Applebee’s Shrimp Wonton Stir Fry

This Shrimp Wonton Stir Fry is an Applebee's copycat tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce, served over rice and topped with wonton strips. 

Ingredients and substitutions

• Canola oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or olive oil.
• Shrimp – if you’re not a fan of seafood, you can make this recipe with chopped chicken (just add 5 minutes onto the cooking time).
• Shredded carrot – swap out for another veggie of your choice like zucchini, snap peas, baby corn or water chestnuts.
• Celery stalks – or another veggie of your choice.
• Mushrooms – or another veggie of your choice.
• Broccoli – or another veggie of your choice.
• Red pepper – or another veggie of your choice.
• Green onions – leave these out altogether if you don’t have any on hand.
• Wonton strips – make your own gluten-free version by slicing gluten-free wonton wrappers into thin strips and frying in oil until golden-brown.
• White rice – use another kind of grain of your choice like brown rice or even quinoa.
• Butter – this is optional to make the rice moist. Olive oil or your favourite dairy-free butter substitute would also work.
• Salt – to taste.

Sauce

• Hoisin sauce – use a bit of bean paste or garlic teriyaki instead.
• Sweet chili sauce – mix together hot sauce and honey to make your own sweet chili sauce.
• Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
• Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
• Sriracha – use red pepper flakes instead or leave this out altogether to make the dish less spicy.

How to make this recipe

1. Make the stir fry sauce.
2. Prep your ingredients.
3. Cook the shrimp.
4. Sauté the veggies.
5. Add in the shrimp and sauce.
6. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and wonton strips.

Making the rice

There are two options for making the rice that goes along with this shrimp stir fry dish.

• Rice cooker: This is the easiest option. You will add the rice and water, then set it to cook. Using this method allows you to focus on making the stir fry without having to multitask at the same time.
• Stovetop: This method is best when you want to have more control over the texture of the rice. Follow the instructions on the package of rice, then fluff with a fork when it’s done to make sure it’s just how you like it.

To reduce the number of carbs in this dish, you could replace the white rice with cauliflower rice instead. Buy your favourite variety from the store, or use my homemade cauliflower rice recipe but don't use the spice blends.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and reheating

This stir fry will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and the rice will last for up to a week. Store the stir fry and rice separately in airtight glass containers or divide individual servings amongst meal prep containers for a quick and easy lunch idea.

When you’re ready to eat, heat everything up in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave in short bursts to avoid overcooking the shrimp. I suggest sprinkling some water over top of the rice before reheating to make sure it doesn’t dry out.

Freezing this recipe

It’s best to freeze just the shrimp mixture and make the rice fresh before serving. Once the shrimp and veggies have cooled, transfer them to an airtight glass container or freezer-safe Ziploc bag with the sauc and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating, and use within 2 to 3 days for the best flavour. You may need to add a small amount of liquid when reheating the stir fry or you can just make another batch of fresh sauce to mix in.

More Applebee's copycat recipes

• Chicken Wonton Tacos
• Tequila Lime Chicken
• Quesadilla Burger

Meal prep tools for this recipe

• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftovers of this recipe.
• Order some bento box containers to separate the stir fry and rice.