Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry
Looking for a quick weeknight meal? This Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry is packed with flavor, and it’s easy to make!
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We love stir fry recipes in our house – they’re one of our go-to’s when we don’t have anything else planned for dinner. Stir fry ingredients are typically items which we keep stocked in the pantry and freezer. Stir fries are easy…and, perhaps more importantly, they’re delicious!
Last week I put a sesame shrimp spin on stir fry with this recipe for Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry. It turned out really well! I used a combination of fresh veggies along with a bag of frozen “stir fry cheater” veggies. Add in some shrimp that soaks in teriyaki marinade for a bit, and you’ve got one heck of a tasty dinner!
Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry
The taste of this shrimp stir fry is out of sight! The shrimp marinates in teriyaki marinade for extra flavor…and then that marinade is used to make an easy sauce. (Don’t worry – it gets fully cooked!) We also made extra rice and turned this into some fantastic leftovers on Day 2. I love a good easy leftovers night!
One of the best things about this stir fry is that the recipe can be easily adapted for what you have on hand. I used both fresh veggies (carrot, snow peas and a package of sliced mushrooms) in addition to a bag of frozen stir fry veggies. (We always keep at least one of those bags in the freezer! If you don’t have any of the fresh veggies around, don’t worry. The frozen veggies work just as well – just make sure to thaw ’em first.)
Any bag of stir fry veggies will work. The version we had was a “deluxe stir fry mix” (whatever that means), and it included broccoli, Italian green beans, carrots, baby corn, water chestnuts and red bell peppers). Feel free to use all fresh veggies, too – just pick your favorite stir fry vegetables and go that route!
Another bonus for this recipe? Time. Raw shrimp only takes a few minutes to cook, so you can get this meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. (That doesn’t count the 1-2 hours for the shrimp to marinate, though. Just toss the shrimp in the marinade a bit before you want to start cooking, and you’ll be all set.)
For the shrimp, I prefer to peel and devein them before cooking. For some recipes (particularly grilled shrimp), I like to leave the tail on. However, for stir fry shrimp, I go ahead and peel the shrimp before cooking. That way it’s easier to eat!
For the sesame flavor, I relied on sesame oil as well as sesame seeds. The oil brings the majority of the sesame punch, but the toasted sesame seeds do add a nutty crunch to the finished stir fry. To toast raw sesame seeds, just spread them into a single layer in a dry skillet. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the seeds turn light golden brown. You’ll also be able to smell ’em when they’re toasted!
The sesame seeds can be toasted ahead of time, too. Toasted sesame seeds can be stored in an airtight container in your pantry for up to 6 months. Alternatively, you can freeze toasted sesame seeds for up to 12 months. They bring a great nutty flavor to recipes, and we find it handy to keep a little jar of toasted sesame seeds in the pantry.
Variations
Looking for a gluten-free shrimp stir fry recipe? Just use cauliflower rice or quinoa instead of white rice here. Other ways to mix up this recipe include changing the veggies (try zucchini or chopped bok choy!) or adding a bit of spice at the end. We sprinkled some red pepper flakes over this stir fry when we served it for added heat. On night #2, we stirred in some hot chili crisp – woah!
The shrimp and vegetables would also taste great served over noodles. So many delicious options going on here! I hope you enjoy this stir fry as much as we did in our house – it made for a fantastic weeknight meal. Cheers!
Did you make this Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked white rice
- 16 oz. large shrimp peeled, deveined and tails removed
- ¼ cup teriyaki marinade
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 large carrot sliced into ½” slices
- 1 15-oz. package stir fry vegetables, thawed
- 8 oz. snow peas
- 8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package instructions; set cooked rice aside.
- Using a large bowl, add shrimp and teriyaki marinade; toss until well combined. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours. (Note: Do not marinade the shrimp longer than 2 hours or it will become mushy.)
- Remove shrimp from marinade and set aside. (Note: Do not discard marinade!)
- Stir the water and cornstarch into the leftover marinade; set cornstarch mixture aside.
- Place a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add oil and sliced carrots; sauté, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
- Add stir fry vegetables, snow peas, mushrooms and sesame oil; sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add shrimp; continue sauteing, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and fully cooked.
- Add marinade mixture (from above) and bring to a boil. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened.
- Serve over cooked rice. Top with toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Looking for more tasty stir fry recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu i love mushrooms soooooooooooo much i never had sesame shrimp stir fry before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Hey Ramya! Yes – tofu would be a great addition to this stir fry. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
This is wonderful – great flavors and textures. Before my daughters left home I taught them stir fries. Not sure if they make them, but they did realize how easy and healthy they are!
That’s a great point, Mimi – stir fries are an easy recipe to teach kids. They’re so versatile, too, as you can use all sorts of meats/veggies/etc.
Looks good, David! I would make this in a heartbeat.
We always keep at least one bag of frozen vegetables in our freezer (and these are quite big packages from Costco). Normally we quickly steam them and enjoy with some proteins. But you’ve certainly elevated the idea to a different level – deluxe I guess (and I hope this means good lol)
Frozen veggies can be a real time saver! We’ve found that some brands/mixes are better than others, but they’re great in the winter when fresh veggies are harder to find and/or more expensive. Give those deluxe stir fry veggies a try next!
We love stir-fry recipes around here, but never think to use shrimp! Well, that has to change! I love how you can mix up the veggies with what’s on hand. And aren’t those frozen veggies convenient?! We grew some broccoli and cauliflower this year and ended up with a whole bunch, so we ended up freezing some. This stir-fry would be a yummy use for it!
Shrimp is great for stir-fry because it cooks so quickly. This recipe is great for weeknights when you want something tasty, but don’t have a ton of time!
David, this looks like such a delicious stir fry! Love your mix of fresh and frozen veggies in this. And, absolutely love how you repurposed this dish over two meals afterwards.
We’re all about leftovers around here – they’re great for those nights when we get back late from some afternoon activity with Mr. Robbie. 🙂
My kinda meal right here – lots of flavor and different veg to accompany that sesame shrimp! Delicious!
The sesame shrimp adds such a pop of flavor to this recipe – and it’s easy, too! Thanks, Michelle!
i love a stir-fry, i love prawns and i adore sesame seeds. I go thru heaps 🙂 Sounds great David.
Well this recipe sounds like it’s right up your alley, Sherry! Give it a try!
We do a lot of stir-fries on outdoor Muurikka (I think you call them diskus over your way) but your recipe is different. I’ll be giving it a try soon.
We use frozen veggies when it’s difficult and pricey to use fresh. I oven-roast mine straight from the freezer for about 20 minutes and toss them into the stir-fry right at the end.
That’s a great idea about roasting the frozen veggies before putting ’em in a stir fry, Ron. I’ll have to try that! But right now, I’m more obsessed with the idea of cooking a stir fry outdoors. I need to make that happen!
Your shrimp stir fry looks great, especially with all those veggies.
Thanks, Karen – and this recipe is SO easy to make, too!
This is the kind of meal that I never get tired of, David. Definitely one to try ASAP!
You can say that again, Marissa! This is an easy dinner, but it’s packed with flavor!
Thank you for sharing this quick and delicious weeknight meal idea. It’s perfect for when you’re craving something flavorful but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.
This really is a flavor-packed (and easy) weeknight meal! It’s in regular rotation in our kitchen.