Easy 20-min. Honey Garlic Shrimp

Name: Easy 20-min. Honey Garlic Shrimp
Prep time: 17 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 lb jumbo shrimp (peeled, deveined, rinsed & strained); 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any neutral oil); 1 green onion (finely chopped for garnish); 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional garnish); 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or tapioca starch); 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon water (cold or room temperature ); 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any neutral oil); 5 garlic cloves (minced); 1/3 cup honey; 2.5 tablespoon regular soy sauce (or light soy sauce); 1 tablespoon water (cold or room temperature ); 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar / white vinegar); 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil (or any neutral oil); 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (or tapioca starch)

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Succulent shrimp tossed in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. This one-pan, easy honey garlic shrimp recipe uses simple ingredients and is ready in just 20 minutes! A family-friendly main and it's great for busy weeknights and it's better than takeout.

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Variation
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage & Reheating
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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📖 Recipe

This Asian shrimp dish features marinated jumbo shrimp that is pan-fried and tossed in a garlicky honey soy-based sauce.

What makes my recipe unique is that I velvet the shrimp in cornstarch and oil. This makes the shrimp very tender and less prone to tasting rubbery.

This seafood dish is served at Chinese restaurants and it's best paired with steamed rice and vegetables.

When creating this recipe, I adapted the sauce from my honey garlic chicken recipe which was a hit on my social media platforms. So I decided to create a shrimp version!

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.

Raw Jumbo Shrimp: Or use extra jumbo or large shrimp - just adjust the cooking time as needed. Both fresh or thawed frozen shrimp work well. For best texture, I recommend tiger shrimp for their meatier bite, but white shrimp is a good alternative.
Neutral Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, or canola oil. Avoid using olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.
Green Onion
Sesame Seeds: This is an optional garnish.

Shrimp Marinade

Cornstarch: Or use tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.
Black Pepper: Or use white pepper.
Salt
Cold Water: Or use room temperature.
Neutral Oil: See examples above.

Honey Garlic Sauce

Garlic Cloves
Honey: Any plain liquid honey will work. Avoid using flavored ones. Or use maple syrup, but it won't taste like honey.
Regular Soy Sauce: Or use low-sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
Cold Water: Or use room temperature, not warm or hot water.
Rice Vinegar: Or use apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or Shaoxing wine.
Sesame Oil: Or substitute with ½ teaspoon sesame seeds.
Cornstarch: Or use tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.

Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores, or you can check online.

Variation

Gluten-free version: Replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce.

Expert Tips

Buy easy-peel or peeled and deveined shrimp for convenience and efficiency.
Rinse the peeled and deveined shrimp with cold running water to remove natural odors, tiny shells, and debris.
Pat the shrimp dry to remove excess moisture as the residual moisture can cause them to steam in the pan.
Velvet the shrimp in the marinade for 15 minutes or more to tenderize it. Don't skip the cornstarch or oil as these add moisture.
To prevent overcooked shrimp, in the initial frying process: cook just until pink and slightly translucent, then remove from the pan. Then when you toss it in the hot sauce, it will carry-over the cooking process. Overcooked shrimp will look very pink and tightly curled.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make honey garlic shrimp:

Transfer shrimp to a large bowl after it's peeled, deveined and rinsed with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Pat shrimp dry: Transfer shrimp to a large bowl after it's peeled, deveined, and rinsed with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Add the marinade ingredients to the shrimp as listed above. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes.

Marinate the shrimp: Add the marinade ingredients to the shrimp as listed above. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above until honey is dissolved. Set aside.

Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above until honey is dissolved. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon or 15 ml vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Cook shrimp until 90% pink flipping over halfway, about 60-90 seconds in total. Remove it from the pan.

Fry shrimp: Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Cook shrimp until mostly pink but slightly translucent, flipping over halfway, about 60-90 seconds in total. Quickly remove it from the pan.

Pour the honey garlic sauce into the pan and simmer to thicken it. When it's thick enough, it will coat the back of a spoon and not immediately drip off.

Thicken the sauce: Add the honey garlic sauce to the pan and simmer to thicken it. When thickened, it can easily coat the back of a spoon and not quickly run off.

Then toss in the shrimp in the sauce until fully pink and cooked through, about 20 seconds. Remove the pan off heat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Add shrimp: Then toss in the shrimp in the sauce until fully pink and cooked, about 20 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Storage & Reheating

Honey garlic shrimp can last up to 2-4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through. Note: Shrimp is best enjoyed fresh as it will taste fishier over time.
Freezer friendly? Freezing honey garlic shrimp is not ideal as the shrimp will taste rubbery after reheating.

Pairing Suggestions

Honey garlic shrimp pairs well with:

Starters: Egg rolls, Crab rangoon, Egg drop soup, or Hot and sour soup.
Rice Dishes: White rice, or fried rice.
Noodle Dishes: Chow mein, or Lo mein.
Vegetable Dishes: Garlic Green Beans or Stir-fried Snow Pea Leaves.
Protein Dishes: Ginger Chicken, Black Pepper Beef, Egg Foo Young, or Soy Garlic Tofu.

FAQ

Can I make this in advance?

Honey garlic shrimp can be made up to 1-2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot. I don't recommend making any earlier in advance as shrimp will taste fishier with time.

How can I make this spicy?

Honey garlic shrimp can be made spicy by adding 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes to taste at the end of the cooking process.

Why does my shrimp taste rubbery?

Rubbery-tasting shrimp means that it was overcooked. Shrimp cooks very quickly, usually within 1-2 minutes. To prevent overcooked shrimp, cook it until it turns pink and it's no longer translucent with a loose curl. If it's tightly curled and very pink, it's overcooked.

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