Sweet and Sour Shrimp Recipe Made In 10 Minutes

This sweet and sour shrimp is a flavor combination made in heaven—the sweet and sour sauce coats each crispy piece of shrimp to create an irresistible dish. And best of all, this sweet and sour shrimp recipe comes together in just 10 minutes! 

The Best Sweet and Sour Shrimp 

Sweet and sour shrimp is a takeout classic - but this shrimp recipe is so much better cooked at home.

You just can't get the flavor of this homemade sweet and sour sauce anywhere else. And  I have a few secret ingredients that bring out the best of each flavor, creating a perfect balance between the two. 

Along with an upgraded sauce, you can get creative with how you pair the shrimp when you cook it at home. For instance, you can put it over a bed of rice or mixed with some noodles and veggies. 

Honestly, after you make this recipe, you'll never want to eat sweet and sour shrimp from anywhere but your own kitchen - just like this general tso shrimp.

Oh, and this sweet and sour shrimp recipe takes only 10 minutes to make! When it comes to easy shrimp recipes, it doesn't get any quicker than this. 

Ingredients

So, for this sweet and sour shrimp, you will need a few simple ingredients. And the majority of them will probably be in your cupboard.

Check out what we will be using to create one of the most classic Chinese shrimp recipes at home. 

Ingredients for the shrimp:

• ½ lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail on
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp oil for frying
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

And for the sauce:

• ¼ cup of honey
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• 2 tbsp of water

Optional for serving: 

• White rice
• Sesame seeds and sliced green onion for garnish

Not bad, am I right?

And if you want to turn this recipe into a shrimp stir fry like dish, you can add some bell peppers, green onions, and broccoli. Or any veggies you want, I personally love bell peppers, green onions, and broccoli.

I actually use a lot of the same ingredients to make this firecracker shrimp recipe. So if you want a shrimp recipe with the same sweetness but with a little kick, you should definitely check it out. 

SHRIMP TO USE

You can use either fresh or frozen shrimp for this shrimp recipe, but there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind. 

First off, I suggest looking for wild-caught shrimp no matter if you use fresh or frozen shrimp. Wild-caught shrimp have a cleaner, sharper, more true shrimp flavor. 

Now, fresh shrimp are typically stacked on ice in the grocery stores because they have already been thawed. This means that the shrimp are losing their freshness by the hour - so unless you know you will cook the shrimp that day, I suggest buying frozen. 

Oh, and if you do use fresh shrimp, make sure to cook it within two days.

Using Frozen shrimp 

Frozen shrimp will have an overall better flavor, cook better, and have a better texture. 

I love buying frozen shrimp because you can get a big bag and use it in various recipesover several weeks. For example, you can make this blackened shrimp or this shrimp lo mein. 

Now, when you are using frozen shrimp, you'll want to make sure that it is thawed correctly. To do this, just fill a large bowl with cold water, seal the shrimp in a Ziploc bag, and place the bag in the bowl of cold water - this is a great guide to use too.

Let the shrimp sit in the bowl for about 10-20 minutes - or until they are defrosted. Then place the shrimp on a plate lined with paper towels and pat them dry.

Thawing frozen shrimp is as easy as that! 

How to Make Sweet and Sour Shrimp

So you have all your ingredients, your shrimp is ready to go, now it's time to bring everything together. 

And, as I mentioned earlier, the whole thing will only take about 10 minutes to make!

Now, let's dive into some deliciousness.

Step 1: Prep work

The first thing you will do is whisk the sauce ingredients - the honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, sugar, and hoisin sauce - together in a small bowl. Once they are well combined, you can set the bowl aside.

In another small bowl, you are going to whisk together the cornstarch and water, then set it aside.

After that, you can season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. 

Step 2: COOKING THE SHRIMP

Take out a skillet or pan, put it on the stovetop over medium-high heat, and cover the surface with oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp to the skillet and make sure each shrimp is flat on the surface. Cook for about 1 minute without moving, then flip the shrimp and cook for about another minute.

Next, add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for about 10 seconds until fragrant. 

Step 3: Adding the Sauce

To complete this sweet and sour shrimp, pour the sauce into the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. 

As the sauce begins to boil, add the cornstarch and water mixture into the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens, then stir the cooked shrimp around to coat them thoroughly.

Serve the sweet and sour shrimp over white rice, with sesame seeds and green onion on top.

Enjoy!

Ways to Eat Sweet and Sour Shrimp

Something I love about this Chinese shrimp recipe is it is just as delicious by itself as it is paired with something else. 

But if you want to make more of a meal out of it, you have a ton of options to pair with the crispy shrimp. 

For a classic sweet and sour shrimp dish, put the shrimp over this Instant Pot sushi rice.

Or you can add it to this pastalaya for one flavorful dish.

If you like shrimp tacos, put the shrimp in a tortilla with some fresh pineapple slices and green onions to complement the sweetness of the sauce. 

Another way to eat this shrimp is to mix it with some lo mein noodles, rice noodles, or egg noodles. Then toss in some broccoli, bell peppers, and any other veggies you like, and pour the extra sweet and sour sauce over the noodles for the best experience. It makes a delish sweet and sour shrimp lo mein!

But if you're like me and just LOVE sweet and sour shrimp, you can enjoy it by itself.

And when eating it by itself, it can make for an excellent quick appetizer if you're hosting - just double or triple the recipe depending on how much shrimp you need. 

How to store and reheat your Sweet and Sour Shrimp

Now, I would be surprised if you have any leftover sweet and sour shrimp. But if this is the case, you can store it and enjoy it for the next few days.

This shrimp will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

If you want to store it for longer, you can keep it in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.  

Reheating your shrimp 

When eating this shrimp leftover, you either enjoy it cold or reheat it. 

One way to reheat it is on the stovetop. First, heat a pan over medium heat, then cover the surface with oil. Next, add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and heat for about a minute or so, then flip the shrimp and do the same on the other side. 

Another way to reheat your shrimp is in the oven. Heat your oven to 300 °F (150°C) and put a large piece of aluminum foil over a baking sheet. Place the shrimp in a single layer on top and gently cover the shrimp with the remaining aluminum foil. Bake for about 10 minutes, checking the shrimp halfway through. 

Wrapping it All Up

This sweet and sour shrimp recipe is a fantastic quick and easy meal that you can make any time throughout the week. 

Usually, meals that are done in 10 minutes lack flavor - but this recipe tastes like it took an extravagant cooking process to make.

Seriously, the flavor of this shrimp is too good to be true - add this recipe to your meal rotation, and your tastebuds will thank you. 

 

I hope you enjoy this sweet and sour shrimp recipe, and if you make it, let me know how it turns out!

By the way, if you're looking for a delicious recipe that you can make with this shrimp next time, you have to make this hibachi fried rice.