Savory rice fried with tender shrimp, garlic, shallots, carrots and peas. This quick and easy shrimp fried rice is made with leftover rice and simple ingredients! Ready in 30 minutes, family-friendly and restaurant-quality!
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Shrimp Fried Rice features fluffy rice, succulent shrimp, eggs, peas and carrots with garlic and onions seasoned in a savory sauce! It's a delicious main dish served at many Chinese restaurants and originates from China.
I love making this dish as I usually have leftover rice and frozen shrimp in the fridge. Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover ingredients reducing food waste and makes for an easy weeknight meal.
It's also packed with flavor thanks to the tenderizing shrimp marinade and the savory sauce that coats every grain of rice. Say goodbye to spending $15-20 on Chinese takeout if you make my version of this Chinese classic!
In addition, you can easily swap out the proteins and vegetables for ones you enjoy making it very customizable. I share substitutes below.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll to the below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Leftover Cooked Jasmine Rice: cold day-old rice is crucial to create fluffy grains as it's drier and contains less moisture. Or substitute with regular white long grain rice, basmati rice or brown rice. Avoid using short-grain rice.
How to dry out hot rice?
Spread out hot or warm rice on a large sheet pan in a single layer, pop it into the freezer fully exposed for 60 minutes to dry out the moisture. Then break up the cold rice with clean hands with a bit of neutral oil on them to prevent sticking.
- Shallot: or substitute with ¼ of a small onion.
- Garlic Cloves: or substitute with ½ teaspoon garlic powder mixed into the sauce.
- Carrots: or substitute with fresh or frozen corn niblets or finely diced bell peppers.
- Peas: fresh or frozen peas both work or substitute with fresh or frozen chopped green beans, broccoli florets, or edamame.
- Eggs
- Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Green onions: for garnishing (optional).
Shrimp Marinade
- Shrimp: fresh or frozen large to jumbo shrimp are recommended. Or substitute with small shrimp. Get the easy peel deveined kind to make things easier.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Shaoxing Wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine sold at many Asian grocery stores. Or substitute with Dry Sherry or dry white wine. For a non-alcoholic version, substitute with chicken broth.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.
- Neutral Oil
Sauce
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Dark Soy Sauce: this is thicker and darker than regular soy sauce. Or substitute with mushroom soy sauce.
- Sesame Oil: or substitute with sesame seeds. If you're allergic to sesame, omit it.
- Chicken Bouillon Powder: this is also known as Chicken stock powder.
- White Pepper: or substitute with black pepper.
Variations
- If you’re gluten-free, substitute both soy sauces with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce and substitute the chicken bouillon with a gluten-free version.
- If you're vegan or vegetarian, omit the shrimp, chicken bouillon powder and eggs. Add in more veggies of your choice and more soy sauce to taste.
- Not a fan of shrimp? Substitute with chicken, more eggs, beef or pork.
Note: The Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Use cold day-old rice and avoid using hot rice. Day-old cold rice will ensure a fluffier fried rice with separated grains.
- Break up the rice prior to frying with clean hands or a rice paddle. This exposes the surface area of each grain so it can be seasoned and toasted better in the pan.
- Rinse the peeled and deveined shrimp with cold water to remove any tiny shells or dirt and strain the shrimp to remove excess moisture. This prevents the shrimp from tasting fishy.
- Use a carbon steel wok for optional smoky flavor. When the oil hits the hot steel it creates a smoke to season the food in the pan. This is the secret ingredient to most Chinese takeout.
- Pour the sauce around the rice along the edges of the pan. When the sauce mixture hits the pan, it "toasts" the sauce creating extra umami flavor!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make shrimp fried rice:
- In a large bowl, marinate peeled and deveined shrimp with marinade ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes and set aside.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoon or 45 ml of vegetable oil in a large pan or wok on medium-high heat. Fry shrimp until 50% cooked, about 15-20 seconds. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
- Fry garlic and shallots for 10 seconds or until softened. Quickly add in green peas and carrots and fry for another 10 seconds. Push everything to the side of the wok.
- Add remaining vegetable oil into empty space. Pour in the beaten eggs, then scramble before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Mix in the shrimp. Add rice and pour the sauce around the rice along the edges of the pan. Toss everything together until all rice grains are colored brown. Remove off heat and garnish with green onions.
Storage and Reheating
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat in a pan on medium heat until hot.
- Freezer friendly? Fried rice can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen for up to 1 month. To reheat, defrost it overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop in a pan or microwave from frozen until hot.
Pairing Suggestions
Shrimp fried rice serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Szechuan Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
Shrimp fried rice can be made up to 4 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.
Soggy fried rice can be due to a few different reasons:
- Day-old rice was not used. This is the key to preventing mushy fried rice.
- Proteins and vegetables were added after rice was added to wok creating excess moisture.
- The heat wasn’t high enough. You should use at least medium-high heat or higher, especially in a carbon steel wok. This creates a non-stick cooking surface.
No, a large pan will work too! But if you want that smoky taste that you'll find in most Asian takeout, use a steel wok. When the oil hits the hot steel, it creates a smoke in the air that envelops the food making it taste smoky.
📖 Recipe
Quick Easy Chinese Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups cooked jasmine rice day-old and cold (see below Notes for amount of uncooked rice to use)
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp or large shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup carrot small diced (or sub with corn niblets)
- ½ cup peas fresh or frozen (or sub with small chopped green beans)
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ½ green onion finely chopped for garnish
Shrimp Marinade
- 1.5 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1.5 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry/dry white wine/chicken broth
- 1.5 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch/tapioca starch
- 1.5 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (aka chicken stock powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, marinate peeled and deveined shrimp with marinade ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes and set aside.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoon or 45 ml of vegetable oil in a large pan or wok on medium-high heat. Fry shrimp until 50% cooked, about 15-20 seconds. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
- Fry garlic and shallots for 10 seconds or until softened. Quickly add in green peas and carrots and fry for another 10 seconds. Push everything to the side of the wok.
- Add remaining vegetable oil into empty space. Pour in the beaten eggs, then scramble before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Mix in the shrimp. Add rice and pour the sauce around the rice along the edges of the pan. Toss everything together until all rice grains are colored brown. Remove off heat and garnish with green onions.
Ralph
My wife loved it! I used the jasmine rice, cooked it the previous day, and incorporated it with everything else. This recipe was very flavorful and joins roughly five other recipes of yours that i have tried which have been successful.
Christie Lai
Thanks for making my recipe and sharing this positive review, Ralph! Super happy to hear that this worked out well for you and your wife. I appreciate your constant support in making so many of my recipes.
Charlene
I love it. The shrimp fried rice is lovely. Restaurant quality actually.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for the positive review! Glad you enjoyed it!
Mimi
This was so beautiful and I used this menu and I’m so proud of it and myself. Thank you ☺️
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe Mimi! Glad you enjoyed it and glad you felt confidence in making it 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Liz
Made this for dinner on a whim. This is hands down the best recipe I’ve tried for Shrimp Fried Rice! It was absolutely delicious and it tastes better than take out!!!
Christie Lai
Aww this makes me so happy to read! So glad you enjoyed my recipe, Liz!