Succulent shrimp stir-fried with lots of fragrant aromatics and fish sauce. This quick and easy Thai garlic fried shrimp is ready in 15 minutes with simple ingredients in one-pan. A great main dish for all the shrimp-lovers!
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This Thai dish is made of shrimp tossed in cornstarch and stir-fried with red chili, garlic, green onions, shallots and ginger. Then seasoned with fish sauce, sesame oil and sugar.
The shrimp is packed with flavor, thanks to the aromatics and fish sauce. It's incredibly tasty and it will make your eyes roll to the back of your head! I almost devoured the entire plate.
My easy shrimp recipe is a Thai-inspired dish best paired with steamed rice and vegetables or with other Thai food. I share pairing suggestions below.
It's a fantastic seafood dish great for busy weeknight meals when you have little time or energy to cook. There are minimal ingredients involved!
I love making this Asian shrimp whenever I have a frozen bag of shrimp, which is most often. It's simple, satisfying and gets the job done!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Jumbo Shrimp: either fresh or frozen shrimp will work. Get the easy-peel deveined kind to make prep quick. Or substitute with medium to extra large shrimp but reduce the cooking time. Avoid using smaller shrimp or colossal.
- Green Onion
- Red Chili Pepper: any large red chili will work or substitute with green chili pepper. For extra spicy: substitute with Thai bird's eye red chili. For no spice: substitute with red bell pepper.
- Shallot: or substitute with ¼ cup onion.
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
- Fish sauce: a common ingredient used in Thai cooking made of fish oils and salt offering an umami flavor! If you're gluten free, use a gluten-free fish sauce.
- Sesame Oil: or substitute with sesame seeds. If you're allergic to sesame, omit this ingredient.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh aromatics for best flavor.
- Get easy-peel deveined shrimp to make preparation easier and quicker!
- To devein shrimp: make a small slit on the back of the shrimp with a sharp knife and pull out the black vein with a toothpick.
- Throughly rinse off the shrimp with cold running water to remove any tiny raws or dirt.
- Pat dry the shrimp to remove any excess moisture so the cornstarch can stick.
- Toss shrimp in enough cornstarch so each piece is evenly coated and feel free to add more if needed.
- Don't over cook the shrimp. Once it's pink and curled, remove it from the pan.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Thai garlic fried shrimp:
- If needed, peel and devein the shrimp either removing the tails or leaving them on. Rinse peeled shrimp with running cold water to remove any dirt or tiny shells. Strain and shake out any excess water.
- Then transfer the shrimp to a large bowl and pat dry with clean paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Next add cornstarch and toss until each shrimp is evenly coated. Residual starch in the bowl is normal.
- Then heat 3 tablespoon or 45 ml vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry the coated shrimp on both sides just until pink, curled, and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove shrimp from the pan.
- In the same pan, reduce to medium heat, add remaining oil. Sauté red chili, green onions, shallot, garlic and ginger for 15 seconds.
- Toss back in cooked shrimp. Then add sugar, fish sauce and sesame oil in that order. Lastly toss everything together and remove off heat to enjoy.
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? I don't recommend freezing Thai garlic fried shrimp because the shrimp will turn rubbery.
Pairing Suggestions
Thai garlic fried shrimp serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls or fresh spring rolls
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- cooked protein like bang bang shrimp, crying tiger beef, or pad kra pao
- noodle dishes like Thai Drunken Noodles, Pad See Ew, Chicken Pad Thai or Shrimp Pad Thai, Thai Glass Noodle Stir-Fry, Pad Woon Sen
- rice dishes like Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice, Thai Railway Fried Rice
FAQ
Thai garlic shrimp 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.
The coated shrimp may be air fried. To air fry the shrimp: lightly spray the air fryer basket with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Then place the coated shrimp into the basket in a single layer without overlap. Lightly spray oil over the shrimp. Air fry at 400 F for 5-6 minutes, giving the basket a shake halfway.
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📖 Recipe
Easy 15-min. Thai Garlic Fried Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp or extra jumbo shrimp
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 red chili pepper or Bird's eye chili for very spicy or red bell pepper for not spicy, chopped
- 1 shallot sliced, or ¼ cup diced onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup cornstarch or potato starch, add more if needed
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
Instructions
- If needed, peel and devein the shrimp either removing the tails or leaving them on.
- Rinse peeled shrimp with running cold water to remove any dirt or tiny shells. Strain and shake out any excess water.
- Transfer the shrimp to a large bowl and pat dry with clean paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Then add cornstarch and toss until each shrimp is evenly coated. Residual starch in the bowl is normal.
- Heat 3 tablespoon or 45 ml vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry the coated shrimp on both sides just until pink, curled, and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove shrimp from the pan.
- In the same pan, reduce to medium heat, add remaining oil. Sauté red chili, green onions, shallot, garlic and ginger for 15 seconds.
- Toss back in cooked shrimp. Then add sugar, fish sauce and sesame oil in that order. Toss everything together and remove off heat to enjoy.
Maggie
This was so easy to make and delicious! I felt like I was in Thailand!
Christie Lai
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this and it made you feel like you were in Thailand! Thank you for your positive review!
Michelle
Easy to follow and tastes great! I put some chili flakes for extra spice afterwords. Great recipe overall 🙂
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Michelle! So thrilled that you enjoyed it with the chili flakes 🙂
Ana
My first time on your blog. I thought this recipe was perfection! I only had red pepper flakes, leftover grated ginger, and a regular ole onion but it turned out great. Such a wonderful balance of flavors. I was making it for myself because my husband "wasn't hungry"...until it was done and the delicious garlicky smell filled the house. I had some day old rice in the fridge too and the leftover oil at the end made some KILLER garlic fried rice...looking forward to trying another one of your recipes!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Ana! I am so glad that you and your husband enjoyed it! That garlic fried rice sounds incredible too. I hope you enjoy my other recipes!
Sonia
My husband never eats shrimp, but he went back for seconds with this recipe. So easy to make and for once, I had all of the ingredients at hand. This will be my go to shrimp recipe from here out.
christieathome
I am so happy to hear that I could help him to finally enjoy shrimp! That's so awesome! Thank you for making my recipe, Sonia! I am so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Lynette
Loved this Recipe! We had Valentines Day dinner with the family, and was onevofvtgevstar dishes, thank you
christieathome
Amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed it with your family and thanks for making it for Valentine's Day!
Mandi
This recipe is amazing and so easy to make. My friends and family loved it! Making it again tonight. Definitely my favorite shrimp recipe. Thanks!!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Mandi! I am so glad your family and friends loved it 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Liz Edlich
Husband said this is the best shrimp he’s ever had! And so easy! Thank you! ❤️
christieathome
So happy to read that Liz! Thanks for making my recipe and for sharing this kind review 🙂 Have a lovely day!
LUCIA
Super easy and so tasty! Will definitely make this again.
christieathome
So happy to read this! Thank you for making my recipe! Have a lovely day!
B
Made this last night. Was excellent! Def would have been even better if I used a wok. Oh, and maybe let the oil heat up more before I put the shrimp in. Lol
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, a wok really makes a huge difference as it adds a smokiness to the dish. If you're looking for a quality wok, I share one that I regularly use on my Shop page if you click here.
Jessica
This was honestly SO GOOD. We did use a Serrano but the flavor was amazing and paired so well with Argentinian shrimp
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Jessica! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Nicole
Made this tonight!! Husband lived it!!
christieathome
I am so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for making my recipe Nicole!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Yum, I think I am in shrimp heaven! That was a great tip you gave for looking for black tiger shrimp, I will definitely be looking for them.