Easy Shrimp Fried Rice

This easy shrimp fried rice is super quick to make – like 20 minutes start-to-finish quick. It’s a crowd-pleasing weeknight meal that reheats beautifully for lunches the next day. A Chinese takeout classic that everyone loves!

For some reason, I often find myself with leftover rice. I guess I figure it’s better to have too much rice than not enough, and anyway my toddler would eat plain white rice for every meal if he could! If you have a leftover rice problem too (like from when you made this amazing honey garlic chicken maybe?), then this easy shrimp fried rice recipe is for you!

Shrimp fried rice is so easy to make and you can use pretty much any fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables you have on hand. Components are quickly cooked in stages, set aside and then tossed together at the end with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a little sesame oil.

Best of all, you can whip it up in mere minutes! But even though it’s simple and quick, there are some things you should know if you want the best results.

Tips for the Best Shrimp Fried Rice

• Use cold rice. Do not attempt to make this with fresh warm rice because frying it will only make it mushy. If you don’t have leftover rice, you can make a batch of fresh rice, spread it out thinly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze or refrigerate for a few minutes until cold.
• Have all your ingredients measured, chopped, and ready to go before you start cooking. This is especially important for any stir-fry type dish because the cooking process moves really quickly. Having everything ready to go ensures a stress-free cooking experience!
• Use your favorite protein and vegetables. Fried rice is so versatile! Instead of shrimp, you could use chicken, pork or even tofu. Instead of peas and carrots you could use bell peppers, celery, corn, broccoli, even pineapple for a little sweetness to balance the saltiness of the soy sauce. If you use fresh vegetables, chop them finely and cook them at the same time as the onion.

Add a little extra soy sauce at the end if you like. This easy shrimp fried rice is packed with flavor!

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Easy Shrimp Fried Rice

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Ann Otis

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil divided
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1/2 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined (you can use fresh or froze and thawed)
• pinch salt and pepper
• 2 eggs whisked
• 1.5 cups frozen peas and carrots thawed
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 cups cold cooked rice short grain rice is ideal
• 3 green onions thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin or oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

• In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
  
• Season shrimp with a pinch of salt and pepper, and add them to the pan with the onions, in a single layer. Flip after a minute or so, and cook until pink and opaque, about another minute. Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl.
  
• Return the pan to the heat, and add another tablespoon of oil. Add whisked eggs and cook, stirring occasionally to scramble, until no longer runny, about 1 minute. Remove the eggs to the bowl with the shrimp.
  
• Melt the butter in the skillet and add the rice. Pat the rice into an even layer and let cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes.
  
• Add the green onions to the rice and stir to combine, until rice is heated through.
  
• Stir in the contents of the bowl with the shrimp, along with the peas and carrots, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil, until well-combined.
  
• Serve with extra soy sauce, if desired.
  

Ann Otis

Hi! I’m Ann and I blog at Our Happy Mess. I’m all about fast, fresh, and family-friendly recipes. I believe cooking from scratch can not only be doable but FUN, no matter how busy life gets!

You can find more of my recipes at Our Happy Mess.