Try out the much-loved sauce with over 2 million pins. This sweet and smoky honey garlic shrimp skillet is super easy with only FIVE ingredients and cooked in about 15 minutes!
So here we have a super simple recipe for a honey garlic shrimp skillet. It’s yummy, it’s healthy and really easy to make. With a flavor combination of savory and sweet and a slightly smoky aftertaste (depending on how much rubbing you did on the caramelized sticky bits in the pan), it pairs well with most veggies as a side or on a bed of pasta, noodles, or rice.
When I say super easy, I mean 5 ingredients easy and less than 15 minutes of cooking time easy. With how shrimp cooks so quickly, it’s such a great fast fix for any meal of the day. And if you’re not a fan of seafood, you can also do this with chicken. So many ways to enjoy this sauce!
But back to this recipe, let’s begin.
HOW TO MAKE HONEY GARLIC SHRIMP SKILLET (1 MIN)
HONEY GARLIC SHRIMP SKILLET TIPS AND TRICKS
Shrimp: I used jumbo, peeled and deveined shrimp with tails on because they just tend to look better in pics. But you can use whatever kind of shrimp you like or can easily get your hands on. Peeled and deveined with tails off. Unpeeled shrimp. Just make sure to use uncooked shrimp.
Sauce: Put together the sauce and divide it in half. Half is for the marinade and the other half is for the finishing drizzle.
Ginger: Ginger gives the sauce a warm, peppery taste but if you don’t like ginger, you can leave it out. Most households don’t keep ginger as a pantry staple so an easier way to do this is to buy ginger paste in a tube. It keeps well in the fridge and is easy to use. I used Gourmet Garden’s ginger paste for this recipe.
Searing: Shrimp tends to cook quickly so you’ll want to get your pan nice and hot before starting so they have a gorgeous sear. One minute per side and your shrimp is cooked! You know the shrimp is cooked when the color changes from translucent to opaque (see-through to pink). If the shrimp starts to shrink in size, it’s been cooked too long and will be a little rubbery.
Overcrowding: Try to sear in two batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. If the shrimp are too close together, the heat buildup between them will end up steaming them instead of searing them.
Sticky bits: The honey will caramelize a little and stuff will get stuck to the bottom of the pan. There will be more fond (the caramelized sticky bits) on a cast iron pan vs a non-stick pan but you should still see some on a non-stick. Use some tongs and gently rub the shrimp into the stuck-on bits to get them nice and blackened. Here’s where you get the smoky aftertaste.
And that’s it! It’s an easy, fuss-free way to enjoy the sauce with juicy, succulent shrimp. Good luck and happy cooking!
PS: Love noodles? Try pairing this over a bed of hibachi noodles. I tried this once and it was great!
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Honey Garlic Shrimp Skillet
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Try out the much-loved sauce with over 2 million pins. This sweet and smoky honey garlic shrimp skillet is super easy with only FIVE ingredients and cooked in about 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients and divide it into half.
- Marinate the shrimp with one half of the sauce for 15-30 minutes. Discard marinade.
- Over medium high heat in a 10″ skillet, pan sear the shrimp in some oil. Sear them on both sides in two batches until browned, about 1 minute per side.
- Using tongs, rub the shrimp into the caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan (see notes).
- Dish and serve hot, drizzled with the remaining sauce and fresh parsley (optional).
Notes
- Rubbing the shrimp onto the stuck on bits blackens the shrimp and gives it a slight smoky aftertaste.
- This recipe sears better in a cast iron pan and may not perform as well with caramelized bits in non-stick pans.
- For even more flavor, try adding in some red pepper flakes for heat or fresh lime juice for zest.
- If you like cilantro, lime and red pepper flakes, try out this variation of cilantro lime honey garlic shrimp skillet!
♡ Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. You can learn more about it here.
195 Comments
Marisela
February 27, 2021 at 7:51 PMDelicious!! I’ve been craving spicy cashew shrimp from Big Bowl and this was a perfect start! I added cashews when I cooked the shrimp. Also added green onions as garnish along w/the sesame seeds and served it with coconut rice. Perfect! Red pepper flakes are a great idea for the next time I make it. Added siracha this time.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
March 8, 2021 at 9:45 AMThanks Marisela! I actually have a REALLY old spicy cashew chicken recipe that is very authentic so you could try that next time for deeper flavors. If you can’t find dried chilis, sub with sriracha sauce. And thick soy sauce is soy sauce infused with molasses so if you can’t find that, add some brown sugar to your regular soy sauce instead. There’s a whole level of flavor from all the sauces combined.
Betty
June 27, 2020 at 4:13 PMThanks so much for this shrimp recipe. My husband loves it and asks for it regularly! Very much appreciated from this great grandmother!
★★★★
The Cooking Jar
March 8, 2021 at 9:41 AMYou’re very welcome, Betty! I’m happy it’s a favorite of your husband 🙂
Susan
April 17, 2020 at 8:28 PMI made this for dinner tonight with a side of white rice. It was delicious. The recipe was easy and it came out looking like the pic, even tho I don’t own a cast iron pan. Just make sure you get your pan very hot, before ,so it gets that great crusty, honey flavor! Yum, this is a keeper!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
March 8, 2021 at 9:40 AMWhite rice and a side of veggies is great with this. A perfectly balanced meal. It’s good to know you managed to get it seared nicely even without a cast iron pan.
Mary
June 12, 2019 at 1:50 PMI am making this recipe tonight (my mouth is watering ?). How is the dish as a leftover? Husband works nights and eats what I cook the next day. Thanks!
The Cooking Jar
June 12, 2019 at 2:24 PMI’ve had the slight variation of this the next day. Even had it cold and it was still good. A tip I would suggest is if you were to heat it up in the microwave, try not to do it too long so the shrimp isn’t overcooked.
Mary
June 12, 2019 at 7:18 PMThank you so much for responding so quickly! I was a little hesitant when smelling the marinade (I used low sodium soy sauce and a little lime juice as well as red pepper) about this recipe. Much to my delight the aroma was awesome when it hit the heat! Loved it! Thank you! P.S. I did add a spash of amino acid to make up for the low sodium soy sauce….
Brian
June 29, 2018 at 6:03 PMLook awesome. Anyone grill it yet?
The Cooking Jar
June 12, 2019 at 2:21 PMI personally haven’t, but if you were to try I would recommend making a double batch of the sauce and save some of it to baste while grilling.
Lina
March 12, 2018 at 10:20 PMHi Farah!
I saw the succulent photo of your honeyed shrimp recipe on Pinterest and i did it with your Hibachi noodles to surprise my boyfriend:) He loved it! And so do i:) It was very impressive…Thank you for the joy of cooking that you have, and for sharing it with us:) I cook lots of Middle Eastern foods, since I’m from there, and have been 8 years in the US, and honestly i have been intimidated from the countless ingredients and names that i cant pronounce:) Thank you for making it so simple and approachable 🙂
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
April 27, 2018 at 4:08 PMGreat combo! You’re so very welcome, Lina. I am self taught with lots of cuisines so I can understand how intimidating it can be. I was so intimidated with Indian cuisine! So I try my best to think like someone new to things and go along that path while delivering the recipe. I’m glad it helped!
Anya Shortridge
January 9, 2018 at 10:24 PMWow, this was excellent! I took a couple of borrows from your other linked recipe – Added chili flakes and fresh, minced parsley because we didn’t have cilantro. I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. I used coconut oil for the saute. Finger licking good!
I would also double the sauce next time, or at least 1 1/2 times….
Thanks for this, it was a hit.
Anya
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
January 29, 2018 at 6:22 PMYou’re welcome, Anya. I use coconut oil too for Asian-inspired dishes and switch to olive oil for others. Vegetable oil for deep frying, which I don’t do much of. Tell you what, if enough people comment on doubling the sauce I’ll add it to the notes!
Workins in the kitchen
December 4, 2017 at 4:00 AMAbout the Honey Garlic Shrimp ; Some say to add to a bed of rice others say a bed of noodles would be better? what is your professional idea on what would be best to lay these honeys on ? Thank you Looking forward to your answer
The Cooking Jar
December 6, 2017 at 1:45 AMHahaha, professional. I like that! 🙂 Honestly I’m more of a fan of having it with rice on the side and another side of greens. Asparagus/green beans/zucchini. A nice balance of protein, carbs and greens for a meal. But that’s just because of the way I was brought up 😉
Ami
September 26, 2017 at 7:26 PMI made this with royal red shrimp and it was yummy! After reading reviews, I started with one tablespoon of honey. Once I tasted it, I remembered that I’m not overly fond of too much honey flavor, so I added a tablespoon of white sugar and the juice from half of a lime The combination was the perfect level of sweetness, without overpowering the flavor of the shrimp. I served it over jasmine rice that was cooked with some turmeric, a couple of garlic cloves, a whole tomato, and a diced carrot.
I took a plate to my neighbor to sample before I tried it. She inhaled it. When I returned home, so did I. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★
The Cooking Jar
October 11, 2017 at 3:24 PMSounds like you know your way around the kitchen! I love turmeric and sometimes make it with chicken and some salt. So yummy! You’re very welcome and thanks for trying it out, Ami.
Donna Dougherty
August 30, 2017 at 12:46 PMHi I don’t have fresh ginger but I do have ground Ginger. Can I use this and if so how many tsp. for ground?
The Cooking Jar
September 2, 2017 at 4:48 PMIt’ll work, just use very little. Ground would be extremely concentrated so I would suggest started at 1/8 teaspoon of it first. Taste it and see if you need more then build up.
Leslie
May 12, 2017 at 7:41 PMEasy and Excellent! Added steamed broccoli and rice!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
May 23, 2017 at 8:30 PMHappy you liked it, Leslie! And that you balanced it out with some rice and greens 🙂