This Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp is a classic recipe with cream, Parmesan, and butter. We love this with a little garlic and of course, perfectly cooked and seasoned shrimp! It is an easy weeknight meal, ready in about 30 minutes, and the best comfort food!
What we love about this Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
The Alfredo sauce is divine. This homemade sauce comes together in minutes with butter, minced garlic, cream, and Parmesan. In only a few minutes and with a few ingredients you have made something so delicious you want to just eat it with a spoon. The sauce thickens quickly once all the Parmesan is added and it perfectly coats the fettuccine and shrimp.
We love shrimp at our house. My kids always love a shrimp dish. The shrimp cook incredibly quickly, in about 3 minutes, and are simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika, and cooked in butter and garlic. It’s so hard not to just eat the shrimp by itself before adding it to the pasta! It’s so good! We love how it tastes with the pasta and Alfredo sauce.
This is a meal that looks fancy and yet is a perfect weeknight meal. Cooking the pasta takes the longest, and you cook your shrimp and start the Alfredo sauce while the pasta is cooking. It’s easily prepared in about 30 minutes. It’s definitely a must-try, we hope you enjoy it!
If you are looking for other easy weeknight meals, try our Italian Sausage and Broccoli Pasta, Dijon Brown Sugar Salmon, or our Chili Frito Pie!
What you need to make this Recipe for Shrimp Alfredo
You will need the following ingredients:
- Fettuccine pasta
- Butter
- Olive oil
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp (21-25 per pound)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic
- Heavy whipping cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsely (optional)
- Lemon wedges (optional)
Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You can use smaller-sized shrimp if desired.
- You could substitute chicken or add chicken to the shrimp.
- You could add vegetables like broccoli or mushrooms to the dish.
- You could substitute half and half for the cream, although you may need to add flour to the butter and create a roux to thicken the sauce.
- Linguini or a shorter penne pasta could substitute for the fettuccine.
- You could omit the garlic if you prefer not to have it season the shrimp and sauce.
- You can use gluten-free fettuccine noodles if needed, I like the Barilla brand.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When draining the water, reserve a cup for later use if needed. Return the pasta to the pot and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter to coat the pasta and prevent it from sticking.
Step 2. In a bowl, gently mix together the shrimp, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Step 3. In the same pan used for cooking the shrimp, add the remaining butter and once melted, add the remaining garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in the cream, and once it comes to a gentle simmer, add the Parmesan 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until fully melted. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4. Add the fettuccine and shrimp to the Alfredo, mixing until all the noodles and shrimp are coated. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with sliced lemon wedges (optional).
Tips
- Frozen shrimp is easy to use in this recipe. I prefer using frozen shrimp, the shrimp is frozen at its peak quality. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before and if the shrimp is still slightly frozen at dinner time, cut two small holes in the bottom of the shrimp bag and rinse the shrimp with cold water so the water escapes out the bottom of the bag. Continue to rinse for a few minutes until the shrimp is no longer frozen. If there’s no time to thaw, frozen shrimp can be placed in a large bowl in the sink. Run cold water over the bowl continuously, so the water fills the bowl and spills out for about 5 minutes to defrost. The bowl should be about twice the size of the amount of shrimp to defrost. Alternatively, put the frozen shrimp in a sealed bag in a bowl of cold water for 15-20 minutes, weighing down the shrimp with a plate so it doesn’t float above the surface of the water.
- Using freshly grated Parmesan cheese makes a huge difference in the flavor of this dish. I love my microplane zester/grater that makes grating Parmesan cheese a breeze. I use it all of the time for citrus zest and grating fresh Parmesan. It’s super sharp so the cheese grates quickly and easily.
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Frequently Asked Questions
| How to store Shrimp Alfredo? |
| Leftovers can be left in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days with the best quality in the first 24 hours. Shrimp should be stored in the coldest part of your fridge, which is generally the bottom part of the fridge. Cooked shrimp that has been previously frozen does not refreeze well. |
| How to reheat Shrimp Alfredo? |
| Reheat gently on low heat in a skillet or microwave to avoid overcooking shrimp. Also, heating the sauce at a higher heat can cause the sauce to separate. Adding additional cream or leftover pasta water when reheating can help to loosen the sauce so it isn’t so thick. |
| What to serve with Shrimp Alfredo? |
| We like this with broccoli, garlic bread, and a side of fruit. Roasted vegetables or a salad are great accompaniments to the rich pasta sauce and shrimp. |
Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp
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servings10
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minutesThis Creamy Fettucine Alfredo with Shrimp is a classic recipe with cream, Parmesan, and butter. We love this with a little garlic and of course, perfectly cooked and seasoned shrimp! It is an easy weeknight meal, ready in about 30 minutes, and the best comfort food!
Ingredients
12 ounces fettuccine pasta
8 tablespoons (½ cup) butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound jumbo shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined with tails removed, and fully defrosted if using frozen
1 ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
¾ teaspoon pepper, divided
⅛ teaspoon paprika
3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Parsely (optional)
Fresh lemons wedges to serve with, if desired (optional)
Directions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water when draining and pour into a small bowl. Return pasta to pot and add 2 tablespoons butter. Let it melt for a few minutes and stir to coat the noodles.
- While the pasta is cooking, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and place the shrimp in a medium-sized bowl. Using a rubber spatula, add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and paprika to the shrimp and gently stir to season shrimp.
- Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp all at once and cook on one side for 1 minute and 30 seconds without moving. Using tongs or a spatula, turn the shrimp over and cook for an additional 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add 1 clove of minced garlic, stir shrimp, and cook, continuing to stir for an additional 30-60 seconds. Remove the shrimp to a large plate or medium-sized bowl. Do not overcook the shrimp, setting a timer helps.
- In the same skillet, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.
- Gradually stir in the 2 cups of cream into the butter and let it come to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to medium-low and gradually add in the grated Parmesan, about ½ cup at a time until melted. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Alfredo sauce should be thickened after all the Parmesan cheese is added, but you can continue to cook, stirring for a few additional minutes to thicken more if desired.
- Add in the cooked pasta and shrimp. Taste and add season with additional salt and pepper if desired. If the sauce seems too thick, you can thin it with a little reserved pasta water. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve immediately. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze a little lemon juice over the top when plated if desired.
Notes
- I recommend setting a timer when cooking the shrimp to ensure that it doesn’t overcook. It will continue to slightly cook after removing from the pan and again when added to the pasta. Overcooking the shrimp results in a rubbery, chewy texture. You can tell it’s cooked when it starts to curl a little and turns from gray to slightly pink or orange, depending on the type of shrimp.
- I buy the shrimp already peeled and deveined to cut down on preparation time. You can also sometimes find shrimp with the tails removed, though I often remove them. I do suggest removing the tails to make the shrimp easier to eat in this dish.
- It might seem at first like there is too much sauce, but as soon as you add the noodles and shrimp, the sauce clings to the noodles and quickly thickens. Once the Alfredo sauce sits off of the heat, it quickly thickens as well and if it is too thick, you can stir in a little of the reserved pasta water to refresh the sauce if needed.
Very delicious! We used chicken and it worked wonderfully. Very flavorful! Definitely a make-again meal!
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the Fettuccine Alfredo! I love that you substituted chicken for the shrimp, I’m all about using what you have on hand and that is a great accompaniment to the Alfredo sauce. Thank you for the great review!
Sinfully good. Did not have garlic on hand so used garlic powder and was afraid it might decrease the flavor. Turned out excellently. Thank you
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the Fettuccine Alfredo! I am glad the garlic powder worked well as a substitute. This really is a classic dish that is perfect for special occasions or a weeknight meal. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and for the great review!