Honey Garlic Shrimp – Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Our favorite Honey Garlic Shrimp with broccoli whips together in 30 minutes or less and is packed with flavor, sweetness, and a little spice!
Love quick shrimp dishes? Us too! Try our one-skillet Lemon Garlic Shrimp, practically famous Shrimp Tacos, or this one-pan Shrimp and Sausage Recipe next!
Our Favorite Honey Garlic Shrimp Recipe
When I think of quick weeknight meals, shrimp often comes to mind. It’s so quick to prepare, which makes it the perfect busy weeknight meal. Throw it in with some veggies and a quick stir-fry sauce and dinner is ready to go in under 30 minutes.
This Honey Garlic Shrimp stirfry is aimed at being as simple as possible while still packing in maximum amounts of flavor. The stirfry sauce has only five ingredients and packs a punch! And instead of waiting around for Roasted Broccoli, we quickly steam it in the microwave and then throw it in with the rest of the veggies — easy peasy! And finally, the shrimp cooks ridiculously fast — as in minutes.
So, before you know it, you’ll be sitting down and enjoying a big bowl of this Honey Garlic Shrimp with broccoli!
How To Make Honey Garlic Shrimp
The full recipe card is below and has all the details needed to perfectly prepare Honey Garlic Shrimp! Below are my top tips for success followed by plenty of shrimp cooking tips to browse through.
- Ginger and garlic. We love mincing fresh garlic and ginger for this recipe, but in a pinch, grab Dorot’s® garlic and ginger cubes to pop in the skillet. Or, use refrigerated garlic paste and refrigerated minced garlic.
- Coarsely chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and steam. When steaming the broccoli, keep in mind we’re also going to sauté it in the pan a little later on. When steaming, aim to keep it more on the crisp side to avoid too-soft broccoli.
- Use a large skillet or wok. The more room for everything to cook, the quicker the process will go.
How To Cook Honey Garlic Shrimp
If you’re new to cooking shrimp, it can seem tricky to get right at first, but rest assured that these tips will help you prepare perfectly succulent and tasty shrimp with confidence! Below are our top tips, starting with what shrimp to select at the grocery store:
- Pick the right shrimp. Fresh is best, but frozen works great too (see “quick tip” below). If using frozen, be sure it has fully thawed (rinse it under cold water, not warm, which will mess up the texture) before cooking it.
- Save yourself some work (and hassle) by picking shelled, peeled, and deveined shrimp.
- We’ve always had the best results in this recipe with large or extra-large shrimp. When you buy shrimp, the size designation isn’t standard and it’s best to use count per pound. When you see 26/30 on the packaging of frozen shrimp, for example, that means there are 26 to 30 shrimp per pound. U15 means there are under 15 shrimp per pound. The fewer shrimp per pound, the larger they are.
- Shrimp cooks really fast, so we recommend cooking the shrimp quickly at higher temps (instead of low and slow which is great for something like a crockpot roast).
- Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel. This allows the shrimp to get a nice sear the minute it hits the pan. If the shrimp is wet, it won’t sear.
- Use tongs. Instead of stirring the shrimp with a spoon or spatula, try placing the shrimp in the skillet with tongs, flipping with tongs, and removing with tongs. It’s a game changer for texture!
- Remove from the heat promptly. Even when you turn off the heat, the pan is still hot so the food is still cooking. Working quickly, transfer from the hot pan to serving plates.
QUICK TIP
Did you know that 99.9% of all seafood (including shrimp) is flash frozen right on the ship where it’s harvested? The fresh shrimp you see in the case at the store is almost always thawed from its frozen state. So, unless you know that the shrimp was caught locally and never frozen, buy frozen shrimp with confidence that it’s just as good as the ones in the fish market case.
Honey Garlic Shrimp Ingredients
- Cornstarch: We use this ingredient to nicely thicken the sauce.
- Soy sauce: We like using regular soy sauce (not lite/low-sodium) in this sauce. Lite soy sauce doesn’t offer enough seasoning (saltiness).
- Sesame oil: For a great authentic flavor, sesame oil really delivers. If you can find toasted sesame oil, that’s even better! This oil is found with Asian ingredients, not near the other oils in the grocery store.
- Honey: To make Honey Garlic Shrimp healthier, we opt for natural sweeteners in the sauce. If you prefer, feel free to replace it with light brown sugar.
- Sriracha® sauce: Use this to add heat and flavor. You can, of course, reduce (or even omit it entirely) if you’re not a fan of heat. Alternatively, drizzle extra on your bowl if you love a meal! Note that if you do reduce or leave out the sriracha sauce, the flavors will be slightly lacking.
What To Serve With Honey Garlic Shrimp
We love the onion and broccoli with the shrimp in this recipe, but really any veggies you have lingering in your fridge will work great.
We like this quick stirfry best over white rice or quinoa (use microwave quinoa or rice packets for ease or check out my tutorial for how to cook quinoa). Or go the extra mile and serve it over fried rice or quinoa fried rice — delish!
Served atop a bed of cooked grains, this meal is quite well-rounded. If you’re looking for even more sides, here are some great pairing options:
More Seafood Favorites
Honey Garlic Shrimp
Our favorite Honey Garlic Shrimp with broccoli whips together in 30 minutes or less and is packed with flavor, sweetness, and a little spice!
Honey Garlic Shrimp
Our favorite Honey Garlic Shrimp with broccoli whips together in 30 minutes or less and is packed with flavor, sweetness, and a little spice!
Instructions
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STEAM BROCCOLI: See Note 4.
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SAUCE: In a small bowl, add cornstarch and soy sauce. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Add remaining sauce ingredients and whisk again.
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SHRIMP: Add oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of shrimp in one even layer (don’t overcrowd or overlap). Cook for 1 minute, then use tongs to flip on the other side and cook for 1 more minute up to 90 seconds or until cooked through. Use tongs to transfer to a plate. Repeat cooking the remaining shrimp and transfer to the plate.
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VEGGIES: Keeping the heat at medium-high, add in the thinly sliced onion. Cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add a touch more oil if needed and scrape the bottom of the pan as you cook. Add in garlic and ginger, cooking for another 30 seconds. Finally, add in broccoli and cook to crisp tender.
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ADD SAUCE: Quickly stir up the sauce again (honey usually settles) and add to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens like syrup (about a minute). Add the shrimp back in (and any accumulated juices) and toss through just to fully warm the shrimp. Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds if desired, and serve immediately! We like this served over cooked rice.
Recipe Notes
Note 2: Sesame oil: For a great authentic flavor, sesame oil really delivers. If you can find toasted sesame oil, that’s even better! This oil is typically found with Asian ingredients, not near the other oils in the grocery store.
Note 3: Sriracha: We use this to add heat and flavor. As written, this recipe does have some kick. You can reduce (or even omit it entirely) if you’re not a fan of heat. (We use 1 teaspoon when making this for the kiddos). Alternatively, add more or drizzle extra on your bowl if you love spicy shrimp! Note that if you do reduce or leave out the Sriracha sauce, the flavors will be slightly lacking.
Note 4: Steam Broccoli in Microwave: Coarsely chop broccoli into bite sized pieces and add to a microwave-safe bowl. Pour 3 tablespoons water on top. Cover bowl with a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 90 seconds up to 2-1/2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender (keep in mind, we will cook it a little more in the pan). (If it’s not quite tender enough, continue microwaving in 1-minute increments until it reaches desired level of tenderness). Be careful, steam is hot. Thoroughly drain broccoli and set aside for now.
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.
