This Sous Vide Shrimp recipe makes the most tender and juicy shrimp that’s impossible to achieve with traditional methods. Ready in 20 minutes, this healthy dinner is so flavorful and lip-smacking delicious with the addictive honey garlic sauce. No more overcooked and chewy shrimp again. You can cook the shrimp from fresh or frozen!
I’ve been cooking Sous Vide Shrimp Scampi at least once a week recently. It has a perfect tender texture that cannot be achieved with the traditional method. Simply serve over rice, tacos, or pasta through the sweet, savory, and garlicky sauce for a delicious dinner. If you’re like me and need a quick and healthy dinner, I have it all for you today!
The combination of honey and garlic is heavenly delicious, but you know what’s even better than that? We have a quick dinner with the most succulent shrimp within only 20 minutes! When shrimp is cooked in the sous vide water bath, you can get everything else ready in the meantime. Plus the shrimp is perfectly tender. Sous vide is my secret weapon!
Why sous vide shrimp?
Overcooking shrimp is one of the easiest things to do in the world. With the traditional method like searing, boiling, grilling, or poaching, just cooking a few seconds more can make them rubbery and chewy. But with sous vide method, you will get the perfect result by eliminating short windows of time for the perfect doneness. Sous vide shrimp is so tender and juicy with the guaranteed results EVERY TIME. You can use the same technique to cook scallops or fish too!
What’s more, don’t you always have some frozen shrimp in your freezer? This recipe doesn’t require you to defrost shrimp ahead of time. You can cook shrimp from frozen with the sous vide machine, and just add 10 more minutes of cooking time.
What is sous vide? It means “under vacuum” in French, and is known for being a precise and consistent way to cook your food evenly. Simply vacuum seal your food in a bag, and cook them in a water bath to a very precise temperature. No more overcooked shrimp!
How to make juicy sous vide shrimp
- Season the shrimp.
Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and olive oil in a large resealable bag.
- Vacuum seal the bag.
Vacuum seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique.
- Sous vide cook the shrimp.
Place the vacuum-sealed bag in the sous vide machine and cook at 140 F degrees for 20 minutes.
- Make honey garlic sauce.
In the meantime, add all the sauce ingredients to a skillet and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Toss the shrimp with the sauce.
Once the timer goes off, remove the shrimp from the bag and toss them with the sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- Toss the shrimp with half teaspoon baking soda 30 minutes before sous vide cooking will yield plump shrimp.
- It’s very important to keep the shrimp in a single layer in the bag. If your bag is not big enough, you can use multiple bags. You can vacuum seal the bag first, and then move the shrimp around to a single layer.
- If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use a zip-top bag and seal it with water displacement technique.
- For a thicker and more sticky sauce, mix it with cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water) in the skillet.
Honey garlic sauce
In the sauce, we have 3 familiar favorites: honey, garlic, and soy sauce. To add some extra flavor, I added minced fresh ginger, but that’s optional.
I like to prepare the sauce while the shrimp is getting cooked in the sous vide water bath. Just add all ingredients to the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens. You can add a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch + water) to speed up the process if you are in a rush. The sauce will thicken more when it’s cooling down, turning into an addictive sweet, savory, and sticky sauce!
If you’d like to try other flavors, you can cook the shrimp with lemon butter or teriyaki sauce.
Sous vide shrimp temperature
I recommend setting your sous vide immersion circulator to a temperature between 135°F (57°C) to 140°F (60°C). At this temperature, the shrimp become opaque whitish color and firm with a tender and juicy texture. When the temperature is lower than these, I feel it’s a little too soft for me. For another doneness, see the different textures below:
| Temperature | Texture |
| 125°F (52°C) | Semi raw and very soft |
| 130°F (54°C) | Half opaque and taste still raw |
| 135°F (57°C) | Very tender and juicy |
| 140°F (60°C) | Close to traditional poached shrimp texture; tender and juicy |
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook fresh (or thawed) shrimp for about 20 minutes in the sous vide water bath. If your shrimp is frozen, add another 10 minutes.
Pro Tip: It’s ok to leave the shrimp in the water bath for an extra 10 to 15 minutes. But avoid cooking it for too long as it could become mushy.
Buy shrimp (or prawns) already deveined and shelled, and you’ll save yourself more time. them in the refrigerator overnight.
Yes, absolutely. To sous vide frozen shrimp, follow the same instructions as cooking the thawed shrimp, and add extra 10 minutes of cooking time in the sous vide cooker.
You can serve shrimp over rice, pasta, or tortillas. You can pair it with side dishes like green beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus. Alternatively, you can use them in a shrimp cocktail or shrimp salad.
More Sous Vide Seafood Recipes You May Like
Perfect Sous Vide Shrimp Recipe {Only 20 minutes}
Ingredients
For the Shrimp:
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp (deveined and peeled, fresh or frozen*, see recipe notes)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Honey Garlic Sauce:
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce I use reduced sodium
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
Optional:
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- chopped green onion for garnish
Instructions
Sous Vide Cook Shrimp
- Fill a large container or pot with water, attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 140ºF (60ºC).
- Lightly season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and oil in a zip-top bag.
- Seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag and slowly place it in a pot with cold water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag. (Use a vacuum sealer if you have one.) Make sure to arrange in one layer. If your bag is not large enough, use multiple bags.
- Once the temperature has reached 140ºF (60ºC), place the vacuum sealed bag in the water bath and set the timer for 20 minutes*. Make sure to submerge the shrimp completely in the water. Use heavy kitchen item to weigh it down if it’s floating. (Time-saving tip: while the shrimp is cooking, make honey garlic sauce, and steam some green vegetables.)
Make Honey Garlic Sauce
- Add honey, soy sauce, minced garlic, and optional minced ginger in a mixing bowl.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the sauce, and cook for about 5 minutes until it thickens**. Remove from heat and set aside.
Mix the Shrimp with the Sauce
- When the time goes off, remove shrimp from the bag (discard the juice). Toss the shrimp with the sauce
- Garnish with green onions if desired. The sauce is excellent on rice and veggies on the side.
Equipment
Notes
- *If you use frozen shrimp, cook for 30 minutes in the sous vide water bath.
- ** If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can add cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) to the skillet.
- You can leave the shrimp tails on if you like.
- For plumper shrimp, toss it with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 30 minutes before sous vide.
Nutrition
Mark Bellenoit says
Thanks Izzy, this was wonderful, and so quick!
Heather says
Thank you so much for all this info!