Shrimp and broccoli is a classic Chinese takeout dish featuring juicy, plump shrimp and crisp broccoli tossed in a savory brown sauce. Our copycat recipe is super easy to follow and takes less than 30 minutes. A perfect weekday or weekend meal to go with some egg fried rice, crab rangoons, and some egg rolls.
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Ingredients needed to make shrimp and broccoli
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Shrimp - For this stir fry recipe, we prefer using larger, jumbo shrimp, but if you prefer smaller shrimp, that's fine too. The shrimp are marinated with some salt and shaoxing rice wine, which is to season and get rid of any unwanted shrimp flavors.
- Broccoli - We like to use fresh broccoli instead of the frozen ones because the flavor and texture is better. If you want, you can also add some sliced carrots to the stir fry.
- Ginger and garlic - These two duos are the holy grail aromatics of most Asian sauces. They make sauces and stir fry dishes extra flavorful.
- Stir fry sauce - The sauce base is made with water, chicken bouillon powder, soy sauce, and sugar. If you want to make it more nutritious, you can use unsalted chicken stock instead. At this point, the sauce will be a light brown color. To make it darker, we like to add some dark soy sauce, which is optional in this recipe. The sauce will be thickened with some cornstarch and the toasted sesame oil added will bring everything together.
How to make shrimp and broccoli just like Chinese takeout
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
1. Marinate the shrimp. Mix the shrimp with salt and shaoxing rice wine. Set it aside and let it marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Prepare the sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce EXCEPT the sesame oil. Whisk until no more cornstarch lump is visible then mix in the sesame oil.
3. Blanch the broccoli. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli florets. Once the water comes back to a boil, cook the broccoli for another 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your desired tenderness. Drain well and set aside.
🌟 Pro tip: Make sure to shake the broccoli to drain really well so that no extra water gets added to the sauce.
4. Sear the shrimp. In a wok or pan over medium high heat, add enough oil to just coat the bottom. Once hot, arrange the shrimp in the wok and sear on both sides until just cooked, about 2 minutes per side (for large shrimps). Remove and set aside.
5. Stir fry the aromatics. In the same wok or pan over medium high heat, add about a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.
6. Make the sauce. Give the prepared sauce a good mix and add it to the wok. Bring the sauce to a simmer while stirring frequently. It'll become thickened and glossy. As it gets thicker, reduce the heat if needed to medium and stir constantly to prevent burning.
7. Coat in sauce. When the sauce is ready, reduce the heat to low and add the seared shrimp. Give it a good mix to coat the shrimp then add the broccoli. Mix well until everything is evenly coated with sauce. Enjoy while hot!
Storage
Leftover shrimp and broccoli can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure to let the leftover cool completely before storing.
Reheating
You can reheat the shrimp and broccoli easily in the microwave. Just make sure to place it in a microwave safe container and cover with a lid. Make sure to also give the food a mix midway through to encourage even heating.
If the sauce becomes thin, you can reheat it on the stovetop with a little cornstarch slurry. We recommend starting with 1 tablespoon of slurry first (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water). Slowly drizzle it into the sauce while stirring when the sauce comes to a simmer.
FAQs
If you don't have Shaoxing rice wine on hand, you can substitute it with some dry sherry half diluted with water. Alternatively, you could use some cooking sake, the same amount. If you cannot have alcohol, you can simply omit it. The main purpose of using alcohol is to make the shrimp more fragrant and to get rid of any unwanted shrimp flavors.
Potato starch is a great substitute for cornstarch. Use it the same way and in equal amounts.
📖 Recipe
Shrimp and Broccoli
Ingredients
For the shrimps:
- 1 pound shrimps peeled and deveined (we prefer using large or jumbo shrimps)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the stir fry sauce:
- ¾ cup water
- 2½ tablespoons regular soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce optional for color
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 pound broccoli cut into desired size florets
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (about 2-3 cloves per TBSP)
- 1 tablespoon ginger peeled and minced (about 1 inch knob per TBSP)
- Oil as needed for cooking (any neutral oil)
Instructions
- Marinate the shrimps:In a bowl, mix the shrimps well with the salt and shaoxing rice wine. Set aside to marinate as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the sauce:In a bowl or measuring cup, combine all the ingredients for the sauce EXCEPT the sesame oil (water, soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, dark soy sauce, cornstarch). Whisk until no more cornstarch clumps are visible then whisk in the sesame oil. Set aside until needed.
- Blanch the broccoli:Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli florets. Once the water comes back to a boil, let the broccoli cook for another 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on you desired tenderness. Drain well and set aside.
- Sear the shrimps:In a wok or pan over medium high heat, add enough oil to just coat the bottom. Once hot, arrange the shrimps in the wok and sear on both sides until the shrimps are a vibrant orange and just cooked and golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side (for large shrimps). Remove and set aside.*If needed, sear the shrimps in batches to avoid overcrowding!*
- Make the shrimp and broccoli:In the same wok or pan over medium high heat, add about a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.
- Give the prepared sauce a good mix and add it to the wok. Bring the sauce to a simmer while stirring frequently. It'll become thickened and glossy. As it gets thicker, reduce the heat if needed to medium and stir constantly to prevent burning.
- When the sauce is ready, reduce the heat to low and add the seared shrimps. Give it a good mix to coat the shrimps then add the broccoli. Mix well until everything is evenly coated with sauce.
- Enjoy the shrimp and broccoli while it's hot and serve with white rice, fried rice, and lo mein!
D K says
Substitute for shaoxing cooking wine
Mei says
Hi DK! You can substitute shaoxing cooking wine for dry sherry half diluted with water. In this case (since it's for marinating the shrimps), you can even use sake. If you don't have any of these cooking alcohol available, you can omit it all together. Also, for your future convenience, we usually offer substitutions and answer FAQs in the post above the recipe as well. Hope this helps!
Mei ❤️
Edelyn G says
I made this for dinner and it was so good! 👍🏼 my husband loves it. We love the flavor of the sauce. It wasn’t so salty and sweet. It was perfect for brown rice and by itself. The best of all it was easy to make! Thanks!
Mei says
So glad you both enjoyed it, Edelyn! This is definitely one recipe we have on rotation =)
Mei ❤️
Krystle says
This was restaurant quality! I added red pepper flakes to the sauce and it turned out great! Adding this recipe to my rotation.
Mei says
So glad you enjoyed it, Krystle!
Mei ❤️