General Tso Shrimp

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This healthy, homemade version of General Tso Shrimp stir fry is super simple to make and SO, SO delicious, plus it’s gluten-free friendly! The General Tso sauce is a little sweet and a little spicy, perfectly mellowed out by a big serving of crunchy, sweet snow peas and fluffy, tender rice. Say goodbye to takeout and hello to fake-out!

General Tso Shrimp Recipe

Lately, I’ve been dreaming of one of my favorite takeout meals — crispy, saucy General Tso Shrimp — and today seemed like a good day to make it a reality! I love ordering this at a Chinese restaurant, but sometimes I’d prefer to make a few ingredient swaps. Truth be told, I consider myself a healthy takeout ninja. It’s fun for me to recreate old favorites at home using natural ingredients, and it often costs less, too.

You know what? I’m good at it! Just check out my healthy salmon stir fry, this zesty orange sesame chicken, my hearthy chicken pad thai and this comforting beef & broccoli.

They’re all so good! In fact, they’re some of the most popular recipes on my site. They always get rave reviews, and this recipe is no exception. So if you’re looking for a new and exciting dinner, I’ve got you covered with a fun take on the classic takeout recipe!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You’re going to love this easy takeout recipe!

• Made with good-for-you ingredients, this General Tso Shrimp recipe is just as good as your favorite takeout dish.
• You can have a great fake-out dinner on the table fast: The entire recipe comes together in about 30 minutes.
• It’s made with lots of pantry staple ingredients you probably already have.
• Making fake-out recipes is cost-effective.
• You can make it Paleo by serving it with cauliflower rice.

This recipe is great for weeknight dinners, date nights or even a fun dinner party. Takeout and a movie is something we love to do at home, and this is a great one if you don’t want to splurge on takeout.

Ingredients

For this General Tso’s shrimp dish, I popped over to my local Kroger to grab what I needed: Shrimp, veggies, some pantry essentials and rice to make it a whole meal.

Here’s what you need to make a clean, real-food version of General Tso’s Shrimp! It might seem like a long list of ingredients, but they’re all super easy to find at your local grocery store.

Main Dish

Here’s what you’ll need to make the shrimp itself:

• Peeled & Deveined Shrimp: I prefer to buy large, peeled & deveined shrimp with tails off, only because I don’t want to touch them to pull tails off once they’re saucy. If you prefer tails on shrimp, that doesn’t change how the dish is cooked at all! Follow the directions exactly, then just remove the tails as you eat. You can use frozen shrimp or fresh shrimp, but if you use frozen, don’t thaw them — just cook from frozen!
• Arrowroot Powder: Arrowroot is the Paleo friendly key to getting crispy shrimp without overcooking them. You can substitute corn starch if that works for your way of eating.
• Snow Peas: They’re quickly sautéed, so they add a great snap and crunch to the dish. Trust me, don’t skip the snow peas!
• Green Onion, Sesame Seeds & Crushed Red Pepper: For extra flavor & garnish!
• Rice: If you’re sensitive or allergic to gluten, always be sure to check that your rice is certified gluten free. If you want to keep this dish Paleo compliant, swap cauliflower rice. I cook my rice in the Instant Pot!

Homemade General Tso Sauce

And to make that yummy sauce, you will need:

• Sesame Oil
• Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• Coconut Aminos: This is a soy-free substitute for soy sauce.
• Rice Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
• Honey
• Ginger and Garlic
• Sesame Seeds
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• Arrowroot Powder: It works as a thickener in the sauce!

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Substitutions & variations

If you want to mix things up, try these substitutions:

Rice: You can serve this over a bed of rice or add rice on the side. Coconut cauliflower rice or broccoli rice is a great Whole30 substitute.

Snow peas: If you prefer another veggie, go for it! Serve them with frozen stir fry veggies or crispy air fryer broccoli florets.

General Tso Chicken: Want to make it without shrimp? I got you! Here’s what to do:

1. Cut your chicken breasts or thighs into 1-inch cubes.
2. Follow the same directions above, except brown the chicken in the skillet on all sides for 1-2 minutes per side. Set it aside to make the sauce.
3. When you return the chicken to the pan to cook with the sauce, cook it for 6-7 more minutes, until each piece is thoroughly cooked through.
4. Remove one piece of chicken and cut it in half to check if it’s been cooked through.

How to Make General Tso Shrimp

I’m going to walk you through the simple step by step instructions to make this stir fry recipe! Ready? Let’s do it.

I’ll also show you how to make rice and snow peas, but you can skip those and just use this shrimp for a shrimp salad bowl instead.

Step 1: Cook the Rice (Optional)

If you’ll be serving this dish with rice and you want to get the timing of the entire meal perfectly, start by cooking the rice. I like to make Instant Pot jasmine rice, or you can follow instructions on the package to cook on the stovetop. I usually cook enough for 4 servings. You could also make fried rice or cauliflower rice.

As the rice simmers and cooks, you’ll have plenty of time to make the rest of the dish, homemade General Tso’s sauce included!

Step 2: Prepare the Shrimp

Tip: It’s really important to start by drying the shrimp well so they don’t get gooey when you cook them. It’s very easy to do this — just gently dab them on all sides with dry paper towels.

Toss the shrimp with arrowroot powder until they’re coated evenly. This will help give them a little crispy coating that holds up really nicely in the sauce.

Next, cook the shrimp in a skillet in batches for about 1 minute per side. They’ll be ready to turn when they start to turn pink. Set them aside on a plate so you can cook the sauce in the same pan.

Step 3: Make the Sauce

You can use the same skillet, but you’ll want to rinse or wipe the pan out first. Heat the sesame oil and add the minced ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds.

Stir occasionally until fragrant, then stir in the other sauce ingredients. Lastly, whisk in the arrowroot powder. Bring to a simmer and allow it to thicken slightly, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Finish the Shrimp

Add the shrimp back in to the thickened General Tao’s sauce and toss to coat. Allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the sauce for about 1-2 minutes. Shrimp cook very quickly, and overcooking will make them rubbery. Two minutes is plenty of time. Transfer to a large bowl.

Step 5: Cook the Snow Peas (Optional)

Last, heat about 2 tablespoons of sesame or olive oil in a small, separate skillet. Add the snow peas and a pinch of salt, and sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Once they’ve turned bright green in color, sprinkle with sesame seeds and remove them from the pan.

Avoid overcooking snap peas. You want them to still have a good snap to them!

Step 6: Garnish & Serve

Sprinkle the General Tso Shrimp with more sesame seeds, crushed spicy red pepper flakes, and sliced green onions, and serve over rice and sautéed snow peas.

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How to Store It

To store leftovers, transfer them to airtight containers. I recommend using one container for the shrimp, sauce and snowpeas, and then another one for the rice. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 days.

Recipe FAQ

More Healthy Dinner Recipes

• 15 Minute Shrimp Fra Diavolo
• Egg Roll in a Bowl
• Skillet Tuscan Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup
• Foil Wrapped Salmon & Snow Peas
• Greek Salad & Shrimp Bowls

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