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Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

October 18, 2024

Juicy shrimp are sautéed with a gorgeous rainbow of vegetables and a garlic sauce in this easy, fast, delicious garlic shrimp stir-fry.

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Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry with snow peas and bell peppers over rice on a plate

Stir Fry: The OG One-Pan Dinner

Sautéed quickly over high heat, with a flavorful sauce and some veggies, this stir fried garlic shrimp recipe is all but guaranteed to produce perfect shrimp every time. It’s healthy and quick, and it’s easy to make it gluten-free so it accommodates a lot of dietary preferences. The garlic sauce would also be tasty for dipping Steamed Shrimp if you’re looking for a simple snack. For more delicious, easy shrimp recipes, try our Shrimp Chow Mein or classic Shrimp Scampi.

More favorite stir fry recipes

Ingredients laid out for garlic shrimp stir fry red bell peppers, asparagus, cilantro

Ingredients For Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry Sauce

This healthy, easy shrimp with garlic sauce stir-fry is brought to life with the super-savory garlic stir-fry sauce that you’ll sauté the shrimp and veggies in. We also have a pared-down Stir Fry Sauce that has a shorter ingredient list that you can use too.

  • Soy sauce. You can substitute gluten-free tamari if you’d like to make this into a gluten-free shrimp stir-fry.

  • Sesame oil. We prefer the nuttier flavor of toasted sesame oil, but either toasted or untoasted will work just fine.

  • Chili sauce. We usually reach for the straightforward chili-heat of sambal oelek, but you could use sriracha if that’s what you have on-hand. Or, if you’d like to make your garlic shrimp stir-fry more mild in flavor, just leave it out.

  • Brown sugar. A little sweetness is key, and helps to balance all of the big flavors that are at play in this garlic stir-fry sauce.

  • Garlic. And lots of it! We call for six fresh cloves of garlic.

  • Cornstarch. This is the magical stir-fry sauce ingredient—it thickens the sauce a bit and helps it to coat the shrimp, asparagus, snow peas and peppers in just the way you want it to.

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry sauce in a bowl
asparagus, red bell pepper and snow peas sautéed in a frying pan
Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry in a pan wth asparagus, snow peas and red bell peppers
hands pouring garlic sauce over shrimp stir fry in  pan.

How to Make Easy Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

  1. Make the garlic sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

  2. Cook the veggies + shrimp. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Cook, until vegetables begin to soften, 3-4 minutes, then add the shrimp.

  3. Pour the sauce into the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the shrimp, about 5 minutes.

  4. Serve with steaming rice, cilantro and sesame seeds.

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry in a pan with asparagus, snow peas, red bell peppers
Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry in a skillet

How to Store Leftovers + Tips

  • Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to three months.

  • You don’t need a wok to make a great at-home stir fry for dinner. However, for crisp veggies and perfectly-cooked shrimp, it’s important not to overcrowd the pan. Having a larger pan makes that easier to do.

  • Practice your chopping skills. When you’re prepping the shrimp and veggies, think about size as you chop. Making sure your veggies and shrimp are roughly the same size will help ensure even cooking.

  • Cooking temperature is key! Use medium-high heat for this shrimp stir-fry—it gives the veggies enough time to get nicely tender, without getting burned or becoming soggy.

  • Keep an eye on the shrimp. Shrimp cooks fast—as in three minutes-ish—and so once you add the shrimp to the pan, stir it constantly and keep watching. Once it turns pink, it’s probably done.

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry with snow peas and bell peppers over rice on a plate

More Shrimpy Favorites From The Modern Proper

15 Minute Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry + Other Fast Meals

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Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  15 min
  • Calories:  210

Ingredients

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili sauce, such as sambal oelek
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • ½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup snow peas
  • 2 pounds large raw tail-on shrimp, peeled and deveined

For serving (optional)

  • Cooked rice
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Sesame seeds

Method

  1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ¼ cup of water, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, chili sauce, and cornstarch. Whisk until smooth.

    Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry 1
  2. In a large skillet, add the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the bell pepper, asparagus, and snow peas. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and opaque, 3-4 minutes more.

    Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry in a pan wth asparagus, snow peas and red bell peppers
  3. Pour the sauce into the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the shrimp, about 5 minutes

    hands pouring garlic sauce over shrimp stir fry in  pan.
  4. Serve over cooked rice, sprinkled with cilantro and sesame seeds, if using.

    Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry with snow peas and bell peppers over rice on a plate

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 210
  • Protein 23 g
  • Carbohydrates 14 g
  • Total Fat 6 g
  • Dietary Fiber 2 g
  • Cholesterol 220 mg
  • sodium 1217 mg
  • Total Sugars 8 g

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Karen

    Why won't you allow me to print this recipe?

    There is a print option right above the ingredient list.

  • Celeste

    We love stir fry! Cant wait to make this! I have fresh sugar snap peas and sweet petite carrots in the fridge I need to use soon. Will those work ok for this recipe? Thank you.

    Totally! Hope you enjoy Celeste.

  • Heidi

    Im on a roll, 2nd night in a row of an amazing recipe of yours. The sauce of this is drinkable, my only issue was it was really watery, any suggestions (the frozen shrimp puts off a lot of water when cooked)

    Ohhh. Yay. And...did you add them while frozen? Maybe thaw them out first and then add them, so that you don't get all the extra liquid. So glad you liked it!

  • Bren

    Loved this deliciously filling recipe. The sauce is awesome. However, I would like to know the nutrition info per serving for Potassium? Thank you in advance for your help with this question.

    Glad you loved it Bren. Potassium is 179 mg per serving

  • Cecilia

    Hi, is there a way to save recipes in a folder? I pined a recipe into Pinterest but can’t open it once is in Pinterest.
    Thank you

    we don't have a folder option on our site but you can print it if you'd like. the print button is write above the ingredient list.

  • katie

    not very flavorful

  • Terry

    It was OK but I didn't find the sauce had a lot of flavor. Sorry but this recipe won't be going in my favorites folder.

  • Kim

    Excellent, quick and easy recipe! Love the sauce! Used what I had on hand: grilled chicken, broccoli, onions and red pepper. Definitely a keeper and completely customisable.

    Thanks Kim, so happy you love it!

  • Feeora

    Very tasty and so quick

    Thanks Feeora, so happy you loved it!

  • rose

    This was and still is Amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe

    Thanks Rose, we are so happy you love it!