Forget the mushy, sticky, soaked-in soy sauce fried rice you’ve made in the past. This Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice gives you that restaurant-style fried rice you love at home in under 30 minutes.
With a few simple tips and tricks, you’ll avoid having sticky, mushy rice, and instead have the best fried rice at home!
You’ll love this recipe for Shrimp Fried Rice
With this easy method (and a few tips and tricks), you’ll have your new go-to Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice.
Not only is this method incredibly easy, but it’s also ready in less than 30 minutes.
While some fried rice recipes give you sticky, soy sauce-soaked rice, this one is packed with flavor and the texture you love.
Not only will you have a new recipe for your busy weeknight meal rotation, but you’ll be able to customize it exactly how your family likes it.
Ingredients for Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice
- large shrimp – You’ll want to get the size that’s 21-25 per pound. You want them to be large enough to not get lost in the dish.
- coarse kosher or sea salt
- ground black pepper
- avocado oil
- green onions
- minced garlic – Feel free to use the jarred or pre-peeled kind as a shortcut.
- ginger paste – I’m a big fan of ginger paste because you don’t have to peel ginger or find something to do with the extras. You can usually find it in squeeze bottle in the produce section.
- frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, edamame, and green beans mix)
- cooked rice – Day-old rice is best.
- sesame oil – I like using the toasted sesame oil in the spray bottle, but any sesame oil will work.
- soy sauce – I always grab the low sodium kind to be able to control the salt in my dishes.
- eggs
How to make this Best Shrimp Fried Rice
- Place shrimp in a mixing bowl and top with salt and pepper. Toss to combine until all of the shrimp is coated in seasoning.
- Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once heated, add the avocado oil.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer.
- Cook 1-2 minutes, flip them over, and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Just until they are pink and cooked through.
- Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the chopped white parts of the green onion to the skillet and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to avoid burning.
- Add the garlic to the skillet with the onions and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
- Add the ginger and stir to combine.
- Add the frozen vegetables to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Let it cook through until the vegetables have thawed and heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice to the skillet with the vegetable mixture. Mix to combine and heat the rice through, letting it dry out slightly to give it the fried rice texture.
- Add the sesame oil and soy sauce to the skillet. Stir until all of the rice is coated in the soy sauce.
- Scoot the rice to the edges of the pan, making a well in the center of the skillet.
- Whisk the eggs in a separate small bowl.
- Pour the eggs into the well you created in the center of the skillet.
- Continue to scramble the eggs in the skillet.
- Once the eggs are soft scrambled, stir them into the rest of the rice mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining chopped tops of the green onions over the rice and enjoy!
kitchen tools to make fried rice
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Buy Now → Tips for making the Best Shrimp Fried Rice
- Let the rice dry out a little when heating it in the skillet. This will give it that signature fried rice texture.
- Adding the soy sauce before the eggs keeps it with the rice instead of soaking into the scrambled eggs.
- Don’t pre-cook the frozen vegetables. That will make them mushy and too soft.
- Be careful when adding the garlic. You don’t want it to burn. Burned garlic is bitter and usually requires washing the entire pan to get the taste out.
Top Tip
While it can be tempting to use fresh rice, stick with using cooked and cooled rice. Day-old leftover rice is best!
Easy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe substitutions
Shrimp – You can substitute the shrimp with salmon, scallops, or even chicken. Chicken thighs work best for the juiciest result.
Avocado oil – This can be substituted with any neutral tasting, high smoke point oil.
Green onions – A sweet white onion will also work in this recipe, but I definitely recommend sticking with green onions.
Ginger paste – Ginger paste is an excellent shortcut and a great way to not have extra fresh garlic going bad in the fridge.
Mixed frozen vegetables – You can really use any combo of frozen mixed vegetables that you like, but I find that mix is usually the best.
Cooked rice – You don’t want to use fresh rice. You’ll end up with a mushy texture. Cooked and cooled rice will give you the best texture in your fried rice.
Our favorite way to serve Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
The great thing about Fried Rice with Shrimp is that it’s a full meal on its own.
If you want to go buffet style, it would be great served with:
How to store the Best Shrimp Fried Rice
To store Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice, it needs to be cooled completely.
Storing: Place the rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Transfer the rice into an airtight freezer-safe container and remove any additional air. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months (or 6 months in a deep freezer).
When reheating shrimp fried rice, I recommend low heat over the stove. While you can reheat it in the microwave, you risk overcooking the shrimp.
Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice FAQs
The secret to fried rice is using the right technique. This includes adding the soy sauce before the eggs, using day-old rice, and using toasted sesame oil.
You can use frozen shrimp in shrimp fried rice, but it needs to be thawed first. If you don’t thaw it first, it will release too much water into the dish and the shrimp won’t cook or season evenly.
The key to fried rice tasting like a restaurant is using day-old rice (for the right texture) and the toasted sesame oil. You can also add a little Maggi seasoning if you like!
If you make this recipe and love it, we would love a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! It helps us continue to provide free recipes.
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Best Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp (20-25/lb size, peeled and deveined)
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 4 stalks green onion chopped (whites and green tops separated)
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons ginger paste
- 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, edamame, and green beans mix)
- 4 cups cooked and cooled rice (day old rice is best)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/3 cup soy sauce I use low sodium
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- Place shrimp in a mixing bowl and top with salt and pepper. Toss to combine until all of the shrimp is coated in seasoning.
- Heat a deep, heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once heated, add the avocado oil.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer.
- Cook 1-2 minutes, flip them over, and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Just until they are pink and cooked through.
- Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the chopped white parts of the green onion to the skillet and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to avoid burning.
- Add the garlic to the skillet with the onions and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
- Add the ginger and stir to combine.
- Add the frozen vegetables to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Let it cook through until the vegetables have thawed and heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice to the skillet with the vegetable mixture. Mix to combine and heat the rice through.
- Add the sesame oil and soy sauce to the skillet. Stir until all of the rice is coated in the soy sauce.
- Scoot the rice to the edges of the pan, making a well in the center of the skillet.
- Whisk the eggs in a separate small bowl.
- Pour the eggs into the well you created in the center of the skillet.
- Continue to scramble the eggs in the skillet.
- Once the eggs are soft scrambled, stir them into the rest of the rice mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining chopped tops of the green onions over the rice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Let the rice dry out a little when heating it in the skillet. This will give it that signature fried rice texture.
- Adding the soy sauce before the eggs keeps it with the rice instead of soaking into the scrambled eggs.
- Don’t pre-cook the frozen vegetables. That will make them mushy and too soft.
- Be careful when adding the garlic. You don’t want it to burn. Burned garlic is bitter and usually requires washing the entire pan to get the taste out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
