If you love to order General Tso Chicken at your favorite Chinese restaurant, you will love this General Tso Shrimp recipe. And you can easily make it at home in just 10 minutes.
General Tso Shrimp is an American Chinese dish and one of the more popular menu items you'll find at a Chinese restaurant. It's popular for a reason!
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What's To Love About This Recipe
- Homemade General Tso shrimp is so quick and easy to make that you'll never want to order take out.
- Shrimp are not battered or breaded for this healthier General Tso version. They are quickly sautéed instead of frying or deep frying.
- The whole dish takes just ten minutes and cooks in just one pan.
- This delicious dish is so flavorful. The General Tso sauce is tangy, sweet and spicy.
- Making General Tso shrimp yourself means that you control the amount of sugar, sodium and there's no MSG.
- This recipe is gluten free if you use tamari or gluten free soy sauce.
Ingredient Notes
For the Sauce
- Vegetable stock You can also use chicken stock. I like to use a low sodium vegetable stock because the soy sauce addition will still result in a pleasantly salty sauce.
- Soy sauce If you want this recipe to be gluten free, use tamari, or a gluten free soy sauce.
- Rice vinegar This vinegar is a must have if you like to cook Asian dishes and stir fries. It's also called rice wine vinegar. Look for regular rice vinegar and not the seasoned version which contains added sugar and salt.
- Chili Sauce My favorite for this General Tso's sauce is Sambal Oelek. It's an Indonesian chili paste that works well in Asian cooking. However, you can use Sriracha, or any other chili sauce.
- Brown Sugar The sugar adds the signature touch of sweetness that we expect in General Tso shrimp.
- Cornstarch Cornstarch is used to make the sauce thick and glossy. You may know this as corn flour, depending on where in the world you live.
For the Shrimp
- Shrimp Buy jumbo shrimp that are peeled, deveined and tails removed. You can use fresh or frozen (and defrosted) shrimp.
- Oil For frying the shrimp. Use vegetable oil or any other neutral oil. Also included in this recipe is sesame oil, which adds another perfect flavor element.
- Garlic and Ginger Mince it yourself or use jarred, pre minced garlic and ginger.
- Scallions (Green onions) This General Tso Shrimp recipe includes both the white and green parts of the scallion.
How To Make General Tso Shrimp
Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Put all the sauce ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well to combine. (Or whisk together in a small bowl.
- Heat the vegetable and sesame oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, about one minute.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.
- Give the sauce ingredients one more shake or whisk and add to the pan
- Cook the sauce until it thickens and turns glossy.
- Add the shrimp and scallions to the sauce and stir to coat.
Helpful Tips
- If you prefer more of a spicy sauce, use more chili sauce, or you can add some red pepper flakes.
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towels before cooking. This is so they will sauté, rather than steam.
- Shrimp cook very quickly. Be careful not to overcook them or they will be rubbery.
- The shrimp are cooked when they turn pink and opaque. They will curl up tightly into a "C" shape.
- Once the shrimp are cooked, remove them to a plate while you thicken the sauce, to prevent over cooking.
- After removing the shrimp from the pan, use paper towel to wipe the pan clean of any excess oil before adding the sauce ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish General Tso shrimp with green onion and/or sesame seeds. You can serve it over a bed of rice. Cauliflower fried rice or vegetable fried rice are delicious side dish options, too.
I like to serve this healthy meal with steamed broccoli, or green beans. And a side of stir fried cabbage is a perfect compliment.
Common Questions
This recipe is best if eaten right away. However, if you do have leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Yes, you can freeze General Tso shrimp. Allow it to cool completely before storing in a freezer safe container or zip lock bag. Freeze for up to a month. Allow the shrimp to thaw completely in the fridge before gently reheating in the microwave.
Yes, you can make General Tso's chicken instead of shrimp. Use chicken breast or chicken thighs, cut into one inch pieces and follow the recipe. Add a couple of minutes cooking time for the chicken.
You can also make a vegetarian version of General Tso. Try this delicious General Tso Cauliflower & Mushrooms.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
General Tso Shrimp
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable or chicken stock low sodium
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari gluten free if required
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Asian chile sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 1 pound shrimp peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 2 scallions green and white parts, sliced
Instructions
- Put vegetable stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, chili sauce, and cornstarch in a jar with a lid and shake well to combine.
- In a large skillet, heat vegetable and sesame oils over medium high heat.
- Add garlic and ginger to the pan and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
- Add shrimp to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, using tongs to turn them. When cooked, the shrimp will turn pink and opaque. They will also curl tightly.
- Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Wipe the pan with paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Give the sauce mixture another good shake, then pour into the pan.
- Cook and stir until the sauce is thick and glossy, about 1 minute.
- Add shrimp and sliced scallion to the pan. Stir to coat in sauce. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
Loving all of this! Such an easy and quick recipe that will be on repeat! I loved the flavors in this so much!
Colleen
Hi Lori! So glad you loved this shrimp recipe. It really is so easy and flavorful. Thanks for your feedback!
Jacqueline Debono
This shrimp recipe is so delicious. I've made it twice already and my hubby wants me to make it again next week.
Colleen
Jacqueline, that is lovely to hear! Thanks for your feedback!
Veronika
This recipe is a winner! Made it yesterday and my hubby is still talking about it! So, going to make it again tomorrow night 😉
Colleen
Hi Veronika! That's so great that you and your hubby loved the general tso shrimp. Thank you for commenting!
Kristen
OK our kids love shrimp so we had to try this out. It is so quick and easy - a lifesaver recipe on busy weeknights. We leave the chili sauce out as it's a bit too spicy for our toddlers but it is still amazing. We make a pot of rice to go with it and dinner is done!
Colleen
Hi Kristen, It's great that your little ones love shrimp! Yes, toddlers wouldn't appreciate the spice, but happy to hear it still turned out great. Cheers!
Kristina
This was such an easy dinner that was full of flavor. It was so good that I've made it twice this week to have as a meal prepped lunch. Definitely recommend!
Colleen
Hi Kristina. I'm happy to hear that you loved the shrimp, and using the recipe for meal prep is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Amy Liu Dong
Seeing this dish is making my mouthwatering. I love it and I am so excited to make this for everyone!
Colleen
Hi Amy. I would love to hear how the general tso shrimp turns out for you. Enjoy!
Nancy
Yummy. Love this General Tso Shrimp recipe. Better than take out.
Colleen
It's great to hear this Nancy!
Leslie
This is such a great recipe. I love how simple it is yet it doesn't compromise on flavor! Perfect recipe!
Colleen
Hi Leslie, I'm happy to hear that you loved the General Tso Shrimp. Thanks for letting me know!
Andrea
love how quick this shrimp recipes is to whip up! perfect for a quick weeknight meal!
Colleen
Hi Andrea. It really is so quick and easy. Enjoy!