General Tso’s Shrimp Recipe
This General Tso’s shrimp dish is loaded with classic flavors of the popular Chinese takeout dish – ginger and spicy red pepper! While it’s typically made with chicken, we’re making it with shrimp and this easy meal comes together in less than 20 minutes, making it a great weeknight dinner. Try my quick activity night shrimp with couscous next time.
If you love Asian and Chinese recipes with shrimp, be sure to try my Asian shrimp stir fry with noodles, moo shu shrimp, shrimp okonomiyaki next time.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of Contents
- What Is General Tso’s Shrimp?
- What You’ll Love About General Tso’s Fried Shrimp
- Ingredients
- How to Make General Tso’s Shrimp
- Storage Instructions
- How to Serve General Tso’s Shrimp Stir Fry to the Whole Family
- What to Serve with General Tso’s Shrimp
- More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
- It’s 5pm. Are you still wondering what’s for dinner?
- Helpful Tools to Make General Tso’s Shrimp
What Is General Tso’s Shrimp?
General Tso’s chicken is more popular than shrimp and it consists of a “sweet and spicy deep-fried chicken that is served in North American Chinese restaurants.” – source
What You’ll Love About General Tso’s Fried Shrimp
- Sweet and mildly spicy
- Less than 20 minutes total time
- Made with simple ingredients
- Easy-to-make and minimal prep
- Serve over rice or noodles
Ingredients
This easy recipe comes together with shrimp and some pantry staples. If you have made any of my stir fry recipes, you’ll probably have what you need:
General Tso’s Sauce:
- Rice wine vinegar – This adds a touch of acid to the sauce, to balance out the sweet and salty. You could also use white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Soy sauce – Use a high quality soy sauce for best flavor.
- Sugar – I’ve used granulated sugar, but you could use any type of sweetener, brown sugar, or honey.
- Hoisin sauce – Use a high quality hoisin sauce. You should be able to find it in any grocery store in the Asian section.
- Cornstarch – This is used to thicken the sauce. You can omit it, but you’ll need to cook the sauce for longer.
- Water
Stir Fry:
- Shrimp – Use raw shrimp that has been peeled with tails removed for easiest eating experience.
- Cornstarch – This is used to get a crispy coating on the shrimp. You can skip it, but it adds great texture.
- Vegetable oil – Use a oil with a high smoke point like avocado or canola.
- Ginger – Use fresh ginger for best flavor or frozen cubes for convenience.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for best flavor or frozen cubes for convenience.
- Red pepper flakes – This gives the sauce heat. Traditionally, the sauce has a bit of heat, but add an amount that will be suitable for your preference.
- Rice – Serve dish over white rice, brown rice, or your favorite variety.
- Optional garnish – Green onions, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes

How to Make General Tso’s Shrimp
This weeknight dinner comes together in less than 20 minutes! Here’s how to make it:
- Mix general tso’s sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, hoisin sauce, water, and corn starch until smooth. Set aside.

- Prep shrimp. Pat shrimp with a paper towel until dry. Add to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss to coat.
- Fry shrimp. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok. Stir fry shrimp until almost cooked through then transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Stir fry aromatics. Heat remaining oil in the skillet and add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to pan. Cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

- Cook sauce. Add sauce and simmer mixture for 1-2 minutes, until it’s thick and glossy.
- Finish dish. Add shrimp to sauce, and toss to coat shrimp in sauce. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. Add red pepper flakes to taste.

- Garnish. Garnish dish with thinly sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.

Storage Instructions
Store general tso shrimp in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat stir fry in a hot skillet until heated through. Microwaving is not recommended and be careful to not overcook the shrimp or it will be tough and rubbery.
Can you freeze shrimp stir fry?
Yes, while this is best fresh, you can store in an airtight container for 2-3 months in the freezer.

How to Serve General Tso’s Shrimp Stir Fry to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. ๐
Serve the stir fry with rice or noodles and then add a few other sides (fruit, easy veggie, milk, etc.) that you know they will eat.
Once kids are 3-4, I like to serve meals family style – meaning they may not always take what we want them to take, and that’s ok!
All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.
What to Serve with General Tso’s Shrimp
Serve this general tso shrimp recipe over a bed of rice and a quick veggie side dish:
More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
If you like Chinese shrimp dishes like this one, try one of these other easy stir fry recipes:
- Salmon Stir Fry
- Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Ground Pork Stir Fry
- Udon Noodle Stir Fry with Vegetables
- Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

It’s 5pm. Are you still wondering what’s for dinner?
Menu Plans by My Everyday Table can help you out.
The plan addresses three major issues when it comes to weeknight dinners: having a plan, time, and one family meal.
You’ll save time, save money, waste less food, and feel calm when 5pm hits because your dinner is already planned.
Helpful Tools to Make General Tso’s Shrimp
- 12″ Nonstick Frying Pan – This size pan is great for stir fry recipes if you don’t have a wok.
- Glass Storage Containers – Store leftovers in these containers that can go right from the fridge to the microwave.

General Tso’s Shrimp Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Make this easy general tso shrimp recipe for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner! Just 20 minutes and simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Sauce:ย
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
Stir Fry:ย
- rice for serving
- 1 lb. shrimp (raw, peeled, no tails)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
- 3 tsp. minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- pinch Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Make rice according to package instructions.ย
- In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients.
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towel and add to a large bowl. Sprinkle shrimp with cornstarch and toss to coat.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large nonstick skillet. Add shrimp to skillet and stir fry for about 4-6 minutes, remove from pan and transfer to a plate.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. When oil is hot, add garlic, ginger, and pinch of red pepper flakes to pan and saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Pour in sauce mixture to skillet. Simmer mixture for about 1-2 minutes, until itโs thickened and glossy.ย Add shrimp back into pan, tossing to coat with sauce. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through.
- Serve shrimp over rice and top with red pepper flakes to taste.ย
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Photo Credit: All photos in this post were take by Loren at Sweet Rustic Bakes