Shrimp Fried Rice is the one-pot meal your family will love! Make that leftover rice amazing in less than half an hour with this easy to make recipe!
We used to order Chinese takeout monthly until I learned how to make this easy Shrimp Fried Rice. This fried rice is loosely based on my vegetarian fried rice recipe but with my favorite protein — shrimp!
SHRIMP FRIED RICE
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My family LOVES fried rice, and we used to go to hibachi and Chinese restaurants regularly to fill the craving. Since I learned how quick and easy it was to make fried rice, we make it at home all the time. With frozen veggies and pantry staples, this recipe is easy to make with whatever you have on hand.
Shrimp Fried Rice recipe a delicious main dish or side dish! You can skip the shrimp or even use frozen shrimp for a great budget-friendly dinner.
What Do You Put in Shrimp Fried Rice?
Everyone has their favorite fried rice ingredients, but you only need a few things to make authentic fried rice at home.
Leftover or pre-cooked rice is part of the secret to fried rice. Though the soy sauce does give the rice some brown color, cooking it correctly in the sesame oil is how it turns golden brown.
Most fried rice dishes have scrambled eggs and mixed vegetables, such as peas, corn, and carrots.
Ingredients for Shrimp Fried Rice
RICE: You can use any rice you choose, but I used white rice in this recipe. Brown rice, jasmine rice, and basmati rice work as well!
Leftover rice is best for making fried rice. It dries out a little overnight and then soaks up all the sauce flavors while everything cooks. Just make a double batch of rice to go with your dinner and save half for the next day.
SHRIMP: I like a medium-sized shrimp for this recipe. Smaller shrimp (like 41/50) would work too, but I don’t recommend large shrimp. You want to get some shrimp in most of the bites and the large ones have to get cut up to enjoy with the rice.
VEGETABLES: Frozen peas and carrots make this recipe SUPER easy. If you like other veggies like sweet corn or green beans, feel free to add them!
These are our family favs for homemade shrimp fried rice. You can also skip the scrambled egg, but it’s such a great addition.
How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice
- First, make and refrigerate rice the night before. You’ll also want to clean your shrimp.
- Next, whisk up your sauce ingredients and marinate your cleaned shrimp with a little sauce.
- After about half an hour of marinading, sauté your shrimp in butter until pink in a large skillet over medium high heat. Transfer your cooked shrimp to a bowl and set it aside for now.
- Now, mix your salt and rice wine vinegar and scramble the beaten eggs in the same pan as the shrimp. Add eggs to the bowl with the shrimp and set aside.
- Then, sauté the onion and garlic in sesame oil and add your peas and carrots until softened.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the rice, eggs, shrimp, and sauce and stir to combine until evenly coated. Cook for about 5 minutes and garnish with scallions.
If you’re making this as a side dish and still waiting for dinner, pack the rice in small bowls. Flip the bowl onto your dinner plate for that perfect dome of shrimp fried rice!
What to Serve with Shrimp Fried Rice
We love theme nights to break up the monotony of meal planning. Asian-inspired recipes are some of my favorites, and we have Asian nights at least monthly!
This easy fried rice is always requested by my kids as well as these amazing Pot Stickers with ground pork, ginger, and cabbage dumplings.
I love to make this Wonton Soup on chilly nights with homemade wontons and a deliciously flavored broth.
If you want to make this fried rice a side dish, pair it with Roasted Miso Chicken for a budget-friendly surf-and-turf. You’ll never want roast chicken another way again after this savory dinner.
For a light side dish, try this Asian Slaw — everything you love about coleslaw with a fantastic Asian twist!
More Amazing Asian-Inspired Recipes
- Lo Mein
- Mongolian Chicken
- One-Pot Pad Thai
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Sheet Pan Orange Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables
- More MAIN DISH recipes…
Tools used to make this Shrimp Fried Rice recipe
Large pan: A sturdy sauté pan with high sides is necessary for this easy shrimp fried rice. This one is my favorite!
Chef’s knife: I love this knife for everything in the kitchen. From dicing to slicing, it does everything with ease.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon water
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Stir Fry
- 1 cup medium-size shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 4 cups cooked rice refrigerated
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 scallion chopped (for garnish)
Scrambled Eggs
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Instructions
- in a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients.
- Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Pour 1 teaspoon of sauce over shrimp and stir to coat. Let marinate.
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until pink, flipping once. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg, salt, and rice wine vinegar. Pour eggs into the same skillet used for the shrimp and scramble. Break the eggs up into small pieces as they cook. Transfer to the bowl with the shrimp and set aside.
- To the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Saute onion and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add peas and carrots. Cook until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add rice, shrimp, eggs, and salt to the skillet. Pour sauce over everything and mix until the rice is coated. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve warm topped with chopped scallions for garnish and chopsticks.
Nutrition
Hilary says
Looks amazing. But I am confused. In the recipe it says to mix the eggs with the salt and rice wine vinegar. But in the narrative at the top it says to mix the rice with the salt and vinegar. Which one is correct? Can’t wait to try it. Thank you.
Real Housemoms JK says
Sorry Hilary! That was a typo. You don’t mix in the rice until the end. Just mix the salt, vinegar and eggs together. Let me know how you like it!