Sesame Shrimp

An easy recipe for a sesame shrimp stir fry that comes together in minutes, literally – this tasty dish takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

If you like shrimp and enjoy Asian style dishes, I think you will love this super quick and easy recipe.

This stir-fry comes together in minutes, literally. This tasty dish takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, so it’s ideal for weeknight dinners.

The ingredients needed to make sesame shrimp stir-fry

I try to keep all my recipes to less than 10 ingredients. The ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe are (exact measurements in the recipe card below):

Light soy sauce: I rarely use traditional soy sauce in my recipes. I just find it too salty. Needless to say, if you need this dish to be gluten-free, you should use an alternative.

Honey: Just one tablespoon. It doesn’t make the dish sweet-tasting. It just balances out the other flavors.

Spices: Garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Spices are delicious and healthy, but make sure they are fresh. A stale spice can easily ruin a dish!

Cornstarch: Just a little to help thicken the sauce.

Oil: I prefer avocado oil, a healthy and neutral-tasting cooking oil.

Shrimp: I use large shrimp, peeled and deveined. The tails can be on or off – it’s purely up to you. And here are some good tips for eating seafood in a healthy way.

Garnishes: Sesame oil, sesame seeds, and scallions.

Forgot to thaw your shrimp? No problem!

I love shrimp and always have bags of frozen shrimps in the freezer. If I remember to defrost the shrimp the night before, that’s best of course.

But even if I need to defrost them in a bowl of cold water prior to cooking, it adds just 10 minutes to this recipe.

How to make sesame shrimp stir fry

Scroll down for the recipe card to read the complete instructions. The basic steps:

Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.

Cook the shrimp. Now partially cook the shrimp in some oil. This should take about 4 minutes.

Finish the dish. Your final step is to add the sauce to the pan and finish cooking the shrimp, 2 more minutes. That’s it! Dinner is served.

How to serve this dish

Pre my low carb days, I would have served it over steamed rice. These days, I serve it over cauliflower rice, and it’s just as good.

Sesame shrimp is also great on top of spinach leaves. The hot shrimp wilt the raw spinach leaves just enough to cook them lightly. Delicious and healthy!

But cornstarch and honey are not low-carb?

It’s true. However, both ingredients add a minimal amount of carbs to the final dish when divided into individual servings, and both really enhance this dish.

So I think it’s worth it, although this is obviously a personal decision and you may rightly disagree. By the way, if you worry about GMOs in corn, a good solution is to use organic cornstarch.

What about leftovers?

You can keep leftover sesame shrimp in the fridge, in a sealed container, for up to 3 days. Reheat them gently, in the microwave, on 50% power.

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4.98 from 35 votes

Sesame Shrimp

An easy recipe for sesame shrimp stir fry that comes together in minutes, literally – this tasty dish takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: shrimp

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed)
• 1 tablespoon honey (or a low carb alternative)*
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or potato starch)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions, green parts

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp. Stir fry until almost completely opaque, about 4 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the soy sauce mixture. Continue to stir-fry until shrimp are completely opaque and sauce is thickened, about 2 more minutes.
• Divide the shrimp among dinner plates. Ladle the sauce on top. Drizzle with sesame oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve immediately.

NOTES

If using the low carb honey alternative, this dish has 365 calories and 5 grams carbs per serving.

To keep this dish gluten free, use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and make sure the starch you use (cornstarch or potato starch) is labeled as gluten free.

NUTRITION INFO Nutrition info is approximate and may contain errors. It is calculated using the SparkPeople.com recipe calculator, and the carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Please feel free to make your own calculations. Please read the disclaimers in our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Please verify they are before using.

Nutrition Facts

Sesame Shrimp

Amount Per Serving

Calories 382 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 912mg40%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 47g94%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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