Sweet and Sour Shrimp - A super easy and quick recipe for shrimp in a Chinese style sweet and sour sauce, perfect with rice and some stir fried vegetables.
This just might be one of the easiest fakeaway dishes you make - heat the sauce, fry the shrimp, add into the sauce and viola its all done. See how quick and easy that is?
I love simple and quick recipes like this, especially when it gets to dinner time after an extremely busy day and I want a dinner ready and on the table in minutes.
Calories in Sweet and Sour Prawns
This recipe serves 4 and is 236 calories per serving.
If you're looking for more recipes by calories, you'll find plenty of options grouped by calorie range here: Slimming Eats Low Calorie Recipes
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Prawns/Shrimp: Use frozen raw large shrimp or prawns with the shells and tails removed. Make sure they are fully defrosted before cooking, then pat them dry with kitchen paper so they sear nicely instead of releasing too much water.
- Spray Oil: A light spray oil works well to keep the dish lower in fat, but you can also use a small amount of neutral oil such as vegetable, sunflower, or avocado oil.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Season the prawns lightly before cooking. Go easy on the salt because the soy sauce in the sauce already adds saltiness.
- Spring Onions: Chopped spring onions add freshness and a mild onion flavour. Use them as a garnish at the end, or stir some through the dish just before serving.
- Fresh Ginger: Grated fresh ginger gives the sauce a warm, zesty flavour. Ground ginger can be used in a pinch, but fresh ginger works best.
- Garlic: Minced garlic adds depth and savoury flavour. Fresh garlic is ideal, though garlic paste can also be used.
- Pineapple Juice: This is the main sweet and tangy base of the sauce. Use unsweetened pineapple juice where possible so the sauce does not become too sweet.
- Water: Helps loosen the sauce and balance the strength of the pineapple juice, tomato paste, and soy sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Adds saltiness and savoury flavour. Use light or low-sodium soy sauce if you prefer more control over the salt level.
- Tomato Paste/Purée: Gives the sauce colour, body, and a rich tangy flavour. Make sure it is well mixed into the liquid so the sauce is smooth.
- Brown Granulated Sweetener: Adds sweetness to balance the acidity of the pineapple juice and tomato paste. You can substitute with brown sugar if preferred.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce and gives it that glossy sweet-and-sour finish. Mix it with the sauce ingredients well before heating to avoid lumps.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds: A small pinch adds nuttiness and texture. Toasted sesame seeds give the best flavour, but they can be left out if you do not have them.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
One of the best things about sweet and sour prawns is how easy it is to adapt with different vegetables, proteins, and flavours depending on what you have at home.
- Add More Vegetables: Bulk the dish out with colourful vegetables like red or green bell peppers, onion, mangetout, sugar snap peas, baby corn, broccoli, carrots, or chunks of fresh pineapple. Stir fry the vegetables first so they stay crisp and vibrant.
- Swap the Protein: Not a fan of prawns? This recipe works just as well with diced chicken breast, lean pork, salmon chunks, tofu, or even a plant-based chicken alternative.
- Use Fresh Prawns: Fresh raw prawns can be used instead of frozen if preferred. Just keep an eye on the cooking time as prawns cook very quickly.
- Make it Spicier: Add some chilli flakes, fresh red chilli, or a drizzle of sriracha for a little heat alongside the sweetness of the sauce.
- Try Different Sweeteners: Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar can all be used instead of brown granulated sweetener if that is what you have available.
- Gluten Free Option: Swap the soy sauce for tamari or a gluten free soy sauce alternative.
- Extra Citrus Flavour: A squeeze of lime juice at the end brightens everything up beautifully and works really well with the pineapple.
- Add Cashews or Peanuts: For extra crunch and texture, stir through a handful of roasted cashews or peanuts just before serving.
My Simple Sweet and Sour Sauce
For the sweet and sour sauce I use just a handful of ingredients for that typical sweet and sour taste, this works so well with any protein.
- Pineapple Juice
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Soy Sauce
- Vinegar
- Cornstarch
- Granulated Sweetener
The pineapple juice adds a nice flavour and sweetness to the sauce with the sweetener and the cornstarch helps to thicken so that it coats the shrimp and is lovely and glossy.
Sides Suggestions
The most common side to serve alongside a Sweet and Sour dish is rice and plain jasmine is one of my favourites. Super easy to cook and perfect for mopping up all that sauce.
Some of great options are of course are Egg Fried Rice or if you want to reduce the calories Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice.
But there is no reason why you couldn't enjoy this alongside some noodles or my Perfect Oven Baked Chips (Fries).
Some days when I want a really quick meal. I just dump a bag of stir fry veggie mix into the pan with a little spray oil and seasoning and will have that. We get a great mix here that contains cabbage, kale, broccoli stalks and carrots. It might be all vegetables, but it feels like noodles and is filling while being really low in calories.
More Chinese Fakeaway Recipes
Looking for some more Chinese Recipes? Check out some of these:
see more Chinese Fakeaway Recipes →
or if you would like more recipe ideas - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes with calories and you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more.
All recipes on Slimming Eats have estimated nutritional information for your convenience.
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Recipe Card
Sweet and Sour Shrimp (Prawns)
Sweet and Sour Shrimp - A super easy and quick recipe for shrimp in a Chinese style sweet and sour sauce, perfect with rice and some stir fried vegetables.
Ingredients
- 500g (17.5oz) of frozen raw large shrimp (prawns) - tails and shell off (defrosted)
- spray oil
- salt and black pepper
- 3 spring onion, chopped
- pinch of toasted sesame seeds
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger root
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup (240ml) of pineapple juice
- ⅓ cup (80ml) of water
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (puree)
- 2 tablespoon of brown granulated sweetener
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
Instructions
- Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Spray frying pan or work over a medium-high heat with some spray oil
- Once hot, add the shrimp and fry on both sides (2-3 minutes) just until they turn pink and then remove and set aside.
- Add in the sauce ingredients to the pan and heat until it thickens
- Add back in the shrimp and continue to simmer until shrimp is heated through
- Sprinkle with some chopped spring onion and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve with your choice of sides.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Gluten Free Friendly - use a gluten free soy sauce
- Dairy Free Friendly
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Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 236Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 265mgSodium 1572mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 30g
Nutritional information, values, points etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Sheila Sears says
Please is this using raw or cooked prawns? Thank you.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Sheila - the prawns I used where raw, but if you only have cooked, those are fine too, just add right at the end until heated through.
Emily Billings says
Hi Steve
Is it 3 or 4 tbs of sukrin gold or 3 quarters of a tbs? Not sure what the 3/4 actually means as could be either?! Please clarify!
Thanks
Emily
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
it means 3 quarters of a tablespoon 🙂