If you want a fresh, flavorful, and filling dinner in under 30 minutes, this Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta has you covered. With a velvety garlic-based cream sauce and tender lemony shrimp, this dish has all the textures and flavors you want without overcomplicating things.
I absolutely love lemon in a shrimp pasta dish (see also: 30-Minute Zesty Lemon Shrimp Pasta), as the citrus really helps the natural flavors of the shrimp shine. With just the lemon juice, garlic, and a few seasonings, you get lots of fresh flavor without the hassle.
As a time-strapped mom who doesn’t want to settle for subpar food, this simple, quick, and stress-free recipe ticks all the right boxes.
Shrimp Pasta Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s everything you need:
- Long pasta. I used linguine, but fettucine, spaghetti, and angel hair all work.
- Shrimp. I used large white deveined shrimp. This is my preference and what I used in all of my recipe testing, but I’m confident any shrimp will work so long as it’s raw (though the cooking time may vary).
- Garlic. 4 large freshly minced cloves is how I cook this shrimp pasta, so if you’re using pre-minced, I would recommend using at least 2 tablespoons.
- Lemon. You should get enough juice from half of a lemon.
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can also add crushed red pepper if you want a little kick.
- Olive oil. Butter works here as well.
- Vegetable broth. Or chicken broth. I love to make my own veggie broth from vegetable scraps and always have that on hand!
- Regular cream. Or heavy whipping cream.
- Parmesan cheese. I freshly grated mine from a block, but you can also use pre-grated Parmesan cheese.
Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta Tips and Tricks
How to Prep Your Shrimp
Peel your shrimp and remove the tails if need be. Then, it’s best to use a paper towel to pat it dry, removing any excess moisture. This will give you the best texture on your shrimp, ensuring it doesn’t get mushy when its cooked.
Then, season both sides of the shrimp with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Note you may not use all of the seasoning here. If you don’t, add any extra to the sauce later. Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over your seasoned shrimp.
You may also want to add extra salt and pepper to taste.
How to Perfectly Pan-Fry Garlic Shrimp
To get the best texture on your shrimp, get the oil hot in the pan first. Add the oil to your pan over medium heat and let it sit for about 2 minutes.
Pro tip: Reducing moisture on your shrimp by blotting it with a paper towel will work wonders for the texture once it’s cooked!
Then, you can add the minced garlic and lower the prepared shrimp into the hot oil. This will get it cooking straight away, meaning the shrimp will not absorb any of the oil and you’ll end up with a delicious texture on your shrimp.
Try to make sure that every shrimp is in contact directly with the pan and not piled atop one another. Cook it for about 2 minutes on each side, for a total cooking time of about 4-5 minutes. The shrimp cooks quickly and it’s best not to overcook it– it may start to get rubbery.
You can easily tell when the shrimp is ready just by looking at it as it completely changes color. When the shrimp is cooked it curls up and takes on a pink hue. The internal temperature of the shrimp should reach 145°F.
Once cooked, remove the shrimp from the pan and set it aside to serve atop your creamy pasta later.
How to Make Creamy Garlic Sauce
Once you’ve removed your shrimp from the pan, you’ll be left with the garlic and any extra seasonings that were left behind. This will act as the base of your sauce.
Turn the heat down to low and add the vegetable broth, another tablespoon of lemon juice, cream, and the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine and reduce.
Once the cheese is fully integrated and the sauce starts to thicken, turn the heat off but leave the pan on the burner.
Serving Your Shrimp Pasta with Garlic Cream Sauce
Add the cooked pasta to your garlic sauce and toss to coat. Note that at first, it may seem like you have too much sauce for the amount of pasta, but as it cools, it will continue to thicken.
Then, you can add the shrimp back to the pasta or dish out your pasta and serve the shrimp on top.
Note: According to the pasta box and the average serving size for shrimp, this should feed 4 people. But let’s be real—my husband and I usually finish almost all of this between the two of us!
This dish is fully sufficient as a meal on its own, but if you’re looking for an appetizer or vegetable to serve up on the side, here are a couple of my favorite accompaniments:
How to Properly Store and Reheat Leftover Creamy Shrimp Pasta
This delicious shrimp pasta will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The best way to reheat it is in the oven.
Add both the shrimp and pasta to a baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Preheat your oven to 350°F and cook for 15-20 minutes until both are thoroughly heated. If it seems too dry, add some extra vegetable broth or lemon juice.
Alternatively, you can add a splash of white wine. However, I don’t recommend adding water while reheating as it will make your pasta with shrimp bland.
Alternatively, you can reheat the creamy garlic shrimp pasta in a pot over medium heat with a little extra olive oil, or even in the microwave in a pinch (but please expect a significant downgrade in the texture, especially of the shrimp).
25-Minute Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Citrus Squeezer (optional)
- Rotary Cheese Grater (optional)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces long pasta (like Linguini) (8 oz usually = ½ box)
- 1 pound large white shrimp
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice for shrimp (2 tbsp usually = juice of ½ lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice for sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ¾ cup regular cream (or heavy whipping cream)
- 1 ounce Parmesan, freshly grated (1 oz =~ ⅓ cup grated Parmesan)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packaging.8 ounces long pasta (like Linguini)
- Peel the shrimp and pat it dry with a paper towel to reduce excess moisture and season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.1 tablespoon lemon juice for shrimp, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 pound large white shrimp
- Get the oil hot in a large frying pan for about 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic.2 tablespoons olive oil, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the garlic and shrimp to the hot oil, careful to place the shrimp in a single layer so that each one is directly touching the pan. Cook the shrimp in the garlic and oil for about 2 minutes on each side until pink and cooked through (internal temperature should reach 145°F). Remove the shrimp and set aside for later, keeping the oil and garlic in the pan.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the vegetable broth, remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, cream, and Parmesan cheese and stir until well-combined.½ cup vegetable broth, ¾ cup regular cream, 1 ounce Parmesan, freshly grated, 1 tablespoon lemon juice for sauce
- Turn the stove off but keep the pan on the burner. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat. At this point, it may seem like too much sauce for the amount of pasta, but it will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve the shrimp on top of the creamy garlic pasta. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Leftover creamy garlic shrimp pasta will last for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Add more salt and pepper, lemon juice, and Parmesan to taste. You can also add some crushed red pepper for a little kick.
