Sesame Shrimp

4.75 from 4 votes
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Delicious Sesame Shrimp is made with deep-fried shrimp and coated in a sweet and savory sauce. This easy recipe takes less than 20 minutes and much better than Chinese takeout restaurants!

Sesame shrimp on a plate, ready to serve.
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Sesame Shrimp Recipe

Sesame shrimp is a popular shrimp recipe that everyone loves. It is made with deep-fried shrimp and coated with a sweet and savory homemade sesame sauce.

This mouthwatering sesame shrimp is best served with a bowl of steamed white rice. Speckled with white sesame seeds, this recipe is insanely delicious and addictive!


Why This Recipe Works

Close up of shrimps coated in a sweet and savory sauce garnished with white sesame seeds.

This easy recipe serves up a tasty meal in less than 20 minutes with only a few everyday ingredients. It is the best recipe for busy weeknights.

Making this favorite takeout at home means the total cost is a fraction of the price in restaurants. Plus, homemade sesame shrimp is always better and healthier than eating out and you can save time and money from restaurants.

This recipe can be either an appetizer or a main dish for dinner.

Another easy shrimp recipe you need to try is my sauteed shrimp!


Ingredients For Sesame Shrimp Recipe

Shrimps coated with sweet orange sauce and  sesame seeds served on a black plate.

This sesame shrimp calls for a few simple ingredients below:

  • Shrimp
  • Oil for deep-frying
  • White sesame seeds

Frying batter requires the following ingredients:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Corn starch
  • Salt
  • Ground white pepper
  • Egg
  • Water

Homemade tangy sesame sauce is made from a few simple ingredients:

  • Soy sauce
  • Chinese white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Corn starch
  • Water

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make Sesame Shrimp

First, prepare the shrimp, frying batter and the sauce mixture.

Next, coat the shrimp with frying batter and deep-fry the shrimp until crispy and golden brown.

A paper towel lined plate with fried shrimp on it.

Finally, cook the sauce until it thickens and toss with the shrimp to evenly coat it. Now it is ready to serve!


Cooking Tips

For the best result, please follow my cooking tips below:

  • The crispy and airy shrimp are evenly coated with frying batter and deep-fried at a high temperature. Use a thermometer to keep the oil temperature at 350°F (170°C) while deep-frying.
  • Fry the shrimp in batches, allowing room between each other so that they won’t stick together.
  • Prepare the sauce mixture first to simplify the cooking process and save time.
  • Do not coat the shrimp with too much sesame sauce. Overloaded sauce will make the shrimp soggy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between sesame shrimp and General Tso’s Shrimp?

Sesame shrimp is coated with a sweet and savory sesame sauce but not spicy. General Tso’s shrimp is coated with a dark, sweet sauce and tastes spicy. They are two very different dishes.

Can I use the air fryer to fry the shrimp?

For the best result, deep-fry the shrimp with high-temperature oil. However, you can fry the shrimp with an air fryer.

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 191 per serving.

A fork picking up a big sesame shrimp.

What To Serve With This Sesame Shrimp

Serve this dish with steamed rice or fried rice. For a wholesome Chinese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.75 from 4 votes

Sesame Shrimp

Delicious Sesame Shrimp is made with deep-fried shrimp and coated in a sweet and savory sauce. This easy recipe takes less than 20 minutes and tastes much better than Chinese takeout restaurants!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1/2 lb (250 grams) shrimp, peeled, deveined and tale off
  • oil, for deep-frying
  • white sesame seeds, for garnishing

Frying Batter

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese white vinegar/ apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup water

Instructions 

  • Rinse the shrimp and pat them dry with paper towels; set aside
  • Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
  • Mix all the frying batter ingredients in a bowl, whisking continuously until no lumps remain and the batter is smooth. Add the shrimp to the batter and stir to coat evenly.
  • Heat the wok or a saucepan with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of oil to 350°F (170°C) for deep frying. Gently drop the shrimp into the oil one at a time, and immediately use chopsticks or a spatula to loosen them to prevent sticking together.
  • Deep-fry the shrimp until golden brown on both sides, then remove them from the oil using a strainer or slotted spoon. Place the fried shrimp on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Discard the oil in the wok.
  • Add the sauce to the wok and stir continuously until it thickens. Transfer the fried shrimp to the wok and stir until all the shrimp are evenly coated with sauce. Garnish with white sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 176mg, Sodium: 1171mg, Potassium: 252mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 79IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee Yinn Low is a cookbook author and a recipe developer specializing in easy, quick and delicious home cooking. Her work has earned her numerous accolades, including TV appearances, live cooking demos, radio interviews, and press mentions in the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





16 Comments

  1. George Moy says:

    I thought your sesame shrimp recipe was like the one Martha Stewart made on her show, she used (3)three things for the shrimp;rice wine vinegar,soy sauce, and sesame oil with sesame, you skewer the shrimp on the wooden skewer then you put the shrimp in the marinade of soy sauce vinegar marinade, then drain off the excess marinade and fried, after its done you have the shrimp coated in sesame. So your recipe isnโ€™t bad, but it uses more ingredients and at the end it reminds of sesame chicken, because that dish have you sprinkle some sesame over the chicken too.

  2. Monet Dufala says:

    This was sooo good and really easy! I didnโ€™t know deep frying could be so easy!! Thank you for the recipe, I and my household really enjoyed it.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome!?

    2. Rasa Malaysia says:

      nice to know!?

  3. Chris David says:

    Its really a nice recipe try this one also

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks Chris.

  4. Duncan Moore says:

    I chose to lower the amount of sugar to one and a half table spoons as my wife is diabetic and the result was a superb, super sweet dish. Loved it!

  5. Michelle Yeo says:

    May I know what other flour can I replace instead of all purpose flour for deep frying ? My grand children is super allergy to all wheat. Loved the easy to follow steps and everyday ingredients. Thank you.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      No replacement.

    2. Kim says:

      Potato starch or rice flour or use all corn starch

  6. COURTNEY GONZALES says:

    5 stars
    I really loved this recipe, it turned out perfectly

  7. COURTNEY GONZALES says:

    Delicious! I really loved this recipe

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome!

  8. Harvey Lesser says:

    There are NO cooking instructions in the printable recipe.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      We are aware of it. There is a bug in the recipe card and we are trying to fix it.

    2. Clifford says:

      Sesame Shrimp
      Delicious Sesame Shrimp is made with deep-fried shrimp and coated in a sweet and savory sauce. This easy recipe takes less than 20 minutes and tastes much better than Chinese takeout restaurants!
      PREP TIME 10 minutes
      COOK TIME 10 minutes
      TOTAL TIME 20 minutes
      Ingredients
      1/2 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined and tale off
      oil, for deep-frying
      white sesame seeds, for garnishing
      FRYING BATTER
      1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
      2 tablespoons corn starch
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
      1 egg
      1 tablespoon water
      SAUCE
      2 tablespoons soy sauce
      1 tablespoon Chinese white vinegar/ apple cider vinegar
      4 tablespoons sugar
      2 teaspoons corn starch
      1/3 cup (80 ml) water
      Instructions
      Rinse and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels; set aside.
      Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
      Mix all the frying batter ingredients in a bowl. Keep whisking the batter until no more lumps remain and the batter is smooth. Add the shrimp to the batter and stir to coat evenly.
      Heat the wok or a saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of oil to 350ยฐF (170ยฐC) for deep-frying. Gently drop the shrimp into the oil one at a time and immediately loosen them up with chopsticks or a spatula to avoid them sticking together. Deep-fry the shrimp to golden brown on both sides, and remove them from the oil with a strainer or a slotted spoon. Place the fried shrimp on a plate lined with paper towels. Discard the oil in the wok.
      Add the sauce into the wok; keep stirring until it thickens. Transfer the fried shrimp to the wok, and stir continuously until all the shrimp are evenly coated with sauce. Garnish the shrimp with white sesame seeds and serve immediately.