Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: A zesty lemon garlic sauce enhances this shrimp and vegetable stir fry. It’s easy to make, and includes lean protein and healthy vegetables, a perfect choice for weeknight dinners.
How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet or wok, sharp knife
Servings: 4
Stir Fry = Easy, Quick Dinner
On the nights when I need dinner on the table in 20 minutes flat, I often turn to stir fries. Ready in minutes, with crisp vegetables and a zesty sauce, a stir fry always hits the spot. We often make this chicken stir fry with ginger and basil, or this easy beef and vegetable stir fry. Another favorite with my family is sweet and sour chicken stir fry, but today we’re trying something a little different.
What makes it special:
- Light but satisfying. A bright lemon garlic sauce lets the shrimp and vegetables shine — no heavy sauce, no mystery ingredients. It’s the kind of dinner that feels fresh and easy whether it’s August or February.
- A complete, balanced meal. Lean shrimp protein, a generous pile of vegetables, and rice all in one pan — this stir fry checks a lot of boxes without any extra effort. Each serving (rice included!) comes in under 500 calories.
- Easy to make your own. Swap the shrimp for chicken or tofu, use whatever vegetables are in season or already in your fridge, or try a different sauce entirely. Stir fries are one of the most forgiving dinners out there — there’s really no wrong way to do it.
“This was EXTREMELY GOOD!!!!!!!!”
Cooking Rice
You’ll want to get the rice cooking first! Steamed rice needs twenty to twenty-five minutes to cook which is a lot less time than the stir fry needs. We usually make Instant Pot white rice. It’s a fool-proof and hands-off cooking method. Don’t have a multi-cooker? Try my stovetop jasmine rice.
Ingredient Notes
- Shrimp: You’ll need one pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp, fresh or frozen (thawed), with tails off. Shrimp is a healthy protein that is low in calories.
- Easy sauce: With just chicken broth and lemon juice, the sauce is simple, letting the shrimp and vegetables shine. A bit of cornstarch is added to thicken the sauce.
- Lots of vegetables: Stir fries are a fantastic way to eat lots of veggies. This stir fry boasts asparagus, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion. Feel free to exchange them for other vegetables that you may like better.
- Flavor: Lemon zest and garlic, salt and pepper, and fresh parsley are light and bright, perfectly enhancing the shrimp.
- Rice: I like to serve stir fries with steamed jasmine rice but there are lots of options. Coconut rice goes well with this stir fry; brown rice or quinoa add a little extra protein to your plate, or you can simply skip the rice if you want.
How To Make Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry
Get ready. Unless you’re using microwavable pre-cooked rice, you’ll want to start the rice so it’s ready when the stir fry is ready. Next, chop the veggies, season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and stir up the sauce. Once you’ve done the prep work, it’s time to get cooking!
Stir fry the shrimp. Heat a large skillet or wok, and then add a tablespoon of oil. Add the shrimp to the pan; you should hear plenty of sizzle. When the shrimp turn pink and start curling up, flip them over. When they’re done, take the shrimp out of the pan and put them on a plate. That should take less than five minutes.
Stir fry the vegetables. Keep the pan on medium high heat, and add another tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, asparagus, and zucchini, in that order, stirring and frying each time. Again, you should hear plenty of sizzling. Add the garlic and lemon zest. Stir, stir, stir. Season with a little salt and pepper. If you’re timing things, your veggies should achieve crisp tender status in about five to six minutes.
Add the sauce. Give your sauce a quick little whisk in case the cornstarch settled, and pour it into the pan. Stir and watch the sauce begin to thicken and coat the veggies. Your stir fry should be smelling really great!
Finish. Stir the shrimp back into the pan, and add a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Are you hungry? Because dinner is READY!
Tips for a Great Stir Fry
Do the prep work! One of the most important things to do for a successful stir fry is to have everything ready before you get cooking. Once the pan is hot, things move really quickly and you won’t have time to stir up the sauce or chop veggies.
Stir fry the meat and vegetables separately. That doesn’t mean you have to use two different skillets! Usually, meat and vegetables are added to the pan separately. If you add everything all at once, the pan or wok cools off too quickly. Your stir fry will steam instead of sizzle. Stir fry the meat, remove it from the pan, allowing the pan to reheat. Next, add veggies that take a bit longer to cook. Finish up with the veggies that cook quickly.
Keep the pan at high heat. Keep your pan hot enough so the vegetables cook quickly. If you add a lot to the pan at once, the pan will lose too much heat. You’re looking for a flash fry, hot and fast, stirring constantly. Your vegetables will stay crisp and tasty.
Cook the vegetables to your preference. I get it, some folks like their vegetables to be a little more tender. Once in a while, if I feel the veggies are just too crisp for my intended audience (i.e., my kids), I’ll add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan and cover it briefly so the veggies steam and soften. Not really the way it’s supposed to be done but it’s your dinner, and guess what, no one is judging you.
Get a head start. While cooking a stir fry is fast, prepping the vegetables can take a bit of time. The good news is that you can wash, trim, and cut the veggies up to a day ahead. Store them in a resealable bag or tightly wrapped bowl.
Thaw the shrimp overnight. If you remember to put the bag of frozen shrimp in the refrigerator the night before, they’ll pretty much be ready to use when it comes to dinner time. Give them a quick rinse, pat them dry, season with salt and pepper, and you’re good to go.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the vegetables. Use whatever’s in season, on sale, or already in your fridge — broccoli, snap peas, mushrooms, carrots, or green bell pepper all work well. Add longer-cooking vegetables like carrots first, or slice them thin so they cook at the same rate as everything else.
- Use frozen vegetables. Don’t thaw them first, and make sure your pan is very hot before adding them — that’s what keeps them from getting soggy.
- Make it spicy. A pinch of red pepper flakes, a drizzle of sriracha or chili crisp, or some freshly grated ginger all add heat in different ways. Try one or try all three.
- Try a different sauce. The lemon garlic sauce here is light and bright, but stir fry sauces are interchangeable. A soy-based sauce with a little honey and rice vinegar (like this shrimp and broccoli stir fry) gives you something sweeter and more savory. Store-bought works in a pinch, too.
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the shrimp and use crispy air fryer tofu or baked tofu instead, stirring it in right at the end. Swap chicken broth for vegetable broth in the sauce.
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Shrimp stir fry is best fresh, but leftovers are still good — just know the vegetables will soften a bit overnight.
Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this one. Shrimp gets rubbery when frozen and thawed, and the vegetables lose their texture. This is a cook-and-eat situation.
Reheat: A skillet over medium heat is your best bet — just a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. The microwave works if you’re in a hurry; reheat on medium power in 1-minute intervals so the shrimp doesn’t get tough.
Free Meal Plans
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #2, Meal Plan #16, or Meal Plan #71. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.
More Stir Fry Recipes
Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp, size 20/30 (peeled, deveined, tails off)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed from ½ lemon)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- ½ medium onion (diced)
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 16 ounces)
- 1 zucchini, sliced into ½-inch pieces (about 8 ounces, or 2 cups cut-up)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
For serving:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 4 cups steamed rice (1 ⅓ cups uncooked rice)
- 4 lemon wedges, optional
Instructions
- Start the rice cooking if you're going to serve it, and prep the vegetables.4 cups steamed rice
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels; season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.1 pound raw shrimp, size 20/30
- In a small bowl, whisk broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch until smooth and set aside.¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Cooking time depends on the size of the shrimp. Remove shrimp from the pan and transfer to a clean plate.
- If needed, add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Keeping heat at medium-high, add onion, bell pepper, asparagus, zucchini, lemon zest, garlic, in that order, and season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until just crisp tender, 5 to 6 minutes.1 red bell pepper, ½ medium onion, 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces, 1 zucchini, sliced into ½-inch pieces, 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Whisk sauce mixture one more time, and add to vegetables. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add shrimp and parsley, stir to combine, and remove from the heat.2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Serve with steamed rice and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Get a head start: Wash, trim, and cut the veggies up to a day ahead. Store them in a zip top bag or tightly wrapped bowl. You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight in the refrigerator, too.
- Try different vegetables: Use the vegetables you like or happen to have on hand, such as broccoli, pea pods, mushrooms, carrots, celery, green bell peppers, etc. Choose what’s in season, on sale, or already in your fridge. Add the longer cooking vegetables to the pan first, or slice them very thinly.
- Use frozen vegetables: Stir fries can successfully be made with frozen vegetables. Don’t thaw the vegetables and make sure your wok or skillet is very hot before adding them.
- Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to add a little zing. Freshly grated ginger root adds spicy heat, too. Garnish with a drizzle of sriracha or chili crisp.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Haven’t made any recipes yet but everything looks delicious. Would like to get more recipes .aaThanks Donna
Plenty to choose from! Happy cooking!
I’m ready to dig in!
I hope you love it!
This was EXTREMELY GOOD!!!!!!!!
So glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
great stir fry, thank you, love all these vegetables with shrimp with the simple chicken broth lemon juice sauce! thank you
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it!