Better than takeout, this Easy Shrimp Fried Rice recipe is ready in just 20 minutes, and it’s a one skillet meal too. Homemade fried rice has so much more flavor (and is so much better for you) than the oil-soaked version you might order in a Chinese restaurant.
You might want to serve this delicious shrimp fried rice with slow cooker coconut chicken drumsticks, honey sriracha orange chicken or sesame balsamic tuna.
We do love to get Asian take-out every once in a while, but we’re pretty picky about the shrimp fried rice. Perfect shrimp fried rice is packed with shrimp and veggies, and the texture of the rice is nice and crisp. Our friend (who is Chinese) helped me create this recipe, with all of the characteristics that make this a quick and easy, great fried rice. This Easy Shrimp Fried Rice recipe has become a staple in our weekly meal plan.
Ingredients Needed for Shrimp Fried Rice:
- Oil: Can use canola, vegetable or avocado oil.
- Shrimp: Medium peeled and de-veined shrimp.
- Veggies: Onion, carrot, garlic, green onion, ginger and frozen peas.
- Cooked White Rice: Don’t use freshly cooked… use day old.
- Egg
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar: Or seasoned rice vinegar. This is added to help keep the rice from clumping.
- Sesame Oil: Or toasted sesame oil.
How to make this Easy Shrimp Fried Rice:
Here’s an overview. The complete recipe is at the bottom of this post in the printable recipe card.
Cook the shrimp in an oiled skillet until pink. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set it aside.
Add a little more oil to the skillet and cook the onions, adding carrots, garlic and ginger along the way. Then you’ll stir in the white rice and saute until the rice is crisp.
Next comes the egg. Push the rice and veggies to the side of the pan. Crack the egg into the pan, and stir it around to scramble and cook. Stir it into the rice.
Finally, stir in the peas, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Then add the shrimp back to the pan and stir to heat them up again. Garnish with green onions.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh or frozen shrimp. DO NOT USE ALREADY COOKED SHRIMP.
- I always make sure I have some sort of quick cooking rice for those days when we don’t have any leftover rice on hand.
- Don’t use freshly cooked rice. You want it to have time to dry out. That makes it easier to crisp up. If you have to make it same day, spread it on a plate and leave it out at room temperature to dry.
- This is a great way to use up leftover (day old) rice!
- Make sure you use high heat. You don’t want it crazy hot, but just a nice, hot pan so that the shrimp can fry quickly and the rice can get crispy.
- After you add the rice, minimize stirring to help it get crisp.
- There is a video in this post that shows you how to make this easy shrimp fried rice recipe.
Substitution or Addition Ideas:
- Use any kind of protein. Make chicken fried rice or add fish, pork, ground beef, mushrooms, lobster or tofu.
- Use brown rice instead of white rice.
- Add your choice of vegetables: mushrooms, snow peas, broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini or corn.
- Add oyster sauce for a bit more flavor.
- Add fresh pineapple chunks!
- A little added butter adds some richness to the flavor.
How to store fried rice:
Leftovers of shrimp fried rice or any fried rice may be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Fried rice can be stored in the freezer (in a sealed container) for up to 3 months.
Here are a few stir-fry recipes you may enjoy:
Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola, vegetable or avocado oil, divided
- 16 ounces medium peeled and de-veined shrimp
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup finely diced carrot
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- chopped green onions, for garnish (if desired)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp until pink and no longer translucent. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate and keep warm. Set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan and stir in the onions. Cook the onions until softened, approximately 3 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and ginger, cooking until fragrant.
- Stir in the white rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the rice is crisp.
- Push the rice to the side of the pan making a well in the middle. Crack the egg in the middle of the pan and stir to scramble. Cook the egg and then begin to stir into the rice mixture.
- Add the peas, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil to the rice stirring to combine. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook for an additional minute to warm through.
- Serve immediately topped with chopped green onions, if desired.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, just be sure to use a brand of soy sauce that is known to be GF.
- Turn this into another kind of fried rice by swapping out the shrimp for another protein like chicken, pork or beef.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delicious! It smelled good and tastes even better!
The absolute best easy recipe for fried rice.
Best fried rice recipe .. I just added one more egg and sriracha
Easy fast and delicious
This recipe couldn’t be easier or tastier!! My adult daughter agrees.
Easiest recipe for fried rice that I’ve seen in my 62 years!!! Fabulous
Do I have to use sesame seed oil, my child is allergic to sesame seeds.
It does provide some flavor, but you can sub canola or vegetable if you need to.
This was absolutely amazing, we did slight modifications but the recipe itself was GREAT! My picky eaters all approved!
Have you tried this with riced cauliflower?
it looks so yummy. i will have to try it tomorrow for my dinner and get back to you
Thanks for sharing