Try out the much-loved sauce with over 2 million shares. This sweet and savory honey garlic shrimp skillet is super easy with only FIVE ingredients and cooks in less than 15 minutes!
Today we’re making some honey garlic shrimp skillet which is a reader favorite and one of the more popular recipes on the blog. It’s so easy to make but delivers big on flavor despite its simplicity. All you need are shrimp, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey to make this quick and easy recipe. These five ingredients reward you with a sweet and savory flavor combo and delicious caramelized bits of honey and garlic.
It’s a great, fast fix for a quick weeknight meal paired with a side of veggies and some rice, or on a bed of pasta/noodles. And if you’re not a fan of shrimp but just love the honey garlic sauce, try making some honey garlic chicken or the much-improved honey garlic butter chicken instead. Or if you prefer seafood, try this honey garlic salmon or the 7-minute air fryer honey garlic salmon. There are many, many ways to enjoy this sauce! So let’s start cooking.
How To Make Honey Garlic Shrimp Skillet (1 Min Video)
HONEY GARLIC SHRIMP SKILLET RECIPE TIPS
- Shrimp – I used jumbo, peeled and deveined shrimp with tails on because they just tend to look better in pictures. However, you can use whatever kind of uncooked shrimp you like: peeled and deveined with tails off or unpeeled shrimp.
Recipe Notes:
If you use frozen shrimp, make sure to thaw it out beforehand and pat it dry so the sauce isn’t diluted. You could technically use a bag of cooked shrimp with this recipe, just cut the cooking time to where you’re basically just reheating up the cooked shrimp in the pan and tossing it in with the sauce.
- Sauce – Combine the ingredients for the sauce then divide it in half. One part is for the marinade and the other is for the finishing drizzle. This recipe does not yield much sauce so if you want it super saucy, add an extra tablespoon of honey and soy sauce. Or you could double it and thicken it with some cornstarch slurry later.
- Soy sauce – I used reduced-sodium soy sauce for this recipe and my go-to brand is La Choy. If you want to make honey garlic shrimp without soy sauce, you could try using tamari instead.
- Garlic – You can use fresh garlic or garlic powder, whichever you have on hand, and whatever is easier for you. If substituting to garlic powder, try using 1/2 teaspoon to start.
- 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 to two minutes per side and your shrimp is cooked! You know the shrimp is cooked when the color changes from translucent to opaque (see-through gray to solid pink). You’ll know the shrimp is overcooked when it starts to shrink in size into a tight C-shape and is rubbery.
Recipe Notes:
If you’re using a 10″ skillet, try searing in batches of two so you don’t overcrowd the pan. If the shrimp are too close together, the heat buildup between them will steam them instead of searing them.
- Sticky bits – The honey will caramelize a little and browned bits will get stuck to the bottom of the pan. There will be more stuck-on bits in a cast iron pan vs a non-stick pan but you should still see some on a non-stick. Use 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.
- Thickening the sauce – You can thicken the leftover drizzled sauce with a cornstarch slurry or if you prefer even more sauce, double the sauce, then use the cornstarch slurry.
Customize It!
- Add more flavor – Add some heat with a few dashes of red pepper flakes. You can cut the sweetness of the sauce with some apple cider vinegar or a drizzle of lime juice. For a smoky flavor, do a finishing drizzle with sesame oil or sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
- Garnish – Garnish with some freshly chopped parsley or green onions.
What to Serve with Honey Garlic Shrimp
Serve your honey garlic shrimp with some white rice or coconut rice and some greens on the side like broccoli, green beans, or some asparagus. You can also serve it over some mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower. It also goes great with noodles like these buttery Hibachi noodles.
And that’s about it. Let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made, or what you paired it with in the comments below.
MORE SHRIMP RECIPES TO TRY
- Cilantro Lime Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Shrimp
- Easy Shrimp Scampi
- Browned Butter Shrimp
- Creamy Garlic Tuscan Shrimp
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Honey Garlic Shrimp Skillet
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Try out the much-loved sauce with over 2 million shares. This sweet and savory honey garlic shrimp skillet is super easy with only FIVE ingredients and cooks in less than 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. jumbo or large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
SAUCE
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced / 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients and divide the sauce in half.
- Marinate the shrimp with one-half of the sauce for 15-30 minutes. Discard marinade.
- Over medium-high heat in a skillet, pan-sear the shrimp in some oil. Sear them on both sides until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side.
- Dish and serve hot, drizzled with the remaining sauce and fresh parsley or green onions as an optional garnish.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Rubbing the shrimp onto the stuck on bits (fond) blackens the shrimp and gives it a charred look and smoky taste.
- This recipe sears better in a cast iron pan and may not perform as well with caramelized bits in non-stick pans.
- Add more flavor – Add some heat with a few dashes of red pepper flakes. You can cut the sweetness of the sauce with some apple cider vinegar or a drizzle of lime juice. For a smoky flavor, do a finishing drizzle with sesame oil or sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
- Garnish – Garnish with some freshly chopped parsley or green onions.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
Comments & Reviews
Just found your site via Yummly. What a gorgeous recipe – not to mention easy and healthy! Sharing with my audience!
Thanks so much, Dena. It was super yummy for so little ingredients!
Do you use fresh ginger/garlic or ginger/garlic powder? Recipe looks great!
Heya Sara. Yup, I always use fresh ginger and garlic unless I specifically mention them in powder form. Good luck cooking!
Could I use powdered ginger instead? If so, how much?
I’ve never tried powdered ginger before but yes, you could sub that. Just use very little and taste test to your liking as you go. I’m assuming the potency of powdered is much more than fresh ginger so start with 1/8 a teaspoon first and see how that works for you.
I always use powdered ginger, 1/2 teaspoon.
Amazing! I used half the soy sauce and added lime to cut sweetness and it was amazing…kids to husband loved it! Paired with garlic pesto angel hair pasta and salad. Next time might add some jalapeño or red pepper flakes to marinade for some heat! Awesome recipe… Can’t go wrong will need to double recipe next time. BTW I am by no means a cool but this made look like I was! Thanks!
Lime juice is awesome with this flavor combo, Dawn. Yummy! I love mixing salt, sweet and tangy into one combined flavor. Red pepper flakes would be my choice to spice it up some. And I’m happy you got to feel like a pro in the kitchen. Every home cook deserves it!
hi.. may i know the kind of soy sauce you used for this recipe?there are diferent kinds in the market,i dont know which ones to use. thanks..
Sure, Mich! I use the regular thin and salty kind. There’s so many brands out there, just pick which one you like as long as it’s salty! Lately I’ve been using the less sodium Kikkoman brand if you specifically want to know which brand I use 🙂
I made this yesterday – I wish I had jumbo shrimp because the portions seemed very small (serves 4) – but today, I took my leftovers and put them on a salad and used excess marinade for the dressing – super good! I think the marinade would be great for chicken too 🙂
The portions I had in mind were with side dishes and stuff but maybe jumbo shrimp does give the illusion of bigger portions! And you’re right about working well with chicken! I used the marinade as a sauce for crispy chicken and for slow cooker pulled chicken! Both recipes are on the blog 😉
Leftovers? What are leftovers? 🙂
You show that shrimp who’s boss! 😉
Tried this tonight. It was a big hit! Thank you for the recipe!
That’s great news! Thanks for trying it out, KP!
Hi. I see some green leaves on the shrimps. What is it?
No oil for this food?
That’s just a garnish I put on. Parsley! And yes, use about two tablespoons of oil for the searing. Add more as needed, just enough to sear the bottom of the shrimp before you flip it. I like to use vegetable oil. Hope this helps!
Do you cook the shrimp in the other half of the marinade? It’s not specifically mentioned to add the other half to the pan that I can see.
Heya Rachael! You divide the sauce into half. Half goes to marinade and the other half is drizzled over the shrimp once it’s cooked and out of the pan. Hope this clears things up!
By far my favorite shrimp dish. I’ve made it around 5 times. it is a very tasty, but simple recipe. I’m only 13 years old, so I would know ;). Keep making more recipes please. lol
Thanks so much, Will! Keep on cooking in the kitchen!
So I am stuck in the house and have everything but ginger. Should I bag this or try it without ginger?
Ginger helps make it but it definitely doesn’t break it. It should be fine! It’ll just lack one layer of flavor from ginger.
These look irresistible! Simple, as you said and gorgeous, caramelised colour. Thank you, great recipe.
Most welcome, Di! Your Easter egg cups are adorable!
What a delicious and easy way to cook up shrimp! That honey and garlic sticky sauce is making this recipe VERY tempting.
I’m happy you like it, Thalia! Shrimp can so easy to cook for that quick weeknight dinner 😉
Farah! This is drool-worthy… and so easy! Great recipe and gorgeous photos!
Thanks so much, Alison! Gotta love easy recipes!
Oh my gosh these look AMAZING! Totally going to check out the rest of the series. 🙂
Have fun with the series, Trish!
This is wonderful! Made it with some coconut lime rice on the side and we love it! So simple, quick and tasty. Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you.
Coconut lime rice, oh wow. That sounds amazing! And I bet it went so well with the shrimp. Thanks for trying it out, Kelly!
Any other suggestions for sides that go well with this recipe? I’m planning on trying it this week. Thanks!
Some greens would be nice! Maybe a stir-fry asparagus with garlic and lemon pepper? Or sauteed green beans or zucchini? I always pair my proteins with at least one veggie side to balance it out. Good luck with the recipe and don’t forget to rub in the shrimp for that charred look!!
Can ginger be omitted or replaced with another spice? We don’t care for ginger.
You can leave out the ginger. It won’t break the dish if you’re not fans of it anyway. Good luck, Ann!
Thank you! I was scrolling for ideas of what in the side, how do you make coconut lime rice? Just add coconut milk and lime juice? Thanks in advance!
I love shrimp! These look great! I’m a fan of sweet and salty.
Try it out! And thanks, Thao!
I would love to have your recipe for coconut shrimp
Here you go, Tammy!
http://www.thecookingjar.com/coconut-shrimp-with-spicy-chilled-pineapple-sauce/
Hi Farah! These are making my mouth water! I have been on a shrimp kick lately – barbecued Cajun shrimp, shrimp and grits, peel and eats, you name it! My next trip to the store I’m getting more shrimp and these beauties are going to make my tummy very happy!
Let me know how you like it, Dorothy! I’m more partial to battered and fried shrimp but the sauce in this one is too good to pass!
I’m going to try this recipe we can always add bits of cooked thick bacon???
Good luck, Steve! Hoping you enjoy it!
Good idea. Everything is even better with bacon.
Something tells me this would work really well with pineapple on a skewer, on hot grill. What do you think?
I think it will do GREAT grilled with pineapples. Have fun cooking out, Mr. Grill Man!
Don’t forget to remove the vein from the shrimp (or just buy already deveined–which will already have the shell removed).
Yup yup! I’m lucky that the skin off shrimp already comes deveined cause it sure isn’t a fun thing to do!
Shrimp don’t have skin; they have shells!!! Exoskeletons, to be accurate. BTW, recipe was super simple but it was lackluster…..maybe needs some chiles or hot sauce. Tasty tho’ not “write home about”!!!
You know what, I already knew that! But I’m so used to saying ‘boneless, skinless chicken breasts’ in other recipes, the skin part kinda snuck in there. Whoops! Didn’t even notice. Fixed it! Also, you can always add some red pepper flakes or lime/lemon juice to bring up the flavor a notch.
Adding red pepper flakes and lime juice was an awesome idea. Thanks!!!!
It was delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!! I made 3 pounds of it, last for awhile!! I also added oil to it as well.
This comment is for DORI, you are rude. If you don’t like a recipe, there isn’t a need to comment on it. People do have feelings.
I found the comment helpful! If I were to make this recipe, I’d probably follow Dori’s suggestion and add some heat.
I agree – rude and condescending!
This is a place to share basic recipes and you can tailor them how you please. If you don’t like something, just chalk it up and keep moving. People are so mean nowadays. Anywho…moving on to find more recipes ?
I agreed! Some people I read on other recipes were mean and very rude.
Thank you, I agree. If you don’t like it try to use your imagination (if you have one) and add what flavors that you like. This is a simple recipe that’s just screaming for your own additions when you don’t want simple, quick and tasteful.
Helpful comment (on the flavor part.) My immediate thought was to add a LOT more garlic….perhaps because I just bought a giant bag of garlic at Costco. LOL
You sound a bit snarky- and she does have adding red pepper flakes and lime juice as
An option to kick up the flavor.
The flavors in this shrimp were spot on. I added 1/4 teaspoon crushed pepper to the marinade for a little spice. Even my picky eaters loved it! Thanks for an excellent and easy recipe.
Just tried this recipe with a very small amount of red pepper flakes…delicious! Thank you!
What did you serve as a side dish?
Any kind of your favorite veggies should work. A salad, zucchini, asparagus. I’ve also made it to go tossed on some hibachi noodles this year.
Sometimes I buy the shrimps devenied in the shell. I then remove the shell and use the shell to make fish stock, to use in other recipes.
I left the veins in and it didn’t change the flavor. I guess I just don’t like doing all that deveining but This Is The Best Garlic Shrimp Recipe I have ever tried. It was delicious and is my new favorite recipe for shrimp. When you put the shrimp back in and coat it with bits on the bottom of the pan, I added my asparagus and rolled it in the bits as well. It gave the asparagus a real crunch and a sweet flavor. Love this recipe.
I typically mention deveined shrimp because a majority of people don’t like them left in. But keeping them in won’t change the flavor, it’s just personal preference. You’re getting the hang of making the best use of fond (the blackened bits on the pan)! Great idea to transfer some to the veggies as well.
Deveing is removing poop. You should always devein.
ola, Farah,
que receita maravilhosa, e vou fazer, ja esta na minha lista.
assim que fizer comento com voces.
obrigada.
Olá! Isso foi muito divertido usando o Google Translate para ver o que você disse. Aproveite a receita e obrigado!
What could be better than shrimp and honey? Of course you are going to add other ingredients but this is a great start !