Creamy Garlic Shrimp is an easy to make recipe that doubles as an entree or appetizer! You only need about 10 minutes to whip up this flavor-packed shrimp recipe. It’s simple and always yields tender shrimp in the best cream sauce that has a light touch of spice to seriously make your mouth water.
What’s in this Creamy Garlic Shrimp Recipe
Creamy, slightly spicy shrimp are served in a simple cream sauce that’s so good you might just be licking your plate! Let’s take a look at what’s in it:
- Salt and Pepper: Go light with your salt! It’s very easy to make shrimp too salty. As for your pepper, freshly cracked will yield the best flavor.
- Shrimp: It’ll need to be peeled and de-veined. If you’re using frozen shrimp, allow it to fully thaw prior to seasoning and cooking.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter for an added touch of flavor. You can use unsalted if you’d prefer.
- Garlic Paste and Chili Paste: I like to use the Gourmet brand for these products! They’re available at most grocery stores and always create the very best flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is preferred over bottled for the best flavor.
- White Wine: Learn all about the best wines to cook with HERE!
- Heavy Cream: You can use half and half instead if you’d like, but your cream sauce won’t be as thick.
- Parmesan Cheese: For the BEST flavor and consistency, use parmesan cheese grated fresh off the block.
- Parsley: The very best garnish!
- Fettuccine: If you plan on serving this creamy shrimp recipe as an entree, it should be with some tender fettuccine pasta.
PRO TIP: Ask the person working at the seafood counter if they have shrimp that’s already peeled and de-veined to save you some time!
Is this recipe spicy?
The chili paste definitely lends some heat to the dish. However, I wouldn’t say that this recipe is overly spicy – you won’t necessarily be breaking a sweat! Plus, you can always adjust the heat factor by halving the amount of chili paste or omitting it entirely. On the flip side, you can sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes to enhance the spice.
Look at the shape and the color of your shrimp. Once the shrimp have formed a C shape with the tails curled in and they’re opaque in color, they’re cooked and ready to eat. Be careful not to over-cook your shrimp or they’ll become rubbery and tough.
Yes! Just make sure that they’re fully thawed prior to cooking. I like to let my frozen shrimp slowly thaw in the fridge for a few hours before cooking them.
Nope! While I love the flavor that the wine provides here, you can swap it with an equal amount of chicken broth if needed.
How to Store and Reheat
Once cooled to room temperature, any left over shrimp in cream sauce that you may have will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or for even better results, in a pan over low heat until warmed through.
I do not recommend freezing this garlic shrimp with cream sauce recipe as the cream sauce won’t thaw well.
Serving Suggestions
If you plan on serving this shrimp over pasta as an entree, fettuccine is my favorite pasta of choice! It pairs fabulously with the cream sauce. You can also present this shrimp with some toothpicks as an easy party appetizer.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes We Love
- Shrimp Marinade
- Grilled Shrimp
- Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
- Grilled Shrimp Salad
- Shrimp and Grits
- Shrimp Summer Rolls
Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Chunky Garlic Paste
- 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Chili Paste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- Gourmet Garden Parsley for garnish
- Serve with Fettuccini for a full meal
Instructions
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat.
- Add the Chunky Garlic Paste and allow to saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the Red Pepper Paste and stir to combine. Immediately add the shrimp and stir to coat in the garlic/red pepper.
- Allow the shrimp to cook 2 minutes per side, or until almost cooked through.
- Add the lemon juice and white wine and cook on high for 30 seconds.
- Add the heavy cream, parmesan, and parsley and stir to combine. Allow to cook for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.
- Serve garnished with lemon wedges or serve over pasta for a full meal.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Nutrition Information
Hi, this looks fabulous! How would you recommend cooking this with frozen raw, peeled, deveined shrimp? Thank you!
We used peeled and deveined shrimp. If you’re using frozen shrimp, allow them to fully thaw prior to seasoning and cooking!
I’m fixing for 15-20 people along with another shrimp dish‼️All I have is garlic bits, I probably need to get the paste, correct, to give the recipe justice⁉️Also being from Louisiana I have Tobasco sauce, wiuld that be a good substitution, give it the kick⁉️😃✝️
Modify to your liking, some modifications elevate it even mroe!
Absolutely delicious…. excellent for guests and for those who love gourmet food!!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Diane!
I can’t find the red chili paste anywhere
So good! My husband loved it and so did I! And it was so easy
Definitely a keeper! ❤️
That’s great, Anne!
How much fresh garlic would you use as a substitute for the garlic paste? Also, how much pasta would be used (trying to figure out whether to double for a pound of pasta)? TIA
I would double if you’re using a pound of pasta…and the conversion is about 1 clove per 1 teaspoon paste.
This was delish. When I was finished with the shrimp and pasta, there was a small pool of sauce left. I lifted the plate to my mouth and slurped it up. I’ll be making this again soon.
That’s great! No judging here!
This was everything a gourmet dinner should be, and more! Loved all the flavors; I’ll be making this again tonight!
So creamy and delicious with just the right amount of kick!
Thanks, Krissy!
I can’t believe it only takes 10 minutes!