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Impress everyone at the dinner table with this utterly divine creamy garlic shrimp recipe! Succulent shrimp, lightly seasoned and cooked to perfection, then swaddled in the most amazing cream sauce made with plenty of garlic and parmesan cheese. It’s an incredible (and incredibly easy) one-skillet recipe you’ll make again and again!

Cooked garlic shrimp in a rich cream sauce, in a large silver skillet.

🧄 What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • Made with a handful of staple ingredients, creamy garlic shrimp is one of those recipes that’s delicious and impressive enough to serve to guests or on special occasions, but easy enough to throw together in the middle of a busy evening.
  • You can have this dish ready to eat in as little as 15 minutes, and it doesn’t need any fancy sides or anything, either. Mashed potatoes, rice, pasta – or if you want to keep things low carb, go for palmini, cauliflower rice, or zoodles. Honestly, sometimes I just eat the shrimp and cream sauce all on its own, no sides needed.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. One of the reasons this recipe is so quick and easy is because shrimp takes literal minutes to cook completely, but that means it’s all too easy to leave it in the skillet too long. Don’t let the shrimp rest in the creamy garlic sauce too long at the end of the recipe, either.
  • Since this recipe doesn’t call for a ton of ingredients, the quality of the ingredients you use will really make a difference. Fresh parmesan, grated right off a block, is ideal for sauces like this. Prepackaged grated parm usually contains fillers and starches to keep it from clumping, but those fillers can make your sauce grainy and keep the cheese from melting completely. Fresh garlic is a must, too!
Close-up of a cooked, curled shrimp with a vibrant pink tail in a rich pale cream sauce dotted with herbs.

🍤 Shrimp Recipes You’ll Keep on Repeat

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
5 from 3 votes

Creamy Garlic Shrimp


Prep 10 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 25 minutes
This incredible skillet recipe is impressive enough for guests but easy enough for busy evenings. Tender shrimp in a rich and cheesy cream sauce is a guaranteed hit with the whole family!
4 servings

Equipment

  • Cutting board or large plate
  • Large skillet
  • Tongs
  • Medium bowl
  • Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula

Ingredients

For the Shrimp

  • 1 pound medium raw shrimp deveined, peeled, tails on or off
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc.

For the Creamy Garlic Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup dry white wine see Notes
  • 1 cup heavy cream at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste
  • ¾ cup grated fresh parmesan at room temperature
  • finely chopped fresh parsley to taste

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower or mashed palmini
  • prepared pasta of choice or prepared palmini
  • rice or cauliflower rice

Instructions

  • Place 1 pound medium raw shrimp on cutting board in one even layer. Sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper over shrimp to taste, then flip shrimp over and season other side. Set cutting board aside.
  • Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil to large skillet, and place skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Warm skillet, swirling pan occasionally to distribute oil across surface, until oil is hot and shimmery.
  • When oil is hot, add shrimp to skillet in one even layer. Cook shrimp undisturbed 1 to 2 minutes, then flip shrimp over. Cook 1 minute more or until shrimp is just opaque, pink, and slightly curled into "J" shape.
  • Transfer cooked shrimp to medium bowl and set aside.
  • Reduce heat under skillet to medium and let pan cool slightly, then add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet. Let butter melt completely.
  • When butter is melted, add 4 cloves garlic. Stir to incorporate, then sauté minced garlic until fragrant, approximately 30 seconds.
  • Pour ½ cup dry white wine into skillet to deglaze pan. Stir well, making sure to scrape up any browned bits of garlic that may be stuck to bottom of skillet, until liquid is reduced by 50%.
  • Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and let pan cool slightly. Remove skillet from heat and add 1 cup heavy cream. Stir to incorporate cream then return skillet to medium-low heat. Bring mixture to gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.
  • Once simmering, add ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir to incorporate, then remove skillet from heat.
  • Add ¾ cup grated fresh parmesan. Gently stir until cheese is incorporated, then return skillet to heat. Simmer sauce until cheese has melted and sauce has thickened slightly, approximately 1 minute.
  • Sprinkle finely chopped fresh parsley into sauce, then return shrimp to skillet and gently spoon sauce over shrimp to cover.
  • Divide shrimp into preferred portions and serve immediately over mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice with plenty of creamy garlic sauce.
  • Dry White Wine: Sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio would both work well here.
  • Make it Alcohol Free: Use store-bought or homemade shrimp stock or seafood stock instead of white wine. You can also use chicken stock or vegetable stock if you can’t find a seafood version.
  • Make it Keto: Use a broth or stock instead of wine. Avoid prepackaged grated parmesan, which typically has starches and fillers added to prevent clumping.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 489calProtein: 30gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 281mgSodium: 819mgPotassium: 448mgTotal Carbs: 6gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 1529IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 293mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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6 Comments

  1. I’m from the south and this dish pairs well with angel hair pasta or my favorite grits.
    Truly a wonderful dish5 stars

  2. Great recipe!! I used chicken broth instead of wine and added some frozen spinach. Turned out amazing! Thank you5 stars

  3. Delicious as always. I haven’t tried a recipe from this site yet that I didn’t like. I do think it needs a bit more liquid, but other than that, so tasty5 stars

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