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Classic restaurant-quality shrimp fried rice, positively bursting with lush shrimp, tender rice, fluffy scrambled eggs, plenty of veggies, and so much incredible savory flavor. This 30-minute skillet meal will have everyone at your table requesting seconds – don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Before You Get Started
- For the very best fried rice, cook your brown rice the day before you make this recipe. Let it cool completely, then refrigerate it in an airtight container until you’re ready to make your shrimp fried rice.
- I like to use 36/40 shrimp in my fried rice for a better shrimp-to-rice ratio in each bite. Feel free to use smaller shrimp if you’d like!
- Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp! They don’t take much time at all, and if you cook them too much the first time they’re in the skillet, they’ll be tough and rubbery after by the end of the recipe.
- Watching your sodium intake, or just don’t like things too salty? Use a low-sodium soy sauce and use very little added salt (if you use any at all!).
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Sauté the Shrimp
Heat avocado oil and sesame oil in a large skillet (or a large wok if you have one!) over medium-high heat. When your oil is hot, place the shrimp in the pan in a single layer. Sauté the shrimp for just 1 minute, then add soy sauce, butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir everything together quickly then let it all cook 1-2 minutes, until the shrimp is just opaque.
Sauté the vegetables
Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and set it aside. Wipe the skillet out with paper towels then return it to the hot burner and add more avocado oil. When the fresh oil is ready, toss in the diced onion and frozen vegetables, and stir it all together. Sauté the vegetables until the onions are almost translucent.
Scramble the eggs
Push the sautéed vegetables to one side of the pan, then crack your eggs directly into the empty side. Scramble the eggs until they’re not-at-all runny.
Fry the Rice
Add your cooled, fully-cooked rice to the pan along with a few tablespoons of butter and stir everything together until it’s all mixed well. Fry the rice for 5 minutes, stirring often, then add in the rest of the soy sauce and the cooked shrimp.
Serve and Enjoy
Keep heating the dish just until the shrimp is warmed-through. Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp here! Once everything’s nice and hot, garnish the dish however you’d like, then dig in!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Think chicken fried rice is an easy dish? Shrimp fried rice is even easier! Shrimp takes next-to-no time to cook, making this an absolutely perfect recipe for those quick meals you have to fit in between kids’ practices and rehearsals and homework and soccer games and recitals and bedtime and, and, and…
- If you enjoy my hibachi shrimp recipe, you will absolutely LOVE this shrimp fried rice! It takes everything from the classic hibachi meal – the shrimp, the fried rice, the sautéed vegetables – and turns it into a simple one-pan meal. Minimal clean-up!
- You can so easily double the amount of shrimp you use for even more protein. It’s also a great source of antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids, and nutrients like iodine, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Recipe Variations
- Change Up Your Protein: Shrimp fried rice is delish, but the options don’t end there! Chicken fried rice is a classic, but you could also make pork fried rice, duck fried rice, lobster fried rice, or even go meatless with a vegetable fried rice.
- Try Different Vegetables: Swap out the peas and carrots for something different, or just add to them! Chopped broccoli florets, corn, shredded cabbage, chopped asparagus, or snow peas would all be delicious in this recipe.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Shrimp Fried Rice
Equipment
- Large skillet or large wok
- Tongs
- Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Medium bowl
- Paper towels
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 3 teaspoons avocado oil or other neutral-flavored oil
- 12 ounces medium-large shrimp 36/40 per pound; peeled, deveined
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low-sodium if desired
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked white pepper to taste
For the Fried Rice
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or other neutral-flavored oil
- ½ cup diced white onion approximately 1 small onion
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables peas, carrots, green beans, etc.
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups cooked, cooled rice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce low-sodium if desired
- salt optional, to taste
- freshly cracked white pepper optional, to taste
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- white sesame seeds
- thinly sliced green onions
Instructions
- Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil and 3 teaspoons avocado oil to skillet and continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery, swirling and tilting pan as needed to distribute oil across entire surface of pan.
- When oil is hot, place 12 ounces medium-large shrimp in skillet. Let shrimp cook undisturbed 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, flip shrimp over. Quickly add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, salt, and freshly cracked white pepper to skillet.
- Cook shrimp 1 to 2 minutes, stirring ingredients only once or twice, until shrimp is opaque, pink color and curled into loose "C" shape.
- When shrimp are cooked-through, transfer shrimp to medium bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet out with paper towels, then return skillet to heat.
- Add 1 teaspoon avocado oil to skillet. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, swirling and tilting pan occasionally, until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, add ½ cup diced white onion and 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables to skillet. Sauté ingredients, stirring often, approximately 3 minutes or until onions are almost completely translucent.
- Once onions are almost translucent, push vegetables to one side of skillet. Crack 2 large eggs directly into empty side of skillet. Scramble eggs with spatula until eggs are cooked-through.
- Once eggs are cooked-through, add 4 cups cooked, cooled rice and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter to skillet.
- Stir to incorporate all ingredients, then cook mixture 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- After 5 minutes, add 3 tablespoons soy sauce to skillet and stir to incorporate. Continue cooking mixture 1 minute more.
- Taste rice and season with salt and freshly cracked white pepper as desired.
- Return shrimp to skillet and stir to incorporate. Cook mixture just until all ingredients are warm. Be careful not to overcook shrimp.
- Portion shrimp fried rice into serving bowls. If desired, garnish with white sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions, then serve fried rice warm and enjoy.
- Rice: Fried rice is traditionally made with leftover cooked rice, so for the best flavor and texture, cook your rice a day in advance.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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