Sweet and Sour Shrimp
This easy Sweet and Sour Shrimp recipe is a restaurant-quality, gluten-free Chinese dish that’s ready in 20-minutes, “better-than-takeout” and no wok required!
All-natural ingredients, it doesn’t include preservatives, has no MSG and requires no flour or breading on the shrimp or in the sauce.
A quick shrimp stir-fry with vegetables and rice is perfect for a quick and filling weeknight dinner.
Ordering Chinese Sweet and Sour Shrimp take-out is an easy, but often costly option. This homemade version is cost-efficient and more flavorful than your favorite Chinese restaurant.
There’s no need to wait for the Chinese New Year to make this delicious shrimp dish! It’s ideal for busy weeknights! A “one-dish-dinner” that is preservative-free and delicious! Serve this with a side of Wonton soup and call it dinner!
Why you’ll love this recipe
This easy Chinese Sweet and Sour Shrimp recipe is a go-to quick dinner at our house! I love it because you can switch out the shrimp for chicken if you don’t like seafood!
To make things go even quicker, use a microwavable basmati rice and you’ll have dinner on the table in less than 15-minutes!
- Affordable: A restaurant order for two could easily cost $25 or more, but this homemade restaurant-quality version feeds 4 people for much less!
- Quick & easy: ready in 20 minutes total time- Tasty shrimp, stir-fried with bell peppers and water chestnuts, then tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce, served over a fluffy bed of rice.
- Gluten-free – no flour or breading on the shrimp!
- When you’re craving an Asian-inspired dish, this is definitely a “go-to” meal! I usually add a little soy sauce or have some Hoisin sauce on the side to ramp up that umami flavor you get in a Chinese restaurant!
Shrimp doesn’t take long to cook-maybe 5-8 minutes and the onions, bell peppers and water chestnuts saute to just the right texture in a few minutes!
Ingredients
They say “the secret’s in the sauce” and this is delicious and flavorful with shrimp, chicken or pork.
Sweet and Sour Sauce ingredients
The easy and all-natural sweet and sour sauce recipe comes together with simple ingredients and is ready in about 5 minutes!
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce, or tamari sauce (which is gluten-free)
- Maple syrup
- Light brown sugar
- Ketchup
- Pineapple juice – optional
- If you want to add a little “heat” to your recipe, sprinkle in some red chile pepper flakes to the sauce mixture
Whisk together sauce ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside
Stir-Fry Ingredients
These are the ingredients I use for this quick recipe, but you’re welcome to put your own spin on it. Consider adding chopped bok choy, bamboo shoots or a few broccoli florets.
- Shrimp – peeled and deveined
- Red bell pepper – chopped
- Green bell pepper – chopped
- Water chestnuts-optional; chopped or sliced
- Sesame oil-
- Green onions – for garnish (optional)
- Sesame seeds – for garnish (optional)
- Salt and black pepper – to taste
- Prepared Basmati rice is recommended, but you can use Jasmine rice or plain white or brown rice
Ingredients for thickening sweet and sour sauce (optional)
- Water
- Cornstarch
How to make restaurant-quality Sweet and Sour Shrimp
This is an overview. For exact measurements and method, see Recipe Card below.
- Mix sauce ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set aside
- Chop vegetables and set aside
- Peel and devein shrimp; set aside
- In a medium saucepan on low heat, add sweet and sour sauce; bring to boil, then turn to simmer
- Next, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat; add sesame oil; saute bell peppers and water chestnuts for 3 minutes
- Add shrimp to skillet and cook another 3-4 minutes until shrimp are pink
- Pour the warm sweet and sour sauce into the skillet and combine well; cook until sauce begins to thicken
- At this point, if you want a thicker sweet and sour sauce, add a cornstarch slurry (1/3 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch combined until smooth); add this mixture to the skillet and cook 2-4 minutes on high heat until sauce is thick; taste for salt and pepper
- Plate prepared rice, add shrimp and sauce on top of rice and garnish with chopped green onions, sesame seeds and/or chopped pineapple
Recipe FAQ
Yes. The shrimp are not breaded in any flour or wheat products and the sauce contains no wheat or gluten. Note that traditional soy sauce does contain gluten, so if you’re want a completely gluten-free sweet and sour shrimp recipe, you’ll want to use Tamari sauce instead of Soy sauce.
Fresh or frozen shrimp works in this sweet and sour recipe! If you use frozen, be sure to peel, devein and thaw first.
Shrimp size is determined by the number of shrimp per pound. You may see numbers like 16/20 or 20/24 on the package–this means there are about 16-20 shrimp per pound in the package.
Shrimp in the 16/20 category work great in this recipe because the shrimp are large enough (about two bites per shrimp), yet they still cook quickly (in about 3 minutes.)
You can use larger shrimp or prawns, just keep in mind they will take a bit longer to cook.
Salad, or canned shrimp are not recommended because they cook too fast and have a tendency to be “rubbery” in texture.
Do I need a wok ?
A wok is nice, but this can be made without a wok. I use a large non-stick skillet. Woks are generally used for high heat dishes, with heat levels around 400ºF. Since this shrimp stir-fry does not require such a high heat, so any non-stick skillet works great.
The best rice for sweet and sour shrimp
Both Basmati and Jasmine rice taste delicious in this recipe. Basmati rice has a nice nutty flavor where Jasmine has a more floral flavor. Plain white or brown rice works equally well, too.
A note about food allergies
Some folks have allergic reactions to pineapple. If that’s the case, simply make this without pineapple! You can increase the amount of brown sugar or substitute pineapple juice with orange juice.
Soy Sauce contains MSG (monosodium glutamate) which some people are allergic. If this is the case, use a high-quality Tamari sauce instead. It’s usually right next to the soy sauce in the grocery store.
Make ahead
Make in advance if you’re busy! Make the easy sweet and sour sauce, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, heat the sauce on the stovetop, add in the shrimp and serve over prepared rice.
Variations
If shrimp isn’t your thing, you can substitute with diced chicken or cubed pork. Cut the meat into bite size pieces and brown it in a non-stick skillet with a little sesame oil on medium high heat.
Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (or the pork reaches 145°F), remove the meat from the pan and transfer to a plate.
Resume the recipe by sauteeing the vegetables; add the warm sauce to the skillet, then add the cooked meat back to the sauce mixture; allow to simmer for a few minutes before serving.
Storage and reheating
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat on the stovetop. The sauce may thicken upon storage and you may need to add a little water.
Serve this Chinese Sweet and Sour Shrimp recipe with a few garnishes of chopped scallions (green onions) and toasted sesame seeds! And don’t forget the fortune cookie!
Related recipes
- Wonton Soup
- Chinese Sticky Ribs
- Harissa Shrimp with Black Rice
- Crunchy Asian Salad
- Creamy Coconut Shrimp
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you!
Sweet and Sour Shrimp
Ingredients
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce ,use tamari sauce for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ cup light brown sugar , packed
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- ⅔ cup canned pineapple juice see recipe notes below; (optional)
Slurry Ingredients (optional)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
Stir Fry Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp , peeled and deveined
- 3 cups prepared rice Basmati, Jasmine, White or Brown
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 can chopped or sliced water chestnuts
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- chopped green onions for garnish
- sesame seeds for garnish
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Peel, rinse and devein shrimp; set aside1 pound shrimp
- Chop vegetables; set aside1 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1 can chopped or sliced water chestnuts, 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- Prepare rice according to directions3 cups prepared rice
Sweet and Sour Sauce Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add all sauce ingredients, bring to boil; turn heat to simmer and set aside½ cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ cup light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons ketchup, ⅔ cup canned pineapple juice
Stir Fry Instructions
- Add sesame oil to a large, non-stick skillet on medium high heat½ teaspoon sesame oil
- Add bell peppers and water chestnuts; cook for 3 minutes1 cup chopped green bell pepper, 1 can chopped or sliced water chestnuts
- Next, add shrimp to skillet; cook 3 minutes until shrimp begin to turn pink1 pound shrimp
- Pour sauce into skillet; combine well
- If you want a thicker sauce, add cornstarch slurry into skillet. How to make a slurry: combine water and cornstarch in a measuring cup; mix together until the mixture is smooth; add 1/2 of the slurry to the sauce; cook on medium-high heat until sauce begins to thicken.If you want it even thicker, add the rest of the slurry; taste for salt and pepper2 tablespoons cornstarch, ⅓ cup water, salt and pepper
- Plate rice, then add shrimp and sauce; garnish with green onions and sesame seeds3 cups prepared rice, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, salt and pepper
Notes
- Do NOT use fresh pineapple juice; use canned. Fresh pineapple contains the enzyme Bromelain, which keeps the sauce from thickening after you’ve added the cornstarch slurry.
- Feel free to add other vegetables to the recipe:
