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Shrimp Fried Rice is better than any restaurant that you have had! Made with fresh shrimp, peas, carrots, egg, rice and topped with green onions, you will never have takeout again!
Fried rice is a staple in our house, and there are so many ways you can make it amazing. Try Original, Bacon or even Cauliflower fried rice!
Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
After I perfected the better than takeout fried rice… (seriously it is so much better than takeout!) I knew that a shrimp version had to make the debut. The hubby loves shrimp and I have to admit it is starting to grow on me. But when you add it to some fried rice I am in love with it! There is nothing better than rice, peas, carrots, eggs, with shrimp hidden inside!
There are a few secrets to getting that restaurant quality taste. My sister in law who is Chinese made us the most amazing fried rice for a family dinner. She suggests that day old chilled rice is the best. If you have to make the rice that day, it is still delicious! And the secret flavor is the sesame oil. And boy oh boy this rice is good. This is great eaten as a side or by itself. You are going to love the tender shrimp hidden inside. This will become an instant family favorite that will make you have better than takeout meal right at home!
Ingredients for Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice
Super easy and insanely delicious, these ingredients meld together in the most perfect way.
- Shrimp: Peeled and deveined, can use fresh or frozen that’s been thawed.
- Vegetable Oil: For sautéing.
- Sesame oil: The secret to incredible flavor.
- Cooked Rice: Use cold day old rice if you have it.
- Onion: I used a small white onion for good flavor.
- Frozen Peas and Carrots: These should be thawed.
- Soy Sauce: Use more or less to taste. Low sodium is ok to use.
- Eggs: Lightly beat your eggs.
- Green Onion: These are optional, but in my opinion should not be skipped.
Let’s Make Amazing Shrimp Fried Rice!
You will not want to take out again after you taste this shrimp fried rice. It is fast easy and cheaper!
- Prep: Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Add vegetable oil and sesame oil
- Sauté: Add the shrimp to the skillet and salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Vegetables: Add the white onion, peas and carrots and fry until tender.
- Egg: Slide the onion, peas and carrots to the side and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs, once cooked mix the eggs with the vegetable mix.
- Rice: Add the rice and shrimp to the veggie and egg mixture.
- Finish: Pour the soy sauce and another Tablespoon of sesame oil on top. Stir and fry the rice and vegetable mixture until heated through and combined. Add chopped green onions if desired.
The Recipe Critic Pro Tip
Cold rice is a Must! If it is a day old cold rice even better. You want the rice cold so it’ll fry when it hits the pan. Using freshly cooked, or even lukewarm rice it will go soggy and clump together. If you need to cook your rice the same day, never fear you can get the same results. Take your cooked rice and spread it out on a sheet pan in thin layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for up to 30 minutes or freezer for 15, you do not want it frozen, just cold. Trust me on this one.
Tips for the Best Fried Rice with Shrimp
There are a few things that really truly need to be done so this tastes absolutely amazing.
- Use some Butter: For impeccable flavor use some butter with your oil or even sub out the oil for butter. It adds so much flavor and goodness.
- Use High Heat: This will keep the rice from steaming and fry it well.
- Sesame Oil: This is a Must have for the best authentic fried rice flavor. Keep in mind it’s a finishing oil, not a frying oil You need to add it at the end and off the heat.
- Use Fresh Shrimp: Using precooked shrimp can make your shrimp rubbery when you warm it up.
Variations and Storing Chinese Fried Rice
This recipe for shrimp fried rice is a classic, but you add, delete and vary ingredients to make it your own.
- Vegetables: For a heavy on the vegetable shrimp fried rice, add diced peppers or sautéed mushrooms, and zucchini. You can also use broccoli, cauliflower. Cabbage, green beans or sugar snap peas.
- Rice: Substitute brown rice or quinoa for the white rice if you desire. You can even make this with cauliflower rice.
- Protein: Add bacon, ham, chicken or tofu to up the protein.
- Storage: This shrimp fried rice will keep nicely in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Warm up in a skillet or wok to get that fried texture back.
More Better Than Take Out From Home!
There are lots of reasons why you should want to have a few good restaurant worthy recipes in your back pocket. First of all they will always taste better than take out, they are cheaper than take out, and you can control the ingredients and flavors just the way you want them. I have many tried and true restaurant worthy recipes on the blog, but here are just a few favorites to try.
- Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls and Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Super Easy Mongolian Beef (Taste Just Like P.F. Changs)
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)
- The Best Avocado Egg Rolls (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
- Better Than Take Cashew Chicken
Better than Takeout Shrimp Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoon sesame oil divided
- 3 cups cooked rice *
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots thawed
- 2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce more or less to taste
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoon chopped green onions optional
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Add vegetable oil, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil and shrimp to the skillet and salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add white onion and peas and carrots and fry until tender. Slide the onion, peas and carrots to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side.
- Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetable mix.
- Add the rice and shrimp to the veggie and egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce and 1 Tablespoons sesame oil on top. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until heated through and combined. Add chopped green onions if desired.
- *Use day old cold cooked rice for best results. If you don't have precooked rice, it is just fine to cook the rice the same day.
Nutrition
Serves: 8
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Looks delicious, I have heard the suggestion of day old rice as well. Must try it!!
It is a big hit in our family! Hope you love it too! XOXO
Amazing dish!!! Just finished cooking mine. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
why is there a * by the rice ? but no explination for the *
Wondering the same
I believe that refers to a comment at the top that indicates that day old rice is better but the recipe is good even if you cook the rice the day you are goi g to prepare the rice.
In the paragraphs above the recipe it notes that day old chilled rice works the best. I’m pretty sure that’s what the * is for!
Probably tomtell you to use day old rice, or cook rice day before…
Hi Alyssa, I just found your site. Doing your fried rice and shrimp because it looks so good. And I love fried rice, make it all the time but not with vegies and shrimp. So now I have to do this. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes as they all look delicious. Hope this doesn’t rent teice, I keep getting bumped off when I put name.
That sounds great! It is a great recipe and so yummy with all the flavors! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! XOXO
Amazing photography of shrimp rice recipe. I love rice very much , so its a perfect recipe for me. Thank you for sharing such a tasty & easy recipe. Keep sharing such type of recipes with us.
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your compliments! That is so sweet of you! Thank you for following along with me! I really appreciate it. XOXO
Just made this tonight for my family! Omg!! AMAZING! I’ve made a few of your recipes and they always come out so good! Thank you!
That makes my heart so happy! I am so glad you are enjoying some recipes of mine. I love hearing from my followers. Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Looks great
Your food is so good. Thanks
The recipe says to cook the shrimp 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Don’t you want to cook them until they ARE pink? I can see if this was a chicken recipe…but I cook shrimp until they go from grayish to pink 🙂 It looks great – I’m making it tonight.
What is the sugar amount in tbis recipe and can i use anything else?
I like to use skinnytaste.com or myfitnesspal.com to help with sugar count and being able to substitute anything for it. Otherwise there is not any extra sugar added to this meal. Hope that helps and you can find what you are looking for. Thanks so much for following along with me! XOXO
Thank you
Alyssa, I have this recipe it is a meal in its self thanks
Fixed BETTER THAN TAKEOUT SHRIMP FRIED RICE last night. I included bean sprouts. Just because i like them. What a hit! My husband Added something to make his hot and I added a bit more soy sauce to mine. We will be having this next week when our granddaughter comes to visit.
I have made this once as presented and it was delicious!. Then the next time I decided to add cooked diced chicken breast meat (about 1 cup) and cooked rice in chicken broth to give it more flavor. I’m making it again today.
That is great to hear! I am so glad that you love it! XOXO
There is a * by the rice but no comment after. Is there a specific way to cook the rice for the flavor?
The rice is always best when a day or two old in the fridge. Fresh will still work and taste just as good! XOXO
What kind of rice do you think is best in this recipe?
I like to use jasmine rice but any type of rice is great! XOXO
I love your recipes, but wish you would include the nutrition value for those of us who must monitor our food intake
I love using myfitnesspal.com or skinny taste.com for any nutritional value. Hope that helps and you can find what you are looking for on one of those sites. Thanks so much! XOXO
I will try your shrimp fried rice recipe hope it comes out as delicious as it looks. Thanks for sharing.
YAY!! Enjoy! XOXO
I am on a limited sodium diet and need to know the sodium content of your recipes. I could leave out the soy sauce and still enjoy this dish.
I like to use skinnytaste.com or myfitnesspal.com to look up any nutritional information. XOXO
It is also very good with teriyaki chicken and bacon ,sub bacon grease for oils and omit shrimp been making it this way for years
That is a great tip! Thank you so much for sharing and following along with me! XOXO
THAT is an entirely different dish altogether!
Looks delicious
What are your instructions in preparing the rice?? I am not very good when cooking rice.
Oh I love making rice but I have been able to use a rice maker so it is done in minutes and perfect every time. For the rice you will just want to make sure you have a little over an inch of water above the rice amount in the pan. That has always helped me perfect the rice and it is not dry or mushy. Just right! XOXO
This recipe sounds so great, but there is just 2 of us.
Has anyone halved this recipe?
Or other suggestions for two people.
Thank you in advance.
Just made this rice with shrimp- it was soooooo good!
Is there a nutritional breakout for this? I was really wondering how much fat? sodium? Etc
That is great to hear! I am so glad that you liked it! I like to use skinnytaste.com or myfitnesspal.com for any nutritional questions. Hope you enjoy!! XOXO
this was awesome! i added some red pepper flakes because we like spicy, this truly is better than takeout.
Can I just use success rice??? I’m not a good rice maker…
Can I make it with success rice cuz I’m not a good rice maker
I WILL BE MAKING THIS FOR DINNER SOON. MY HUSBAND LOVES SHRIMP FRIED RICE. IT LOOKS AND SOUDS DELICIOUS. CAN’T WAIT TO TRY IT NEXT WEEK FOR DINNER.
This shrimp recipe sounds so easy and delicious
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
With the shrimp fried rice, is the rice fully cooked. What kind of rice? And about how long does it take to heat through and through?
Yes, it is usually already cooked and a day old is the best. Hope that helps! XOXO
Looks delicious..Im going to make this, this week. Thank you for sharing..
CAN YOU MAKE 1/2 THIS RECIPE?
Yes, of course! You can half the recipe.
Can you use beef?
Is so, pleased give recipe.
Thanks so much!
Lisa,
Yes, you can use beef. I would just substitute the shrimp for beef. Should work out just fine. Please let me know how it tastes!! Thanks for following along with me!
Use long grain rice and add tsp of grated ginger.
Do you have a recipe for the Shrimp Sauce that they have at the restaurant to pour over this dish? Just signed up so I’m ready to get going. Also single old woman so if you have any recipes for 1 or 2 people that would be great.
I have never rated on recipe yet on Pinterest. This was waaaaay better than restaurant fried rice! I had to let you and your viewers know. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
This came out so delicious! Lots of flavor. Thank you!
I love it all thank you so much
OMG. O-M-G…….just made this and it tastes so good. Can’t wait to share this recipe with friends and family. 5 stars for sure.
I meant to comment previously. I’ve made this recipe so often, its easily become a go to for my family. We have it regularily. I’ve often brought it to pot luck suppers. The empty containers speak volumes!!
Looks good, I am making this for my family today! Question can I add Teriyaki to this with the soy sauce? Will it make it too salty?
I love teriyaki and it tastes delicious with this fried rice.
Looks great! How many servings is this recipe?
This makes 6 to 8 cups or servings.
I am so excited. I am making this tonight. I love getting recipes from this website!!!
Thanks so much for this recipe! My husband wasn’t hungry this evening so I reduced the ingredients and made as written. He went back for seconds!! Wish I could have also. Lol. This is definitely a keeper.
The hubs and I loved it! I cannot wait to try it again with chicken, or any other proteins that come to kind. It was easier than I thought it would be. Made the rice last night in the cooker. It all came together really well.
This recipe is absolutely delicious and so easy to prepare! I sometimes add some other veggies and we use stir fry sauce as well as the soy sauce. Other than that I hardly make any changes.