This Honey Garlic Shrimp is an easy stir fry recipe with broccoli and a thick and flavorful sauce that you can serve over rice. It’s a quick and healthy dinner recipe that your family will love!

Be sure to try my Shrimp Fried Rice and Chinese Chicken Salad recipes next!

Honey Garlic Chicken in a skillet with a brown sauce and broccoli.

Honey Garlic Shrimp

This Honey Garlic Shrimp is loaded with so much fresh flavor, and I love that it’s a 30 minute meal! 

The sauce is savory from the chicken broth, sweet from the honey and brown sugar, and tangy from apple cider vinegar. Soy sauce adds umami, and it’s further enhanced with garlic, a hint of toasted sesame seed oil (optional), and ground ginger. (I can taste it already!)

I love to serve this with rice and top it off with green onions and maybe even some roughly chopped peanuts!

It’s not a spicy recipe, but feel free to add some hot sauce to turn up the heat a little bit if you like spice! 

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Sauté the shrimp in olive oil for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side, set aside.

Add the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes, until slightly softened. Set aside.

A plate of cooked shrimp next to a skillet of cooked broccoli.

Add the sauce mixture (but not the corn starch) over medium heat. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the skillet.

Bring to a gentle boil. Combine corn starch with 1/4 cup cold water. Slowly add it to the sauce, stirring continuously, until thickened. Reduce heat to low and add the broccoli back. Cover partially and heat through for 2 minutes. 

A skillet filled with brown sauce with broccoli being added.

Add Shrimp back to the skillet and spoon the sauce on top. Let it heat through for about 1 minute. Garnish with green onions and honey roasted peanuts and serve over rice.

Adding shrimp to honey garlic sauce with broccoli and stirring to combine.

Pro Tips

  • Shrimp: The size I use is large, and is labeled as 26/30 per pound. (This means that it takes between 26-30 shrimp to equal a pound.) You can use fresh or frozen.
  • If using frozen shrimp: Run them under cool water until completely thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/veins.
  • Shrimp Seasoning: Frozen shrimp are typically placed in a brine before being frozen, and the solution in the frozen container is typically salted as well, so there is no need to salt the shrimp prior to cooking.
  • Ingredient additions include: Bell Peppers, julienned carrots, and onions. 
  • Shrimp can go from cooked to overcooked very quickly, consider setting a timer to avoid overcooking. One way to mitigate this is to peel them after you sauté them, the shell helps protect them from cooking too quickly.
  • Shrimp curled into a “c” =cooked. A shrimp curled into an “o” = overcooked.

My Tips For Perfectly Cooked Rice

This method works for me every time:

  • Bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add 1 cup white long grain rice and cover tightly.
  • Reduce to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat off.
  • Important: Let the rice sit in the pot, covered, for 10 full minutes. Any rice stuck to the bottom will release during this time.
  • This will yield 3 cups of flavorful rice.
  • Note: Other varieties of rice will require different amounts of liquid and simmering time.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked/leftover shrimp can be frozen and reheated for future meals, and this sauce does reheat well.
  • To reheat: Let it thaw completely and reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until just heated through. Overcooked shrimp becomes rubbery, so try to avoid that.
  • You can also reheat this in a makeshift double boiler on the stovetop, it applies a nice, even heat without being too direct or harsh.

Honey Garlic Shrimp with Broccoli on a bed of rice on a white plate.

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Honey Garlic Shrimp in a skillet with broccoli and brown sauce with chopped peanuts.

Honey Garlic Shrimp

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
5 from 12 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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This Honey Garlic Shrimp is an easy stir fry recipe with broccoli and a thick and flavorful sauce that you can serve over rice.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • 1 lb. large uncooked shrimp, see notes
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil, can sub olive oil
  • 3 cups broccoli florets

Sauce

  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup cornstarch, plus ¼ cup cold water

For Serving

  • 3 cups cooked rice, any kind. See notes.
  • Green onions, to garnish
  • Roughly chopped honey roasted peanuts, to garnish.

Instructions

  • Thaw the shrimp completely and pat the surface dry. You may also need to remove the shell, tail, and veins.
  • Combine sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch/water and set aside.
  • Cook the Shrimp: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side. (Use a timer to avoid overcooking). Tilt the pan to transfer the shrimp onto a clean plate. Note that they’ll cook a little bit more as they sit, and again when added back to the sauce.
  • Add the broccoli to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, until slightly softened. (Add a splash of oil if needed). Remove and set aside.
  • Make the Sauce: Add the sauce mixture (minus the cornstarch) to the skillet.
  • Combine cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water and stir until well-combined.
  • Bring the sauce to a boil. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce, stirring continuously, until thickened.
  • Reduce heat to low and add the broccoli. Cover partially and let it heat for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the shrimp back and spoon the sauce on top. Let it heat through for about 1 minute.
  • (Optional: Transfer to serving plates and drizzle with honey!) Serve with rice and garnish with green onions and roughly chopped honey roasted peanuts.

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Shrimp: The size I use is large, and is labeled as 26/30 per pound. (This means that it takes between 26-30 shrimp to equal a pound.) You can use fresh or frozen.
  • If using frozen shrimp: Run them under cool water until completely thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/tail/veins.
  • Shrimp Seasoning: Frozen shrimp are typically placed in a brine before being frozen, and the solution in the frozen container is typically salted as well, so there is no need to salt the shrimp prior to cooking.
  • Shrimp can go from cooked to overcooked very quickly, consider setting a timer to avoid overcooking. One way to mitigate this is to peel them after you sauté them, the shell helps protect them from cooking too quickly.
  • Shrimp curled into a "c" =cooked. A shrimp curled into an "o" = overcooked.
  • Ingredient additions include: Bell Peppers, julienned carrots, and onions. 
Making Perfectly Cooked Rice:
I love serving this with 3 cups of white long grain rice. Here is how I make it:
  • Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
  • Add 1 cup of rinsed white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
  • Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. 
  • Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
  • This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
  • Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked/leftover shrimp can be frozen and reheated for future meals, and this sauce does reheat well.
  • To reheat: Let it thaw completely and reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until just heated through. Overcooked shrimp becomes rubbery, so try to avoid that.
  • You can also reheat this in a makeshift double boiler on the stovetop, it applies a nice, even heat without being too direct or harsh.
The nutrition information is an estimate and is per serving, and there are 4 servings in this recipe. (3 cups of rice is included as well.)

Nutrition

Calories: 535kcal, Carbohydrates: 85g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 184mg, Sodium: 1066mg, Potassium: 686mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 38g, Vitamin A: 427IU, Vitamin C: 62mg, Calcium: 146mg, Iron: 2mg
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie