Shrimp Fried Rice is one of my go-to one-pot, 30-minute meals that is high in protein with plenty of veggies! The juicy shrimp is pan-seared and then tossed with rice, scrambled egg, and your favorite vegetables for an easy family favorite meal with what you have on hand!

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Helpful Reader Review
“This is the best shrimp stir fry! So easy to make and I like that you can add any vegetables to it. My family loves this one!” – Rhonda ★★★★★
Shrimp Fried Rice Video
Fried rice is so easy to make, but be sure to check out my tips for avoiding gummy, sticky rice, a process I picked up from one of my favorite OG bloggers, Jaden of steamykitchen.com.
Best Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe
Shrimp Fried Rice is so easy to make, and once you have a great basic recipe, you can easily change up it up by swapping protein and veggies for what you have on hand. That’s how I came up with my popular Chicken Fried Rice. I love how easy it is to make–and clean up! It’s a one-pan meal that comes together quickly and won’t mess up the kitchen.
We love recreating Asian takeout dishes like Chow Mein, General Tso’s Chicken, and of course, saucy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry. Making fried rice is probably the easiest homemade takeout dish.

Shrimp Fried Rice Ingredients
The shrimp fried rice cooking process moves quickly on a very hot skillet, so be sure to have all the ingredients prepped and ready before you start to cook.
- Rice: Start with cold cooked rice. Leftover rice is best. Avoid fresh, warm rice, or it will become sticky and gooey. I prefer Jasmine rice, but you can use medium, long-grain, or even brown rice.
- Shrimp: 20-24 count or 26-30 count RAW peeled and deveined shrimp. You can use frozen shrimp thawed according to directions on the package. Make it vegetarian by leaving out the shrimp, like our Pineapple Fried Rice, or substitute it with whatever protein you have, such as ham, bacon (like this Bacon Mango Fried Rice), beef, or chicken.
- Cornstarch – makes the shrimp slightly crisp when stir-fried, like in our Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos.
- Vegetables: I use a bag of frozen peas and carrots, thawed according to package instructions, but you can substitute leftover steamed or roasted vegetables (like Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Broccoli).
- Eggs: Large eggs add more protein, but you can omit the eggs if you’d prefer
- Green onion – light and dark green parts, plus more to garnish. Don’t have any? Leave them out.
- Soy Sauce – regular, low-sodium, or even coconut aminos, add them to taste to account for varying levels of salitness in the sauce, rice, and veggies. For Gluten-free Fried rice, check the label for GF, like this Tamari soy sauce.
- Sesame oil – DO NOT SKIP the sesame oil, which makes it taste like authentic Chinese fried rice. Use pure sesame oil, not toasted.

How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice
This shrimp fried rice takes just 10 minutes to cook, so allow the pan to come to high heat and add in order so the ingredients sear perfectly.
- Marinate shrimp in cornstarch, salt, and pepper for 10 minutes.
- Cook the shrimp – Heat the skillet over medium/high heat, add cooking oil, and cook the shrimp for 1 minute per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and reduce the heat to medium.
- Add beaten eggs into the hot skillet and scramble with your spatula until no longer runny. Transfer to the same plate as the shrimp.
- Cook green onions – Wipe the skillet with a paper towel, then increase to medium/high heat, and saute the chives in a little oil for 30 seconds.
- Spread cooked rice into the skillet and sizzle for 1-2 minutes without stirring. Flip and sizzle another 1-2 minutes.
- Add sauces & veggies – drizzle in Soy sauce and sesame oil to taste, and then stir in vegetables. *resist the urge to stir too often
- Add cooked shrimp and eggs back to the pan and stir to combine, and add more soy sauce to taste. Serve!

Helpful Reader Review
“Oh my gosh this is so good! I doubled it. The only other changes I made were extra sesame oil and green onions because I love the flavors and added fresh chopped garlic with the onions. Soooo much flavor! Will definitely make it again.” – Betsy ★★★★★

I hope you’re inspired to make some Shrimp Fried Rice this week. You’ll love how easily it comes together in under 30 minutes and how your family will love it! Add this to the menu this week!
Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients
- 1 lb 26-30 count uncooked shrimp , (peeled and deveined)
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp LIGHT olive oil, or canola
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped
- 5 cups leftover chilled white rice , (rinse rice before cooking)*
- 12 oz frozen carrots and peas, thawed
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos , or added to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Marinate shrimp – In a medium bowl, mix the shrimp, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Let marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Cook the shrimp – Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium/high heat. When a bead of water sizzles and evaporates, swirl in 2 Tbsp of cooking oil and add shrimp to the hot skillet and spread them out in a single layer. Cook 1 minute per side, or until cooked through and opaque. Remove to a bowl.
- Add beaten egg – Over medium heat, add beaten eggs to the same skillet. Break up the eggs with a spatula and cook until no longer runny. Remove to a bowl.
- Cook green onion – Wipe down the skillet with a paper towel and return to medium/high heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and onions, and cook green onions until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Spread rice – Stir in rice, then spread it evenly over the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes without disturbing it, then stir and sauté another 1 to 2 minutes. Rice should sizzle.
- Add sauces and veggies – Drizzle 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or add to taste) over rice and stir well. Add sesame oil and thawed vegetables and mix well.
- Add cooked shrimp and cooked eggs back to the pan and mix well. Continue to cook until the rice is hot and sizzles, stirring frequently. Add more soy sauce to taste, if desired.
Notes
- Cool the fried rice by spreading it into a shallow container and refrigerating it uncovered until cool. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight, or heat from frozen in a covered saucepan over medium heat. Stir until heated through (165°F). You can also microwave a thawed portion for 30-second intervals (stirring between intervals) until the food registers 165°F.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Asian-Inspired Takeout Recipes
- Fresh Spring Rolls
- Asian Chopped Salad Recipe
- Korean Beef Tacos
- Crispy Egg Rolls
- Chicken Stir Fry
- California Rolls
- Ground Beef Stir Fry



Loved it! Didn’t have frozen veggies on hand, so I diced 3 small carrots and a zucchini… stir fired them before and added in the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Karen!
I’m looking forward to cooking this, a bit scared that I don’t get it right as I love fried rice. I’m adding bacon as my sister used to do this insane fried rice and I wanted the recipe before she passed. I promise to post pics – thank you for sharing your recipes Natasha! You are a legend! 😁❤️
I would love to see the pictures and assing bacon sounds like a good plan!
Hi, can you tell me if you used fresh shrimp or can we use frozen shrimp and thaw it out first?
Hi SB, you sure can. I recommend thawing it first.
Hi Natasha…I absolutely love your recipes…I’ve tried many already and I’m not going to stop!…your recipes are everything I’m looking for: incredible tasty, fast, practical…do I need to add anything else?!…..thank you for inspiring, helping us get delicious meals…thank you Natasha!…
You’re welcome Simona! Thank you for that wonderful feedback!
I love your shrimp fried rice and would like to make a big pot for a friend. Suggestions? Freeze it or just bag it? How to reheat?
That’s so nice of you Sue! It does refrigerate pretty well so you can reheat leftovers on the skillet the following day. Freezing it in an airtight container may work as well until you are ready to try it again.
Fantastic recipe. I omit the sesame oil though. Not a fan. But I have made this multiple times and it has become a favorite meal. So much fresher and better than take out. Thank you!
Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review Kathy!
Can I use chicken instead of shrimp and if so what should I season the chicken with ?
Hi Melissa, I bet it would be good with chicken too. I should give it a whirl. Here’s what one of our readers wrote about making it with chicken: “I just made some chicken fried rice based on your recipe and it’s really good! I used brown rice and didn’t coat the chicken with cornstarch but everything else was pretty much the same. Thank you so much! It’s the first time I ever made fried rice without a seasoning packet. I didn’t know I could! lol”
This looks delicious!
I love your metric conversion feature (we don’t use really use cup measures in the UK).
I’m going to try this out over the weekend as a treat.
Wish me luck 😊🤞🏻
It sounds like a good plan Jean. Would love to hear how it goes. 👍
Could yu cut this recipe in half?
Hi Sharon! You sure can! I hope you love this recipe!
Made Shrimp fried rice for dinner. It was delicious. My rice was kind of sticky even though I rinsed it and let it sit open in the refrigerator but that’s ok because it makes it easier for my handicapped husband to eat. I probably ate WAY too much. In fact, I’m going back for more right now!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kim! Thank you for sharing that great review with me!
We’re doing a more low carb thing and I made this with riced cauliflower, treated it as the rice in the recipe, no other changes. It turned out very good!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for that amazing review!
Can I used already cooked shrimp from the store?
Hi Tiffany, I always try to avoid using cooked shrimp in recipes that call for uncooked because you can’t really make the shrimp take on any flavor without overcooking them. I think you could still make it work but omit the cornstarch on the shrimp and you won’t need to do the marinating. I would still flash heat them until warmed through but no longer than that because re-cooking cooked shrimp will make them rubbery. I hope you love the recipe!
Can i make less rice and keep everything else the same?
Hi Donna, I’m sure that would work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I have a question about the rice. The recipe calls for 5 cups of rice but 5 cups was way too much, it made the pan almost overflow. Also it does not look like 5 cups of rice in the video, looks more like 1-2 cups. What am I not seeing?
Hi Fran, we used 5 cups of cold rice. Leftover rice is best. It may look like not much in the photos but the glass measure cups you see is actually a stand mixer bowl. We did use a large pan also. I hope that helps.
I made this recipe as written and it came out delicious. The first time I left out the green onions. Don’t do that. It made a huge difference in the flavor.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can you use minute rice?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I love this recipe! I used brown rice and it was delicious! This is also a very friendly Weight Watchers recipe so I will continue to make this recipe. Who doesn’t like one bowl meals? Lol!
Those are some of my favorites! I’m happy to hear you’re liking this recipe, April!
Super yummy and super easy to make! Thanks so much for this easy week night recipe! Definitely going to be making this again, thanks Natasha!
You’re welcome, Vaness! I’m glad you enjoyed it & it sounds like you found a new favorite! That’s so great
Great! Easy! Told my son, “I know you love Carl’s Junior, buy $15 for a double burger and 2 fries is robbery.” Carl’s J once every 6 weeks… This could easily be 8-10 meals (lunch or dinner) a month. I could vary recipe with snow peas and even broccoli 🥦. Very good! Thank you!
Ha ha! I know what you mean! I love your ideas for changing things up with different veggies.
I’ve made variations of this dish for years, and never knew why the end results were not as good as I expected! So Natasha gave us the secret, saute everything separately, WOW – amaaaazing. I added some mushrooms and air-fried peppers which I make each week for salads/sandwiches etc. I also once air-fried the shrimp with herbs first to give it a crust. This is a very economical yet tasty dish. The variations are endless.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Thank you Natasha! I have become a great chef by watching you on Facebook and following every instruction and cooking for my family.
I don’t like Social media, but since I saw you, I have been going on Facebook looking for you.
My own daughter told me that my cooking has changed, and wanted to know what happened?
At first I didn’t want to share the secret but then I did
I advised her to watch you as well on Facebook.
Thank you
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
I am going to try this recipe this evening but I would like to add garlic, ginger & chilli flakes to give xtra flavour. Should I cook the prawns with garlic & ginger at the beginning then all chilli flakes towards the end of cooking them??
Hi Edna, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.