Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe - Cookin Canuck (2024)

This shrimp and vegetable stir fry recipe can be whipped up in minutes. Toss it with an easy stir fry sauce and serve it over a bed of rice.

Shrimp and vegetable stir fry is one of the easiest recipes you can have in your dinner rotation. It cooks in minutes and includes those wonderful garlicky gingery flavors that make the best stir fries irresistibly delicious. For my family, this recipe even rivals my wonton stir fry. And that’s saying something!

Stir fries are something I learned to make a long time ago. In fact, it’s the meal I turned to more than any other during my college years. Pick a protein (shrimp, chicken, beef, tofu, pork), add some veggies, whip up an easy sauce, cook it all in the same pan, then serve over a hearty helping of rice.

What you need for this shrimp and vegetable stir fry recipe:

These are the main components of this recipe (affiliate links included):

• SHRIMP: I used large shrimp, often labeled as 31-35 (in other words, there are 31-35 shrimp per pound). Peel the shrimp and remove the tails. Either fresh or frozen shrimp works.
• OIL: Two types of oil are needed. Use an oil with a high smoke point for stir frying. I usually use avocado oil, but canola is a good option, too. Use sesame oil for the stir fry sauce. Just a little drizzle adds a ton of flavor!
• GINGER & GARLIC: It’s just not a stir fry without garlic and ginger. Fresh is best! Avoid the jarred minced garlic and mince some fresh cloves right before cooking. See my post on How to Mince Garlic.
• VEGETABLES: I used zucchini, sugar snap peas and red bell pepper in this recipe, but feel free substitute with whatever you have on hand. Mushrooms, snow peas, onion, Napa or purple cabbage, bok choy and broccoli are all good options.
• SOY SAUCE: If sodium is a concern, use a low sodium soy sauce. For gluten free diets, substitute the soy sauce with tamari.
• OYSTER SAUCE: Oyster sauce can be found in the international aisle of most grocery stores. For gluten free diets, gluten free oyster sauce can be found online and in some specialty stores.
• AGAVE NECTAR: Use agave nectar or honey for a little sweetness.
• CHILI GARLIC SAUCE: A staple in our house! Find chili garlic sauce in the international aisle of most grocery stores. Alternatively, use extra garlic and some red pepper flakes.
• CORNSTARCH: Use cornstarch to thicken the stir fry sauce.
• RICE: For serving. I like to serve stir fries over brown jasmine rice, but regular brown rice, brown basmati rice or white rice of any of those varieties work just as well. If working more fiber into your diet is a priority, brown rice is a good choice.

See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.

How to make shrimp stir fry recipe:

My number one tip for making stir fries…BE PREPARED!

The benefit of stir frying for weeknight meals is that it goes quickly. However, that also means that prepping your ingredients (i.e., your mise en place) is essential.

1. PREP: Peel the shrimp, mince the garlic and ginger, cut the vegetables and whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl BEFORE you start cooking. Cooking dinner will feel far less frantic if you’re prepared. I promise!
2. COOK THE SHRIMP: First up is the shrimp. Heat some of the avocado or canola oil in a nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Shrimp cook quickly, so take care not to overcook them. One to 1 ½ minutes should do the trick for large (31-35) shrimp if you start with a hot skillet. Transfer to a plate.
3. COOK THE VEGETABLES: Cook the vegetables in stages. First add the ginger, zucchini and snap peas to the skillet, then the red bell pepper and garlic.
4. ADD THE SAUCE: Return the cooked shrimp to the pan, along with the stir fry sauce. Let it thicken for a minute. You’re done! Serve over rice and dig in.

What to serve with this easy shrimp stir fry:

Rice:

It doesn’t get much easier and quicker than shrimp stir fry with rice. As I mentioned above, there’s a wide range of rice options you can use. Our favorite stir fry rice is aromatic brown jasmine rice, but we often use brown basmati if we’re out of jasmine.

Other grains:

Try quinoa, couscous or even farro.

Noodles:

Serve the stir fry over egg noodles, rice noodles or sweet potato noodles. Soba or udon noodles work, too. Toss the cooked noodles with a little soy sauce and sesame oil.

Low carb options:

To the lower the carb count, swap out the rice with cauliflower rice (we love it in my cauliflower fried rice recipe), zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.

Printable Recipe

This post was first published on March 21, 2016 and updated with new tips and text on September 28, 2021.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by USA Rice and the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network as part of the #ThinkRice campaign. All opinions are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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