Free: Healthy 5-Ingredient Meals Ebook
Get It Now
In This Post
- Why You’ll Love My Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
- How To Make Garlic Butter Shrimp
- My Recipe Tips
- Storage Instructions
- Serving Suggestions
- More Easy Shrimp Recipes
- My Favorite Skillet For This Recipe
- Garlic Butter Shrimp (10 Minutes)Recipe card
- Recipe Reviews
I’m convinced garlic butter is the shortcut to making any dinner better (see my garlic butter chicken or buttery baked tilapia for proof!). My garlic butter shrimp recipe is just one more reason to love it. Not only does it create instant flavor for those juicy little shrimp, but this dish also cooks so fast. It’s like my sauteed shrimp, but with extra richness.
Why You’ll Love My Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
- Juicy, tender shrimp – I’d never settle for a tough, rubbery texture, so I use my standard cook time for the perfectly juicy shrimp. Plus, the aromatics and butter lock in the flavor while keeping your shrimp tender.
- Rich lemon garlic butter sauce – This sauce tastes so luxurious, but comes together fast and easy. You might find yourself putting it on other proteins, too. 😉 (I use a similar method for my pan seared scallops.)
- Just 7 simple ingredients – You might think that restaurant-worthy shrimp need a lot of ingredients, but the opposite is true. Most of these are staples in my kitchen!
- Ready in 10 minutes – Yes, you read that right! There’s a reason I keep this garlic butter shrimp on rotation for nights when I want a seafood dinner in a flash. And so should you.
- Versatile – I usually serve it as a main dish for weeknights, but you can also offer this to guests as an appetizer!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for my garlic butter shrimp recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Shrimp – My cook times below assume you have large shrimp, which is typically labeled 31/40 at the store. You can make this recipe using other sizes, but the cook time will vary very slightly, just by a minute or two. Make sure your shrimp are raw, not pre-cooked; otherwise they’ll end up over-cooked. Peel and devein them (or buy already peeled and deveined ones like I do), but leave the tails on.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter, so you can control the salt in this dish. Ghee or butter alternatives work okay if you’re sensitive to lactose.
- Lemon Juice – I almost always make my garlic butter shrimp with fresh lemon juice, as it’s such a big component, but you can also use bottled for convenience.
- Garlic – Use fresh for best flavor or 2 teaspoons of jarred for convenience. In a pinch, you could substitute the fresh minced garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, but the intensity isn’t really the same.
- Fresh Parsley – I usually use curly parsley, but you can use curly or flat leaf parsley. Other light herbs, such as dill or chives, would also work well.
- Spices – Red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Feel free to add other spices if you like, such as paprika or even Italian seasoning.
- Olive Oil – Because butter is not great for high-heat cooking, I prefer not to saute the shrimp in garlic butter the entire time, but instead saute in olive oil first and add the butter only toward the end. Avocado oil is also great for sauteing.
How To Make Garlic Butter Shrimp
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Make the garlic butter. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
- Season the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and season with the salt and pepper. (You can add other spices here if you like!)
- Sauté the shrimp on one side. Heat the oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for a couple of minutes. It should start to turn a little pink, but won’t be completely opaque.
- Flip and add garlic butter. Cook the shrimp on the other side, basting with the butter as it melts, until opaque.
- Enjoy! Season the garlic butter shrimp with more salt and pepper if it needs it. I like to serve mine with the garlic butter sauce from the pan, lemon wedges, and chopped parsley.
My Recipe Tips
- Get shrimp with tails on if you can. Cooking them with the tails gives them more flavor! You can always remove them for serving, if you plan to toss the shrimp with pasta or just want to eat them with a fork.
- Don’t worry if the lemon juice does not fully incorporate into the butter. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t, but I’ve never noticed any difference in the final dish. The butter will melt later on, anyway.
- Make variations by using different compound butter combos. The first step in my garlic butter shrimp recipe is similar to how I make compound butter, except with fresh lemon juice added. You could totally use other compound butter flavors by changing up the herbs or adding spices. But don’t leave out the lemon!
- Don’t move the shrimp around while cooking. I think this dish tastes best when the shrimp gets a little browning, and moving it around prevents this.
- Add the garlic butter in small pieces. I like to dot them evenly over the shrimp, because the flavor distributes more evenly compared to just letting it melt from one piece.
- Be careful not to overcook. Shrimp cooks very fast, and becomes rubbery fast, too. Just a couple of minutes per side is all you need. By the time I arrange all the shrimp in the pan, it’s usually already time to flip the first ones!
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep garlic butter shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. I like to use leftovers to make creamy shrimp salad or my lighter shrimp avocado salad, so that I don’t have to reheat.
- Reheat: Shrimp overcooks easily when reheating, but if you need to, do it in a hot skillet for just a couple of minutes, with some additional garlic butter if possible. I don’t recommend using the microwave, as it becomes rubbery.
- Freeze: Let the shrimp cool to room temperature first. I always arrange it in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze for at least 20 minutes first, to prevent sticking together. Then you can transfer to a zip lock bag and place back into the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many sides you can pair with my butter garlic shrimp! Here are some easy options for you:
- Veggies – Since this recipe takes just 10 minutes, I choose quick veggie sides like sauteed kale or sauteed broccoli most often. If you’re in the mood for roasted asparagus or roasted zucchini, or want to get fancy with my smashed brussels sprouts, start your side before the shrimp so it’s all done at the same time.
- Noodles – My favorite way to serve this juicy garlic butter shrimp is over some zucchini noodles or baked spaghetti squash (though I’ve done microwave spaghetti squash when I’m in a hurry). You could serve it over your favorite pasta, too. And let me just say, if you’re serving the shrimp over noodles, you won’t ever regret doubling the amount of garlic butter to have some extra sauce. 😉
- Rice – A simple side of white or brown rice makes a classic choice. If you prefer a lighter side like me, try cauliflower rice.
- Salad – Although you could add this shrimp over a salad for a quick and easy lunch, I like to serve a side salad, such as my asparagus salad or my daughter’s favorite kale salad.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
If you like this garlic butter shrimp recipe, you might like some of these other ways I make it:
Surf And Turf
Air Fryer Shrimp
Coconut Shrimp
Shrimp Wrapped In Bacon
Grilled Shrimp
Mexican Shrimp co*cktail
My Favorite Skillet For This Recipe
I use this cast iron skillet, because it heats up so well and creates that perfect sear! Any medium to large skillet will work, but you may want to use medium-high heat if your pan doesn’t conduct heat as well as my cast iron does.
RECIPE SAVED! The recipe was sent to your email. I also sent you your free login info. You can use that to access your saved recipes at My Favorites.
Recipe Card
Garlic Butter Shrimp (10 Minutes)
This easy garlic butter shrimp recipe combines juicy shrimp with a simple lemon garlic butter sauce. Make it for dinner in just 10 minutes!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com
Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)
Un-save RecipeSave Recipe Remove Ads
Recipe Video
Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes!
ReviewPrint
US Customary – Metric
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
In a small bowl, mash together the butter, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes. (The lemon juice may not fully incorporate, which is fine.) Set aside.
Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a medium cast iron skillet over medium heat, until shimmering. Keep the garlic herb butter nearby.
Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook, without moving, for 1-2 minutes, until browned on the bottom.
Flip the shrimp and immediately add the garlic herb butter to the pan around the shrimp in pieces. Sear the shrimp for 1-2 more minutes, basting them with the butter occasionally, until the butter melts and the shrimp is opaque.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers, or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Save Recipe
Related Easy Recipes
Sauteed Asparagus
Baked Tilapia Recipe
Halibut Recipe
Lemon Butter Sauce
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 lb shrimp, or 1/4 entire recipe
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.
Calories219
Fat16.2g
Protein15.8g
Total Carbs2.5g
Net Carbs2.3g
Fiber0.2g
Sugar0.3g
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Course:Main Course
Cuisine:American
Keywords:garlic butter shrimp, garlic butter shrimp recipe, lemon garlic butter shrimp, lemon garlic shrimp
Calories: 219 kcal
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
Garlic Butter Shrimp
