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Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

Published: Jun 15, 2021 · Modified: Dec 20, 2022 by Nicole B.

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7 minutes

These 7-minute sweet and spicy shrimp make a great appetizer that’s super easy to make. The shrimp are drizzled with a sweet and spicy honey sauce that has a warm background flavor from fresh ginger.

Sweet and spicy shrimp with sauce on a plate.
Jump to:
  • What’s in the recipe?
  • What size of shrimp is best for this recipe?
  • How to make it:
  • How to serve the shrimp:
  • How spicy is the sauce?
  • More spicy shrimp appetizers:
  • Full Printable Recipe

What’s in the recipe?

You need only a few common ingredients for this recipe. The sauce for the shrimp is made with honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and grated fresh ginger root.

Note: I don’t recommend substituting dried ginger in this recipe because it will not produce the same results. The freshness and fragrance of fresh ginger is important for the sauce.

Sweet and spicy shrimp ingredients.
You need honey, ginger, olive oil, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, rice vinegar and shrimp for this recipe.

What size of shrimp is best for this recipe?

I like to use jumbo shrimp for this recipe but you can use large or extra large as well.

  • Jumbo shrimp have 21 to 25 shrimp per pound.
  • Extra large shrimp have 26 to 30 shrimp per pound.
  • Large shrimp have 31 to 35 shrimp per pound.

How to make it:

See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!

Step 1. Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

Sauce being whisked in a liquid measuring cup.

Step 2. Cook shrimp in a non-stick or cast iron pan. Transfer to a bowl.

Cooked shrimp in a bowl.

Step 3. Pour sauce ingredients into the hot pan and cook until starting to thicken.

Bubbling sauce in a cast iron pan.

How to serve the shrimp:

Pour the sauce over the cooked shrimp and serve immediately. If you let the sauce cool for too long, it will start to get sticky and will firm up. But you can easily reheat it to loosen it up again.

How spicy is the sauce?

The sauce for these shrimp is very spicy from the crushed red pepper flakes. If you prefer it milder, just use less red pepper flakes.

More spicy shrimp appetizers:

  • Smoked paprika shrimp in a cast iron pan.
    Smoked Paprika Shrimp
    Cook Time10 Minutes
  • Basil marinade with raw shrimp in a bowl with a spoon.
    Spicy Basil Shrimp Marinade
    Cook Time22 Minutes
  • Jalapeno bacon-wrapped shrimp on a plate.
    Jalapeno Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
    Cook Time37 Minutes

See all appetizer recipes →

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!

Full Printable Recipe

Sweet and spicy shrimp with sauce on a plate.

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

The Spice Train
These sweet and spicy shrimp are served with a quick and easy spicy honey and ginger sauce.
5 from 1 vote
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Cook Time 7 mins
Total Time 7 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian
Servings 2
Calories (estimated) 269 kcal

Equipment:

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • ginger grater
  • small liquid measuring cup OR bowl
  • whisk
  • paper towel
  • cast iron or non-stick pan
  • kitchen tongs
  • rubber spatula

Ingredients:
  

  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root (I don't recommend substituting powdered ginger)
  • 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 6 ounces raw jumbo* shrimp (8 to 10 shrimp), thawed, peeled and deveined
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:
 

  • Add honey, pepper flakes, grated ginger, rice vinegar and soy sauce to a small liquid measuring cup or bowl. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
  • Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a cast iron or non-stick pan until shimmering.
  • Add the shrimp and cook until pink on the outside and opaque in the center (1 to 2 minutes per side).
  • Transfer the cooked shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
  • Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan you cooked the shrimp in (no need to clean the pan in between). Cook the sauce until starting to thicken (about 2 minutes).
  • Pour the sauce over the shrimp and serve immediately.**

Notes:

*You can also use large or extra large shrimp. (Here is a helpful guide for more on shrimp sizes.)
**If the sauce cools too much it will become a little sticky. If that happens, simply reheat it to loosen it up again.

Nutrition Information (Estimated):

Calories: 269kcalCarbohydrates: 37.2gProtein: 19.8gFat: 5.1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 359mgPotassium: 196mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 35gCalcium: 82mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.

Keywords: spicy honey shrimp, sweet and spicy shrimp

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