Sweet Chili Shrimp with Jaca

By Jaca Kitchen · · Updated

This sweet chili shrimp skips the bottled sauce for a quick homemade glaze sweetened with Jaca allulose instead of sugar, so you get all the sticky, sweet-and-spicy flavor with virtually no sugar. It comes together in one skillet in about 30 minutes and tastes just like your favorite takeout.

This is a Jaca-adjusted, healthier version. A classic sweet chili sauce is basically sugar syrup — we swapped the sugar for Jaca allulose at 2× the amount, so you keep the same glossy glaze while cutting out roughly 33 grams of sugar per serving.

Prep: 15 min  ·  Cook: 15 min  ·  Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the shrimp:

  • 1½ lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or off)
  • 2 tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Jaca sweet chili sauce:

  • ⅔ cup water
  • 1⅓ cups Jaca (allulose) — replaces ⅔ cup sugar at 2×
  • ½ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 2 teaspoons sriracha (plus more to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

To serve:

  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • Lime wedges
  • Cooked jasmine rice

Instructions:

  1. Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk together the water, Jaca, rice vinegar, grated garlic, sriracha, and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until the Jaca fully dissolves.
  2. Stir the cornstarch slurry, then whisk it into the sauce. Simmer 1–2 minutes until glossy and lightly thickened, then stir in the red pepper flakes and set aside. (Allulose doesn’t caramelize or set up quite as firmly as sugar, so the sauce stays a little looser and won’t crystallize — that’s normal.)
  3. Pat the shrimp very dry and season with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer and sear 1½–2 minutes per side, until pink and just opaque. Add the minced garlic in the last 30 seconds and toss.
  4. Pour the sweet chili sauce over the shrimp and toss for 1–2 minutes, until every piece is glazed and glossy.
  5. Off the heat, scatter with the green onion and sesame seeds. Serve over jasmine rice with lime wedges.

Tip: For extra-crisp shrimp, don’t crowd the pan — sear in two batches and add the sauce only after all the shrimp are back in.