Stir-Fried Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas

posted by Kalyn Denny on September 14, 2020

Stir-Fried Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas is an ultra-easy stir-fry with a minimal amount of thickener to keep it low in carbs. And this tasty low-carb dinner can literally be on the table in minutes!

PIN Stir-Fried Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas to try it later!

I think Stir-Fry Recipes are great any time of year, and shrimp stir fries are especially quick and easy for a treat if you keep shrimp in the freezer. This delicious Stir-Fried Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas is an easy dinner idea that uses minced ginger root and minced garlic to add so much flavor to shrimp and sugar snap peas.

And if you buy those big bags of sugar snap peas at Costco and have a hard time using them up, this recipe can help with that! If you’re not that experienced at stir-fry cooking, check out The Basic Rules for Stir-Frying in my recipe for Pork and Broccoli Stir-Fry.

Do Stir-Fries Need to Have Thickener?

I’ve made a few stir-fry recipes without using anything to thicken the sauce, and also experimented with lower-carb Arrowroot Starch (affiliate link) to thicken. But through the years I’ve started to just prefer using a very small amount of cornstarch for best results. Cornstarch has a lot of thickening power, and although it has 7 carbs in one tablespoon, the amount per serving is very low. In this recipe with one tablespoon of cornstarch and four servings, that’s less than 2 carbs per serving for the cornstarch. And the other ingredients here are all good choices for a low-carb diet, so enjoy!

How to Make Stir-Fried Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Thaw shrimp overnight in the fridge. Drain shrimp well in a colander placed in the sink.
2. Cut tips off sugar snap peas and cut larger ones on the diagonal.
3. Peel and devein shrimp if needed and pull off the tails. 
4. Mix chicken stock, rice vinegar, sweetener, soy sauce, cornstarch, and white pepper to make the sauce.
5. Prepare grated ginger root and minced garlic, or use Minced Ginger (affiliate link) and Minced Garlic (affiliate link) from a jar like I did.
6. When all ingredients are ready, heat empty wok or large frying pan for one minute. Then add oil and heat over high heat until it’s shimmering.
7. Add the garlic cloves and slices of ginger and cook until you can barely start to smell the garlic. Remove garlic and ginger pieces and discard.
8. Add sugar snap peas and cook about 3 minutes.
9. Add minced garlic and minced ginger and and cook about 1 minute. (Forgot to take a photo of that, sorry!)
10. Add shrimp and stir fry about 1 minute, until shrimp are barely starting to turn opaque.
11. Add sauce mixture and cook 1-2 minutes more or until mixture thickens; be careful not to overcook the shrimp.
12. Serve immediately.

More Low-Carb Favorites with Shrimp:

Low-Carb Shrimp Salad Cabbage Cups
Easy Low-Carb Shrimp Ceviche
Low-Carb Roasted Asian Shrimp and Brussels Sprouts Sheet Pan Meal
Easy Low-Carb Garlic and Lemon Shrimp
Spicy Green Beans and Shrimp Sheet Pan Meal

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Stir-Fried Shrimp with Sugar Snap Peas has a very minimal amount of thickener, so this is still a great dish for low-carb and low-glycemic diet plans. The use of cornstarch probably makes this phase two for the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stir-Fry Recipes for more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This tasty stir-fry with shrimp was first posted in 2007! The recipe was (finally) updated with better photos and more complete instructions in September 2020.