Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (2024)


TThis post may contain affiliate links. We receive a small commission at no additional cost to you, and we only recommend products that we have and use in our own homes. For more information, please read our Disclosure Policy

An easy shrimp fried rice recipe is a must-have for every family! Expand your children’s palates with our best healthy shrimp fried rice recipe!

I’m always looking to increase the variety of foods that my kids eat.

From time to time I throw a new type of food their way for dinner, just to shake things up (watching their reactions when they try new foods is one of the perks of being a mom, LOL).

Kind of like that time I made my Vietnamese-inspired Noodle Bowl with .

The looks at first with comical, and they gave some immediate negative reactions. but after a few bites, the boys decided they loved it (point for Mom!).

Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (1)

Recently I decided it was time to add a little more seafood to their diets. The boys currently will eat fish sticks, crusted Tilapia, and Cod.

Since seafood is so healthy (and a great protein alternative to meat), I wanted to add a new type of seafood to their diet.

They LOVE fried rice whenever we eat Chinese food. I thought that giving them fried rice with shrimp in it would be easier than raw tuna!

I also debated (briefly) going with salmon, but knowing how “fishy” salmon can taste to some people…let’s just say I’m happy I went the shrimp route!

And the kids liked it! They ate the entire bowl/serving which is more than I can say about some dishes I have tried with them!

Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (2)

Is Shrimp Fried Rice Healthy?

This version is healthier than you will find in Chinese restaurants…and it tastes WAY better! Oh yeah, and it’s cheaper which is good for your stress levels (and makes the homemade version even healthier)!

Love Quick & Healthy Dinners? Check Out:

Sloppy Joes

Greek Chicken gyros

Easy Crock Pot Lasagna

Healthier Beef Stroganoff

Slow Cooker 3 Bean Chili

What Kind of Rice Do You Use For Shrimp Fried Rice?

I recommend using a medium-grain white or Jasmine variety. These varieties have a great balance in texture, yielding a terrific dish.

Fried rice is usually a dish that you make to repurpose the leftover cooked rice from the day before. You want to avoid freshly cooked because it is still moist and steamy, which may yield a dish with a mushy texture.

However, if you forget to cook rice the day before, here is a little trick you can use.

Spread a layer of freshly cooked rice onto large baking sheets and let it air out for an hour or two. The grains will dry out during this process, giving you the texture you want.

Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (3)

How Do You Make The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe?

If you have been here for any length of time, you know that I only share recipes that are easy to make! And preferably take 30 minutes or less. Seriously, as moms, there’s no time to make gourmet meals!

Our best healthy shrimp fried rice recipe is a super easy one-skillet recipe that you’ll wish you had tried sooner.

Now the best part about this recipe (as if there weren’t enough other great things about it) is that it is completely customizable to your taste (woohoo!).

You can swap out the shrimp for your favorite protein – chicken, pork, or even tofu to keep it completely vegetarian.

As for the veggies, I like using a classic mix of onions, corn, peas, green beans, and carrots but if you have more veggies just lingering in your fridge – feel free to add those in as well.

Other ideas for veggies: add green beans, edamame, bean sprouts, mushrooms or whatever else floats your boat.


Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (4)

How long Does This Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe Last In The Fridge?

As long as your protein was fresh when you cooked it, you should be able to store your leftovers in the fridge for up to 7 days, in an airtight container.

Tips For Cooking The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

  • Use day-old leftover rice
  • Cook the shrimp separately: Shrimp release moisture when you pan fry them. If you cook the shrimp with the vegetables, not only will your shrimp be way overcooked, but you’ll end up with a little water at the bottom of your wok or pan.
  • Cook the eggs separately: cook all eggs separately then add them to the dish to keep the recipe simple.
  • Substitutes for rice:Quinoa, millet, and farro are great alternatives.
  • Feel free to enjoy it cold the next day.😘

Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (5)

Tools & Ingredients Needed To Make Shrimp Fried Rice

  • Wok: This wok has a lot going for it: superior nonstick interior make it easy to cook and clean, aluminum construction for fast, even heat distribution, and it’s dishwasher and oven safe


Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (6)Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (7)

  • Soy Sauce: This is my favorite gluten-free, reduced sodium soy sauce.


Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (8)Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (9)

  • Sesame Oil:I typically use this brand of sesame oil because it has a great nutty flavor.


Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (10)Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (11)

If you love Chinese food and want to enjoy it from the comfort of your home, skip ordering takeout and make the best healthy shrimp fried rice recipe yourself! You’ll thank me 🙂

Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (12)

Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice

Print Recipe

An easy shrimp fried rice recipe is a must-have for every family! Healthier and tastes better than takeout!

  • CourseMain Dish
  • CuisineAsian
Servings Prep Time
8-10 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8-10 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes

Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (13)

Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice

Print Recipe

An easy shrimp fried rice recipe is a must-have for every family! Healthier and tastes better than takeout!

  • CourseMain Dish
  • CuisineAsian
Servings Prep Time
8-10 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8-10 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp Soy Sauce I use a gluten-free, reduced sodium version
  • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp Ginger Powder
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb medium shrimp peeled, de-veined, and tails off
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 medium red onion diced
  • 2 carrots peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup Frozen Corn*
  • 1/2 cup Frozen Peas*
  • 1/2 cup Frozen Green Beans*
  • 4 cups Cooked Rice See notes about rice
  • 3 Green Onions sliced, optional

Servings: servings

Instructions

  1. Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

  2. Heat olive oil in a skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp is pink and just starts to curl. remove shrimp from the pan and set aside.

  3. Add garlic and onion to the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent (3-4 minutes).

  4. Add carrots, corn, peas, and green beans. Cook until tender (3-4 minutes).

  5. Add rice, soy sauce mixture, and green onions (if using). Stirring to combine and heat through.

  6. Add shrimp.

  7. Serve immediately. Save any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Recipe Notes

  • If you prefer, instead of using frozen veggies from separate bags, buy a bag of mixed frozen veggies that has the veggies in it that you want and use 2 CUPS of that mixture in this recipe.
  • For the rice, I recommend using a medium-grain or Jasmine variety - make sure to use leftover, day-old rice (or cook rice and spread it out on baking sheets for 1-2 hours to dry out).

Share this Recipe

Forget Takeout: This Is The Best Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is shrimp fried rice healthy for you? ›

Healthy: Packed with protein from shrimp and eggs, plenty of vegetables, and rice, this is a perfectly well-rounded meal. I also chose to skip extra oils like butter and sesame oil to keep the calories lower. Adaptable: You can add in different frozen or fresh vegetables if you're not a fan of carrots and peas.

What is the secret ingredient to restaurant fried rice? ›

Cooking bits of chopped vegetables, seasoning, soy sauce, and oil, seems easy enough. However, when making fried rice at home, there's one ingredient you may be overlooking: Sugar.

Is takeout fried rice healthy? ›

Generally, fried white rice will not help you lose weight, especially the calorie-filled, soy sauce covered take-out varieties! However, if you're eating a dish similar to our recipe, it's much lower in calories and fat with a decent amount of filling fiber, helping you eat less food during the day.

What are some secrets for perfect fried rice? ›

The key to delicious fried rice lies in using cold, cooked rice (preferably from the previous day) to prevent it from becoming mushy. Additionally, make sure to stir-fry the ingredients quickly over high heat, use soy sauce for flavor, and add a variety of vegetables and proteins for a well-balanced dish.

Is Chinese restaurant fried rice unhealthy? ›

Typical side dishes like fried rice, lo mein noodles, crab rangoon, and egg rolls are high in calories — and fat. Healthier choices include steamed brown rice, sautéed or steamed vegetables, spring rolls, or soups like egg drop soup or hot and sour soup.

How unhealthy is fried shrimp? ›

Shrimp can be a nutritious choice, but it often comes down to preparation. Like other proteins, if shrimp are battered and fried or swimming in a pool of butter, they might do more harm than good for your health. However, shrimp that have been grilled, poached, steamed or baked are often a healthier choice.

Why does Chinese restaurant fried rice taste so good? ›

The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.

What is the difference between fried rice and Chinese fried rice? ›

In Fried Rice, most quick-service restaurants (QSRs) use long-grain white rice like Basmati, whereas Jasmine Rice is used in Chinese Rice. If you love rice unconditionally, you should definitely try out Fried Rice varieties (available in veg & no-veg) from Hong's Kitchen.

Can I eat fried rice during weight loss? ›

If you want to use fried rice on a diet, eat less. It has so much fat and white rice has less fiber. You can use a non stick spray to cook fried rice for less fat. Of course!

How often do Chinese eat fried rice? ›

Today in China fried rice is eaten more out of choice than necessity. Typically it is served as a meal-in-one dish enjoyed for lunch by one or more people, or as a simple dinner, perhaps with a soup or a vegetable dish.

Is fried rice healthy when trying to lose weight? ›

Most restaurant fried rice is full of calories and fat, so it isn't the best choice for weight loss. Luckily this lightened up fried rice is packed with veggies, brown rice, and uses a minimal amount of oil. This makes it a much better option for anyone looking to lose weight or eat healthier.

How do you make fried rice taste like restaurant? ›

To get restaurant-quality fried rice at home, it's essential to use aromatics, a group of vegetables and herbs that are so named because they lend your dish a distinct aroma. Common aromatics that are used to flavor fried rice are onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red peppers.

What oil is best for cooking fried rice? ›

It is key to the authentic flavor of this dish. Peanut oil. this is another ingredient that adds authentic flavor to this recipe, but if you have a peanut allergy in your household you can substitute canola oil or additional sesame oil for the peanut oil.

How do Chinese restaurants make fried rice yellow? ›

Actually, the yellow colour of the fried rice came from the beaten eggs. The beaten eggs is the one that gives the yellow colour to the Fried Rice. This type of Fried Rice is called “Golden Egg Fried Rice.”

Is fried rice more unhealthy? ›

Fried rice prepared in a restaurant may be higher in sodium, fat and calories, but in moderation, it can fit into a healthy diet. You can make fried rice healthy by making your own at home. Try loading it up with vegetables which will add vitamins, minerals and nutrients like fiber.

Is fried shrimp healthier than fried chicken? ›

As you can see, shrimp is significantly lower in calories than both chicken and beef. Additionally, while chicken and beef have the same amount of protein per serving, shrimp has a slightly lower amount.

Why is fried shrimp healthy? ›

Shrimp is high in several vitamins and minerals, and it's a rich source of protein. Eating shrimp may also promote heart and brain health due to its content of omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant astaxanthin ( 7 ).

Is fried rice better for you than white? ›

Fried rice is undeniably bad for you, setting you back 450 calories and 14 grams of fat. Brown rise is better, with only 215 calories and a generous 3.5 grams of fiber per cup. But even though it's trendy to avoid white rice because it's a high-glycemic carb, it's not so bad.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Twana Towne Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6187

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (64 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Twana Towne Ret

Birthday: 1994-03-19

Address: Apt. 990 97439 Corwin Motorway, Port Eliseoburgh, NM 99144-2618

Phone: +5958753152963

Job: National Specialist

Hobby: Kayaking, Photography, Skydiving, Embroidery, Leather crafting, Orienteering, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.