Shrimp Fried Rice
on Jan 12, 2020, Updated Jun 18, 2025
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Stir fried rice is the best thing that can happen to leftover rice, and this version includes little nuggets of crisp-tender pink shrimp mixed with colorful vegetables.
This fried rice recipe is lighter than many and has an appealing simplicity to it. Let’s just say that sometimes fried rice is glistening for a reason, and that this version tastes terrific with not a lot of fat.
You can leave the shrimp whole, for a splashier presentation, and you can use whatever size shrimp fit your budget. If you have larger shrimp you may want to cut the shrimp into pieces so that the stir-fried rice is easier to scoop up.
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Variations:
- Try chicken or pork cut into ½-inch dice.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of hoisin or oyster sauce or a couple of teaspoons of sesame oil along with the soy sauce for a more flavorful stir fried rice dish.
- Also try this Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice recipe.
- You can also add some other chopped veggies along with the carrots, such as chopped broccoli, slivered cabbage, sliced sugar snap peas or asparagus.
Best Rice for Stir-Fried Rice
Day-old cooked and cold rice is best for all stir-fried rice recipes, which means seriously awesome things are afoot when you have leftover cooked rice that may look and feel somewhat dry and dense.
Or if you are cooking rice specifically for this recipe, use a tiny bit less water than usual and let it cook until it is quite dry, so that it stays separate.
You can also spread out freshly cooked rice on a baking sheet and leave it uncovered for couple of hours so that it dries out nicely.
Also Read: How to Cook Perfect Rice on the Stove and 10 Ways to Use Leftover Rice.
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Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp whole or halved crosswise
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 3 cups cold cooked white or brown rice
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce or 3 tablespoons regular soy sauce and 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame or peas defrosted
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions white and light green parts
Instructions
- Season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a wok or a large skillet or saucepan over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, and when it is hot, add the shrimp and quickly stir fry them until they are pink, only about 2 minutes. Remove them to a plate and set aside.
- Heat 1 more tablespoon of oil in the same wok or saucepan over high heat. Add the beaten eggs and scramble quickly, sliding them out onto the plate with the shrimp when they are just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
- Return the wok to the burner over high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then add the cooked rice and stir fry, stirring occasionally until it is lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots ginger and the garlic and stir until you can smell the seasonings, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, edamame, and scallions and stir until everything is hot and the carrots are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cooked shrimp and eggs and stir until everything is well mixed and hot, 1 more minute. Serve right away.
The soy sauce in this recipe made the rice a dark brown color… not the nice bright yellow rice you see in the picture. Also, the scrambled eggs didn’t mix in very well and I just felt like I was eating rice with scrambled eggs. Which was very disappointing because that meant I was actually just serving depression age food, but with fancy cooked shimp. There is probably a better way to do this or else she has just left out some important information. This just wasn’t the best I’ve seen from Katie.
I make a double batch of rice so we can have this quick meal on a busy night. All the flavor but so much lighter than take out, thank you!