Honey Sriracha Shrimp
Honey sriracha shrimp is easy to make, so flavorful and the perfect weeknight meal when paired with rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice. Ready in 15 minutes, this spicy honey shrimp is made with simple ingredients and is even faster than ordering takeout!
I develop quick, easy, healthy recipes for you so that you don’t have to spend a ton of time in the kitchen after a long day. Shrimp is one of my go-to quick cooking proteins that I recommend keeping on hand if you are trying to make quick, high protein meals.
Be sure to also try my Buffalo Grilled Shrimp, Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp or Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos after you make this recipe.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – the spicy honey shrimp cooks up in just minutes in a large skillet while the sauce simmers away on a separate burner. This dish can be made even quicker if you prep the sauce in advance.
- Simple ingredients – made with just 5 easy to find ingredients (many of which are pantry staples), this honey sriracha shrimp is perfect for those nights when you aren’t quite sure what to make for dinner.
- Versatile – enjoy this sriracha shrimp over rice, with veggies, in lettuce wraps or as a fun appetizer!
Ingredients
- Honey – honey sweetens the sauce and helps make it super sticky and thick. Tip: you don’t have to use expensive honey for this, since you are heating it. You can also use maple syrup.
- Sriracha – sriracha is a super popular spicy condiment made with red chili peppers, sugar, garlic, salt and vinegar. You could also use chili garlic sauce (however this will change the flavor).
- Coconut aminos – coconut aminos are the soy free and gluten free alternative to soy sauce that add a deep level of flavor and salt to the sauce. You can also use gluten free tamari or soy sauce (if not gluten free).
- Rice wine vinegar – rice wine vinegar helps to balance out all the flavors as it provides some acid to the sauce. You can also use the juice from 1 lime.
- Shrimp – I recommend using peeled and de-veined shrimp for this recipe. You can use medium, large or extra large shrimp for this recipe (I use large 20/25 count shrimp). You can choose to leave the tails on (if you are serving as an appetizer) or you can remove the tails before cooking (my preferred method). I almost always use frozen shrimp that has been defrosted but if you have fresh shrimp that works well.
How to make honey sriracha shrimp
Make the sauce: Measure out all the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and put over medium high heat. Stir the pan regularly as it comes to a boil. Let it bubble for 3-5 minutes before turning down the heat to medium low and simmering for 5-7 minutes.
Cook the shrimp: Once the sauce is simmering, you can preheat a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the shrimp. Be sure to move the shrimp around so they are in one single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Flip the shrimp and cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side until the shrimp start to curl up into a tight C- shape and turn pink. ake the shrimp off the heat immediately (they will overcook quickly). If there is any extra liquid in the pan, remove the shrimp and dump the liquid.
Sauce the shrimp: Pour just enough sauce over the shrimp to coat them. Stir well. Note: there will be extra sauce to pour over your vegetables or rice.
Top tips
- Time saving tip: Make the honey sriracha sauce in advance to have dinner ready even quicker.
- The longer the honey sriracha sauce simmers for, the thicker it gets. If it gets too thick, add water (1 tablespoon at a time) until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Make the hot honey shrimp spicier by using less honey or adding red pepper flakes.
- Drain away any excess liquid after the shrimp are done cooking before adding the sauce. This helps keep the sauce super thick and sticky.
- This recipe makes extra sauce to pour over rice or veggies (the sauce really is the star of the dish). This recipe makes enough sauce that you can easily double the shrimp without having to increase the sauce.
- Use just enough of the sauce to coat the shrimp, there will be extra for dipping or pouring over the rice and veggies when serving.
- I recommend (and prefer) peeled and deveined shrimp with the tails removed to make this dish so easy to prepare. If you find that your shrimp still has the shell, it will add about 10 minutes of prep time to remove the shell and de-vein the shrimp.
- Make this into garlic sriracha shrimp by sauteing minced garlic for 1 minute in the skillet before adding the rest of the honey sriracha sauce ingredients.
Ways to serve
- With rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa
- With veggies: my go-to recommendation would be to serve this with Asian broccoli, but you could also serve with sauteed or steamed green beans, carrots, or asparagus.
- In lettuce wraps with avocado and green onion
- With a salad on the side. This spicy Asian slaw would be great on the side and a good way to get in more veggies.
- Make them into tacos by adding them to a tortilla and serving with your favorite slaw
- Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion, cilantro, chopped cashews, chopped peanuts, crushed red pepper flakes
Common questions
Is sriracha shrimp spicy?
Sriracha sauce is a spicy condiment that adds so much flavor to any dish. The honey helps to mellow out the spice but the sauce still has a kick to it.
- If you want this honey sriracha shrimp to be less spicy, reduce the sriracha from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup.
- If you want the spicy honey shrimp to be more spicy, decrease the honey to 1/4 cup or increase the sriracha to 2/3 cup.
What is the best shrimp to use for this spicy honey shrimp recipe
I recommend using large (20/22 count) or jumbo shrimp that have already been peeled and deveined. You can use smaller shrimp, just know that they will cook up quicker, so keep an eye on them.
I always have a bag or two of the Argentinian Red Shrimp from Trader Joe’s in my freezer. It’s peeled, de-veined and so easy to cook up. I like to defrost it in the fridge overnight but you can also defrost in a large bowl of cold water in about 2 hours on the counter (change out the water every 30 minutes or so).
How to tell the size of shrimp
Usually the shrimp will say something like Large or Medium on the packaging. However, sometimes the bag only says things like 20/22 count or 41/50 count. The count on the bag indicates how many shrimp are in a pound. The smaller the number, the larger the shrimp. The bigger the number, the smaller the shrimp.
In the first example, this means that there are about 20-22 shrimp per pound, which makes them large. The second example is about 41-50 shrimp per pound, making them medium sized.
Can you make hot honey shrimp with frozen shrimp?
If you only have frozen shrimp on hand, cook the shrimp in the air fryer, then pour the honey sriracha sauce on top. Using the air fryer makes perfectly cooked frozen shrimp in less than 10 minutes (be sure it’s peeled and de-veined before cooking).
Why does this spicy honey sauce need to be boiled?
Boiling the sauce helps to thicken it (it cooks off extra liquid), which helps make the sauce super thick and sticky. The sriracha honey sauce will get thicker the longer it boils, just be sure to stir the sauce regularly.
Can you double the recipe?
This recipe is written to make 1 pound of shrimp and enough sauce to fully coat the shrimp plus have extra for pouring over veggies or rice.
- There is enough sauce that if you wanted to double the shrimp to 2 pounds, you would easily have enough sauce to coat the 2 pounds, however you may not have much extra.
- If you know you want double the shrimp and double the sauce, you can double the recipe (be sure to use a larger pot to bring the sauce to a boil in). If you just want to double the shrimp, you don’t have to double the sauce.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store leftover honey sriracha shrimp in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Eat leftovers cold or heat through just till warm (about 1-2 minutes in the microwave) or the shrimp can get overcooked. You can also reheat in a skillet over low heat until warmed through.
Honey Sriracha Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sriracha
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 pound shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
Instructions
- Combine the honey sriracha sauce ingredients in a small pot (sriracha, honey, coconut aminos and rice wine vinegar). Put the pot over medium high heat and allow the mixture to come up to a gentle boil, stirring regularly. Let boil for 3-5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the shrimp and ensure that the shrimp are in one single layer in the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- After 2-3 minutes, flip the shrimp and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the shrimp start to form a tight C-shape and are pink and firm.
- Take the shrimp off the heat immediately. Remove the shrimp from the pan and discard any excess liquid that was leftover from the shrimp cooking.
- Pour some of the honey sriracha sauce over the shrimp and stir well. Note that you will have leftover sauce to use on the rice or veggies you are serving with the shrimp.
Notes
- Make the honey sriracha sauce in advance to have dinner ready even quicker.
- The longer the honey sriracha sauce simmers for, the thicker it gets. If it gets too thick, add water (1 tablespoon at a time) until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Make the honey sriracha shrimp spicier by using less honey.
- The recipe as written makes extra sauce to pour over rice or veggies (the sauce really is the star of the dish). Use just enough of the sauce to coat the shrimp, there will be extra for dipping or pouring over the rice and veggies when serving.
- Remove the shrimp and drain away any excess liquid after the shrimp are done cooking before adding the sauce. This helps keep the sauce super thick and sticky.
- I use peeled and de-veined shrimp with the tails removed to make this dish so easy to prepare. If you find that your shrimp still has the shell, it will add about 10 minutes of prep time to remove the shell and de-vein the shrimp.
