Easy honey Sriracha shrimp features juicy, tender shrimp tossed in a sweet and spicy homemade honey Sriracha sauce. This quick stir fry is easy to whip up and makes a great topping for salads, rice bowls, or tacos. Want more stir fry? Try pad pak, Chongqing chicken, or pad cha gai.
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: Use any size of shrimp and adjust the cooking time accordingly. I recommend using large, extra-large, or colossal shrimp for the best results.
- Marinade: Tenderize and flavor the shrimp with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, honey, and beaten egg whites. The ingredients work together to create a velveting effect on the shrimp, giving them the best texture for stir frying.
- Olive Oil + Butter: Sear the shrimp in a hot skillet or wok with a combination of olive oil and butter.
- Honey Sriracha Sauce: Prepare honey Sriracha sauce from scratch using butter, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, Sriracha, and fresh lime juice from one lime. Replace soy sauce with liquid aminos or coconut aminos to meet your dietary needs.
- Garnish: Finish the shrimp dish with toasted sesame seeds and a light drizzle of sesame oil.
How to Make Honey Sriracha Shrimp
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, honey, and egg whites in a mixing bowl. Whisk until the honey dissolves. Add the shrimp and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Step 2: Warm the oil and butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook until the edges turn to pick, about for 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Use tongs to flip the shrimp and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a clean plate and set it aside. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
Step 4: Warm butter in the same skillet. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds until the raw smell fades.
Step 5: Stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, Sriracha, and lime juice. Simmer for 2-3 minutes over low-medium heat.
Step 6: Whisk in the cornstarch and return the cooked shrimp to the skillet. Toss to combine. Then, transfer the shrimp to a serving dish and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Baked Honey Sriracha Shrimp
I prefer to saute the shrimp so they cook evenly in the sriracha honey sauce, but you can bake the shrimp on skewers and serve the honey sriracha shrimp recipe as an appetizer with the sauce on the side.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the shrimp and transfer them to a mixing bowl with the marinade.
- Thread the shrimp onto the wooden skewers and set them on a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. You should be able to fit 4-5 shrimp, depending on their size.
- Bake the shrimp skewers for 6 to 8 minutes until they turn light pink.
- Set the oven to broil and cook for 1-2 minutes to brown the shrimp.
- Prepare the sauce in a non-stick skillet and toss the shrimp to combine.
Expert Tips
- Warm the skillet before adding the butter and shrimp, and watch the heat to ensure the shrimp sears and doesn’t char or burn.
- Cook the shrimp in small batches, and do not overcrowd the pan. Searing too many shrimp will cause them to release water, resulting in boiled shrimp, and they will never develop a beautiful golden brown sear.
- Shrimp cooks for 1-2 minutes and 3 minutes for larger shrimp varieties like extra large or colossal. Once you have placed them in the pan, let them cook undisturbed before turning them. If you go to turn the shrimp and it sticks, wait a little longer, and the shrimp will release on its own.
- Add more butter and olive oil to sear the shrimp, depending on how many shrimp you make.
If you enjoy the seafood dish, try more shrimp recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Make honey Sriracha shrimp a complete meal with piping hot white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, or your favorite vegetables. Pair them with broccoletti, air fryer cauliflower and broccoli, and air fryer zucchini and squash.
Use the spicy shrimp for tacos, lettuce wraps, or protein for salad recipes like my vegetable chopped salad.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover shrimp in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Warm the honey Sriracha shrimp on the stovetop on low heat so you don’t overcook it.
- Repurpose: Use the leftover shrimp to fill warm corn tortillas for shrimp tacos, salads, and lettuce wraps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen shrimp?
Place a sealed bag of frozen shrimp in a large mixing bowl with cold water for 20 minutes, changing the water as needed. Drain the shrimp and pat them dry before tossing them in the marinade.
What kind of shrimp should I use?
Peel and devein large or jumbo shrimp for this easy shrimp recipe. Fresh or properly thawed shrimp are ideal for absorbing the marinade. Plus, large shrimp cooks in the pan without drying out.
How do you clean shrimp?
1. Rinse the Shrimp: Rinse the shrimp in a colander under cold water.
2. Remove the Head: Grasp the head and twist it off.
3. Peel the Shell and Legs: Start at the head and peel away the shell, working toward the tail, or leave the tail intact. To make it easy, use kitchen shears to cut along the back of the shrimp and open the shell. The legs should come off in one motion with the shell.
4. Devein the Shrimp: Use a small paring knife to make a shallow slit along the back of the shrimp, and use the blade to lift out the dark vein and discard it.
5. Rinse and Marinate: Rinse the shrimp in cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel to remove excess water. Transfer the prepared shrimp to a mixing bowl to marinate.
More Quick Dinner Recipes:
Honey Sriracha Shrimp
- 2 pounds large shrimp, raw, peeled, and deveined
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- lime juice, one lime
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- Peel and devein the shrimp. Combine the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, honey, and egg whites in a mixing bowl. Whisk until the honey dissolves. Add the shrimp and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Warm the oil and butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to a pan in a single layer and cook until the edges turn to pick. Cook for 1-2 minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp.
- Use tongs to flip the shrimp and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a clean plate and set it aside. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
- Warm butter in the same skillet. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds until the raw smell fades.
- Stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, Sriracha, and lime juice. Simmer for 2-3 minutes over low-medium heat.
- Whisk in the cornstarch and return the cooked shrimp to the skillet. Toss to combine. Then, transfer the shrimp to a serving dish and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
- Warm the skillet before adding the butter and shrimp, and watch the heat to ensure the shrimp sears and doesn’t char or burn.
- Cook the shrimp in small batches, and do not overcrowd the pan. Searing too many shrimp will cause them to release water, resulting in boiled shrimp, and they will never develop a beautiful golden brown sear.
- Shrimp cooks for 1-2 minutes and 3 minutes for larger shrimp varieties like extra large or colossal. Once you have placed them in the pan, let them cook undisturbed before turning them. If you go to turn the shrimp and it sticks, wait a little longer, and the shrimp will release on its own.
- Add more butter and olive oil to sear the shrimp, depending on how many shrimp you make.