That Spicy Chick

Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice

This Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice is quick and easy to stir-fry on any given weeknight, exploding with garlicky chili and peppery basil flavors, and full of juicy shrimp! It’s ready to go in under 30 minutes and fiery, flavor-packed and fabulous! It’s also vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free adaptable.

If you are as obsessed with fried rice as me, this Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice is a must-try!

It’s full of spicy and garlicy flavors, juicy shrimp, tender brown jasmine rice, and peppery Thai holy basil. Everything gets kissed by a mouthwatering savory-sweet sauce!

This version is slightly more nutritious and than my spicy Thai basil chicken fried rice as I’ve used long grain brown jasmine rice instead of white rice here. The brown rice is slightly firmer than white rice and has a hint of nutty flavor. That said, you can absolutely use Thai jasmine white rice or other long grain white rice if you prefer. It’ll taste equally as delicious!

Feel free to tone down the heat level to suit your preference. It’ll still be incredibly flavorful and fabulous! 

Front closeup view of Thai basil shrimp fried rice on a plate.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Quick and easy! All you need is one wok and it’s ready in under 30 minutes!
  • Exquisite BOLD chili and garlicky flavors. Smashing the garlic and chilies into a paste helps release their oils and makes their flavors more pronounced in this fried rice.
  • Juicy shrimp. Juicy, naturally sweet shrimp is an easy protein to incorporate in this fried rice as it cooks quickly. No marinating or pre-cooking separately is required.
  • Umami packed stir-fry sauce. It’s perfectly balanced with savory and sweet notes. We’ve got oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, sweet dark soy sauce bringing TONS of flavor to this fried rice!
  • Customizable. You can use any protein you love! Chicken, shrimp, sliced pork or beef, and crispy pan-fried tofu would all taste great!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutes

Labeled ingredients for Thai basil shrimp fried rice on a wooden board.
Fresh & Pantry Ingredients
  • Shrimp (or prawns): Use pre-peeled and deveined shrimp or prawns to save time. Either frozen and thawed or fresh shrimp will work.
  • Red and Green Chilies: Although Thai Bird’s Eye chilies are preferred, Holland or any other small hot red and green chilies will work. I’ve also used Thai ‘prik kee nu’ green chilies. Prik kee nu literally translates to “mouse dropping chilies” in English. The name comes from their shape. These tiny hot chilies are fiery hot and even hotter than Bird’s Eye chilies. Use with caution or omit if you prefer a milder dish. Adjust the quantity of hot chilies you use based on your heat level preference. 
  • Large Red Chili: This one is mainly just for color and is rather mild. It has a similar flavor to red bell pepper. Reserve a few slices for garnish. 
  • Long Grain Brown Rice: I’ve used cooked long grain brown jasmine rice here. It’s more nutritious than white rice and has a hint of nutty flavor and firmer texture. However, Thai jasmine white rice or other long grain rice can be used instead. Day old chilled rice works best and won’t turn into mush like hot, freshly cooked rice will. 
  • Thai Holy Basil Leaves: This basil is known as ‘kaprow’ or ‘gaprao’ in Thai and sometimes called spicy or hot basil in English. It has a unique peppery flavor, furry stems, and leaves that have ridges. Find it in an Asian supermarket or Thai grocery store if you’re based in the U.S or outside of Asia. In Asia, you can find it in the Thai stall at your local wet market. If unavailable, you can substitute with regular Italian basil or Thai sweet basil. Although Italian basil will be closer in flavor to holy basil than Thai sweet basil, either will still taste great in this fried rice. 
Labeled sauce ingredients for Thai basil fried rice.
Stir-fry Sauce Ingredients
  • Fish Sauce: Just a tiny splash to add a subtle depth of savory flavor.
  • Light Soy Sauce: In general, Thai light soy sauce is less salty than Chinese of Japanese soy sauces. A Thai light soy sauce is preferred but a low sodium one can be used if you don’t have it on hand.
  • Oyster Sauce: A thick, sweet-and savory sauce to add umami. 
  • Sweet Dark Soy Sauce: This is a Thai sweet and sticky dark soy sauce that is more viscous than regular light soy sauce. Substitute with kecap manis (Indonesian sweet dark soy sauce) if unavailable.
  • White Sugar: To round out the flavors in the savory sauce and balance out the heat from the hot chilies in the fried rice.
  • Water: Just a small splash to make the stir-fry sauce more fluid since the oyster sauce, sugar, and sweet dark soy sauce make it quite sticky. It helps the sauce to spread quickly and coat every grain of rice without making it mushy. You could also use chicken broth or stock instead. 

Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice

1. Smash the garlic and chilies. Roughly chop the garlic and red and green chilies (except the large red chili). Using a mortar and pestle, pound into a coarse paste. (If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, roughly chop the garlic and chilies, then smash them by pressing down on them with the flat side of your knife. Or use a mini blender to pulse into a coarse paste.)

Smashed garlic and red and green chilies in a mortar.

2. Stir-fry the onion, garlic chili paste and large red chili. Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Stir-fry the onion, smashed garlic chili paste and large red chili slices (reserve a few slices for garnish) until fragrant.

3. Cook the shrimp. Stir-fry for a minute until they start to develop color and are almost cooked.

4. Add the rice and sauce. Add the rice and pour the sauce on top. Stir-fry until combined well and every grain of rice is evenly coated with the sauce.

5. Toss through the holy basil. Briefly to combine until wilted, then switch off the heat.

Process steps to make Thai basil shrimp fried rice in a wok.

Serve! Transfer to a serving plate or divide evenly into bowls. Garnish with the reserved sliced large red chili pieces. You can serve with cooling cucumber slices and chopped fresh chilies mixed with fish sauce (prik nam pla) in a small bowl or sauce dish on the side if desired. 

Thai basil shrimp fried rice on a plate with cucumber slices.

Optional fancy plating style: You can opt to plate the fried rice in a fancy style like I did for my spicy Thai basil chicken fried rice (pictured below). Place 2 pieces of the reserved sliced large red chili into a bowl and spoon the fried rice on top. Press down with the back of a spoon until the rice is in an even layer. Tip out onto a plate and serve!

Close up top view of fried rice, cucumber slices, fish sauce with chopped chilies, and spoon and fork on a plate.
Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice

Full detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

Cook’s Tips

  • Mise en place. Prepare everything before you fire up your wok. Stir-fries go by quickly and this one is no different. Have everything ready to go and by the side of your wok before you start cooking.
  • Open a window or switch on the exhaust fan if needed. Stir-frying chilies over high heat can produce a lot of smoke and pungent fumes. Expect some coughing and maybe even sneezing if you are sensitive. Know that if you are coughing, you are doing it right!
  • Use a large wok or heavy bottomed frying deep skillet. Although a wok would work best for cooking fried rice, a large deep skillet/frying pan would work well too. It has enough surface area to allow you to spread everything out so that the ingredients have direct contact with the hot pan. This will ensure that the fried rice doesn’t become mushy or soggy and that the rice actually fries and doesn’t steam.
  • Use high heat. Quick stir-frying over high heat ensures that the rice won’t become mushy.
Closeup front view of Thai holy basil shrimp fried rice on a plate.

FAQs

What is the difference between basil fried rice and Thai fried rice?

Thai basil fried rice (‘khao pad kaprao’) is different from Thai fried rice (‘khao pad’) because it incorporates Thai holy basil leaves. It typically doesn’t have egg, but Thai fried rice does include egg, often diced tomatoes, and has a more peppery and savory flavor. Thai basil fried rice is sweet and savory in addition to spicy in flavor due to incorporating oyster sauce in the stir-fry sauce. 

What is the difference between Thai fried rice and Chinese fried rice?

The key differences are the type of rice and sauces that are used. Thai fried rice is made with long grain jasmine rice which is scented, whereas Chinese fried rice is made with unscented long or short grain rice. Thai fried rice also often incorporates sugar and sauces like fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sweet dark soy sauce in addition to regular light soy sauce. Chinese fried rice usually calls for light or dark soy sauce and very occasionally oyster sauce. 

What else can I use fresh Thai holy basil for?

Thai holy basil can be used in stir-fries like this Thai basil shrimp fried rice, spicy Thai basil chicken fried rice, Thai holy basil chicken, pad kee mao gai (Thai drunken noodles with chicken), Thai basil pork stir-fry, and a Thai-Italian mashup pasta – Thai basil chicken spaghetti. You can also use it in smoothies, juices, teas and salads. 

Spoon holding up a bite of shrimp fried rice above a plate.

Variations

  • Use a different protein. Sliced boneless and skinless chicken thighs or thinly sliced pork fillet (tenderloin) or beef skirt or flank steak would taste great. 
  • Make it vegetarian/vegan. Use crispy pan-fried tofu cubes or tempeh for the protein. For the stir-fry sauce, use more light soy sauce in place of the fish sauce and a vegetarian oyster sauce.
  • Make it gluten-free. Use a gluten-free light soy sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
  • Add veggies. Add briefly blanched broccoli florets or broccolini, snap peas, snow peas, green peas, or other stir-fry friendly veggies. Run cold water on top the blanched broccoli or broccolini to halt the cooking process after draining. If using carrots, you’d need to blanch (2 minutes) or sauté them first separately until crisp-tender (9-10 minutes) as they won’t become tender enough in the short duration that it takes to cook the fried rice.
Spoon holding up a bite of shrimp fried rice and plate with fried rice. Text overlay "Spicy Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice" and "thatspicychick.com".

More Thai Fried Rice Recipes


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Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice

Closeup top view of Thai holy basil shrimp fried rice on a plate with sliced cucumber.

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5 from 1 review

Fiery, flavor-packed and fabulous, this This Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice is quick and easy to stir-fry in under 30 minutes and EXPLODING with garlicky chili and hot basil flavors! Perfect for any night of the week!

  • Author: Lavina
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stir-fry
  • Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

Scale

For the Sauce:

For the Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice:

  • 6 Garlic cloves – peeled, roughly chopped
  • 610 fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any other small hot red chilies), to taste – de-stemmed, roughly chopped
  • 26 fresh Green chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye, Prik Kee Nu chilies or other hot green chilies – note 2), to taste – destemmed, roughly chopped
  • 1 Large Red Chili (mild) – destemmed, deseeded if desired, thinly sliced at an angle (reserve a few slices for garnish)
  • 1 small Yellow Onion – sliced into ¼-inch wide pieces
  • 1.5 cups Thai Holy Basil Leaves (substitute with Italian basil or Thai sweet basil leaves if unavailable – note 3)
  • 200 grams / 7 ounces peeled and deveined Shrimp (or prawns) – rinsed well, pat-dried
  • 3 cups cooked Long Grain Brown Rice (such as Thai jasmine brown rice, chilled day-old rice works best – note 4)
  • 2 TBLS Canola Oil (or any other neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point)
  • To Serve: Reserved slices of large red chili, sliced cucumber, chopped fresh chilies in fish sauce (prik nam pla)

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Make the sauce: Whisk together the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, fish sauce, white sugar and water in a small measuring cup or bowl until combined well.
  2. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Prepare the garlic, fresh red and green chilies, large red chili and yellow onion as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and fresh red and green chilies (not the sliced large red chili) into a coarse paste (note 5). Pick the holy basil leaves off the stems, then rinse and pat-dry with paper towels. Rinse the shrimp thoroughly and pat-dry.

For the Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice:

  1. Stir-fry the onion and aromatics: Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large wok over high heat. Once hot, add the onion and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the smashed garlic chili paste and large red chili (reserve a few slices for garnish) and stir-fry for 30 seconds to combine. (Note: Open a window or switch on the exhaust fan if needed. Stir-frying chilies over high heat can produce a lot of smoke and pungent fumes.)
  2. Cook the shrimp: Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 1 minute until they start to develop color and are almost cooked.
  3. Add the rice and sauce: Add the cooked brown rice and pour the sauce on top. Stir-fry until combined well and every grain of rice is evenly coated with the sauce – about 1 minute.
  4. Toss through the basil: Add the holy basil leaves and toss briefly to combine until wilted – about 30 seconds. Switch off the heat.
  5. To Serve: Transfer to a serving plate or divide evenly into bowls and garnish with the reserved sliced large red chili pieces. Or for fancier plating, place 2 pieces of the reserved sliced large red chili into a bowl and spoon the fried rice on top. Press down with the back of a spoon until the rice is in an even layer. Tip out onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining servings of fried rice. Serve with sliced cucumber and chopped fresh chilies mixed with fish sauce (prik nam pla) in a small bowl or sauce dish on the side if desired.

Notes

  1. Sweet Dark Soy Sauce. This is a Thai sweet and sticky dark soy sauce that is more viscous than regular light soy sauce. Substitute with kecap manis (Indonesian sweet dark soy sauce) if unavailable.
  2. Green Chilies. I’ve used both Thai Bird’s Eye and Prik Kee Nu green chilies here. Prik kee nu literally translates to “mouse dropping chilies” in English. The name comes from their shape. These tiny hot chilies are fiery hot and even hotter than Bird’s Eye chilies. Use with caution or omit if you prefer a milder dish. Adjust the quantity of both hot red and green chilies you use based on your heat level preference.
  3. Thai Holy Basil Leaves. Known as ‘kaprow’ or ‘gaprao’ in Thai and sometimes called spicy or hot basil in English. It has a unique peppery flavor, furry stems, and leaves that have ridges. Find it in an Asian supermarket or Thai grocery store if you’re based in the U.S or outside of Asia. In Asia, you can find it in the Thai stall at your local wet market. If unavailable, substitute with regular Italian basil or Thai sweet basil. Although Italian basil will be closer in flavor to holy basil than Thai sweet basil, either will still taste great in this fried rice.
  4. Long Grain Brown Rice: Long grain brown rice is more nutritious than white rice and has a hint of nutty flavor and firmer texture. Feel free to use Thai jasmine white rice or other long grain rice instead. Day old chilled rice works best and won’t turn into mush like hot, freshly cooked rice will.
  5. Mortar and Pestle: Smashing the chilies and garlic using a mortar and pestle is best as it helps to release their oils for a more pronounced spicy and garlicky flavor in the fried rice. If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, roughly chop the garlic and chilies and then smash them by pressing down on them with the flat side of your knife. Or use a mini blender to pulse into a coarse paste. 
  6. Storing and leftovers. Although this fried rice tastes best when eaten on the day of cooking, if can be stored in the fridge in an airtight sealed container for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until hot throughout.
  7. See ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this fried rice.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 371
  • Sugar: 9g
  • Sodium: 672.8mg
  • Fat: 9.3g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 8g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 56.4g
  • Fiber: 4.9g
  • Protein: 17.9g
  • Cholesterol: 80.5mg

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One comment on “Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice”

  1. Fabulous!! Just like the Thai restaurant in town, maybe better.






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