Sweet and Sour Shrimp With Broccoli
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This sweet and sour shrimp with broccoli skips the fryer but keeps all the flavor—fresh, fast, and perfect over a bowl of rice.
This sweet and sour shrimp with broccoli is a lighter take on the Chinese restaurant favorite, made without the batter or deep-frying. It’s one of the easiest (and tastiest) dinners you can make. Start a pot of rice before you begin prepping, and 30 minutes later, dinner is on the table.
If you’re craving the crispy takeout classic, try my sweet and sour chicken. But for an easy weeknight meal, this shrimp version is hard to beat. I always stock up on frozen shrimp when it’s on sale, so I can make this recipe anytime.
“My kids and husband were literally licking the plate.”
What You’ll Need to Make Sweet and Sour Shrimp With Broccoli
Before we get to the recipe, a note on buying shrimp: The “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case at the supermarket is typically thawed frozen shrimp, and you never know how long it’s been sitting there.
Almost all shrimp are cleaned and flash frozen shortly after being caught, so for the freshest shrimp, you’re better off buying it frozen and defrosting it yourself. For this recipe, I buy shrimp labeled “shell split and deveined.” Come dinnertime, all I have to do is run the shrimp under cold water to quickly defrost and then peel.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, cornstarch, and rice vinegar. Whisk until completely smooth, then whisk in the chicken broth. Set aside.
Step 2: Sauté the aromatics. Set a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the light green scallions, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Cook the shrimp and broccoli. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until mostly pink and curled, but not cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Add the sauce and broccoli to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened and the shrimp and broccoli are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Step 4: Finish the dish. Sprinkle the dark green scallions over top.
Step 5: Serve. Spoon the shrimp and broccoli over rice and enjoy!
More Asian Stir-frys You’ll Love
Sweet and Sour Shrimp with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce, such as sambal oelek
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 bunch scallions, finely sliced, light and dark green parts divided
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 lb extra-large (26 to 30/lb) or jumbo (21 to 25/lb) shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- 2½ cups broccoli florets
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, chile sauce, cornstarch and rice vinegar. Whisk until completely smooth, then whisk in the chicken broth. Set aside.
- Set a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the light green scallions, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 2 minutes. Do not brown. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until mostly pink and curled, but not cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the sauce and broccoli to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened and the shrimp and broccoli are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the dark green scallions over top and serve with rice.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Another fantastic and easy recipe – thank you!
Five stars as usual! This was super easy and came together quickly – I sped things up by buying pre-cut broccoli and frozen brown rice. I only used 1lb of shrimp and added mushrooms to boost the veggie content which worked out great. Next time I’ll add red peppers as well. I spooned the sauce over tofu for my 3 year old who doesn’t like shrimp and it was a hit with him too! I’ll definitely add this to my regular rotation.
This was delicious! I made the recipe exact and the family was super happy.They were asking for more asian items. We had some broccoli and broccolini from the garden. Maybe next time I will add a few more veggies. We love Maggi sweet chili sauce at my house too, so we put a drizzle on top just after serving.
This was an easy recipe to pull together with two of my favorite foods: shrimp and broccoli! I used half a bag of frozen shrimp and cut the recipe down to fit the smaller amount of shrimp. Instead of rice I substituted some chinese noodles I had on hand. Also substituted another brand of Asian chili sauce because I couldn’t find the one in the recipe. Leftovers are great to freeze for a fast dinner another night. This is one recipe to definitely keep on hand!
I have made many of your recipes and each is delicious. This is no different. You can easily adjust the amount of spice depending on your family’s tolerance. Easy and quick recipe that I would serve to company. It would be great with noodles too!
Jen one of the reasons you are my favorite food blogger is because you get what it means to be a working mom that has to come and cook a healthy but quick meal. Case in point- your sweet and sour shrimp. I made this tonight and it was faster than ordering takeout… and healthier too. The ketchup sauce was so simple and delicious that I had my children help measure and whisk. I did not have chicken broth on hand so I used water and it was still flavorful. The broccoli was a beautiful bright green and still crispy. I finished it off with some sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil and served it over cauliflower rice. Delish!
Yummy with some cauliflower rice.
OK, Jenn. You have done it again. This is ABSOLUTELY delicious!
And I had my doubts. Thank you very much.
we thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. it was quick and straight-forward. my family enjoys stir fries lately. i substituted chives for the scallions because we still have them in the garden. the sauce nicely thickened and we served it with rice. i think next time we’ll try rice noodles. i undercooked the broccoli to make it snappy, fresh, and tender crisp. thank you
Absolutely delicious! I added more veggies and cooked some Farro to eat with it and yummmm!!!