Kung Pao shrimp is a delicious favorite recipe and one we love to make at home!
Tender juicy shrimp and bell peppers in a sauce with a little sweet heat. Top this dish with green onions and chopped peanuts for the perfect meal!
What is Kung Pao Shrimp?
Kung Pao shrimp is a sweet and spicy combination of fresh, crisp, sautéed veggies with shrimp.
The sauce for this recipe combines a bit of broth with bold flavors from soy sauce, hoisin and sesame oil. A sprinkle of chili flakes add some heat (add a little or a lot).
One of the most popular entrees on a Chinese food restaurant menu, you can also make Kung Pao chicken or beef.
Ingredients/Variations
SHRIMP
Medium-sized, peeled & deveined shrimp in this recipe, but any size will work great!
VEGGIES
Bell peppers, and diced onion are sauteed with the shrimp until soft. Feel free to add mushrooms, baby corn, snap peas or diced zucchini!
SAUCE
This sauce is the star of this dish! Soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken stock, hoisin, and sesame oil are whisked together to create this sweet & savory sauce.
PEANUTS
Peanuts set this dish apart from other take-out favorites. Substitute with cashews if you don’t have peanuts.
How To Make Kung Pao Shrimp
Just a few simple steps and a special dinner will be on the table!
- Toss shrimp with cornstarch & soy sauce (this tenderizes and adds a nice crust).
- Cook onions, then bell peppers and garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
- Simmer. Add the sauce to the skillet and the shrimp and cook until thickened.
Tips
- Like most stir fry recipes, this comes together quickly so prep your ingredients beforehand.
- Start with fresh, thawed peeled and de-veined shrimp and be sure not to overcook them.
- For extra flavor on the dry roasted peanuts, saute them in a dry pan for a few minutes to make them extra crunchy!
More Favorites at Home
- Beef and Broccoli – 30-minute meal
- Crispy Homemade Egg Roll recipe
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry – full of flavor
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken – set it & forget it
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Shrimp Stir Fry
- Honey Garlic Chicken – with a sweet & savory sauce
- Szechuan Green Beans
Did you love this Kung Pao Shrimp? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Kung Pao Shrimp
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¾ pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper cut into chunks
- 1 green bell pepper cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon garlic grated
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more if desired
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
Sauce
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken stock
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine shrimp, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Let marinate 10 minutes (while prepping the other vegetables). Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add shrimp and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or just until it turns pink (it will continue to cook in the sauce). Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add more oil to the pan if needed and add onions. Cook 2-3 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Add in the red and green bell pepper, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes or just until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the sauce and cook until it begins to thicken. Stir in the shrimp and simmer 1 minute more or just until cooked through.
- Stir in green onions and peanuts and serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I make this for company often andits always a hit.
I have made this many times and always a hit. Fast, easy and with at home ingredients.
nice one there
This was fantastic! Tasted even better than what you get at a restaurant.
This was definitely a hit. I added a tsp. of Sriracha to the sauce, and next time I will add some to the marinade as well. I definitely agree that adding celery makes it a better dish. I will lightly salt my veggies next time as well. Thank you for the recipe. Highly recommended!
You’re welcome Chris! So happy to hear how much you love the shrimp!
Got many compliments on this recipe! Really good!!!
Have everything together to get started with this great looking recipe, except I use no alcohol. What is a good replacement for the Sherry? Thanks
Hi Randy, we have only made this recipe as listed but you could try substituting the sherry with cooking vinegar. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Awesome dish. Reminds me of my favorite takeout place.
Delicious! Glad you enjoyed it, Jeffrey.
I’m making this week. I can’t eat soy so can I use teriyaki? Thanks!
I would suggest liquid aminos if it fits within your diet.
This was delicious! Will be making again.
Made this last night and we loved it. Only thing I did different was I added some celery to the veggies. Would definitely make again
Celery is a great addition, Glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! I did not have hoisin sauce. So I subbed Worcestershire sauce and increased the amount of brown sugar and cornstarch. I opted out of the peanuts… just not my thing. I doubled the sauce and tossed in some lo mein… well it was actually thin spaghetti. Lol
I made this almost exactly as specified (I only had half of a green pepper and half of a red pepper on hand, so I added in a couple of celery stalks in place of that). It was really delicious! I won’t be needing to order out for Kung Pao Shrimp any more. Thanks for the great recipe!
You are very welcome Ian!
Recipes look awsome..looking forward to trying them
Enjoy Roberta!
Absolutely delicious! This is just as good as (if not better) than Chinese take out :)
I have been getting your recipes for a while now and this week I have not gotten any. Do I only get them for so long and then I’m done or do I have to do something to continue getting them? Thank you very much, I really enjoy getting them and trying them. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for letting us know! It seems some emails haven’t gone out in the past couple of days and we are looking into it, emails should resume shortly!
Sounds yummy. If my husband doesn’t prefer soy sauce could I use fish sauce? I bought the fish sauce for a recipe that I can’t find now. I never used it before.
I haven’t tried fish sauce in this recipe. Fish sauce has a strong flavor and it is quite salty so if you do add it, I would suggest just a little bit at a time.
THIS IS AMAZING. I made 3 batches and served with low mein noodles. Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this receipe!
So glad you loved it Cat!
Holly, could I use frozen shrimp for this? (I never really know…but the idea of paying $20 a pound for fresh kind of horrifies me!)
Sure you can! Just be sure to thaw in the fridge before using and drain any liquid. Enjoy!