This easy Creamy Shrimp Pasta recipe is rich without being heavy, and extra-garlicky in the most divine kind of way. With nutty Parmesan and the slightest bit of heat, it’s a restaurant-worthy meal that’s easy enough for a weeknight and ideal for a date-night-in!
I love serving this creamy shrimp pasta alongside a fennel apple salad with pineapple and ginger dressing for a bright, flavorful weeknight meal.
I can’t resist a lightly creamy, extra-garlicky pasta dish with plump, juicy shrimp – and this Creamy Shrimp Pasta recipe has been a favorite around here for more than a decade. It’s really easy to make, which definitely adds to its appeal. If you like creamy shrimp dishes, also try my Shrimp Curry, where the creaminess comes from coconut milk!
Why This Creamy Shrimp Pasta Is Perfect for a Date Night
This recipe will forever be associated with Valentine’s Day in our house, as Blake and I made this together to celebrate the holiday many years ago. It’s a great dish to make with your honey by your side – turn on some music, pour some wine (see my recommendation in the Serving Suggestions below), and make an evening out of it!
- Perfectly silky cream sauce. This sauce is fun to make, with just butter, cream, white wine, and Parmesan. I keep reserved pasta water on hand for thinning it out if needed, as I’m not a fan of an overly heavy cream sauce. It turns out perfectly smooth and silky!
- Layers of flavor. Some creamy pastas can be one-note, and rather blah in flavor. But I use 8 cloves of earthy-pungent garlic (so maybe this isn’t the best recipe for a first date?!), white wine for depth, and delicious seasoning on the shrimp.
- Quick cooking. Shrimp cooks up fast, as does the pasta and the sauce, so even though this pasta dish feels like an elaborate meal, it’s ready with a small amount of time and effort.
Enjoy!
What You’ll Need
This creamy shrimp pasta comes together with a simple ingredients list. Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Salt – Morton kosher salt seasons the pasta water and enhances the overall flavor.
- Fettuccine – After cooking the pasta, reserve a cup of the starchy water before draining. You’ll use the water to build the sauce.
- Shrimp – Raw, peeled, and deveined.
- Olive oil – Used for cooking the shrimp and the sauce.
- Shrimp seasonings – Paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, plus a little cayenne pepper for a touch of heat.
- Butter – Unsalted butter adds a nice richness to the sauce.
- Onion and garlic – Aromatics that form the irresistible backbone of flavor for the cream sauce.
- White wine – Use a dry white wine, like Chardonnay.
- Heavy cream – The fat in heavy cream is what helps the sauce get a nice body, without making a roux or using cream cheese.
- Parmesan – Use freshly shredded Parmesan, which melts smoothly without becoming gritty.
- Black pepper – A generous amount adds warmth.
- Parsley – Not just for looks! I love the way the freshness of parsley balances the richness of a cream sauce.
How to Make Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Here’s a visual guide showing you the process of making this pasta dinner.
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in water with a tablespoon of salt until it’s al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Season the shrimp. Toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of oil and the seasonings until evenly coated.
- Cook the shrimp. Warm the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Once it’s simmering, add the shrimp and cook both sides until the shrimp is pink and opaque. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook the aromatics. Reduce the heat to medium/medium-low and let the skillet cool a bit. Add oil and the butter. Once the butter melts, cook the onion until softened, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the wine. Pour in the wine and simmer until it reduces to about 2 tablespoons.
- Finish the sauce. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Do not let the mixture boil! Simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in the Parmesan and let the sauce come to a gentle simmer again. Remove from heat and season to taste.
- Add pasta and shrimp. Add the pasta and shrimp to the skillet and toss gently to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve. Divide the pasta and shrimp into bowls and serve with freshly cracked black pepper, parsley, and additional Parmesan.
Brenda’s Tips & Substitutions
I have a few more pointers before you get started with this creamy shrimp pasta recipe.
- Salt the pasta water well. As the Italians say, “it should be salty as the sea.” This way, the dried pasta absorbs salt from the boiling water and results in much more flavor. It really does make a positive difference.
- Thaw frozen shrimp. If you don’t have access to fresh raw shrimp, frozen are just fine. If starting from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator or if you’re short on time swish them in a bowl of cool water until they’re no longer frozen.
- Don’t let the sauce come to a boil. This is very important when making a sauce with heavy cream. Stoves can vary in intensity, so if needed, turn the heat down to maintain that gentle simmer.
- Swap shrimp for chicken. If everything about this recipe sounds good, except for the shrimp, use chicken instead. Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2″ pieces or thin slices. Season it the same, and cook in the oil the same. You will just need to cook it a bit longer than shrimp.
- Omit the wine. You won’t taste the wine once it’s cooked and reduced; it just adds the loveliest flavor. But if you simply don’t want to use wine, use low-sodium chicken broth instead.
Serving Suggestions
- Salad: Pair this creamy pasta with a crisp, fresh salad. My Lemon Vinaigrette or Red Wine Vinaigrette dressing would both be very nice.
- Veggies: Simple Roasted Asparagus is a great side, or go for Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus for an extra-special meal.
- Wine: I promised to share a great wine pairing (nice for Valentine’s Day!), and my go-to is a chilled bottle of crisp Cline Viognier. It’s excellent with this creamy shrimp pasta that has a touch of heat.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To store: Refrigerate any leftover creamy shrimp pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze this dish, but I will be completely honest and say that I don’t always enjoy shrimp so much after it’s cooked and then frozen.
- To reheat: I like to reheat this dish in a skillet over medium-low heat, for even warming without over-cooking the shrimp. Add a splash of milk or water to loosen up the sauce if needed.
More Pasta Dinner Ideas
Creamy Shrimp Pasta
Yield: 4 servings
Rich without being heavy, garlicky with just a bit of heat, this dish is a restaurant-worthy meal that's easy enough for a weeknight and ideal for a date-night-in!
Print
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt
- 12 ounces fettuccine pasta
- 1 pound large (21-25 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 8 large garlic cloves, minced (about ¼ cup)
- ⅓ cup dry white wine, such as a dry Chardonnay
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 2 ounces (about ¾ cup) freshly shredded Parmesan, plus a bit more to finish See Notes below.
- 1 cup reserved pasta water (use as much as is needed)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tablespoon of salt and then the pasta. Cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Then drain the pasta without rinsing.
- While pasta is cooking, prepare shrimp and sauce. Place shrimp in a low wide bowl and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the shrimp; fold gently to coat evenly. Sprinkle shrimp evenly with paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Set a large, non-stick skillet over medium/medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until just cooked through and no longer translucent. Remove skillet from heat and transfer shrimp to a plate. Let skillet cool a bit until it's at a medium-low warmth (so the butter doesn't burn in the next step).
- Set the same skillet over medium/medium-low heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. Once butter has melted, stir in onion. Sauté until onion is just softened, stirring occasionally and taking care to not let the butter and onion darken, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté 1 more minute. Add wine and let mixture simmer until liquid has reduced to just 2 tablespoons.
- Stir in cream and bring mixture to a simmer. Let simmer 2 minutes, reducing heat if needed so it does not boil. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top and stir just until creamy and smooth. Let cream sauce come to a very gentle simmer, then remove skillet from heat. Taste test and season with more salt & pepper if desired.
- Add cooked pasta and shrimp to the cream sauce and use a tongs to gently fold everything together. The noodles should be well coated with sauce, yet lightly silky-creamy (not thick and gloppy). If needed, sprinkle some of the reserved pasta water over the top and fold again to combine, using as much of the water as is needed to reach a lightly silky-creamy consistency.
- Add creamy pasta & shrimp to individual pasta bowls. Sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper and minced fresh parsley over the top, plus a bit more shredded Parmesan.
Notes
For the Parmesan, I recommend shredding a block of Parm yourself. This will give the sauce the best creamy texture, as pre-shredded cheeses are often mixed with an anti-caking agent.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 929kcal Carbohydrates: 73g Protein: 41g Fat: 52g Saturated Fat: 26g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 18g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 303mg Sodium: 2452mg Potassium: 695mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 6g Vitamin A: 1869IU Vitamin C: 7mg Calcium: 300mg Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
This post was originally published in 2011, then updated in 2025.
I’ve made this dish several times and it’s amazing, there is a little prep work involved but well worth it! I thought I had lost this pinned recipe and looked for an hour on Pinterest and this recipe never came up…. Luckily I found it in another one of my saved boards.
One of the best shrimp and pasta dishes I’ve made! I didn’t bother with buying or making Emeril Essence, I just used Cajun seasoning. I also substituted sharp cheddar cheese because I already had it and it still worked great. This was a good way to use up a good amount of jalapeños from my huge summer garden yield.
My honey is allergic to shellfish. Could I substitute chicken in this? It looks delish.
Absolutely!