Packed with protein and flavor, my Shrimp and Zucchini Stir Fry with Homemade Teriyaki is the perfect fakeout takeout weeknight meal. My lightened up teriyaki sauce is the star of this dish. Zucchini, shrimp, water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger are perfectly coated in the sauce and come together in no time. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice to create a well-rounded meal that’s just like your favorite takeout, but healthier!
What you’ll need to make Shrimp and Zucchini Stir Fry with Homemade Teriyaki
This recipe requires minimal ingredients! If you’ve made any of my Asian-inspired recipes like Healthy Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken or Lightened-Up Orange Chicken, you probably already have a few of these ingredients on hand.
- Shrimp
- Raw; fresh or frozen
- Zucchini
- Canned water chestnuts
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Corn starch
- Ginger root
- Scallions
- Garlic cloves
- Maple syrup
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Sesame seeds
My Lightened Up Teriyaki Sauce
Since I have found the perfect flavor profile for my lightened up teriyaki sauce, I’ve been able to create a growing repertoire of teriyaki recipes. They are some of your favorite recipes on the blog–and mine as well! Whether it’s my Healthy Sheet Pan Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables, Teriyaki Glazed Salmon, Teriyaki Turkey and Vegetable Skillet, Healthy Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken, and beyond–I’ve got you covered.
I love recipes that use a lightened-up teriyaki sauce because they are everything you want in a meal: simple, easy, and delicious. Teriyaki sauce pairs well with every type of protein whether it’s chicken, fish, turkey, or whatever you’re in the mood for that night. You never have to feel guilty about my homemade lightened-up teriyaki sauce. It is lighter on calories and most importantly sodium, so you won’t have that dehydrated, yucky feeling that traditional Chinese takeout often leaves you with.
How to make Skinny Shrimp and Zucchini Stir Fry
First, chop the scallions and separate the white parts from the green parts. Follow by mincing both the garlic and the ginger. Next, chop the zucchini. In a large frying pan or wok, add cooking spray. Add the white parts of the scallions, the garlic and ginger, and sauté for one minute or until fragrant.
Now, Add the zucchini and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Sauté the zucchini for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown and tender.
Drain the water chestnuts and add them in to the pot and cook for another minute.
Remove the vegetables from the pan, and spray the pan with non-stick spray again. Add the raw shrimp, and cook for a couple of minutes per side. Add the vegetables back in.
Combine the teriyaki ingredients (low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, corn starch, garlic, ginger, and maple syrup), and add 1/2 cup of the mixture to the frying pan. Allow the ingredients to simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes.
Garnish the dish with the green parts of the scallions and sesame seeds. Next, add the remaining teriyaki to a small saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it thickens. Drizzle this teriyaki over the finished stir fry.
How-To Video
All about the shrimp
You want to make sure your shrimp is cleaned and deveined (and defrosted, if they are frozen). Make sure you are using raw shrimp for this recipe. Either fresh or frozen will work perfectly here.
If you have never cleaned shrimp before, don’t worry: it’s so easy. It’s not the most exciting part of this recipe, but it’s definitely not difficult. Here is a quick video on how to clean shrimp. You can also ask the fishmonger to clean them for you if you are buying fresh shrimp.
If you are buying frozen shrimp, you most likely will have to peel and devein the shrimp. It can be a bit tedious, but it’s very easy to do, I promise. Otherwise, if you are buying fresh shrimp, you can ask the fishmonger to clean the shrimp for you. This recipe calls for 1 1/4 lb of shrimp, and the size of the shrimp really doesn’t matter.
How to serve Skinny Shrimp and Zucchini Stir Fry
The ideal way to serve this recipe is paired with wither rice or cauliflower rice to soak up the juices. This recipe makes for a great meal prep for the week, since it’s packed with protein and healthy ingredients.
To reheat this recipe, simply pop it in the microwave to warm through, or put it into a skillet to heat through over medium heat.
If you are planning on making a take-out themed dinner, you can also make these recipes to pair with this dish:
Shrimp and Zucchini Stir Fry with Homemade Teriyaki
Equipment
- large frying pan or wok
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 scallions, chopped; white and green parts separated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, fresh, minced
- 6 cups zucchini, chopped
- 8 oz sliced water chestnuts, can
- 1.25 lb shrimp, raw
- sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Chop the scallions and separate the white parts from the green parts.
- Mince the garlic and the ginger. Chop the zucchini.
- In a large frying pan or wok, add cooking spray. Add the white parts of the scallions, the garlic and ginger, and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the zucchini and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute the zucchini for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown and tender.
- Drain the water chestnuts and add them in to the pot and cook for another minute.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan, and spray the pan with non-stick spray again.
- Add the raw shrimp, and cook for a couple of minutes per side.
- Add the vegetables back in. Combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients, and add 1/2 cup of the mixture to the frying pan. Allow the ingredients to simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes.
- Garnish the dish with the green parts of the scallions and sesame seeds.
- Finally, add the remaining teriyaki to a small saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it thickens. Drizzle this teriyaki over the finished stir fry.
Notes
Nutrition
Love this recipe? Try another Asian-inspired dinner!
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- One Pan Pepper Steak
- Lightened-Up Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Shrimp Skewers with Peanut Sauce
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Can’t wait to try this!!!
So, so, good. I got the email this morning and had all of the ingredients. It will be one of my go to meals!
This recipe was amazing! My husband said we definitely need to have this again soon! As always Steph, you knocked it out of the park! Thanks so much
I am confused with the recipe and hope you can help? You show garlic and ginger in the Teriyaki sauce bot no where in the ingredients list, I made the sauce, including the garlic and ginger but your directions tell me to add garlic and ginger to the skillet? I don’t see that listed with the other pan ingredients? Thank you in advance.
Jane in Pa
THis was great
Better than restaurant quality. I also added bamboo shoots. It’s definitely on our favorites list. Going to try it with chicken next time. Thank you Steph!
Very easy recipe to follow. This dish was so good.
Served it with brown rice. Definitely making this again.
Thanks Steph! 😊
We tried this last night and it was a huge hit! Thanks for another amazing recipe, Steph!
So delicious. I doubled the teriyaki sauce, and added carrots, red pepper and edamame.
Loved this! Asian dishes are some of my favorite go to meals and this doesn’t disappoint!
Absolutely delicious! My family ate every last bite.
Love the homemade teriyaki! I didn’t have enough zucchini so I added some green beans to beef up the veggies. So easy and quick. I served over cauliflower rice to make for a healthy dinner!
Delicious! I will definitely be making this again! The teriyaki sauce recipe is the best one I’ve ever made and tasted. Thank you for sharing such amazing recipes!
One of my favorite recipes! The homemade teriyaki sauce is devine!! I made extra to use in a stir fry later.
*divine 😊
I made this tonight, it was delicious. My husband loved it and he’s so picky!
This will be added to our rotation! SO easy and delicious!!
Oh my gosh this is amazing! So east & the sauce is incredible! Thank you!
Made this last. So good! Will definitely make again. I think this recipe is versatile – next time may use chicken
This is delicious and was really easy to bulk up with additional veggies. I added red peppers and broccoli and the whole family enjoyed it. Was still enough sauce even with the added veggies. I typically have most of these ingredients on hand so that also makes it a winner!
Easy to make, and super tasty!! Served it with rice. So good!
Loved this and will definitely make again! I was nervous about being able to taste the maple syrup in the teriyaki sauce, but even my husband who hates maple syrup didn’t notice and loved the dish!
Second night in a row making one of your recipes and this one was just as amazing as the first! We added some onions and loved every last bite
This was excellent! I forgot to make rice, but it was great for dinner as-is. I might make noodles next time and add to the sauce. Easy, filling, and tasty!
This is delicious! Didn’t have the sesame seeds or green onions so substituted sweet onion and added some mandolined carrots. Also didn’t have all of the maple syrup, only 2/3 of the amount, and had to substitute Tamari for soy sauce, and didn’t have the full quarter cup. It turned out so good! The sauce is everything, Thank you, thank you !!