Craving takeout, but want to whip up something at home instead? Dive into the world of homemade shrimp fried rice – a quick and easy recipe that’s jam-packed with succulent shrimp, crunchy veggies, and flavors from ginger, fish sauce, and soy sauce for the perfect umami kick.
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This shrimp fried rice is the perfect dish when you’re in the mood for something delicious, speedy, and oh-so-satisfying. This homemade version is all about bringing the flavors of your favorite takeout straight to your kitchen without the hassle of waiting for delivery. Plus, you get to customize it just the way you like it – with plenty of succulent shrimp, crunchy veggies, and that irresistible blend of savory, salty, and slightly sweet flavors.
One of the best things about making your own shrimp fried rice is that it’s incredibly adaptable. Got some leftover veggies in the fridge? Toss them in! Don’t like shrimp? No problem – substitute it with chicken.
Looking for more stir fry favorites? We’ve got you covered. Next on your must-make list: beef stir fry, chicken stir fry, or vegetable stir fry with noodles.
Looking for more family-friendly shrimp recipes? We’ve got a bunch. This honey garlic shrimp is full of flavor, this shrimp fajitas sheet pan dinner is as easy as it gets, and this easy shrimp scampi tastes like restaurant quality while actually being super simple to throw together!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can use what you have – stir fry is the perfect way to use up leftover veggies from the week, so feel free to use exactly what the recipe calls for, or throw in what you have instead.
- It’s quick – especially if you have leftover rice (which we recommend using in any fried rice recipe), this dinner is super quick to throw together.
Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients
This recipe includes all of the typical ingredients found in fried rice! Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Soy sauce – feel free to use tamari here for a soy free option!
- Fish sauce – fish sauce adds a nice brininess to the dish, but if you don’t love the flavor of fish sauce, either reduce the amount or omit it altogether.
- Red Pepper Flakes – if spice isn’t your thing, feel free to reduce or omit this ingredient also.
- White Rice – for this recipe, the very best rice to use here is day-old (or several days-old) rice that’s been in the fridge and has had the chance to dry out a bit.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Change the protein – don’t like shrimp? No problem! Use chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or thinly sliced steak instead. Follow the instructions in the recipe for cooking it, or (if you have it), use an already-cooked, leftover protein and just toss it in the skillet for a heat-through.
- Use different veggies – the veggie options are endless here. Use any veggies you have hanging out in the fridge already. Bell peppers, green peas, green beans, mushrooms, and broccoli would all be delicious here.
- Make it egg-free – though egg is a pretty common fried rice ingredient, it certainly isn’t a must. If you need to be egg-free (or just prefer an egg-less fried rice), simply omit it!
How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice
The process is super easy! Here’s how you’ll bring this fried rice dish together.
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil runs thin, add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent.
Step 2: Add the ginger, garlic, carrots, green onions, and snow peas. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the carrots and peas are softened. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Step 3: Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the shrimp begins to curl in on itself. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 4: Crack the egg in the pan and use a silicone spatula to scramble it until just done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 5: Add the rice to the pan in an even layer and don’t touch until slightly crispy. Then flip the rice to crisp on the other side.
Step 6: Add the shrimp, veggies, egg, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to the pan with the rice. Toss to combine.
Step 7: Fry the rice over medium/low heat for 3-5 minutes longer, until it crisps on the bottom layer. Serve and enjoy!
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover fried rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can either heat your leftover shrimp fried rice in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop. I typically go the microwave route if I’m heating just one serving, but opt for a skillet reheat when I’m heating more than one serving. Both methods work, so choose whichever works best for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t worry too much about the type of shrimp you buy – whatever you can find is great! You can buy already peeled and deveined shrimp at the store (my preference) or peel and devein the shrimp at home. The person working the fish counter at your local grocery store is an excellent resource for any questions you may have about the specific shrimp variations available!
Absolutely! I personally prefer chicken thighs in a chicken fried rice because they’re crispier on the outside and juicier on the inside than chicken breasts, but chicken breasts will work too if that’s what you have on hand/prefer.
This recipe calls for carrots, snow peas, and green onions, but truly, any veggie will do. Green beans, bell peppers, and mushrooms would all make excellent veggie additions (or swaps).
I think so! It’s loaded with veggies, protein, energizing carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Take a look at the ingredients list, though, and make sure that you feel really good about it — if you know your body tolerates everything well, it’s a healthy choice for you!
Because this fried rice is a complete meal all on its own, I don’t typically serve it alongside anything else (that’s actually one of my favorite things about this dish). If you want to serve it with something else, though, a side of simple steamed vegetables (think: steamed broccoli or bok choy) are great nutritional adds.
More Favorite Shrimp Recipes
If you tried this Shrimp Fried Rice or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or ghee
- 1 large shallot, or ½ of an onion, diced
- 1- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch long pieces
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 egg
- 4 cups white rice, cooked
- ¼-⅓ cup soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil runs thin, add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the ginger, garlic, carrots, green onions, and snow peas. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the carrots and peas are softened. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the shrimp begins to curl in on itself. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Crack the egg in the pan and use a silicone spatula to scramble it until just done. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the rice to the pan in an even layer and don't touch until slightly crispy. Then flip the rice to crisp on the other side.
- Add the shrimp, veggies, egg, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to the pan with the rice. Toss to combine.
- Fry the rice over medium/low heat for 3-5 minutes longer, until it crisps on the bottom layer. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
We loved this recipe. We swapped the snow peas for broccoli since that’s what we had in hand, and it was delicious. We will definitely make this one again!
Yay! We are so happy y’all loved it, Katie!
Hello! I believe the instructions got cut off after step # 1 🙂
Looking into it now, Darcie! Thank you for letting us Know!
the rest of the instructions for the recipe is missing
This was super tasty. We didn’t have sesame oil but still turned out great – used olive oil instead. I’m not sure I would agree this meal took less than 30 minutes – lots of chopping and grating, but still very good and will make again.
Thank you for taking the time to share this with us, Jaynie! I am glad that you enjoyed! I also appreciate the feedback on the total time. We will definitely take that into consideration when updating the recipe card! ~Melissa