-large shrimp. If using large or extra large shrimp just chop into smaller pieces after it’s been cooked so ingredients are more uniform in size.
  • Oyster sauce substitute: If you don’t have oyster sauce substitute 1 Tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar or honey. While it has a very different flavor it will still help build up depth in the sauce.
  • Shaoxing wine substitute: Substitute with dry sherry or mirin. Or it can even be omitted if you don’t have any of them.

Large white serving bowl with shrimp fried rice set on a marble surface.

More Ways to Make Fried Rice

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Shrimp Fried Rice

This Chinese take-out favorite is made with tender jasmine rice, plenty of fresh vegetables, and high in protein shrimp and eggs. It's an umami rich dish with plenty of crave-able flavor.
Servings: 4
Prep25 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Ready in: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small mixing bowl whisk together soy sauce, shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, and sriracha. Set aside.
  • Preheat skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add shrimp and a few pinches of salt and cook 1 minute, turn and cook until opaque and barely cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a plate.
  • Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add carrots and saute 2 minutes.
  • Add bell pepper and white/light portion of green onions. Saute 2 minutes.
  • Toss in garlic and ginger and saute 30 seconds longer.
  • Scoot mixture to the far side. Drizzle in sesame oil to empty side. Add rice then spread even. Let cook tossing only occasionally about 3 minutes.
  • Add the sauce mixture and peas and cook 1 minute longer.
  • Scoot mixture to one side of the pan, then add eggs and few pinches of salt and scramble until barely cooked through then break up into small pieces using the bottom of a wooden spatula.
  • Return shrimp, add green onion greens and cilantro and toss. Serve warm.

Notes

  • *I recommend using lightly salted rice. This is about 1 1/4 cups jasmine rice cooked with 2 cups water and 1/4 tsp salt.
  • Recipe makes about 9 cups.
 
Nutrition Facts
Shrimp Fried Rice
Amount Per Serving
Calories 509 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 282mg94%
Sodium 1281mg56%
Potassium 617mg18%
Carbohydrates 60g20%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 28g56%
Vitamin A 7552IU151%
Vitamin C 62mg75%
Calcium 144mg14%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.