This shrimp stir fry is a go-to fast and healthy dinner! Use any veggies you like and this flavor-packed stir fry sauce.

Here’s a go-to in the fast and easy dinner category: shrimp stir fry! It’s quick to put together and the umami-packed stir fry sauce is full of irresistible flavor. It’s our favorite Easy Stir Fry Sauce that works with any type of stir fry: we’ve used it on tofu, cauliflower, or shrimp, but of course you can riff endlessly. Add your favorite vegetables to make a super-satisfying dinner that pleases everyone around the table. (At least, it did here!)

Ingredients in this shrimp stir fry

This shrimp stir fry recipe is completely customizable based on your tastes. All you need is shrimp and stir fry sauce: then use whatever veggies you love! Here’s what we included as essential ingredients: but you can customize based on your liking (more on that below!).

Shrimp, fresh or frozen
Broccoli or broccolini: broccolini has a nice sweet flavor and the lovely look of the long stems
Bell peppers: peppers are quick to cook and pack in the nutrients
Mushrooms (optional): shiitake mushrooms add big savory flavor, but you can use any type of mushroom, like portobello, cremini, oyster, or maitake
Green onions: quick to cook and add a fresh flavor
Ginger (optional): fresh ginger root adds big flavor if you have it

More veggie ideas!

There are lots more veggies you can add to customize this shrimp stir fry. All you need to know is the relative cook time. But important: don’t overstuff your pan! More veggies is not necessarily better. Using too many makes them stack on each other and steam instead of stir fry, resulting in soggy veggies. You’ll want to use your largest skillet and approximately 6 to 8 cups of vegetables. Here are a few ideas for more veggies:

Vegetables that stir fry in 6 to 7 minutes: broccoli, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, carrots (thinly sliced or matchsticks)
Vegetables that stir fry in 3 to 5 minutes: cabbage (thinly sliced), zucchini, summer squash, edamame (frozen and shelled), snap peas or snow peas, bok choy (chopped)
Vegetables stir fry in 1 minute: garlic (minced), ginger (minced), green onion (thinly sliced)

What shrimp to buy

There are lots of options at the store when it comes to shrimp! When you’re shopping for this shrimp stir fry, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Wild caught. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.
Find medium shrimp (or large). Medium shrimp is our favorite, because it’s bite-sized and distributes well with the veggies. Large works too! Medium is labeled as 41 to 50 count, and Large as 31 to 40 count (this indicates how many shrimp there are per pound).
Use tail on or peeled. Tail on looks nice, but you do have to remove the tails with your hands as you eat them! Peeled is nice, especially when serving kids.
Fresh or frozen. Both have essentially the same freshness because most shrimp are immediately flash frozen. Just make sure to thaw the shrimp in advance.

The stir fry sauce

This shrimp stir fry sauce is customizable to work for any stir fry! We made it first with our Tofu Stir Fry, then realized it would be delicious with just about any protein. Use this sauce for any stir fry that’s intended for 4 servings and 1 pound of protein, be it chicken, tofu, steak or shrimp. You can also make the sauce in advance: whip it up and store in a covered jar or container until you’re ready to cook. Here’s what’s in this sauce:

Soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Sugar
Miso
Cornstarch
Garlic powder

How to serve shrimp stir fry

Once you’ve whipped up this shrimp stir fry: how to serve it? Of course, you can add rice and call it a day. But here are a few more options for serving suggestions and side dishes to make it a complete meal.

Jasmine rice: Jasmine rice has a lovely fragrant flavor and light texture that makes it our favorite variety.
Jade rice: Try green jade rice, naturally colored with bamboo.
Quinoa: We like mixing it up and serving a stir fry with quinoa every now and then.
Noodles: Serve with quick soba noodles.
Edamame: Pair this stir fry with Easy Edamame or Spicy Edamame as a side.
Fried Rice: Add takeout-style fried rice for a filling meal.

A few nutrition notes

Lastly, a few notes on nutrition! This shrimp stir fry is big on both flavor and nutrients! We like to design meals that add a big nutritional punch using our favorite go-to veggies. Here’s what to note:

Bell peppers are packed with vitamin C: 1 medium red bell pepper provides 169% of your daily vitamin C. So using two peppers in this recipe knocks this vitamin off the charts (source).
Broccoli is full of fiber and Vitamin C. 1 cup of raw broccoli has 2.3 grams of fiber (source) and 140% of your daily vitamin (source). This recipe uses about 4 cups.
You also get all the benefits of mushrooms, like anti-oxidants and Vitamin B (source).

This shrimp stir fry recipe is…

Gluten-free, dairy-free, and pescatarian.