Sweet Chili Shrimp is a simple recipe packed with flavor and spiciness! The sticky and sweet chili sauce is made from scratch with basic ingredients, such as Sriracha, honey, ginger, and soy sauce. Shrimp is first cooked with lots of minced garlic and crushed red chili pepper flakes. Then, it's coated with a spicy and sticky sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds! This quick dish takes only 30 minutes from start to finish.
Sticky and sweet shrimp recipe
This sweet chili shrimp is a well-balanced meal that features both protein (shrimp) and vegetables (bell peppers).
- Start the recipe by searing the bell peppers in olive oil in a cast-iron skillet just until soft. I use 2 bell peppers in 2 different colors, green and red. This adds vibrancy and color to an already tasty dish.
- Then, the shrimp is cooked with minced fresh garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes in olive oil.
- The sauce is made completely from scratch by combining soy sauce, dried ginger, Sriracha sauce, and honey.
- Assemble the dish by tossing the shrimp with the sweet chili sauce so that the sauce coats the shrimp nicely.
- Finish this meal with a beautiful presentation: serve the sweet chili shrimp on top of cooked bell peppers, topped with toasted sesame seeds and chopped fresh parsley.
Simple 30-minute recipe
This simple sticky and sweet chili shrimp recipe takes only 30 minutes from start to finish. The shrimp are quickly cooked on the stovetop using simple ingredients: olive oil, minced fresh garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. The spicy sauce is made with basic ingredients such as Sriracha sauce, honey, ginger, and soy sauce. Everything about this recipe screams simplicity! Yet, there is so much flavor!
Cooking tips and recipe notes
- Shrimp. Use raw shrimp that is peeled and deveined. You can leave the tails on or remove them. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them completely and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess water before using in the recipe. This recipe is best made with medium-size or large shrimp. Small shrimp won't work as well.
- Crushed red chili pepper flakes add spiciness to the shrimp. Feel free to reduce or increase the amount to your taste.
- Sriracha sauce is made from chilies and is quite spicy. I use 2 tablespoons for the sauce, and if you prefer more spiciness, increase the amount.
- Soy sauce. If you'd like to reduce sodium, use low-sodium soy sauce. You can also use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce.
- Sesame seeds. I like to toast sesame seeds before using them. It adds a nutty flavor to the seeds and they taste so much better when toasted. Toast the seeds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven at 400 F, until they start to lightly brown. Watch the seeds carefully to avoid burning them.
- Vegetables. Even though this recipe already comes with a lot of veggies (bell peppers), you can add even more veggies as a side dish. Stir fry broccoli, sugar snap peas, and mushrooms in a small amount of soy sauce, and sesame oil (or olive oil). Other great options for stir-fry are peeled and diced carrots, snow peas, and baby corn.
What to serve with shrimp
- Rice is a perfect side to provide contrast to the spiciness of this dish.
- Seaweed salad is a perfect accompaniment to sweet chili shrimp. Seaweed salads are usually sold in many grocery stores. They go well with Asian-inspired dishes, such as this one.
- Veggie salad, such as this Crunchy Asian salad with Veggies and Peanut Dressing.
Other Asian fish and seafood recipes
- Asian Salmon and Noodles
- Asian Black Cod with Peanut Sauce Noodles
- Honey Sesame Salmon with Rice Noodles and Asparagus
30 Minute Sweet Chili Shrimp
Sweet Chili Shrimp is a simple recipe packed with flavor and spiciness! The sticky and sweet chili sauce is made from scratch with basic ingredients, such as Sriracha, honey, ginger, and soy sauce. Shrimp is first cooked with lots of minced garlic and crushed red chili pepper flakes. Then, it's coated with a spicy and sticky sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds! This quick dish takes only 30 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- salt
- 1 lb shrimp raw, peeled, and deveined
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ginger dried
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. Add sliced bell peppers and season with salt. Cook, stirring for 5 to 10 minutes until softened. Remove bell peppers to a bowl.
- To the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add shrimp, minced garlic, crushed red chili pepper flakes. Sprinkle with a dash of salt. Cook shrimp for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from heat.
- Add the sauce ingredients on top of shrimp: soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, honey, sprinkle with dried ginger. Toss with the shrimp to thoroughly mix the sauce ingredients and to coat the shrimp with the sauce on low-medium heat. Cook for about 1 or 2 minutes until the sauce coats the shrimp properly and until the shrimp are cooked through but not overcooked.
- Serve the shrimp on top of cooked bell peppers. Top with toasted sesame seeds and chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
How to toast sesame seeds:
Toast the seeds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven at 400 F, until they start to lightly brown. Watch the seeds carefully to avoid burning them.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
30 Minute Sweet Chili Shrimp
Amount per Serving
Calories
193
% Daily Value*
Fat
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
8
g
Sodium
931
mg
40
%
Potassium
205
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
19
g
6
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
15
g
17
%
Protein
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
1221
IU
24
%
Vitamin C
70
mg
85
%
Calcium
57
mg
6
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Fabulous recipe! Easy I used thai chili sauce instead of the sirracha sauce. I used the sirracha in another recipe and it was too hot for me. Added walnuts but everything just as called for. Easy, filling, quick can't say enough good things about this recipe A MUST TRY!! AND A KEEPER!
So happy you made this and loved it, June! Love the addition of walnuts and that you used Thai chili sauce - sounds so delish!
Excellent. I cut back a little on the red pepper flakes, used only one red pepper, then added broccoli and snow peas. Served it over brown rice. We will be enjoying this recipe on a regular basis. Thank you!
I am so glad, Donna, that you enjoyed this recipe enough to make it again!
I made this for my family. We usually have leftovers, but all of this was eaten. It has excellent flavor and is very easy to make.
David, I am so glad this recipe turned out well! Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
This was great! I added mushrooms and Brussels sprouts and doubled the sauce.
Michelle, I love your choice of veggies!
Sounds absolutely delicious but am confused by the name of the recipe. It says sweet but you have sriracha and red pepper flakes in the recipe. For someone who can’t eat hot anymore, this is deceiving. Maybe you should say “sweet hot” instead of just sweet. I would like to try this but will have to cut back on the “hot spicy” part for our family.
If you don't want any hot or spicy flavors, just omit red chili pepper flakes and Sriracha sauce. And use a small amount of ketchup instead - to provide similar color and texture to the sauce.
About the name of the recipe - it's called "sweet chili shrimp" because it combines both sweet and spicy flavors. The "Chili" part of the name refers to the red chili peppers that give Sriracha the heat and spice, and "chili" also refers to red chili pepper flakes. I hope that explains it.
I hope you try this recipe without all the spice (just use a small amount ketchup instead) and enjoy it! 🙂
I imagine you could use any veggies in this. I'm going to used red peppers, asparagus and broccoli. I will cut the broccoli small so as it cooks at the same temperature and rate as the other veggies. But who doesn't like sweet chilli??? I can't wait to eat it!!!!!
Kathy, this would be great with other veggies! Especially broccoli and asparagus - love that idea!
Made this twice in a month because it is so easy and so delicious
Marie, I am so glad you've enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share this positive comment!
This looks delicious! Can I make this for a large group and make it ahead of time?
Hi Mary, I wouldn't make it ahead because when reheating is easy to overcook the shrimp.
1st time making this recipe. I did add more sauce sauce and sriracha.
Would make it again. Thought it was very good.
I am glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment and the 5-star review!
This looks amazing? Can I use frozen shrimp?
Hi Megan, yes, you can. Just make sure it's completely thawed and drained of all liquid. Enjoy!
I have not yet made this recipe. However, as I am a fan of many other recipes of yours, so I am sure this is going to be yet another shrimp favorite of mine
Thank YOU!
Thank you for such a nice comment! I hope you like this recipe, too!
Fast, easy and great flavor! Thanks for the tip about toasting the sesame seeds!
Tamara, you're very welcome! Glad you found this recipe useful!
Made this and served a nice bottle of sake - incredible! I doubled the red pepper flakes and added more web serving. Served with flavored ramen noodles on the side. So good!
Anna, so glad you liked it! Love that you served this with ramen noodles!
I made this with jumbo shrimp and served over rice. Really good!
What a delicious combination!
Super easy to make and super tasty too. I just used the shrimp as in the recipe, but I'm sure that chicken or ground beef would be just as good with this wonderful recipe!
A little spicy for the wife but perfect for me. I will definitely make this again but I will play around a little bit with the heat for her
This looks amazing. Bell peppers and shrimp sounds delicious together. I have only cooked shrimp in my freezer, it’s frozen, can I use cooked shrimp in this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, you can use cooked shrimp. Make sure it's completely thawed. Pat dry the thawed shrimp with clean paper towels to remove excess moisture. Proceed with the recipe as is. Enjoy!