Honey Garlic Shrimp is a fast and easy weeknight meal made with juicy, plump shrimp simmered in a flavorful honey garlic sauce. Bursting with flavors, have this delicious shrimp recipe on the table in less than 15 minutes!
Honey Garlic Shrimp Recipe
Shrimp and honey garlic sauce is one of my favorite easy dinner combinations. Not only does it taste fantastic, but it’s one of the easiest things to prepare and cook. The ingredients are super simple, and with a couple of easy modifications, this honey garlic shrimp recipe can even be prepared dairy-free and gluten-free.
Loaded with protein, but low in calories and carbs, shrimp is my go-to protein of choice whenever I feel like I’m eating too much chicken. I like to buy the biggest, fattest shrimp I can find and cook them peeled, with the tails on. If you can find shrimp that are pre-peeled and deveined at your local market that is within your budget, they’re definitely the best option (especially if you know you’ll be cooking in a hurry).
Not a fan of shrimp? Try this sauce with mixed veggies or other types of meat. You can also check out my other honey garlic recipes including honey garlic pork chops and honey garlic salmon.
Recipe Ingredients
- Shrimp
- Olive oil and Butter
- Fresh lemon juice
- Soy sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Saké (or rice wine vinegar)
- Fresh garlic
Recipe and Ingredient Modifications
- Dairy-free: Swap the butter for olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Gluten-free: Swap the soy sauce for tamari soy sauce or a soy sauce labeled “gluten-free”
- Best Shrimp: This recipe is great with jumbo shrimp, large shrimp, medium-sized shrimp, or even small little shrimp. One pound of medium shrimp will be labeled 41-50 count while one pound of large shrimp will be labeled 31 to 40 count.
How to Make Honey Garlic Shrimp
Once your shrimp are prepared (see tips and tricks below), grab a small bowl and whisk together all of the ingredients for the honey garlic sauce. If you like a little heat, try adding half a teaspoon of red chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
Next, you’ll sear the shrimp in a large skillet. Since the recipe calls for 2 pounds of shrimp, you’ll need to cook the shrimp in at least 2-3 batches to prevent the pan from getting overcrowded. I chose to cook my shrimp in butter. If you’re sensitive to dairy, swap it out for olive oil or vegetable oil. Remember, shrimp only need a couple of minutes to cook per side, so keep a close watch to prevent them from overcooking.
Remove the shrimp to a clean plate and set them aside.
You’ll notice some brown bits stuck to the bottom of your skillet. Rather than wash your skillet, simply set your pan over medium heat and add a splash of liquid – here you’ll want to use something like saké, rice wine vinegar, or just water. This will deglaze the pan.
Add the remaining bit of butter, the sliced lemons, and the minced garlic. Allow those flavors to cook for about 30 seconds and then add the prepared honey garlic sauce. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer – do not boil! Then add the shrimp. Continue to cook until everything is hot.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Always thaw your shrimp before cooking. Cooking raw shrimp from frozen will result in unevenly cooked, chewy shrimp.
- Thaw frozen shrimp overnight in the refrigerator or place the bag of frozen shrimp in a large bowl filled with warm water, rotating the bag frequently to expedite thawing.
- If you purchase shrimp that have not yet been peeled or deveined, add an additional 15-25 minutes of prep time to the recipe. If I can, I always try to purchase peeled and deveined shrimp.
- If you like extra sauce, definitely double the ingredients for the sauce recipe.
- Do not overcook shrimp. They should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees as measured by a digital meat thermometer.
What to Serve with Honey Garlic Shrimp
I like to serve these juicy delicious shrimp over cooked white rice or brown rice with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I always pick one vegetable to serve as well. Favorites include sauteéd zucchini, bok choy, or roasted asparagus.
Have you tried making this Easy Honey Garlic Shrimp Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
Honey Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds jumbo shrimp - thawed, peeled, and deveined (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce - see notes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoon honey
- 4 tablespoon water
- 4 tablespoon butter - see notes
- 2 tablespoon saké - or rice wine vinegar
- 1 lemon - sliced
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- red pepper flakes - to garnish, optional
- minced parsley or green onions - to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the shrimp first. Always thaw the shrimp before cooking. Peel + devein if needed/desired. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, honey, and water. Set aside.
- Set a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, the add the shrimp in a single layer (you will need to cook the shrimp in 2-3 separate batches) and cook for approximately 2 minutes, then flip and continue to cook the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the cooked shrimp to a clean plate and set aside.
- Return the pan to medium heat. Deglaze with a splash (about 2 tablespoons) of saké or rice wine vinegar (water will also work). Scrape off any stuck on brown bits.
- Add the remaining butter (at least 1 tablespoon), the lemon sliced, and the minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Pour in the honey garlic sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Return the shrimp back to the pan and gently toss to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are reheated and the honey garlic sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve garnished with red chili flakes, parsley, or chopped green onions, if desired.
Jessica’s Notes
- To make this recipe dairy-free: swap the butter for olive oil or vegetable oil.
- To make this recipe gluten-free: swap the soy sauce for tamari or a soy sauce labeled “gluten-free”
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
This looks good.
How can I do this with frozen pre-cooked shrimp.
Thanks
I have not tried this with precooked shrimp, but you should probably not add the shrimp to the butter in step 3. Regardless, the shrimp might turn out more dry than the recipe as written as your shrimp are precooked.
Did you try it with frozen shrimp? I was thinking of doing the same
Frozen shrimp are fine. Just follow these notes from the post:
”
Always thaw your shrimp before cooking. Cooking raw shrimp from frozen will result in unevenly cooked, chewy shrimp.
Thaw frozen shrimp overnight in the refrigerator or place the bag of frozen shrimp in a large bowl filled with warm water, rotating the bag frequently to expedite thawing.
“
I’m confused as to what ingredients go into the honey garlic sauce. It’s not clear.
I dont know if you made it all the way to the recipe card at the bottom of the post that has the full ingredients and instructions Terry 🙂