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Sweet and Sour Shrimp is a quick Chinese meal made all in on pot! Succulent seafood is stir-fried with bell peppers, zucchini, pineapple and then tossed in a tangy honey sauce. This dish comes together in just 20 minutes for a simple and flavorful dinner.
When you’re looking for a quick and easy Chinese inspired dinner, grabbing a wok and making a stir-fry is a tasty solution. This sweet and sour shrimp delivers protein, vegetables, and fruit all in one dish. If you’re looking for more fast and flavorful Asian recipes then try Instant Pot Beef with Broccoli, Teriyaki Beef Skewers, or Asian Grilled Flank Steak for your next weeknight dinner.
Sweet and Sour Shrimp
It may be tempting to pick up a take-out menu, but making a homemade stir-fry is a lot easier than you think. This wok-fired sweet and sour shrimp dish will satisfy all savory, sweet, and tangy cravings. Succulent shrimp paired with crisp bell peppers, tender zucchini, and tropical pineapple makes for a colorful presentation. At the end of a busy day, treat yourself to a restaurant quality home cooked meal that’s a breeze to prepare!
How do you make Sweet and Sour Shrimp?
- To make the sweet and sour sauce combine honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, and pineapple juice.
- Make a cornstarch slurry.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper.
- Cook shrimp with vegetables and sesame oil.
- Stir-fry bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, ginger, and pineapple.
- Add the sweet and sour sauce, simmer for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp, cook to warm, then garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
What size shrimp do you use?
When picking out shrimp, the best way to choose is by selecting count per pound to determine size. I like 16/20 count, which means that many pieces per pound. This gives about a two-bite shrimp that won’t quickly overcook in the hot wok. It will take less than 2 minutes to fully cook the shrimp, so keep a close eye. Overcook shrimp will curl into a tight “C” shape and the texture will be rubbery instead of tender.
What goes into a sweet and sour sauce?
It’s a tomato-base plus a sweetener and vinegar. I used my homemade sweet and sour dipping sauce recipe and converted it for the stir-fry. Most recipes contain ketchup, but I like the ability to control the amounts of each ingredient going in for a more wholesome option. A combination of tomato paste, honey, soy sauce, and pineapple juice provides the perfect flavor balance. A cornstarch slurry is added at the very end of cooking the sauce to create a luscious coating that clings to the shrimp.
Looking for more Asian shrimp recipes? Try these ones!
Shrimp Pad Thai
Sticky Sesame Garlic Shrimp
15-minute Garlic Shrimp Stir-Fry
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Sweet and Sour Shrimp
Ingredients
Sweet and Sour Sauce-
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Shrimp Stir-Fry-
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined, 16/20 count size
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cup red bell pepper ¾-inch dice
- 1 cup zucchini ¼-inch slices
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 tablespoon sliced green onion
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk together honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, and pineapple juice and a medium bowl.
- Whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
- Dry shrimp with paper towels. Combine shrimp with salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and sesame oil.
- Once the oil is hot add the shrimp in a single layer, do not move for 1 minute. Stir and cook another 30 seconds. Transfer cooked shrimp to a clean plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan, once hot add the bell pepper and zucchini. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and ginger, stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add in the pineapple and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the sweet and sour sauce, stir and cook until simmering, 2 minutes.
- Whisk the cornstarch mixture and then gradually add it to the center of the pan. Stir constantly until the sauce is thickened, 30 seconds.
- Add the cooked shrimp, stir to combine and cook until shrimp are warmed through, 2 minutes.
- Serve sweet and sour shrimp garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
LOVE this recipe! One of my favorites to make now. So easy & delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! it is now a staple in our household and tastes better than restaurant sweet & sour.
absolutely delicous! not difficult to make… just prep ahead then get cooking…it’s a winner!!
This was so delicious!! Tastes better than restaurant quality and so easy to make! Definitely a family staple now. Thanks for the recipe!! We absolutely love it!
Made half the recipe for 2 of us. Did use 1/2 cup crushed pineapple and it was distributed well.
Everything else was the same. Served over cauliflower rice. Very good. Will definitely make again.
Super quick to make, tastes better than anything I’ve had in a restaurant or authentic take-out. Not too sweet, just the right sour tang. You should under-cook the shrimp because when you add it back to the sauce, which is going to be really hot, the shrimp will end up being over-cooked. I put the cooked shrimp over rice and THEN added the sauce over it and the shrimp was perfect. Will absolutely make this again. Great recipe Jessica Garvin!
This is one of our favorites! This sweet and sour sauce is the BEST!!!!
This was delicious!! Very simple and easy! I will for sure make it again 🙂
My boyfriend loves sweet and sour chicken ♥ But he also love shrimp so I bet he would love this!!
Very well written..
sorry missed the raiting.
i know i will like it because i love sweet and sour sauce cant wait thank you.
This was very easy and delicious. Great for week night meal. No leftovers. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Thank you for the 5 stars! It is a favorite!
I’m giving this five stars because in the end, all that really matters is taste. That said, the prep time that was listed was way off. From start to finish this recipe took me about 40-45 minutes to prepare. The cooking part was very fast, the prepping and cutting part not so much. Maybe y’all use a shrimp That’s already been cleaned and Deceined. Anyway, it tastes delicious and, in the end, that’s all that matters.
You are absolutely right! I used deveined shrimps and it took me at least an hour from start to finish. I don’t know who can wash, chop and mince all these veggies in 5 minutes. Nonetheless, this recipe is so good, I’m making it tonight again but with chicken instead of shrimps.
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious.
Made it tonight and the family loved it. Great recipe!
I can’t wait to try this yummy and very Decadent Recipe it ? s very good thanks for sharing
Tracy!!
I know that you will love it. It really is so good!! Thanks for the comment and for following along with me.