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Shrimp Fried Rice

This Shrimp Fried Rice recipe is easy to make and tastes better than takeout! It’s got juicy shrimp, the best sauce, and fluffy scrambled eggs! It’s a healthy meal that your family will love.

A skillet of Shrimp Fried Rice with brown sauce, eggs, and vegetables.

Shrimp Fried Rice

You are going to be so impressed with yourself when you try this Shrimp Fried Rice recipe, it definitely tastes like takeout! The rice is crisp, the sauce is heaven, and the shrimp is perfectly cooked and super flavorful!

I love that this is a meal all on its own with starch, protein, and vegetables! Feel free to play around with different vegetable combinations, anything goes.

BONUS- It’s easy to do the prep work for this ahead of time for a quick meal later on or another day.

Be sure to check out my PRO tips below!

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook rice and spread out on a tray. Refrigerate until cold or overnight. (The longer the better.) Scramble the eggs and set aside.

A tray of white rice next to a skillet of scrambled eggs to make fried rice.

Marinate shrimp in 2 Tbsp. sauce, then sauté in peanut oil and set aside. Deglaze skillet with white wine and reduce by half. 

A skillet with cooked shrimp next to a skillet being deglazed with white wine.

Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic, peas, and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add cold rice and toss to heat through. Add sauce and toss to coat.

A skillet of onions, carrots, and peas next to a skillet of rice and vegetables with sauce being added.

Add cooked shrimp, scrambled eggs, and green onions. Stir to combine and heat through. Serve!

Adding shrimp, eggs, and green onions to a skillet of fried rice.

Tips for Cooking With Shrimp

  • Size: The size I use is large, and is labeled as 26/30 per pound. (This means that it takes between 26-30 shrimp to equal a pound.) You can use fresh or frozen.
  • If using frozen shrimp: Run them under cool water until completely thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/veins.
  • Shrimp can go from cooked to overcooked very quickly, consider setting a timer to avoid overcooking.

Pro Tips

  • Rice:
    • Dry Rice is Key: Cold, dry leftover rice works best for fried rice. If cooking it fresh, you’d ideally lay it on a tray for a few hours (or cover and store overnight) before frying. Dry rice absorbs the sauce while remaining crisp.
    • If using leftover rice, you’ll need 3 cups for this recipe.
    • Rinsing Rice: There is debate as to if rinsing rice is necessary to remove excess starch, I am in the “no” camp and prefer the consistency when I don’t rinse it. 🙂 Feel free to rinse if preferred, and use 2 tbsp. less liquid for cooking it.
    • I like to use long grain white rice for this. The consistency is much better than Instant Rice. (But instant can be used if needed!)
    • Other Varieties of Rice: If preparing with a different kind of rice, (brown rice for example), refer to package for the amount of liquid (chicken broth), and simmering time that will be required to cook it.
    • Cauliflower Rice:  3 cups of uncooked cauliflower rice can be added at the end, instead of cooked rice. Cook it for 5 minutes in the sauce, then add the chicken/eggs/green onions, and cook for up to 3 more minutes. You may want to partially cover the skillet to allow it to steam slightly.
  • Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are great in this recipe. Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing cooking wine) can also be used, (only 2 TBSP. should be used). Chicken broth can also be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Make Ahead Method: It’s easy to do prep work for this recipe ahead of time, the rice is actually better if made ahead and refrigerated for 1-2 days. The sauce ingredients can be combined ahead of time as well.
  • Using Chicken: Be sure to check out my Chicken Fried Rice recipe if you prefer chicken!

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The rice freezes and reheats well, the shrimp is best if eaten fresh.

Shrimp Fried Rice on a white plate with vegetables and scrambled eggs.

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Shrimp Fried Rice in a skillet with eggs and vegetables in a brown sauce.

Shrimp Fried Rice

5 from 3 ratings
This Shrimp Fried Rice recipe is easy to make and tastes better than takeout! It's got juicy shrimp, the best sauce, and fluffy scrambled eggs!

Ingredients

Rice

  • 1 cup uncooked white long grain rice, see notes.
  • 2 cups chicken broth

Sauce

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon honey, can sub brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil, optional
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Stir Fry

  • 1-2 tablespoons peanut oil, can sub olive or canola
  • 1 lb. uncooked shrimp, see notes
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 eggs, whisked very well
  • ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • ¾ cup frozen peas
  • ¾ cup frozen carrots
  • 3-4 green onions, diced

Instructions

Cooking Equipment Notes

  • A 3-quart saucepan or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid is highly recommended for steaming the rice.
  • A wide skillet with a lot of surface area is recommended for frying the rice.

Prepare the Sauce/Marinate the Shrimp

  • Combine the sauce ingredients.
  • Thaw the shrimp completely (if frozen) and pat the surface dry. You may also need to remove the shell, tail, and veins. Sprinkle with paprika.
  • Place the shrimp in a medium bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the sauce mixture to it. Toss to coat and set aside.

Cook the Rice

  • Add chicken broth to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and submerge it into liquid. Bring back to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer (I put my heat on medium-low), and let it steam for 15 minutes. Check on it, if the liquid is gone and the rice is cooked, turn heat off. If not, simmer 5 more minutes.
  • Optional: Remove it from the heat and let it sit with the lid on for 10 minutes. This makes the rice extra fluffy, and allows any rice stuck to the bottom of the pot to release naturally. Refrain from stirring as this will release starch and make it sticky.
  • Spread the cooked rice out on a tray and transfer to the fridge to allow it to cool completely, (the longer the better). A dry consistency is best for fried rice.

Scramble the eggs

  • Melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the whisked eggs. Cook/scramble until just cooked through, then remove and set aside. (I like to use an 8-inch nonstick skillet when I make fluffy scrambled eggs.)

Stir Fry

  • Add the oil to a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the shrimp. Cook for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side. Tilt the pan to transfer the shrimp onto a plate. Note that they’ll cook a little bit more as they sit, and again when added back to the skillet.
  • Reduce heat to medium and add the wine. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the pan and let the liquid reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, peas, and carrots (it’s okay if the veggies are still frozen) and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the cold rice and the remaining sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and toss continuously for about 3 minutes, until the rice is brown from the sauce and most of the liquid from the sauce is absorbed.
  • Reduce heat to medium and add the shrimp, eggs, and green onions and toss to coat and heat through. Remove from heat and serve!

Notes

Pro Tips
  • Rice:
    • Dry Rice is Key: Cold, dry leftover rice works best for fried rice. If cooking it fresh, you'd ideally lay it on a tray for a few hours (or cover and store overnight) before frying. Dry rice absorbs the sauce while remaining crisp.
    • If using leftover rice, you'll need 3 cups for this recipe.
    • Rinsing Rice: There is debate as to if rinsing rice is necessary to remove excess starch, I am in the "no" camp and prefer the consistency when I don't rinse it. 🙂 Feel free to rinse if preferred, and use 2 tbsp. less liquid for cooking it.
    • I like to use long grain white rice for this. The consistency is much better than Instant Rice. (But instant can be used if needed!) See blog post about using other rice varieties as well as cauliflower rice.
  • Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are great in this recipe. Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing cooking wine) can also be used, (only 2 TBSP. should be used). Chicken broth can also be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Make Ahead Method: It's easy to do prep work for this recipe ahead of time, the rice is actually better if made ahead and refrigerated for 1-2 days. The sauce ingredients can be combined ahead of time as well.
  • Using Chicken: Be sure to check out my Chicken Fried Rice recipe if you prefer chicken!

Storage
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The rice freezes and reheats well, the shrimp is best if eaten fresh.

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 183mg, Sodium: 868mg, Potassium: 463mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1536IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 96mg, Iron: 2mg
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12 comments on “Shrimp Fried Rice”

  1. Will one cup of rice really feed 6 people?! I have 4 and I still feel it isn’t enough.

    • Hi Megan! One cup of uncooked rice yields 3 cups of cooked rice. When you combine that with the veggies, scrambled eggs, sauce, and shrimp, it makes a lot! 🙂

  2. Another winner! Only thing is I wish I had used white rice instead of brown. Wasn’t crazy about the texture. Otherwise, very simple & easy to make. I also used sauvignon blanc since I had an open bottle. I usually use chardonnay or pinot grigio for cooking purposes.

  3. So good and easy to make. Totally making it again. Love it

  4. Will it really work if I up the servings to 24?

  5. This was such an easy recipe to prepare since I made the rice the night before and let it chill over night. I’ve never thought to do that with rice and it really made a difference in the finished product! When I was ready to stir fry everything, I just emptied the fridge of all my left-over veggies and cooked it up as you described. It was so nice to have shrimp for a change. We are usually just chicken people but now we will be buying shrimp more often since I see you have plenty of shrimp recipes available to try. The sauce was delicious and my husband couldn’t stop raving. We used Pinot Grigio since we always keep it on-hand for your recipes. It’s just nice to try something new but still easy to prepare. Thank you!

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