Honey Garlic Shrimp

This Honey Garlic Shrimp has succulent jumbo shrimp coated in an irresistible sticky sauce. You only need 6 ingredients and 15 minutes to make it for an easy weeknight dinner or party appetizer.

People go crazy for this restaurant-quality shrimp recipe! It has a balance of sweet and savory flavors with an irresistible sauce that glazes the shrimp. Best of all, you can make it on the stovetop using just a few pantry ingredients, quick and easy! (Instant Pot Honey Garlic Shrimp is another great option too!)

The secret is the honey garlic sauce made with just 4 ingredients: garlic, ginger, honey and soy sauce. When simmered in a skillet with the shrimp, the sauce quickly reduces into a sticky glaze that coats the shrimp. Definitely one of my all-time favorite shrimp dishes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Jumbo shrimp: I recommend using peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp with heads off (more about shrimp sizes). If you’re using frozen shrimp, make sure to thaw the shrimp completely before use.
• Vegetable oil: You can use canola oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil or similar.
• Soy sauce: I recommend a quality low-sodium soy sauce such as Kikkoman or San-J. To make this dish gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos)
• Garlic: Minced fresh garlic is worth the effort for the best flavor; only use garlic powder in a pinch.
• Ginger: Same as for garlic: use freshly minced with ground ginger only as a backup option.
• Honey
• Green onion: an optional garnish

How to Make Honey Garlic Shrimp

Make the honey garlic sauce: Whisk the minced garlic, minced ginger, honey and soy sauce together in a bowl.

Marinate the shrimp: Add the shrimp and HALF of the sauce to a resealable plastic bag to marinate for 5-10 minutes (if you need to leave it longer, place in the refrigerator). This step is important to build flavor, so don’t skip it!

Cook the shrimp: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and shrimp followed the remaining sauce. Sauté the shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side, using kitchen tongs to flip them. During this time the sauce will thicken and coat the shrimp.

Note: If your sauce hasn’t thickened when shrimp are done, remove the shrimp to a plate to avoid overcooking while you boil down the sauce. Then add back the shrimp, tossing to coat.

Remove from the heat and garnish with optional green onions before serving.

How Do You Know If Shrimp Is Cooked

Shrimp cooks quickly and can quickly become rubbery and chewy when overcooked. Once the flesh is opaque and the shrimp have started to curl, they are done. This will usually take about 3-4 minutes for jumbo shrimp, although it varies by skillet. Smaller shrimp will take even less time (read more about how to cook shrimp).

Recipe Video: Honey Garlic Shrimp

This quick 1-minute tutorial shows you how to make honey garlic shrimp:

What to Serve with Shrimp

• Rice or cauliflower rice
• Broccoli or bok choy
• Beef chow mein

More easy shrimp recipes:

• Teriyaki Shrimp
• Coconut Shrimp
• Shrimp Pad Thai

View all shrimp recipes

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Honey Garlic Shrimp

Succulent jumbo shrimp coated in a sticky honey garlic sauce. Perfect as a quick dinner or party appetizer.

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 lb raw shrimp, 21-25 or 26-30 size, peeled and deveined, thawed
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Honey Garlic Sauce

• ▢ 1 tsp garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 tsp ginger, minced
• ▢ 1/4 cup soy sauce, low sodium recommended
• ▢ 1/4 cup honey
• ▢ 1 green onion, minced - optional

Instructions 

• Thaw the shrimp under running water if necessary. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey.
• Put the shrimp and HALF of the marinade into a resealable plastic bag or medium bowl. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes up to one hour (refrigerate for periods longer than 10 minutes).
• Place a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, add vegetable oil followed by the shrimp in a single layer (see note). Finally, pour in the marinade.
• Sauté the shrimp for 1-2 minutes. Then flip them one-by-one using kitchen tongs and cook 1-2 minutes more until the shrimp are pink on the outside and the flesh is opaque.
• The sauce should have thickened slightly and be starting to coat the shrimp. (If not, then remove the shrimp to a plate when done to allow the sauce to boil down further).
• Once the shrimp are glazed with the sauce, remove from heat. Garnish with optional green onions and serve immediately.

Notes

• This recipe uses defrosted shrimp. You can thaw your shrimp in the refrigerator overnight or under running water (read more on how to thaw shrimp).
• Don't crowd the pan. If you skillet is too small to accommodate the shrimp in a single layer, then saute in batches.
• Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos.

Nutrition Facts

Honey Garlic Shrimp

Serving Size

 

4 oz

Amount per Serving

Calories

173

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

3

g

5

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

10

%

Cholesterol

 

143

mg

48

%

Sodium

 

1175

mg

49

%

Potassium

 

168

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

20

g

7

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

18

g

20

%

Net Carbs

 

19

g

38

%

Protein

 

16

g

32

%

Vitamin A

 

234

IU

5

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

64

mg

6

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

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

Please read our nutrition disclaimer.

Author: Cindy

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: honey garlic shrimp

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below!

Recipe tools:

• Mixing bowl
• Large nonstick skillet
• Kitchen tongs