When you need to get dinner on the table ASAP, this shrimp noodle stir fry is an easy and healthy meal that’s ready to serve in less than 30 minutes. Shrimp, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots and rice noodles are tossed in a delicious ginger and garlic infused peanut stir fry sauce for a flavourful Asian-inspired family meal! Best stir fry ever! {Dairy-free & Gluten-free-friendly}
When it comes to quick weeknight meals, you can never go wrong with a tasty stir fry! This shrimp noodle stir fry is loaded with fresh veggies like broccoli, peppers and carrots and tossed in my all time favourite healthy peanut stir fry sauce for one delicious dinner.
Popular with the whole family, these Asian-inspired shrimp fried noodles are seriously amazing and full of delicious textures and flavours.
It’s one of those recipes that you’ll want to add to your menu rotation since it’s so easy to make and always a winner!
For more easy weeknight meals, be sure to try this Healthy Chicken Stir Fry and Healthy Orange Chicken too!
Table of Contents
Why we love these Asian Noodles with Shrimp
- Quick and easy: Ready to serve in less than 30 minutes, these shrimp stir fry noodles are easy to prepare and a great go-to meal after a busy day.
- Healthy: Made from scratch, this is the perfect well balanced meal. Loaded with shrimp and lots of fresh vegetables, it’s high in protein, a good source of healthy fats and fibre, in addition to vitamins and minerals.
- Make ahead: Make your life in the kitchen a little easier by making up a big batch of the sauce and freezing it for even quicker dinners. Believe me, it’s such a time saver!
Ingredient notes
- Rice Noodles: Rice noodles cook up in a matter of minutes and have a light texture that works great with the rest of the stir fry. You can also use a different type of noodle such as angel hair, soba noodles or whole-grain pasta, however cooking times may vary.
- Oil: I like to use sesame oil for extra flavour, but any high heat neutral oil will work well.
- Shrimp: Use medium-sized shrimp. Peel and devein them before cooking, you can remove the tails or keep them on.
- Vegetables: Carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli and green onions.
- For the Peanut Stir Fry Sauce:
- Soy Sauce: I like to use low sodium soy sauce to reduce sodium content. Use tamari for a gluten-free sauce.
- Broth: Use a low sodium broth. I like to use chicken broth, but vegetable will work well too.
- Peanut Butter: Use a natural peanut butter with no added salt or sugar for a healthier option.
- Sesame oil: Adds a delicious flavour. Use regular or toasted sesame oil.
- Rice Vinegar: You can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
- Fresh ginger and garlic: For delicious flavour.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce when it cooks. You can also use arrowroot starch.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional, but we like to add a little kick of spice.
How to make shrimp stir fry with noodles – step by step instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles to the water in the pot and remove from the heat. Let it stand for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently halfway through to separate the noodles. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar, mix together the ingredients for the stir fry sauce.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in large skillet over high heat. Add in the defrosted shrimp. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the shrimp just turns opaque. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook the carrots, bell pepper and broccoli for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently in the pan, or until the vegetables start to get tender crisp.
- Add the stir fry sauce to the pan along with the vegetables. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the cooked rice noodles and shrimp back to the pan. Toss until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and coated in the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes:
- I recommend preparing the ingredients (i.e. chopping vegetables, making sauce, etc.) before you heat the pan, so that everything is ready to just toss in. It helps the process go a lot more quickly!
- To save time chopping, you can purchase matchstick carrots and add them into the stir fry instead of julienning the carrots.
- Be sure to pat the defrosted shrimp dry with some paper towel before adding them to the skillet to prevent a pool of liquid from forming.
- Be sure that you don’t overcook the shrimp or it will turn out rubbery.
- You can either remove the tails from the shrimp before cooking them or just leave them on. We typically leave them on and remove them during meal time.
- Similarly, don’t leave the rice noodles in the hot water for too long or they will be mushy and will disintegrate when mixed in with the other stir fry ingredients. If the noodles will be sitting for a while, add a drizzle of oil to the noodles to prevent them from sticking together.
- If you want to do some meal prep, you can make a double or triple batch of the stir fry sauce and freeze the extras. I like to use these Souper Cubes to freeze sauces since you can freeze it in individual portions and pop it out when you need it. That way, you just have to thaw it out, and pour it in with the protein and veggies!
How to store
The peanut stir fry sauce will keep well in the fridge for about 5 days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. I like to freeze the sauce in these Souper Cubes for easy removal.
Leftovers of the shrimp noodle stir fry can be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to reheat:
Reheat the stir fry quickly in a skillet on the stovetop to warm through. You can also pop it in the microwave for a minute or two. Just be sure to not overheat it, as the shrimp will get overcooked and turn out rubbery.
Recipe FAQs
You can use different types of noodles for stir fry depending on what you prefer. Rice noodles, angel hair, soba noodles and whole-grain pasta all work well in stir fry. I love to use rice noodles for this stir fry recipe as they have a nice light texture that absorb the flavours of the sauce, but feel free to use your desired noodles.
Although some recipes don’t require that the noodles are pre-cooked, in this case, the noodles need to be cooked before adding them to the stir fry. Simply place them in boiling water for 3-4 to soften before mixing them in with the rest of the stir fry ingredients.
You can use frozen or raw shrimp in stir fry, but make sure that the frozen shrimp is thawed first to prevent that pool of liquid from forming in the pan. For best results, thaw them in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a hurry, you can run the frozen shrimp under cold running water to defrost them quickly.
Not all stir fries are considered to be the most nutritious option since they tend to be high in sodium and sugar, but with a few tweaks, you can make a healthier stir fry. Make it a more nutrient-dense option by adding lean protein, like shrimp or chicken, lots of fresh veggies and using a lower sodium soy sauce, in addition to healthier flavouring agents like garlic and ginger.
Serving suggestions
Serve the shrimp fried noodles with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onion. You can even add an extra pinch of red pepper flakes or a drizzle of sriracha if you like it extra spicy.
Although this stir fry is a great balanced meal by itself, you can serve it up with an extra side of veggies like Asian Cucumber Salad or Roasted Carrots.
Recipe variations
- Switch up the protein: You can use another protein instead of the shrimp. Chicken and beef both work great.
- Add in other veggies: Snap peas, shredded cabbage or mushrooms make excellent additions.
- Adjust the heat: Make the peanut stir fry sauce as spicy as you like by adjusting the amount of chili flakes.
More Shrimp Recipes
- Lemon Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Pasta
- Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Slaw
- Creamy Coconut Shrimp
- Thai Shrimp Curry Soup
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Shrimp Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the shrimp stir fry
- 9 ounces rice stick noodles
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil divided
- 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp peeled, cooked and deveined
- 2 large carrots julienned or shredded
- 1 large red pepper thinly sliced
- 4 cups broccoli florets
For the peanut stir fry sauce
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2-3 inches fresh ginger finely grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
For garnish
- Thinly sliced green onion
- Sprinkle of sesame seeds
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles to the water in the pot and remove from the heat. Let it stand for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently halfway through to separate the noodles. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar, mix together the ingredients for the stir fry sauce.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in large skillet over high heat. Add in the defrosted shrimp. Cook for 2-4 minutes until the shrimp just turns opaque. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook the carrots, bell pepper and broccoli for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently in the pan, until the vegetables start to get tender crisp.
- Add the stir fry sauce to the pan along with the vegetables. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the cooked rice noodles and shrimp back to the pan. Toss until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and coated in the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve warm.
Notes
- I recommend preparing the ingredients (i.e. chopping vegetables, making sauce, etc.) before you heat the pan, so that everything is ready to toss in. It helps the process go a lot more quickly!
- To save time chopping, you can purchase matchstick carrots and add them into the stir fry instead of julienning the carrots.
- Be sure to pat the defrosted shrimp dry with some paper towel before adding them to the skillet to prevent a pool of liquid from forming.
- Be sure that you don’t overcook the shrimp or it will turn out rubbery.
- You can either remove the tails from the shrimp before cooking them or just leave them on. We typically leave them on and remove them during meal time.
- Similarly, don’t leave the rice noodles in the hot water for too long or they will be mushy and will disintegrate when mixed in with the other stir fry ingredients. If the noodles will be sitting for a while, add a drizzle of oil to the noodles to prevent them from sticking together.
- If you want to do some meal prep, you can make a double or triple batch of the stir fry sauce and freeze the extras. I like to use these Souper Cubes to freeze sauces since you can freeze it in individual portions and pop it out when you need it. That way, you just have to thaw it out, and pour it in with the protein and veggies!
Wow, this is so good! I adjusted the veggies to my preference, but used exact sauce recipe- results were amazing. Perfect for leftovers, glad I have plenty more in the fridge for days to come.
So happy you enjoyed it! You can definitely adapt this recipe to match your taste preferences…love how you experimented with some different veggies! And I agree, I always look forward to these recipe leftovers too :)