This Szechuan shrimp recipe is perfect for the spicy food lover with crispy shrimp and vegetables tossed in a vibrant Szechuan sauce, so easy to make.
Szechuan Shrimp Recipe
Spicy shrimp lovers! We're cooking up spicy Szechuan Shrimp tonight, and you're going to love it. Szechuan shrimp is ideal for cooks in a hurry, who want something easy yet satisfying on the table fast.
This shrimp dish always cooks up quickly. You can whip the Szechuan sauce together from easy pantry ingredients and have this particular dish done in 20 minutes or less, 15 minutes if you're not slow like me, including prep time!
That's a winner for me. No need to order from the Chinese restaurant across town. This is the recipe you need for a great Szechuan shrimp stir fry.
Let's talk about how to make Szechuan shrimp, shall we?
Szechuan Shrimp Ingredients
The full list of ingredients with measurements are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- FOR THE SZECHUAN SHRIMP
- Shrimp.
- Soy Sauce.
- Salt and Pepper.
- Corn Starch.
- Sesame Oil.
- Vegetables. Bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, snap peas. You can use others, and hotter chili peppers if you'd like.
- Szechuan peppercorns.
- Peanuts.
- FOR THE SZECHUAN SAUCE
- Soy sauce. Use light soy sauce.
- Rice vinegar.
- Sesame oil.
- Ginger.
- Honey.
- Chili garlic sauce.
- Garlic.
- Sriracha.
- Red pepper flakes.
- Chicken stock.
- Corn starch.
- Szechuan peppercorns.
- Chinese 5 spice.
- FOR SERVING. Cooked white rice or noodles if desired, spicy chili flakes. Green onions are good, too.
How to Make Szechuan Shrimp - the Recipe Method
Marinate the Shrimp. Add the shrimp to a large bowl. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes.
FOR THE HOMEMADE SZECHUAN SAUCE
While the shrimp is marinating, whisk all of the ingredients except the cornstarch together in a small pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
To thicken the sauce, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water until well mixed. Stir it into the szechuan sauce and stir until it thickens up, 2-3 minutes. For thicker szechuan sauce, use 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Remove from heat and set aside.
FOR THE SZECHUAN SHRIMP
Cook the Shrimp. Heat the oil in a large wok or large pan to medium heat. Toss the shrimp with 1/2 cup corn starch to coat. Add it to the pan and cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set it aside.
Cook the Vegetables. Heat the pan back to medium-high heat and add the peppers. Stir fry for 5 minutes to soften. Add the snap peas, peppercorns and chopped peanuts and cook another 2 minutes, stirring.
Warm it Through. Return the shrimp to the pan along with the homemade Szechuan sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes to warm through.
Serve the Szechuan Shrimp. Serve with rice or noodles. Garnish with extra chopped peanuts and spicy chili flakes.
Boom! Done! Your Szechuan shrimp is ready to serve! Looks wonderful, doesn't it? Very quick and easy to make, and easy to make as spicy as you'd like. Spice it up, my friends!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Vegetables. You can include other vegetables of choice for this recipe. Consider broccoli, other chili peppers, cauliflower, asparagus, bok choy or other greens, scallions, so many choices. Go with your favorites for this stir fry.
- The Heat Factor. I always include a range of chili peppers for heat and flavor, including mild bell peppers and jalapeno peppers for a low level heat. You can easily use spicier peppers, like serrano peppers and chile de arbol peppers. Use any to your preferred heat level.
- The Szechuan Sauce. Make the Szechuan sauce ahead of time, the night before or even up to a week, to save a bit of time. Just keep it in the refrigerator, covered, until you need it. You can easily adjust it to your own heat and taste preferences. See my Homemade Szechuan Sauce Recipe.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this Szechuan shrimp recipe. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. if you make it, and how you made it your own. Keep it spicy!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy cooking Chinese and Asian cuisine, I recommend these cookbooks. I'm learning a great deal from them. The first is much more comprehensive.
- The Food of Sichuan, by Fuchsia Dunlop (affiliate link, my friends!)
- 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die: Discover a New World of Flavors in Authentic Recipes - by Chef Jet Tila (affiliate link, my friends!)
Try Some of My Other Popular Chinese Recipes
Try Some of My Other Popular Shrimp Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Szechuan Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE SZECHUAN SHRIMP
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil or use olive oil
- 1 large bell pepper chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped (Optional for extra spicy! Use jalapenos for medium heat.)
- 1 cup Snap peas
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns or use black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup peanuts chopped (plus more for garnish - cashews are great here, too!)
FOR THE SZECHUAN SAUCE
- 1/4 soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger fresh minced ginger is good too
- 1 tablespoon honey or more for sweeter
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder fresh minced garlic is good too
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch for thickening
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns lightly toasted and ground or use black peppercorns instead
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
FOR SERVING
- Cooked white rice or noodles spicy chili flakes
Instructions
- Add the shrimp to a large bowl. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes.
FOR THE HOMEMADE SZECHUAN SAUCE
- While the shrimp is marinating, whisk all of the ingredients except the cornstarch together in a small pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- To thicken the sauce, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water until well mixed. Stir it into the szechuan sauce and stir until it thickens up, 2-3 minutes. For thicker szechuan sauce, use 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Remove from heat and set aside.
FOR THE SZECHUAN SHRIMP
- Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat.
- Drain then toss the shrimp with 1/2 cup corn starch to coat. Add it to the pan and cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set it aside.
- Heat the pan back to medium-high heat and add the peppers. Cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the snap peas, peppercorns and chopped peanuts and cook another 2 minutes, stirring.
- Add the shrimp back to the pan along with the homemade Szechuan sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes to warm through.
- Serve with rice or noodles. Garnish with extra chopped peanuts and spicy chili flakes.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Linda Miller says
Hola, just wondering if you drain the shrimp of the soy marinade before adding the cornstarch. I would imagine so, and I probably will. I'm in the process of making it and so I realize I won't get an answer in time! The sauce is really good... I'm sure we're going to devour it til it's gone.
Mike Hultquist says
Linda, yes, drain the shrimp first, then dredge in cornstarch. I will edit the recipe to make that more clear. Thanks! Enjoy.
Koko says
Hello, Your dish looks better than mine. I make spicy dishes every day including this one but mine does not come out red like yours. What's the secret?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
A lot of practice, Koko! Haha. Food styling and photography. At home, really it's all about a nice simple garnish, in my opinion. =)
Andy says
I just made this, with a few embellishments, and it came out red. Closest thing I had to chili garlic sauce was a Thai chili oil with fried garlic, and another recipe I found called for chili oil with fermented soy beans which I also happened to have and added. Both of those are red and turned the whole thing red. It was delicious!
Geraldine says
Hi Mike. Once again it looks amazing. My problem is Szechuan peppercorns. I live in Ireland and can't seem n to find them.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Geraldine. I'm sure it can be a challenge. Not sure if you are able to order online, or acquire ground Szechuan peppercorns. You can skip them and use black peppercorns instead. It will still be very good that way, but you'll be missing that bit of "tongue numbing" element that comes from the Szechuan peppercorns. Still delicious, though!