There are some weeknight dinners that just hit the spot every single time, and for my family, this Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls recipe is right at the top of that list. We’re talking about plump, juicy shrimp glazed in a sticky, savoury-sweet sauce that’s utterly addictive, all piled high on a bed of fluffy rice with crisp, fresh vegetables. It’s a complete meal in one bowl that feels both nourishing and like a real treat. I’ve been making this for over 5 years, and it never, ever disappoints. The magic is in the sauce; it has that perfect balance of salty soy, sweet honey, and pungent garlic that clings to every single shrimp.

What makes this shrimp bowl recipe so special is how it brings together vibrant textures and flavours in such a harmonious way. The shrimp gets a beautiful sear, giving it a slightly crisp exterior that holds the glossy sauce perfectly. We then pair it with tender-crisp broccoli and shredded carrots for colour and crunch, a simple combination that complements the rich glaze without overwhelming it. This is the kind of dish that works beautifully for a busy Tuesday evening but is also impressive enough to serve when you have friends over at the weekend. It always gets compliments, and the bowls are always scraped clean.

Recipe Overview

This recipe guides you through creating a complete shrimp and rice bowl with a standout honey garlic sauce. The sauce is the star – it’s a simple whisk-together affair that transforms into a glorious glaze in the pan. Expect succulent shrimp, a deeply flavourful sauce, fluffy rice, and fresh vegetables in every bite. I’ve found that using a touch of dark soy sauce alongside light soy adds a wonderful depth and colour, a little trick I picked up after a few rounds of testing.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4 people
• Difficulty: Easy

Why You’ll Love This Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls Recipe

• Genuinely Delicious Flavour: The sauce isn’t just sweet. The combination of rich honey, salty soy sauce, sharp garlic, warm ginger, and a hint of acidic rice vinegar creates a complex, balanced glaze that coats the shrimp beautifully.
• Ready in Under 30 Minutes: From start to finish, this meal comes together remarkably fast, making it ideal for those evenings when you’re short on time but still want something satisfying and homemade.
• A Truly Flexible Recipe: You can easily swap the vegetables based on what you have. Bell peppers, mangetout, or edamame beans all work wonderfully. No shrimp? This sauce is also fantastic with chicken, like in my Bang Bang Chicken Thighs recipe.
• Great for Meal Prep: The components can be prepped ahead. You can chop the vegetables and mix the sauce ingredients (minus the cornflour) and store them in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, the cooking process is just minutes away.
• Family Tested and Approved: This is one of those rare dishes that everyone in my house agrees on. My kids always ask for extra sauce to drizzle over their rice, so I often make a little bit extra just for them.

Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls Recipe

⏱️ 20 min prep  •  🍳 25 min cook  •  👥 4 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

For this recipe, we rely on a handful of pantry staples to build that incredible sauce. When it comes to soy sauce, I always recommend using a good quality one like Kikkoman; it makes a noticeable difference to the final taste. Ensure your shrimp are raw, as pre-cooked ones can become rubbery when heated again.

• 500g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 300g basmati rice, rinsed
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated or julienned
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, for garnish
• For the Honey Garlic Sauce:
• 80ml runny honey
• 60ml light soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (a slurry)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for a little heat)

Sara’s Tip: Make sure to pat your prawns completely dry with a paper towel before cooking. This is the key to getting a lovely sear on them instead of just steaming them in the pan. It makes a huge difference to the texture.

How to Make Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls

The process for these garlic shrimp bowls is very straightforward. We cook the components separately and then bring them all together at the end. The sauce thickens up in a matter of moments, so have all your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking.

1. Cook the Rice: First, get your rice on. Cook the 300g of basmati rice according to the package instructions. Typically, this involves simmering it in 600ml of water for about 10-12 minutes until the water is absorbed, then letting it stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
2. Prepare the Vegetables: While the rice is cooking, prepare your veg. You can steam the broccoli florets for 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp. I like to do this in the microwave with a splash of water, or you can blanch them in boiling water. Set aside.
3. Mix the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and optional red pepper flakes. In a separate tiny bowl, mix the cornflour and cold water to create a slurry. Set both aside.
4. Sear the Shrimp: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the dried prawns in a single layer. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; cook in two batches if needed. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until they are pink and opaque. What works best for me is to not move them for the first minute to get a good colour. Remove the prawns from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
5. Make the Glaze: Reduce the heat to medium. Pour the honey-soy mixture into the same pan. Let it bubble gently for 1-2 minutes, scraping up any delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. Thicken the Sauce: Give the cornflour slurry a quick re-stir and pour it into the pan while whisking continuously. The sauce will begin to thicken almost immediately. Continue to simmer for another 30-60 seconds until it’s glossy and has the consistency of single cream. For more information on creating pan sauces, Serious Eats has a great guide.
7. Combine and Serve: Return the cooked prawns to the pan and toss them gently in the sauce for about 30 seconds until they are all coated and heated through. Be careful not to overcook them at this stage.
8. Assemble the Bowls: To assemble your honey garlic shrimp bowls, divide the fluffy rice among four bowls. Top with the glazed honey garlic shrimp, a generous portion of the steamed broccoli, and the grated carrots. Garnish with sliced spring onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds before serving immediately.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Temperature Control is Key: Cook the shrimp on a medium-high heat to get a quick, hard sear. But remember to lower the heat before adding the sauce. The honey can burn easily if the pan is too hot, so a gentle simmer is all you need to thicken it.
• The Secret to Tender Shrimp: The biggest mistake is overcooking the shrimp. I learned that it’s best to slightly undercook them during the initial sear, as they will cook a little more when you return them to the hot sauce at the end. They cook in just a few minutes.
• Make-Ahead Advice: The sauce (without the cornflour slurry) can be mixed and stored in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. All the vegetables can be chopped and stored in containers. This turns the recipe into a 15-minute meal.
• Storage: Leftover shrimp and rice bowls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, being careful not to make the shrimp tough. For food safety advice on cooked shellfish, you can consult the Food Standards Agency.

Delicious Variations to Try

Once you’ve mastered the basic shrimp bowl recipe, it’s fun to experiment! Here are a few variations that we enjoy at home.

• Spicy Honey Garlic Shrimp: If you love heat, increase the red pepper flakes to a full teaspoon, or add a teaspoon of sriracha or gochujang to the sauce for a deeper, spicier kick.
• Tofu or Chickpea Version: For a vegetarian option, swap the shrimp for firm tofu or a can of chickpeas. For tofu, press it well, cube it, and pan-fry until golden before tossing it in the sauce. If using chickpeas, simply warm them through in the glaze.
• Different Protein: This sauce is incredibly versatile. It works wonderfully with bite-sized pieces of chicken breast or thigh, similar to my Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders. You could also try it with salmon fillets, pan-seared and then brushed with the glaze.

What to Serve With Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls

While this is a complete meal in a bowl, sometimes you might want to add an extra element to the table, especially if you’re serving guests.

• Steamed Edamame: A small bowl of steamed edamame pods sprinkled with sea salt is a perfect appetiser or side. They add a lovely fresh, green element to the meal.
• Cucumber Salad: A simple Asian-inspired cucumber salad with rice vinegar, a little sugar, and sesame oil provides a cool, crisp contrast to the warm, rich shrimp bowl.
• A Light White Wine: A dry Riesling or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc cuts through the sweetness of the honey and complements the garlic and ginger beautifully. For a non-alcoholic option, iced green tea is wonderfully refreshing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls

A quick and delicious weeknight meal featuring succulent shrimp in a sweet and savory honey garlic glaze, served over fluffy rice with fresh vegetables.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian-inspired

Calories: 642

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 500 g raw king prawns peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 300 g basmati rice rinsed
• 1 large head of broccoli cut into small florets
• 2 medium carrots peeled and grated or julienned
• 4 spring onions thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish

For the Honey Garlic Sauce

• 80 ml runny honey
• 60 ml light soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water a slurry
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional, for a little heat

Method

 

1. Cook the Rice: First, get your rice on. Cook the 300g of basmati rice according to the package instructions. Typically, this involves simmering it in 600ml of water for about 10-12 minutes until the water is absorbed, then letting it stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
2. Prepare the Vegetables: While the rice is cooking, prepare your veg. You can steam the broccoli florets for 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp. I like to do this in the microwave with a splash of water, or you can blanch them in boiling water. Set aside.
3. Mix the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and optional red pepper flakes. In a separate tiny bowl, mix the cornflour and cold water to create a slurry. Set both aside.
4. Sear the Shrimp: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the dried prawns in a single layer. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; cook in two batches if needed. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until they are pink and opaque. What works best for me is to not move them for the first minute to get a good colour. Remove the prawns from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
5. Make the Glaze: Reduce the heat to medium. Pour the honey-soy mixture into the same pan. Let it bubble gently for 1-2 minutes, scraping up any delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. Thicken the Sauce: Give the cornflour slurry a quick re-stir and pour it into the pan while whisking continuously. The sauce will begin to thicken almost immediately. Continue to simmer for another 30-60 seconds until it's glossy and has the consistency of single cream. For more information on creating pan sauces, Serious Eats has a great guide.
7. Combine and Serve: Return the cooked prawns to the pan and toss them gently in the sauce for about 30 seconds until they are all coated and heated through. Be careful not to overcook them at this stage.
8. Assemble the Bowls: To assemble your honey garlic shrimp bowls, divide the fluffy rice among four bowls. Top with the glazed honey garlic shrimp, a generous portion of the steamed broccoli, and the grated carrots. Garnish with sliced spring onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds before serving immediately.

Notes

For a faster prep time, use pre-cut vegetables. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

I really hope you give this Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls recipe a try. It’s a staple in our home for a reason, and I love how it delivers such satisfying, vibrant flavours with minimal fuss. It’s a wonderful way to end a busy day. If you do make it, I’d love to hear how it went! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Happy cooking! – Sara