Name: Sautéed Garlicky Shrimp and Broccoli Skillet Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp. low-sodium Soy Sauce; 1 tbsp. Rice Vinegar; 1 tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil; 1 tsp. Dark Brown Sugar; 3/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper; 2 tsp. Cornstarch; 2 cloves Garlic (minced); 1/4 tsp. Ginger Powder; 1 Lime Wedge (about 1-2 tsp. Lime Juice); Avocado Oil or Extra-Virgin Olive Oil; 1/2 lb. medium-sized Raw Shrimp (cleaned, peeled, and deveined); 2 cups Broccoli Florets; 3/4 cup chopped Red Onion (about 1" pieces); 1/4 cup chopped Green Onion; 2 cups cooked Brown Rice or White Rice; Toasted Sesame Seeds (for garnish)

A small batch shrimp and broccoli recipe with a slightly spicy, garlicky, and flavorful sauce that makes 2-3 servings.

This shrimp and broccoli skillet is relatively simple, and the star of the show is a delicious sauce that brings it all together. I love to serve this over cooked brown rice or white rice, and sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds over the top for added crunch and texture. The recipe comes together in about 20 minutes and makes two generous servings.

This is the perfect small batch recipe to throw together at the end of a long day. You’ll still get tons of flavor, it’s pretty healthy, and it comes together so quickly. Easy recipes don’t always have the flavor you’re looking for, but I think you’ll be super pleased with this one.

A ceramic plate full of fluffy white rice, sauteed shrimp, broccoli, and red onions with two lime wedges nestled near the edge of the plate for garnish.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

2 tbsp. low-sodium Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Rice Vinegar
1 tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Dark Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes, divided
2 tsp. Cornstarch
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Ginger Powder
1 1/2 tsp. fresh Lime Juice

For the Shrimp and Broccoli:

Avocado Oil or Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lb. medium-sized Raw Shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined
2 cups Broccoli Florets
3/4 cup chopped Red Onion (about 1″ pieces)
1/4 cup chopped Green Onions
Brown or White Rice, for serving
Toasted Sesame Seeds, for serving (optional)

Ingredients to make a spicy shrimp and broccoli skillet recipe divided into small bowls and labeled.

Ingredient Notes and FAQs

Rice Vinegar

Rice vinegar is made from rice (what a coincidence!) and has a slightly sweet flavor. You can use rice wine vinegar as a substitute if needed. If you don’t have either, add half of the amount the recipe calls for and use apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, or more lime juice. You may want to taste everything before serving and add an extra squeeze of fresh lime if you think it needs it!

Toasted Sesame Oil

Toasted sesame oil is what I keep on hand, but general sesame oil will absolutely work, too. Toasted sesame oil has a very low smoke point, so it’s only used in the sauce. If it gets too hot or is heated for too long, it will taste burnt. Don’t use it as substitute for the avocado or olive oil when cooking the vegetables in this recipe.

Dark Brown Sugar

Dark brown sugar has a richer, deeper, sweeter flavor than light brown sugar because it contains about twice as much molasses. It’s great for this recipe, but if you don’t have any around, you can definitely use light brown sugar instead!

Shrimp

I’ve tried this recipe with both raw shrimp and fully cooked frozen shrimp, and raw shrimp is your best bet for this recipe. If you prefer to use frozen, fully cooked shrimp, you have to thaw it first. Once thawed, pat the shrimp super dry and still season with salt. Fully cooked shrimp gets tough as it cooks, so add it along with the sauce to avoid overdoing it. I used medium-sized shrimp (41/50) for this recipe, but large shrimp (31/40) or (26/30) will work, too!

Broccoli

Fresh broccoli is the way to go for this recipe. Frozen broccoli can contain too much moisture that won’t let the broccoli char as it cooks. I find that a small head of broccoli is usually perfect for this recipe, but you can purchase pre-cut broccoli florets if it’s easier.

Red Onions

You can use white onions in place of red onions, or you can omit red onions altogether if they aren’t your thing. Feel free to add another cup of broccoli if that’s the case!

This is kind of like a shrimp and broccoli stir fry recipe, but we’re adding two types of vegetables instead of one, and cooking the protein after the vegetables. Stir fry recipes are super specific in regards to the technique they use, so I didn’t want to name this recipe inaccurately. You could totally transform this into a shrimp and broccoli stir fry recipe by using less oil, omitting the red onion, and cooking the shrimp first (then removing it to a plate while you cook the broccoli). I definitely recommend using a large wok if that’s the way you want to go!

Regardless of what you want to call this recipe or how you want to prep it, it sure is a great way to get some flavor-packed seafood and veggies on the dinner table in a very short amount of time. Honestly, you could even make it a great option for meatless Monday if you leave out the shrimp and just use another couple cups of broccoli florets. Or you could add some snow peas, snap peas, more onions, or whatever leftover vegetables you need to use up.

Directions

How to make this Sautéed Shrimp and Broccoli Recipe

1. Prep the Shrimp. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels. Season generously with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

2. Make the Sauce. Combine low-sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, etc. in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

3. Cook broccoli and chopped red onions. Heat one tablespoon of avocado or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the broccoli with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly charred. Add the chopped red onion and stir to coat in any remaining oil. (Note: if the pan seems very dry, add another tablespoon of oil to prevent anything from sticking to the pan). Cook the onions and broccoli for another 5-7 minutes until charred and slightly softened.

4. Cook the shrimp. Turn the pan down to medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until opaque and cooked through.

5. Add the sauce and green onions. Pour the sauce into the pan and stir to coat all of the ingredients in it. Sprinkle in the green onions and cook everything together for another 1-2 minutes until the sauce is totally thickened.

6. Serve hot! Serve over warm brown rice or white rice (I love Jasmine rice specifically), or cauliflower rice if you want a low-carb dinner! Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if you’re feeling it, and enjoy.

Step-By-Step Recipe Guide

See below for step-by-step photos and directions. These directions are a little more specific, and walk you through the entire process of making these Sautéed Shrimp and Broccoli recipe

A small bowl with brown sugar, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, and ginger powder.

A small bowl full of savory, spicy sauce.

Make the Sauce. Combine low-sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, etc. in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

Broccoli florets and crushed red pepper flakes toasting in a skillet.

Large pieces of red onion being tossed into a skillet full of broccoli.

Cook broccoli and chopped red onions. Heat one tablespoon of avocado or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the broccoli with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly charred. Add the chopped red onion and stir to coat in any remaining oil. (Note: if the pan seems very dry, add another tablespoon of oil to prevent anything from sticking to the pan).

Broccoli and red onion being stirred by a wooden spoon inside a skillet.

Shrimp, broccoli, and pieces of red onion being stirred in a skillet by a wooden spoon.

Cook the onions and broccoli for another 5-7 minutes until charred and slightly softened. Add the shrimp. Turn the pan down to medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until opaque and cooked through.

A bowl of savory sauce being poured into a skillet full of shrimp, broccoli, and red onions.

A hand tossing chopped green onions into a skillet full of shrimp, broccoli, and red onions.

Add the sauce and green onions. Pour the sauce into the pan and stir to coat all of the ingredients in it. Toss in the green onions, too.

A skillet full of sauteed shrimp, broccoli, and onions coated in a savory sauce and being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Stir everything together and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the sauce is totally thickened.

Serve hot! Serve over warm brown rice or white rice (I love Jasmine rice specifically), or cauliflower rice if you want a low-carb dinner! Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if you’re feeling it, and enjoy.

This recipe seriously comes together in 20 minutes, and it’s such a great recipe for any night of the week. This past week was pretty hectic for me, so I did some recipe testing on a few quick and easy dinner recipe ideas to see what stuck. This was the clear winner, and I’m so excited to share it with you! I’m literally cooking dinner about 5-6 nights a week, and good food is always my goal. I always ask Mark, “what should I change next time?” – for this one, it was a one-and-done type of situation. Made it once, nailed it, made it again for photos, loved it just the same.

How to Store Leftover Sautéed Shrimp and Broccoli

You can store the sauteed shrimp, broccoli, and onions in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, toss in a non-stick pan over medium heat until warmed through. You can also toss it with leftover rice to make things easier.

More Small Batch Shrimp Recipes

If you ever need to increase the amount you want to make in the recipe card, there is a little slider bar near the “servings” portion on the recipe card if you’re on desktop, or if you’re on your phone, touch the number of servings on the recipe card (it will be a number, and colored dark red). You can adjust the slider bar that way instead of doing the calculations on your own! 🙂

If you make this sauteed shrimp shrimp and broccoli stir-fry and love it, please leave a comment and / or star rating below! You can also share it on Instagram and tag me, or use the hashtag #aflavorjournal so I can see it! If you have any questions about the ingredients or how to make it, send me an email so I can help out.

xx Sara