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Quick and Easy Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

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Forget Chinese takeout โ€” This EASY Shrimp Stir Fry Recipe is a family favorite, and it can also be on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes! Succulent shrimp and crisp-tender broccoli in a honey garlic sauce is simply delicious served over rice or noodles.

shrimp stir fry over a bed of white rice in a bowl on a table with chopsticks.

Why You’ll Love This Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

Fast and Easy Recipe. This shrimp stir fry recipe is made in 30 minutes! In the time it takes to make a pot of steamed rice or boiled noodles, you will have an easy weeknight meal!

Versatile. This easy stir fry is surprisingly versatile! Make it with a variety of veggies and customize the protein, too!

Healthy Choice. Better than a Chinese restaurant, this juicy shrimp and vegetable stir fry is full of protein, vitamins, and fiber and uses very little oil!

ingredients for shrimp stir fry on a table.

Ingredient Notes

  • Shrimp โ€” Choose large shrimp, peeled and deveined โ€” feel free to use fresh or frozen in this recipe.
  • Broccoli florets โ€” Fresh or frozen will work, but I prefer fresh.
  • Red bell pepper โ€” Choose a large pepper and thinly slice it, removing the seeds. It is optional, but I love adding them for the color!
  • Soy sauce โ€” I use lower-sodium soy sauce in my cooking.
  • Rice vinegar โ€” Rice vinegar adds a mild, slightly sweet flavor that’s less overpowering than other types of vinegar, making it perfect for balancing out flavors.
  • Honey โ€” Add a touch of sweetness with honey!
  • Corn starch โ€” Use corn starch to coat the shrimp for a slightly crispy texture.
  • Red pepper flakes โ€” Use flakes or crushed red pepper to add a touch of heat!
  • Sesame oil โ€” This oil has that iconic nutty Asian food flavor. Use the light variety for a higher smoke point.
  • Black pepper โ€” Freshly ground pepper yields the best flavor.
  • Green onions โ€” Diagonally cut into 1-inch pieces; use these in the recipe and more for garnish.
  • Ginger โ€” Freshly minced is my preference, but substitute ground ginger if you don’t have fresh in your pantry.
  • Garlic cloves โ€” Thinly sliced or jarred minced garlic both work just fine.
  • Olive oil โ€” I love the flavor olive oil gives. Just be sure to watch the oil as it burns quicker than others.

Recipe Success Tips

Be sure to blot dry the shrimp before tossing it in the pan.

Add ingredients to the stir fry according to their cooking time to avoid soggy vegetables. 

Avoid overcooking the shrimp. I suggest you stay right by the pan, or it will get tough and rubbery the longer the shrimp cooks.

How to Make Shrimp with Broccoli Stir Fry

With stir-frying, smaller pieces of food are cooked in a wok with a small amount of oil over fairly high heat, stirring constantly until done. Since the food cooks fast, a little planning will ensure a superb stir-frying experience. Let’s get started!

STEP 1 | Chop ingredients

I like to be prepared when stir-frying. So, I recommend chopping the veggies, mincing the garlic and ginger, and measuring all the additional ingredients before heating the pan.

That way, it is ready when the pan is screaming hot and ready to go.

process steps for making shrimp stir fry: sauce in a bowl; cooking shrimp in a large sillet; cooking ginger, garlic, and onions in a skillet; cooking broccoli and bell pepper.

Step 2 | Make the homemade stir fry sauce

Whisk together the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set that savory sauce mixture aside for later use.

Step 3 | Get the pan ready

Here is the fun part. Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil to the pan and swirl to coat. 

Step 4 | Cook the shrimp

Add the dried shrimp to the pan, season with the black pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the shrimp turn pink. Be careful not to overcook.

Then, remove the shrimp from the pan, put it on a plate, and set it aside.

shrimp, broccoli, red bell pepper, and sauce cooking in a large skillet.

Step 5 | Add fresh veggies

Now, add the green onions, ginger, and garlic to the hot pan and stir fry for 45 seconds until fragrant. Then, use a slotted spoon to add this mixture to the plate with the shrimp.

Time for the colorful veggies. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the wok, swirling to coat, and toss in the broccoli and red bell peppers. Cook and stir for another couple of minutes.

Step 6 | Back into the pan

Next, add the shrimp and onion mixture back into the pan. Give the sauce mixture another quick whisk, pour the prepared sauce into the pan, and cook another minute until the sauce is thickened and the broccoli is crisp-tender.

Step 7 | Garnish & serve!

Serve immediately over a piping hot bed of rice, garnish with sesame seeds, and serve it with chopsticks to make it fun for everyone.

Craving more homemade Asian recipes? You just have to try my Sticky Baked Chicken WingsAsian Sesame Salad with Chicken,  or this yummy Asian Slaw with Egg Roll Crackers.

Variations and Substitutions

  • If you like more sauce with your stir fry, just double the amount of soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes.
  • Try serving this dish over your choice of white rice, cauliflower rice, brown rice, rice noodles, and more! Or try my recipe for making the best Jasimine rice
  • Try other tender, crisp, colorful veggies like baby corn, water chestnuts, snow peas, bok choy, snap peas, green beans, bamboo shoots, and more!
  • Change out the shrimp for chicken stir fry. Just be sure the chicken is fully cooked!
  • Double the sauce ingredients if you like a little more. 

Storage and Reheating Tips

  • Cool the stir-fry to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
  • When you’re ready to enjoy your leftovers, reheat on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave, stirring occasionally to ensure it heats evenly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t own a wok?

A wokย is deeper than a skillet and cooks on all surfaces, even up the sides, making it my first choice when stir-frying. But don’t fret if you don’t own a wok; a deep, large skillet will also work for stir-fry recipes.

What oil should you use for stir fry?

Since you are cooking at high heat, choose an oil with a higher smoke point, like light sesame oil. Canola oil, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil also have higher smoke points.
If you don’t have those oils in your pantry or just like the flavor, extra-virgin olive oil will work; just be sure to reduce the heat when cooking.

Does broccoli need to be cooked before stir-frying?

There’s no need to cook broccoli before adding to the stir fry. To ensure it cooks evenly, cut the broccoli into small florets and halve any pieces with a thicker stalk.

Can you add frozen vegetables to stir fry?

Absolutely! Add a bag of frozen broccoli florets to the stir fry straight from the freezer at medium-high heat according to the recipe order.

Can you stir-fry the shrimp and broccoli at the same time?

I wouldn’t recommend tossing everything in at once since the ingredients cook for different lengths of time to get done. Shrimp cooks quickly, so stir fry it first, then add it back to the wok after the broccoli has cooked a few minutes to ensure everything comes together perfectly at the end.

shrimp stir fry over a bed of white rice in a bowl on a table with chopsticks and a bottle of soy sauce.

Peel & Devein Shrimp Tips

Most of the time, I purchase shrimp from the meat counter that is deveined. The shells are already split, which makes them really easy to peel, too.

You can also get bags of frozen peeled and deveined shrimp at the grocery store. Just be sure to thaw them ahead of time, rinse them, and blot them dry.

For those times that deveined shrimp is not available, I follow this easy process:

  1. Use kitchen shears to snip the shell along the top (opposite side from the squiggly feet on the bottom) and stop when you reach the last section and tail.
  2. Slide the shell away from the shrimp, removing the feet, too. Discard the shells or save them for making shrimp stock. Also, use a chef’s knife to cut off the heads and discard them.
  3. Use a paring knife’s sharp, thin tip to score the shrimp along the back side to expose the black vein.
  4. Pull the vein out with the tip of the paring knife and discard.
  5. Use paper towels to blot the peeled and deveined shrimp dry.
close up image of shrimp stir fry garnished with black sesame seeds.

What to Serve With Shrimp Broccoli Stir Fry

This recipe is a meal in a bowl of its own. But if you want to add delicious sides to the table, I recommend this Asian Slaw with Egg Roll Crackers (skip the chicken), or maybe place your shrimp and broccoli over a bed of this Fried Rice (again, skip the chicken.)

Then top the evening’s meal off with some Butter Pecan Cookies or these yummy Jam Thumbprint Lemon Shortbread Cookies. And to make your table extra festive, check out these beautiful bamboo placemats with black lacquer chopsticks (and modern chopstick bowl rest).

Looking for More Asian-inspired Recipes?

Put these “better than takeout” stir fries on rotation: Korean Beef Stir FryPepper Steak Stir-FryQuick & Easy Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe.

shrimp, broccoli florets, and sliced red bell pepper in a stir fry sauce on a bed of rice.

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shrimp stir fry over a bed of white rice in a bowl on a table with chopsticks.

Shrimp Broccoli Stir-Fry

Succulent shrimp and crisp-tender broccoli in a honey garlic sauce is simply delicious served over rice or noodles.

4.21 from 62 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings
Calories 240 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ยผ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • โ…› teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil divided
  • 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
  • ยฝ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ยผ cup green onions diagonally cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
  • 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • ยฝ large red bell pepper thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
  • Use paper towels to blot the peeled and deveined shrimp dry.
  • Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp to the pan, season with the black pepepr, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the shrimp tur pink. Do not overcook.
  • Remove the shrimp from t pan to a plate.
  • Add the green onions, ginger, and garlic to the hot pan and stir fry for 45 seconds, until fragrant. Use a slotted spoon to add this mixture to the plate with the shrimp.
  • Add the tablespoon of olive oil to the wok, swirling to coat, and toss in the broccoli and red bell peppers. Cook and stir for another couple of minutes.
  • Next, add the shrimp and onion mixture back to the pan. Pour in the prepared sauce and cook another minute or until the sauce is thickened and the broccoli is crisp-tender.
  • Serve immediately over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Notes

I originally shared this recipe at The Weary Chef as a contributor.ย Original recipe adapted from Cooking Light, JUNE 2013.
  • Be sure to blot dry the shrimp before tossing it in the pan.
  • Add ingredients to the stir fry according to their cooking time to avoid soggy vegetables.ย 
  • Avoid overcooking the shrimp. I suggest you stay right by the pan, or it will get tough and rubbery the longer the shrimp cooks.
  • If you like more sauce with your stir fry, just double the amount of soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes.
*Nutrition values do not include rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 240kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 26gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 183mgSodium: 728mgPotassium: 579mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1008IUVitamin C: 69mgCalcium: 111mgIron: 1mg

Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Keyword 30-minute meals, broccoli, easy recipe, fresh ginger, garlic, shrimp, stir fry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was.

Beyond the Recipe: Shrimp Broccoli Stir-Fry

This Shrimp Broccoli Stir-Fry recipe I originally shared at The Weary Chef is a great weeknight dinner option for busy families. But then, as I was writing my take on the recipe, I found interest in the stir-fry method.

Originating in China, a wok is a deep cooking vessel with a round bottom designed explicitly for fast cooking or stir-frying at a high temperature.

Research says that as early as the Han dynasty, people were using a wok for drying grain. Fast forward to the Ming dynasty, and that’s when the wok was altered to the shape we’re familiar with today. 

Now, here is the exciting part. In the 20th century, using oil to fry was seen as a luxury. Commoners stuck to boiling and steaming their food because the oil and fuel needed for stir-frying were expensive. However, this quick cooking method requiring very little oil made it possible for more people to afford it.

But wait, it’s not just that it became affordable and tastes amazing; it’s also because it’s seen as a healthier option. Stir-frying is about making the most of a mix of veggies, meats, and fish, keeping things light on fat but big on flavor. The sauces bring all the ingredients together without weighing the dish down. So, when you’re enjoying that shrimp and broccoli stir-fry, you’re taking part in a tradition that’s delicious and kind to your waistline.

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Wow! Just wow! This is the best recipe ever! Thank you so much. We plan on adding this to our dinner rotation!

4.21 from 62 votes (60 ratings without comment)

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