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! Great for the whole family and this rivals takeout!
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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.
I love making this dish since 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 this makes for an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Please scroll to the below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Leftover cooked rice: day-old cold rice is crucial to create fluffy grains. I recommend jasmine rice. Brown rice will work too. Avoid short grain rice.
How to dry out hot rice?
Lay it out on a sheet pan in a single layer, pop it into the freezer 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 onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Peas: frozen or fresh both work or substitute with broccoli florets or chopped green beans.
- 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: optional garnish
Shrimp marinade
- Jumbo shrimp: Small or large shrimp also work as a substitute. Get the easy peel deveined kind to make things easier. Frozen or fresh shrimp also both work.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Shaoxing wine or Dry Sherry wine: or substitute with any broth for a non-alcoholic version
- Cornstarch
- Neutral oil
Sauce
- Regular soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce: different than regular soy sauce as it's thicker and darker. Or substitute with regular soy sauce if you can't find this.
- Sesame oil
- Chicken bouillon powder (aka. Chicken instant stock mix)
- White pepper: or 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 vegetarian, omit the shrimp, chicken bouillon powder and eggs (if applicable) and add in more veggies.
- Not a fan of shrimp? Feel free to substitute with chicken, more eggs, beef or pork.
Note: The Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Use a carbon steel wok for optional smoky flavor. When the oil hits the hot steel it creates a smoke in the air enveloping the food. This is the secret ingredient to most Chinese takeout.
- 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. This exposes the surface area of each grain allowing it to be seasoned and toasted better in the wok.
- Pour the sauce mixture along the edges of the pan. When the sauce mixture hits the pan, it "toasts" the sauce creating extra umami flavor!
- Marinate the shrimp for a tender bite!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make shrimp fried rice:
Prepare shrimp and make sauce
Transfer peeled and deveined shrimp into a bowl. Marinate shrimp with Marinade ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
Fry shrimp, aromatics and vegetables
In a large pan or wok set over high heat, add 3 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once oil is hot. Fry shrimp until 50% cooked, about 15-20 seconds. Remove 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.
Scramble eggs and add back in shrimp
Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil into empty space. Pour in beaten eggs and scramble before mixing with ingredients.
Toss back in cooked shrimp.
Toss in rice with sauce
Add rice and toss with ingredients. Pour the sauce mixture over top. Mix until all rice granules are colored brown.
Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy with optional green onions as a garnish.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 1 month. To reheat, defrost it and reheat on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
This serves well with Sweet and sour chicken, General Tso Chicken, Mongolian chicken, Stir fried greens, or Egg rolls.
FAQ
What gives Chinese fried rice its flavor is the soy sauce, sesame oil and the "wok hei". Wok hei means 'breath of wok'. This occurs when the oil hits a piping hot wok creating a smoke above the pan. This same smoke is what flavors the fried rice and many other Chinese dishes served at the restaurant. You can easily recreate this smoky flavor in a cast iron skillet but not in a non-stick pan
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.
Soggy fried rice can be a result of many different factors:
- 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 heat to medium-high heat or higher, especially in a carbon steel wok. This creates a non-stick cooking surface.
📖 Recipe
Quick Easy Chinese Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups cooked jasmine rice day old rice (see Notes for amount of uncooked rice)
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup carrot finely diced
- ½ cup peas frozen
- 3 eggs beaten
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Shrimp Marinade:
- 1.5 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 1.5 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or sub with Dry Sherry Wine)
- 1.5 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1.5 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (aka chicken stock powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
Optional:
- ½ green onion finely sliced
Instructions
- Transfer peeled and deveined shrimp into a bowl. Marinate shrimp with Marinade ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
- In a hot wok or large skillet on high heat, add 3 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once oil is hot. Add shrimps. Fry shrimp until 50% cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Fry garlic and shallots for 10 seconds or until softened. Quickly add peas and carrots and fry for another 10 seconds or until softened. Push everything to the side of the wok.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into empty space of wok. Pour in eggs and scramble before mixing with ingredients in wok.
- Toss back in shrimp.
- Add rice and toss with ingredients. Pour prepared sauce over top. Mix until all rice granules are colored brown.
- Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy with optional green onions as a garnish.
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!