Honey Garlic Shrimp

Name: Honey Garlic Shrimp
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 38 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup Honey; 1/4 cup Soy Sauce; 5 Garlic Cloves (minced); 1 teaspoon Minced Ginger; 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (optional); 2 tablespoons Olive Oil; 1 lb Raw Shrimp (peeled and deveined); Green Onions (optional)

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So much flavor in such a quick and simple dish. This Honey Garlic Shrimp takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and is not only delicious but healthy. The flavor-packed sauce has honey, minced garlic, ginger, and soy sauce for a unique tangy and sweet sticky taste.

Easy shrimp recipes are some of the best recipes to prepare on busy weeknights which is why I love this Shrimp Scampi and this Crispy Breaded Shrimp.

Honey garlic shrimp in a skillet with a silver serving spoon.

Why This Recipe Works

Shrimp recipes are some of the lightest to eat and easiest to prepare and this recipe falls right into that category. This simple shrimp recipe can be done in under 30 minutes and has only a handful of ingredients.

It’s both sweet and savory and the shrimp is coated in a caramelized sticky glaze. Serve it over steamed or sticky rice and cut the carbs and serve it over riced cauliflower.

This shrimp can also be used as an appetizer. Use toothpicks to skewer one or two shrimp and place it on a platter.

Ingredients Needed

Honey garlic shrimp ingredients in various bowls.

Ingredient Notes

Soy Sauce: the soy brings a salty and sweet, yet savory flavor to the sauce and can be swapped for Tamari or No Soy Soy Sauce.
Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic for this recipe since it’s a key ingredient and also because there are so few ingredients. You can also use as much or as little as you like.
Ginger: often times I’ll use minced ginger in place of fresh ginger, which you can do too but the fresher the ingredients the better your marinade and sauce will taste.
Shrimp: you will need raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp for this recipe, but I recommend leaving the tails on for appearance. Large to jumbo-sized shrimp works best.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Honey garlic shrimp process steps 1 and 2.

Make the marinade. In a small bowl whisk the honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes together.
Marinate the shrimp. Place the thawed shrimp in a separate bowl and pour ⅓ of the sauce on top and toss it to coat. Let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Honey garlic shrimp process steps 3 and 4.

Cook the shrimp. Heat a large non-stick or iron skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Drain the marinade from the shrimp and add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the centers become pink.
Prepare the sauce. Remove the shrimp using a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the remaining ⅔ sauce to the skillet and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Cook the sauce until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.

Place the shrimp back in the skillet. Return the shrimp to the skillet and toss with the sauce to coat. Sprinkle with green onions.

How to Devein Shrimp

Frozen shrimp often comes peeled and deveined however, if you’re buying fresh shrimp (like I often do since I live in an area where it’s literally pulled from the water that morning), you’ll need to peel and devein it yourself. Follow the guide below to do it quickly at home.

Peel the shrimp. Remove the legs first. Then starting at the top, the head end, carefully peel the shell of the shrimp off all the way to the tail. You can leave the tail on or off.
Remove the vein. Using a small but sharp knife cut along the backside of the shrimp where the vein is. It looks like a dark line across the back.
Scrape the vein out. Using the knife carefully scrape the vein out and discard.

Serving Suggestions

You can easily make this into a simple dinner with easy options below or you can use this shrimp to create an entirely different meal such as a rice bowl or wrap. Use some rice paper wraps for delicious spring rolls.

Over rice. Steamed rice or even fried rice are great options.
Noodles. Soba or Lo Mein.
Salad.
Stir fried vegetables pair nicely with this shrimp.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Storage Information: any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days.
Reheating Instructions: these shrimp can be reheated in the microwave for about 45 seconds to a minute or in the skillet over medium heat until warmed. Don’t overcook them when reheating though because they’ll become rubbery.

Recipe Notes and Tips

When cooking shrimp in a skillet arrange them in a row around the edge of the skillet and work your way to the center. Once you’ve reached the center return to the first shrimp. It will be ready to flip to the other side. Repeat in order with the remaining shrimp.
Tail-on or tail-off shrimp will work for this recipe.
To quickly mince the garlic and ginger in this recipe peel them both and place them in a food processor to chop quickly. You can also use a garlic press to save time.
You can easily turn this into a gluten-free recipe by switching to Tamari sauce.

FAQs

What do you eat garlic shrimp with?

This shrimp recipe has a bit of a tang to it and would go well with stir-fried vegetables, fried rice, steamed rice, lo mein noodles, or use it on a salad.

How long do you cook the shrimp?

Depending on the size of the shrimp you’ll want to cook it no more than 1 minute per side unless it’s jumbo size and you may need 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.