Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice
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Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice is the perfect weeknight meal that can be thrown together in 30 minutes! Make your rice the day before, and then whip this dish up using the freshest of ingredients. Who needs take-out anyway?
For another fried rice recipe, try my Weeknight Spicy Fried Rice next!
Best Shrimp Fried Rice
Stir Fry was my go-to meal when we were first married. I stumbled upon a good recipe, tried it, and the rest is history. I made that same recipe again and again. And again.
Now I love trying new recipes, especially when I can up the health factor in foods that aren’t always so good for you. Take-out from Chinese Restaurants is a great example of this. We love it, but it doesn’t love us. THIS recipe? I think it loves us too.
Why This Recipe Works:
- EASY RECIPE – The quick cooking process makes this a perfect weeknight dinner for home cooks like you and me.
- HEALTHIER – If you regularly crave Chinese takeout, you will appreciate the fact that this recipe uses fresh ingredients and is relatively healthy. I rarely eat Chinese food anymore because of the huge calorie burden, but this one isn’t fried or laden with too much oil.
- SIMPLY DELICIOUS – Trust me. This is the best fried rice (in my opinion). Add tender shrimp and scramble eggs and you have an easy dinner for your family.
Ingredients needed for shrimp fried rice:
Simple stir fry ingredients that are easy to keep stocked for a last-minute meal.
- Oil – You’ll need oil to sauté the shrimp and veggies, and to cook the eggs. Go with a peanut oil or sesame oil.
- Raw Shrimp – I used a pound of medium peeled and deveined shrimp. (I prefer to use large shrimp or jumbo shrimp if I can find it.)
- Eggs – Just a quick scramble of eggs needed.
- Veggies – A combo of frozen corn, frozen peas, and frozen edamame, as well as some fresh shredded carrots.
- Leftover White Rice – Use COLD prepared rice. It’s best to make it the day before and store in the refrigerator overnight. We prefer white rice but brown rice is ok too.
- S&P
- The Sauce – A combo of dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce, and ground ginger. All of these are important for the best Asian flavor.
- For serving – Green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and pure sesame oil.
Most of the ingredients for my Shrimp Fried Rice are pictured below.
How to make Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice:
Step 1
Make the Asian sauce. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients – the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce, and ground ginger. Mix well.
Step 2
Cook the shrimp. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil and add half the shrimp (along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper) to the hot pan. Cook until just pink (flipping once), and remove from the pan. Cook the remaining half of shrimp, and set aside.
Step 3
Cook the eggs. In a large nonstick skillet, soft scramble the beaten eggs in a bit of olive oil. Set aside.
Step 4
Sauté the veggies. Using the same pan used for the shrimp, add oil and the veggies, and sauté over medium-high heat until softened.
Step 5
Add rice and sauce. Then add the cold rice and the sauce mixture, and stir until very well combined. Turn heat to medium low, and heat until everything is warm throughout.
Step 6
Add back shrimp and eggs. Then add the cooked shrimp and eggs to the pot and stir to combine.
Step 7
Serve. Serve the shrimp fried rice with some chopped green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of pure sesame oil, if desired.
Recipe Tips:
- For best results, use cold leftover rice. I recommend cooking the rice the day before and storing in the refrigerator. Another option is to cook it the same day and placing it in the freezer for a couple of hours to make sure it is good and cold.
- Buy raw peeled and deveined shrimp with the tails off. If they are frozen, be sure to have them thawed and ready to go.
- Add more or less chili sauce to adjust the heat level.
- Taste for flavor and adjust as needed.
More Asian Recipes:
The following are good options for dinner too.
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
Try this shrimp recipe next: Easy Honey Sriracha Shrimp
xoxo ~Sue
Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons oil (peanut oil or sesame oil) – divided
- 1 pound shrimp – peeled and deveined
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup frozen peas – thawed
- 1 cup frozen corn – thawed
- 1 cup frozen edamame – thawed
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 6 cups prepared white rice (COLD) – day old at least
- salt and pepper – to taste
For the sauce:
- 6 Tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon chili sauce – or more for extra heat
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- green onions and toasted sesame seeds – to garnish
- pure sesame oil – to serve
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl – the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce (optional), and ground ginger. Mix well and set aside.
- In a medium stock pot over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and then half the shrimp (with a sprinkle of salt and pepper). Cook until done (be careful to not overcook!), about 4 minutes, and remove to a plate. Continue with the remaining shrimp, and set aside.
- In a small saute pan, soft scramble the eggs. Set aside.
- Saute the veggies over medium-high heat. Using the same stock pot used for the shrimp, add a drizzle of olive oil, and then the veggies. Cook until softened. Then reduce heat slightly, add the cold rice and the sauce mixture, and stir well. Cook until heated throughout.
- Then add the cooked shrimp and the scrambled eggs back to the pot, and stir.
- Serve the shrimp fried rice with green onions, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of pure sesame oil, if desired.
Notes
- For best results, use day old rice. I recommend cooking the rice the day before and storing in the refrigerator. Another option is to cook it the same day and placing it in the freezer for a couple of hours to make sure it is good and cold.
- Buy raw peeled and deveined shrimp with the tails off. If they are frozen, be sure to have them thawed and ready to go.
- Add more or less chili sauce to adjust the heat level.
- Taste for flavor and adjust as needed.
This recipe was perfect for a bunch of hungry college girls! So fresh and much better than takeout! 🙂
Hi Carly!! So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for your sweet comment!
Please! No olive oil! This is a Chinese recipe… Do you want this sent to Uncle Roger for review and roasting? Use peanut oil if no allergies or else canola oil
Thanks John. I actually changed this to another oil.
The shrimp and the eggs in this recipe are an awesome combination that take it up another level. A great change of pace meal for the entire family!
This is one of my favs!! 🙂