Cashew shrimp close up

Cashew shrimp is a classic Cantonese dish that delivers fresh flavor with simple ingredients and minimal prep. It’s perfect for weeknight dinners or when you’re craving Chinese food at home. For me, I always prefer to make cashew shrimp over cashew chicken. The natural sweetness of shrimp pairs beautifully with the roasted nuttiness of cashews. And the light sauce ties everything together with the savory chicken broth and aromatics, bringing out the freshness of the ingredients. Plus, it comes together in under 30 minutes and is easy to customize based on what you have in the fridge.

Chinese cashew shrimp with pepper and celery

Mise en place

Make sure you have everything already cut and prepared before you start cooking.

  • Marinated shrimp: Marinating is a crucial step. The wine and salt make the shrimp more flavorful, and the cornstarch keeps the shrimp juicy during cooking.
  • Mixed sauce: This recipe uses a light white sauce that is chicken stock based, with a touch of light soy sauce and oyster sauce to add umami. Extra chicken bouillon powder is used to increase the intensity of the flavor, which is a shortcut when you don’t have homemade chicken stock on hand. 
  • Roasted unsalted cashews: This is my preferred option. You can also use salted cashews, or raw cashews (you have to roast the raw cashews first).
  • Aromatics: Fresh ginger, garlic and green onion are used to add a ton of umami to the sauce. 
  • Vegetables: Celery and pepper add a nice crunch to the dish.
Ingredients for making cashew shrimp

Other vegetable alternatives

I like to use a handful of vegetables in my cashew shrimp to add color and nutrition to my meal. You can use many different types of vegetables instead of celery and pepper. For example:

  • Sliced onion: the natural sweetness works great in the dish.
  • Asparagus: sliced on the bias into 1/2” pieces.
  • Baby bok choy: white part sliced to 1/2” pieces and green part sliced to 1” pieces.
  • Snap peas or snow peas: both have mild flavor and work great here.

How to make cashew shrimp

  1. Pan fry the shrimp until the surface is seared but the inside is slightly undercooked, transfer to a plate. It’s crucial not to overcook the shrimp, so they remain juicy and tender. I like to undercook mine during this step, so the shrimp will be cooked to perfection once they’re mixed together with the sauce.
Pan fry the shrimp
  1. Saute the aromatics in oil, then cook the vegetables until al dente. Here it’s important not to overcook the vegetables. The vegetables should still have some firmness to them, because they cook fast once you add in the sauce. 
Cook aromatics and vegetables
  1. Add the sauce and add back the cooked shrimp. Cook until the sauce just thickens.
  2. Finish up with the cashews. It’s important to add the cashews at the end, so they retain their crunchiness and don’t turn soggy. 
Add the sauce and cashew

Serving suggestions

We often serve cashew shrimp over rice in China as a main dish. It’s also very common to serve cashew shrimp with other smaller dishes such as a cold salad or a soup to make a full meal. That being said, you can serve cashew shrimp as a main course by itself. 

Cashew Shrimp (腰果虾仁)

Frequently asked questions

How do Chinese restaurants get their shrimp so tender?

Chinese restaurants often use baking soda to treat the shrimp, for a bouncy yet tender texture. They also often uses a flash fry (过油) technique – quickly frying the shrimp in a pool of oil in the wok at high heat, to retain the tender texture. That being said, if you use the technique in this recipe, by using cornstarch to coat the shrimp and taking care not to overcook, your shrimp will have an amazing texture as well.

What types of shrimp should I use?

Use medium raw shrimp, preferably fresh, but frozen (and thawed) work well too. Large shrimp takes longer time to pan fry and can yield a touch texture. Tail-off and deveined shrimp is a must for the best texture.

Should I toast the cashews?

If you have extra time, yes. Toasting cashews enhances their nuttiness and gives them a crunchier texture. You can toast them in a dry skillet for a few minutes until golden and fragrant, then let them cool off before using.

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Cashew shrimp is a fast and flavorful stir-fry that combines juicy shrimp, crunchy cashews, and crisp vegetables in a light yet aromatic white sauce.

Cashew Shrimp (腰果虾仁)

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Cashew shrimp is a fast and flavorful stir-fry that combines juicy shrimp, crunchy cashews, and crisp vegetables in a light yet aromatic white sauce.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb shrimp , peeled and deveined

Marinade

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Stir fry

  • 1/2 cup unsalted cashews , roasted (*Footnote 1)
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 teaspoons ginger , minced
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 2 green onions , sliced
  • 2 stalk celery , diced on the bias into 1/2” pieces
  • 1/2 red pepper , sliced

Instructions

  • Combine shrimp, Shaoxing wine, salt, and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well so the shrimp are evenly coated with a thin slurry.
  • Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Spread the shrimp with minimal overlap. Let cook until the bottom side is light golden, 1 minute or so. Turn to the other side and cook until light golden. Stir a few times until all surfaces turn white. Transfer to a big plate.
  • Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, ginger, and green onion. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
  • Add the celery. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the pepper and cook for another minute.
  • Add back the cooked shrimp. Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Quickly stir a few times until the sauce thickens.
  • Add the cashews, quickly give it a stir and immediately transfer everything to a plate. Serve hot as a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. You can use salted cashews or raw cashews as well. If using raw cashews, roast them first (you can refer to this recipe).
  2. To make this dish gluten-free: use a gluten-free oyster sauce. Use tamari to replace light soy sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 303kcal, Carbohydrates: 16.3g, Protein: 23.8g, Fat: 16.6g, Saturated Fat: 3.3g, Cholesterol: 179mg, Sodium: 656mg, Potassium: 559mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4.8g, Calcium: 147mg, Iron: 2mg

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