20-Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

This Easy Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry is a healthy 20-minute dinner made with juicy shrimp, crisp asparagus, and a sweet and savory homemade honey garlic sauce. Better than takeout and perfect for busy weeknights!

This Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry recipe is a quick and easy dinner you’ll find yourself making on repeat! Tender shrimp and crisp asparagus are tossed in a sweet and savory homemade honey garlic sauce made with fresh garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and a touch of honey for the perfect balance of flavors. It’s a healthy, protein-packed meal that comes together in just 20 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal when you want something fresh, flavorful, and better than takeout.

Serve this healthy dish over fluffy jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or your favorite noodles for a complete meal the whole family will love. With minimal prep, one skillet, and simple ingredients, this easy recipe is guaranteed to become a new favorite in your dinner rotation!

Why You’ll Love This

• Quick and easy – from prep to plate, this easy shrimp recipe comes together in just 20 minutes! Less time than it takes to order takeout, making it ideal for hectic weeknights.
• Healthy – packed with lean shrimp and fresh asparagus, this meal is light, satisfying, and loaded with protein while keeping carbs and calories in check.
• Customizable – swap in your favorite vegetables like broccoli, snap peas, zucchini, mushrooms, or bell peppers, or serve it over rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or noodles for a meal your whole family will love. The savory sauce goes with just about anything!
• Great for meal prep – the sauce can be mixed several days in advance, and the veggies can be chopped ahead of time, making dinner come together in just minutes.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• shrimp – medium peeled and deveined shrimp cook quickly and stay juicy. Fresh or frozen shrimp both work well, just be sure to thaw frozen shrimp completely and pat them dry before cooking. Just make sure to use raw shrimp and not pre-cooked shrimp.
• asparagus – we love adding asparagus to stir fries in our house, but feel free to use any vegetables you’d like! Green beans, broccoli, bok choy, onion, bell peppers, sugar snap peas, snow peas, zucchini, carrots, water chestnuts and mushrooms all make great options.
• olive oil – I like to use a good olive oil that doesn’t have to be expensive, just make sure it’s cold-pressed and organic for the most flavor. You could also use a little sesame oil, canola oil or avocado oil, just make sure the oil has a high smoke point.
• soy sauce – I always use reduced-sodium soy sauce as I find that regular soy sauce can make dishes too salty. You could also swap the soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos to make this gluten-free or paleo.
• rice vinegar – adds a touch of acidity that helps balance all these flavors, but if you don’t have rice vinegar, feel free to substitute with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or even a little lemon juice.
• honey – adds a little sweetness to the sauce without using refined sugars and makes a nice glaze. You could also swap the honey with maple syrup if you don’t have honey on hand.
• garlic – fresh minced garlic is always best! If you don’t have fresh garlic cloves, feel free to use a 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
• ginger – fresh ginger adds warmth and a subtle zing that complements the honey perfectly.
• cornstarch – just a small amount thickens the sauce so it clings beautifully to every bite of shrimp and asparagus. You can also use arrowroot powder.

How to Make Honey Garlic Shrimp

1. Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch until smooth. Set the sauce mixture aside.
2. Cook the shrimp. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer to the hot skillet and cook for about 2–3 minutes, just until they begin turning pink.
3. Add the asparagus. Add the asparagus to the skillet and season lightly with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 2–3 minutes until the asparagus is crisp-tender and the shrimp are fully cooked.
4. Finish with the sauce. Give the marinade one final whisk, then pour it into the skillet. Stir everything together and cook for another 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the shrimp and asparagus.
5. Garnish and serve. Remove from the heat and garnish with sesame seeds, sliced green onions, or freshly cracked black pepper if desired. Toss once more and serve immediately over rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or noodles.

Tips for the Best Honey Garlic Shrimp

• Pat the shrimp dry completely – before cooking, blot the shrimp with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Dry shrimp sear much better, giving you more flavor and preventing them from steaming in the pan with excess liquid.
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet – cook the shrimp in a single layer with a little space between each piece. If the pan is too crowded, they’ll release moisture and won’t develop a nice sear. If needed, cook them in two batches.
• Use fresh garlic and ginger – while jarred versions work in a pinch, freshly minced garlic and freshly grated ginger provide the brightest, boldest flavor and really make the homemade sauce shine.
• Don’t overcook the shrimp – shrimp cook incredibly fast, usually in just 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on their size. They’re done when they turn pink, opaque, and curl into a loose “C” shape. Overcooked shrimp become tough and rubbery.
• Cook over medium-high heat – a hot pan helps the shrimp cook quickly while giving the vegetables a light sear without becoming soggy.
• Prep everything before you start cooking – stir fries come together very quickly, so have your shrimp, vegetables, and sauce ready before turning on the stove. This keeps everything moving smoothly and prevents overcooking.
• Double the sauce if serving over rice or noodles – if you love extra sauce for spooning over rice, quinoa, or noodles, simply double the sauce ingredients. This sticky honey garlic sauce makes the meal even more flavorful.
• Taste and adjust before serving – depending on your brand of soy sauce and your personal preference, you can easily adjust the flavors. Add a little more honey for sweetness, a splash of rice vinegar for brightness, or a pinch of red pepper flakes or sriracha if you like a little heat and spice.

How to Serve

• Serve over rice – enjoy as a main dish over a bed of white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, quinoa or even cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
• Pair with noodles – serve over lo mein noodles, rice noodles or pasta to change things up. The noodles will absorb the sauce, making each bite even more flavorful!
• With a salad – pair this honey garlic shrimp with a side salad or shredded cabbage such as this crunchy Thai chicken salad or this Chinese chicken salad.
• Make egg rolls – using spring roll wrappers, wrap up the shrimp and either bake them in the oven on a baking sheet or fry them up in a pan until golden brown.
• As an appetizer – instead of a stir fry, whip up this shrimp and serve with toothpicks or small skewers and your favorite dipping sauce for the perfect appetizer everyone will love.

Frequently Asked Questions

Prepping and Storage

To Store: I always like to keep a bag of raw frozen shrimp in my freezer for recipes like this and just thaw the bag in the fridge overnight, but you can also use fresh shrimp as well.  Leftover shrimp stir fry and leftover veggies will last up to 3 or 4 days in the fridge stored in a sealed, airtight container. Use your best judgment of course!

To Freeze: You can also freeze this meal for up to 2 months in a large sealable container.  When wanting to reheat, I suggest thawing the frozen shrimp first and re-heating everything in a skillet on medium heat rather than a microwave for best results.

For meal prep: I like to divide leftovers up into large sealable containers (or zipped-top bag) and have some delicious lunches to enjoy that week. My favorite way to serve this is with cauliflower rice or over plain white rice.

More Shrimp Recipes

• Sheet Pan Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus
• Margarita Shrimp Skewers
• Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
• Skillet Chili Garlic and Lime Shrimp
• Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Chickpeas
• Low Carb Shrimp Scampi

More Stir Fry Recipes

• Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry
• Firecracker Chicken Stir Fry
• One Skillet Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
• Asian Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir Fry
• One Pan Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
• Skillet Chili Garlic and Lime Shrimp
• Spicy Sausage and Veggie Stir Fry

Hope you all enjoy this Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry and if you love these as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!