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Bring your favorite Thai restaurant flavors home with this easy Thai basil shrimp recipe!
The juicy shrimp is stir-fried with sweet bell peppers and served over a bed of fluffy coconut rice, drizzled with citrus Thai basil sauce.
This dairy free dish is full of vibrant colors and flavors that the whole family will love!
What’s the difference between Thai basil and regular basil?
Thai basil has thinner, smaller leaves than sweet basil. The leaves also grow on a beautiful purple stem.
Thai basil is milder in flavor than regular Italian basil, so you can use more of it. It’s also more heat-friendly than regular basil, meaning you can cook it into a dish and it will hold up nicely.
Thai basil grows natively in tropical areas of Southeast Asia and is commonly used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. It lends a very mild anise flavor to curries and stir fry sauces. It reminds me in some ways of tarragon, but with a slightly bolder flavor profile.
Thai basil can usually be found at the grocery store during the summer months and sometimes in the off season too. If you have a local Asian market nearby, you can find it there for sure.
What’s in this Thai Basil Shrimp Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need for the Thai basil shrimp stir fry:
- Jumbo shrimp. Buying frozen shrimp is less expensive than fresh shrimp. Frozen shrimp can be defrosted very quickly in a bowl of cold water. Be sure to start with raw shrimp that have been peeled and deveined.
- Fresh Thai basil
- Bell peppers (I like red and yellow for color and sweetness)
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Soy sauce. Light soy sauce is better than dark soy sauce for this recipe, but either one is okay.
- Honey. We’re using this in place of brown sugar, which is typically used in Thai stir fries.
- Fresh cilantro
- Orange juice
- Lime juice
For the coconut rice, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Long grain white rice. My favorites are basmati and jasmine rice.
- Coconut milk. Grab the kind that comes in a can. It has a lower water content that the kind in a carton, resulting in a creamier rice.
- Chicken broth
- Kosher salt
- Sugar
Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below.
How to Make Thai Basil Shrimp
Make the easy Thai basil sauce
First, chop up the fresh herbs (Thai basil and cilantro). Whisk them in a small bowl with the orange juice, lime juice, honey, vegetable oil and soy sauce.
Set the sauce aside while you make the shrimp and the rice.
Make the Coconut Rice
Bring the coconut milk to a boil in a saucepan with the chicken broth, salt and sugar.
Then, pour in the jasmine rice and cover the pot. Give it a good stir every 5 minutes or so.
The cooking process will take about 20 minutes, and during this time you can make the shrimp.
Cook the Shrimp and Peppers
Slice the bell peppers into long strips. Now, stir fry them with a little garlic and ginger.
Once the peppers are softened, add the shrimp to the same pan.
The shrimp will only take a few minutes to cook. Watch for the shrimp to turn pink and curl up. Once these two things happen, you’ll know that the shrimp is ready.
Plate the Dish
Spoon your coconut rice onto a serving dish. Now, top the rice with shrimp and peppers.
Pour the Thai basil sauce over the shrimp and garnish the dish with chopped scallions and more cilantro, if desired.
Variations on this Thai Basil Shrimp Recipe
- Kick it up a Notch: Add a sprinkle of red chili flakes, a splash of Sriracha or thinly sliced fresno chiles for a nice kick of heat.
- Make it Tropical: Add pineapple chunks or pieces of mango to the dish for a sweet and tangy flavor.
- Get a Little Nutty: Toss in roasted peanuts or cashews for a crunchy element and nutty flavor.
- Make it Vegetarian: Substitute shrimp with firm tofu for a vegetarian version of this dish. Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth in the rice.
- Try Different Vegetables: Experiment with stir fry vegetables like snap peas, bok choy, green beans and bean sprouts for textural variations.
- Amp up the Umami: Add authenticity to the flavor profile by substituting fish sauce or oyster sauce for soy sauce. These condiments are key ingredients in many popular Thai dishes.
How to Store Thai Basil Shrimp
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to consume your leftovers within 1-2 days. Reheat in the microwave.
When you make this Thai basil shrimp recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more Asian-inspired recipes, try these:
Thai Basil Shrimp Recipe with Coconut Rice (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. ginger minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup scallions diced, garnish, optional
Coconut Rice
- 2 cups uncooked jasmine or basmati rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 4 tsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the orange juice, lime juice, Thai basil leaves, cilantro, honey, vegetable oil and soy sauce together. Set aside.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers and slice into thin strips.
- Make the coconut rice: in a saucepan, bring the chicken broth, coconut milk, sugar and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic, ginger and peppers until softened. Then add the shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink on both sides, about 2 minutes each side.
- Remove from heat. Serve shrimp and peppers over the coconut rice, and pour the citrus sauce on top. Garnish with diced scallions, if desired.
Grammytib says
This sounds fabulous Jackie!
simmerandsage says
I think you’ll love it!