Forget the takeout make restaurant-quality shrimp fried rice in 30 minutes. Made with fresh shrimp, garlic, ginger, shallots, leftover rice, carrot, peas, and eggs in amazing savory Asian flavors. Made in one pan, packed with flavors.
Chinese shrimp fried rice
Any day is a good day for fried rice. It’s quick and easy to make. Usually made with leftover rice tossed with carrots, peas, and eggs, it can also include proteins like chicken, shrimp, or pork. A meal by itself, it works as a side dish too for any Asian meal.
Like any fried rice recipe, the secret to making the best shrimp fried rice is by using leftover chilled (in the refrigerator) rice that can be tossed with other ingredients in a wok, skillet, or griddle. Freshly cooked rice will turn mushy.
Also using fresh shrimp tastes amazing when cooked with fresh shrimp instead of frozen shrimp.
It’s cooked in one pan, with amazing savory Asian flavors. You’ll need 30 minutes or less to make it, and trust me it’s so much better than the take-out version. A perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need –
- Day old rice
- Shrimp
- Eggs
- Canola oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Shallots
- Carrot
- Peas
- Sesame oil
- Soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Cornstarch
- Green onion
All ingredient’s exact measurements in mentioned in the recipe card below.
- Day-old cooked rice – the secret to successful fried rice that tastes amazing is to use a day-old rice chilled in the refrigerator. Long-grain white rice is best for shrimp fried rice recipes. If you don’t have leftover day-old chilled rice, cook rice and spread it on a tray, and pop it in the freezer for 45 minutes. Then break down the rice with gentle hands.
- Shrimp – for best-tasting fried rice use fresh jumbo shrimp over frozen shrimp. Jumbo-sized prawns/shrimps are best. If you can’t find jumbo shrimp, get the medium-sized shrimp, peeled and devein, the tail removed.
- Eggs – use large eggs, if you love eggs add more. I find fried rice with eggs tastier.
- Aromats – garlic, ginger, shallots.
- Vegetables – I used carrots and frozen peas. Add anything that is your favorite. Diced carrots, shredded cabbage, chopped broccoli, snow peas, bok choy, diced mushrooms, and frozen corn.
- Sauce – there’s more than just soy sauce. Oyster sauce, regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine or rice vinegar, and white pepper go in the sauce.
How to make shrimp fried rice
Making shrimp fried rice is quick and easy. Once you begin cooking, you’ll move quickly so make sure you have all ingredients measured and ready near the stove.
Marinate shrimp:
In a bowl whisk all ingredients mentioned under the marinade for shrimp. Add peeled and deveined shrimp to the sauce ingredients. Mix. Let shrimp marinate in the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes.
Whisk eggs with ⅛ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of ground white pepper. Set aside.
Make the sauce:
To a bowl add regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.
In a large wok heat 1 tablespoon oil. To hot oil add marinated shrimp. Toss in between. Once the shrimp is cooked 50% remove it from the wok and set aside.
Clean the wok with a kitchen paper towel (be careful the wok will be hot). Cook whisked eggs in 1 tablespoon oil until just set. Remove and set aside. This is an optional step. You can cook eggs along with the vegetables instead of cooking them separately.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. On high heat sauté minced garlic, minced ginger, and diced shallots for 1 minute.
Add carrots and peas. Add a big pinch of salt and ground white pepper – this is optional. Stir and toss.
Add back half-cooked shrimp and eggs to the wok. Toss/stir well.
Pour prepared sauce and leftover chilled rice into the wok.
Quickly toss everything together.
Turn off the heat and pour 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and sprinkle green onion on top.
Serve and enjoy with more green onion as a garnish on top.
Tips to make the best shrimp fried rice
- Day-old rice is best because the grains are dry and crumbly. Freshly cooked rice will be wet and have surface moisture which will make it too sticky and might turn fried rice into mush.
- Useful hack. No leftover rice? Need some for an emergency to make fried rice? Cook rice, spread on a large tray and cool it and then pop it in the freezer so it’s dry. Note rice triples in volume when cooked. 1 cup of medium or long-grain rice will yield 3-4 cups of rice.
- Mise en place. The most important step in any stir-fried dish you get all the ingredients chopped, measured, and ready near the stove to be thrown into the pan and tossed.
- Large pan. Use a wok or a big wide skillet. The surface area should be big so you can toss rice around so it can stir-fry and not steam in the pan.
- High heat. Cook everything on high heat moving it quickly and frequently.
- Keep tossing. Do not let the ingredients sit for long while cooking. Do not let veggies sit in a wok to steam cook.
- Best quality sauce. Use the best quality oyster sauce, soy sauce, and if available Chinese cooking wine. Shrimp fried rice recipe taste depends on it. Choose low-sodium soy sauce, it’s less salty and better for health.
What goes with shrimp fried rice
It’s a meal by itself or can be served as a side with any Asian dishes.
Here are some of the serving suggestions-
Serve with Chinese egg drop soup
with garlic bok choy or Mongolian chicken
Storage
To refrigerate: Any leftover shrimp fried rice can be stored in an airtight container and placed in a refrigerator. It will keep for 3-4 days.
To freeze: you can also make a large batch of shrimp fried rice and store it in the freezer. Transfer to a freezer-friendly dish and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat: toss it in a wok until heated and serve.
Common questions
I recommend long-grain white rice. You can use any white rice variety short, medium, or long-grain rice. Any cooked cold rice will be fine, white, and brown.
The rice needs to be cold so every grain is dry and it’s perfect when you stir fry. Freshly cooked rice is warm and it will be soft. When you stir fry freshly cooked rice it will turn gluey.
MORE FRIED RICE RECIPES
Don’t forget to Subscribe to CurryTrail Recipes below to get our newest recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
LOVE THIS RECIPE. KEEP IN TOUCH AND DON’T MISS OUT ON ANY OF CURRY TRAIL RECIPES! FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, AND FACEBOOK.
HAVE YOU TRIED ONE OF MY RECIPES? I’D LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU’VE MADE! TAKE A PICTURE AND USE THE HASHTAG #CURRYTRAIL ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE! I’LL DO A HAPPY DANCE IF YOU TRY MY RECIPE AND SHARE IT WITH US!
📋Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups of day-old cooked rice
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 shallot diced
- ½ cup carrot
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 green onions
- Salt & ground white pepper – if needed add after tasting
For shrimp marinade
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar best use Shaoxing cooking wine if you have
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
For sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Marinate shrimp:In a bowl whisk all ingredients mentioned under the marinade for shrimp. Add peeled and deveined shrimp to the sauce ingredients. Mix. Let shrimp marinate in the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Whisk eggs with ⅛ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of ground white pepper. Set aside.
- Make the sauce:In a bowl whisk all ingredients mentioned under the marinade for shrimp. Add peeled and deveined shrimp to the sauce ingredients. Mix. Let shrimp marinate in the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes.
- To a bowl add regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.
- In a large wok heat 1 tablespoon oil. To hot oil add marinated shrimp. Toss in between. Once the shrimp is cooked 50% remove it from the wok and set aside.
- Clean the wok with a kitchen paper towel (be careful the wok will be hot). Cook whisked eggs in 1 tablespoon oil until just set. Remove and set aside. This is an optional step. You can cook eggs along with the vegetables instead of cooking them separately.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. On high heat saute minced garlic, minced ginger, and diced shallots for 1 minute.
- Add carrots and peas. Add a big pinch of salt and ground white pepper – this is optional. Stir and toss.
- Add back half-cooked shrimp and eggs to the wok. Toss/stir well.
- Pour prepared sauce and leftover chilled rice into the wok.
- Quickly toss everything together.
- Turn off the heat and pour 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and sprinkle green onion on top.
- Serve and enjoy with more green onion as a garnish on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Day-old rice is best because the grains are dry and crumbly. Freshly cooked rice will be wet and have surface moisture which will make it too sticky and might turn fried rice into mush.
- Useful hack. No leftover rice? Need some for an emergency to make fried rice? Cook rice, spread on a large tray and cool it and then pop it in the freezer so it’s dry. Note rice triples in volume when cooked. 1 cup of medium or long-grain rice will yield 3-4 cups of rice.
- Mise en place. The most important step in any stir-fried dish you get all the ingredients chopped, measured, and ready near the stove to be thrown into the pan and tossed.
- Large pan. Use a wok or a big wide skillet. The surface area should be big so you can toss rice around so it can stir-fry and not steam in the pan.
- High heat. Cook everything on high heat moving it quickly and frequently.
- Keep tossing. Do not let the ingredients sit for long while cooking. Do not let veggies sit in a wok to steam cook.
- Best quality sauce. Use the best quality oyster sauce, soy sauce, and if available Chinese cooking wine. Shrimp fried rice recipe taste depends on it. Choose low-sodium soy sauce, it’s less salty and better for health.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
Thank you for stopping by.
I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
Comments & Reviews
Kani says
This was great! I made it last night. I made a double batch! I can’t wait to have it for lunch!
Jyothi Rajesh says
So glad to hear you loved the recipe, thank you for sharing your feedback.