Shrimp with Garlic Sauce

This easy shrimp with garlic sauce is the perfect answer for a busy weeknight dinner. This classic stir-fry features plump, tender shrimp and crisp, vibrant vegetables tossed in a rich, savory, and incredibly aromatic garlic sauce that is so much better than takeout. Forget delivery-you can have this flavorful and healthy dish on your dinner table in under 30 minutes

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 📖 Variations
• 🧂 Substitutions
• 🔪 How To Make Shrimp with Garlic Sauce
• 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
• 🥡 Storing & Reheating
• 😋 More Great Dinner Recipes
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments & Reviews

❤️ Why I Love This Recipe

Easy - This entire dish comes together in a single skillet, making both cooking and cleanup incredibly simple. The only real prep is chopping the vegetables, and you can easily save time by purchasing them pre-chopped.

Flavorful - The magic of this one-pan meal is that all the ingredients simmer together. This process allows every piece of shrimp and each vegetable to become perfectly infused with the rich, savory garlic sauce.

Customizable - This recipe is famously flexible, so feel free to make it your own! You can easily swap the shrimp for chicken, beef, or pork. Don't have carrots? Use broccoli instead. Mix and match ingredients to suit your family's tastes or use up whatever you have on hand.

🥘 Ingredients

This is a super easy-to-make stir-fry dinner that uses some very common ingredients. If you're having trouble finding some of the ingredients, check your local Asian or ethnic market.

Shrimp Stir Fry

• Vegetable Oil - Use your preferred cooking oil, but choose one with a higher smoke point that is also flavorless.
• Garlic - Garlic is one of the most common foods used to add its unique flavor to a dish.
• Ginger - Ginger is a common flavor used in Asian cuisine. Fresh ginger is called ginger root and is located in the produce aisle. Ginger is also available as a paste in the produce section, or you can use about ⅛ teaspoon of ground ginger.
• Thai Chiles - Thai chiles (AKA birds eye chile) are slender 1-2" long peppers that can be either red or green when they are fresh. I'm using dried chili peppers in this recipe.
• Snow Peas - Snow peas are a type of pea where you eat the pod with the pea. The pods are flat and about 1-2 inches long; you can see the shape of the peas inside.
• Carrots - You can buy full carrots and then wash and peel and cut them, or use mini-baby carrots that you can just toss into the recipe without cutting.
• Bell Pepper - Even though they are a type of pepper, red (orange and yellow) bell peppers are more sweet than spicy and they're a personal fave for my stir-fries. They have a very similar taste to a green pepper.
• Shrimp - Whether fresh or frozen, look for uncooked shrimp that is translucent/gray (shrimp are only pink/red when cooked). Any size shrimp will work (small, medium, large, jumbo) but the smaller shrimp means that you'll have more pieces throughout your dish.

For The Garlic Sauce

• Chicken Broth - This is the base liquid for your sauce. Use homemade if you have it, or your favorite store-bought brand.
• Soy Sauce - A staple ingredient for Asian cooking or adding additional flavor to already prepared foods. You can find it on the Asian food aisle at the grocery store.
• Dry Sherry (or sake) - Dry sherry is commonly used for cooking; most grocery stores sell it as a condiment on the shelves next to the cooking vinegar, cooking wine, and oils. You can also purchase dry sherry or sake at the liquor store.
• Rice Vinegar - Rice vinegar is a common cooking staple in Asian cuisine. It is often in the same aisle as other condiments like salad dressing and cooking oils, or in the ethnic section.
• Sesame Oil - Sesame oil is a cooking oil and flavor enhancer. You don't need much to add a lot of flavor!
• Chili Paste: -Chili paste is another easy way to add a lot of flavor with very little of the actual paste. Look for chili paste that is on the Asian food aisle and comes in a jar; it may say "crushed red chili paste" or "roasted red chili paste."
• Cornstarch - Cornstarch is a white powder that is used to thicken sauces and soups. It's a great pantry staple to have on hand!
• Water - Use cold water to combine with the cornstarch.

📖 Variations

Check out my beef with garlic sauce or chicken with garlic sauce too!

Chicken, Pork, or Steak - Not a fan of shrimp? Not a problem! Just swap out the shrimp for your favorite meat. If you do switch to chicken or steak, cut up your desired meat into small chunks (about 1" in size).

Follow the same directions as above; however, chicken and steak will take a bit longer to cook all the way through so make sure you check that it is fully cooked. Just take a piece of meat out of the skillet and cut it in half to see that it is cooked all the way through.

Choose your Veggies - You can use almost any vegetable you like! Just switch out vegetables you like for the ones you don't. You can also add more variety by splitting up a serving, for example splitting the ½ cup snow peas into ¼ cup snow peas and a ¼ cup of regular peas. Broccoli and cauliflower are two other veggies I particularly like to use in stir fry.

🧂 Substitutions

Make it Vegetarian - Leave out the shrimp and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Add 1 additional cup of vegetables of your choice.

Make it Gluten Free - Soy sauce is made from soybeans AND grain, so many people who are gluten sensitive cannot eat soy sauce. Replace soy sauce with Tamari or Coconut aminos. Tamari is still made with soybeans, but no grains, so it's gluten-free. Coconut aminos are made from coconuts, so are both soy and gluten-free.

🔪 How To Make Shrimp with Garlic Sauce

This dish is perfect spooned over jasmine rice for a complete meal. If you start a pot of rice cooking just before you start making the shrimp with garlic sauce, everything will be ready to eat about the same time.

1. Prepare the Sauce Components. A successful stir fry requires having everything ready before you start cooking.
   • Garlic Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients: ⅓ cup of chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of dry sherry, ½ tablespoon of rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon of chili paste. Set this bowl aside.
   • Thickening Slurry: In a separate small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. This is your "slurry," which you will use later to thicken the sauce. Set it aside.
2. Sauté the Aromatics & Vegetables.
   • Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
   • Add the minced garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until they become fragrant.
   • Add the Thai chiles and continue to stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
   • Add the prepared vegetables (½ cup snow peas, ½ cup sliced carrots, ½ cup sliced red bell peppers) to the wok. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are vibrant and tender-crisp.
3. Cook the Shrimp & Finish the Dish.
   • Add the shrimp to the wok with the vegetables. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the shrimp begin to curl and turn pink and opaque.
   • Pour the prepared garlic sauce over the shrimp and vegetables, and bring it to a simmer.
   • Give your cornstarch slurry a quick re-stir (as the cornstarch will have settled) and pour it into the wok.
   • Continue to stir-fry for about 1 more minute as the sauce quickly thickens and becomes glossy.
4. Serve Immediately. Once the sauce has thickened, remove the wok from the heat. Serve your garlic shrimp stir fry immediately over rice or noodles for the best texture.

If you're making rice and it's not quite ready, cover the shrimp with garlic sauce and turn on low to keep warm - the rice should be done shortly! When ready, scoop and serve over your rice, and enjoy!

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

• Marinate the Shrimp for Max Flavor. For an even more delicious dish, use the sauce as a marinade. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together (including the cornstarch slurry), pour about half over the raw shrimp, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Note: To avoid cross-contamination, either set aside the other half of the sauce before marinating or mix a fresh, separate batch to add to the wok during cooking.
• Don't Be Shy with the Garlic. This dish is all about the rich, aromatic garlic flavor. The recipe calls for a specific amount, but feel free to add an extra clove or two if you're a true garlic lover. It's the star ingredient of the garlic sauce, so let it shine!
• The Keys to a Perfect Stir Fry. The technique is just as important as the ingredients. Follow these two important rules for crisp vegetables and tender shrimp every time:
  1. Use a Sizzling Hot Pan. Always preheat your wok or skillet until it's very hot before adding the oil. The oil itself should be shimmering before you add any ingredients. This high heat ensures everything sears perfectly rather than steaming.
  2. Don't Crowd the Pan. Tossing too many ingredients in at once will drastically lower the pan's temperature, causing the food to steam and become soggy. If necessary, cook your vegetables and shrimp in separate batches to ensure they get a proper, crisp stir-fry.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

This garlic shrimp stir fry makes for excellent leftovers. Once the dish has cooled down, transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator.

While it will be safe to eat for up to 3-4 days, we highly recommend enjoying your leftovers within 1-2 days. This will ensure the shrimp maintains the best possible texture, as it can become tougher the longer it is stored.

Reheating

For the best results, reheat your stir fry on the stovetop. This method gently warms the shrimp and vegetables without making them rubbery.

1. Place the leftovers in a skillet or wok over medium-low heat.
2. Add a splash of water or chicken broth to loosen the sauce and create steam.
3. Stir occasionally until everything is warmed through.

Tip for Reheating Rice. If you're serving your leftovers with rice that has been refrigerated, it can sometimes be dry. To restore its texture, place the rice in a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle it with a little water, and cover it with a damp paper towel. Microwave in 30-second intervals until it's soft and steamy.

😋 More Great Dinner Recipes

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• Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf
• Stuffing Stuffed Pork Chops
• Broiled Lobster Tails
• Beef & Shells

📖 Recipe Card