This classic, easy Shrimp Alfredo recipe is made with homemade Alfredo sauce, fettuccine and juicy Parmesan coated shrimp! This is such a comforting family dinner that’s ready in only 30 minutes.
Enjoy more of my favorite shrimp recipes like shrimp pesto pasta and garlic butter shrimp!
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Dishes like shrimp Alfredo and shrimp scampi are some of the most popular to order at a restaurant. Just about every restaurant has these staples on their menu. But you don’t have to wait to go out to the restaurant to get a bowl of comforting shrimp Alfredo anymore – now, you can make right it at home!
This is such an easy dish to whip up. No need to wonder if the sauce the restaurant uses is out of a bag or is it just a heavy cream sprinkled with Parmesan. It might be a gamble in a restaurant, but in a comfort of your own kitchen, you control every ingredient and make it delicious every time.
If you feel like adding a little more Parmesan cheese into the homemade Alfredo sauce, go for it! While you’re at it, add more shrimp, use whichever pasta you like, and coat it all in as much sauce is you can handle. That’s the beauty of cooking at home, you are the master chef of your own kitchen!
Ingredient Notes and Tips
Shrimp – For the best results, choose large, fresh shrimp. You can get shrimp still in shells to clean and de-vein them yourself, or get already cleaned shrimp from the seafood counter of your local grocery store.
Alfredo Sauce – Trust me, homemade Alfredo sauce is the BEST! Try to avoid using a jar if you can. Making your own is quick, easy, and the best way to elevate your whole dish.
Parmesan – Freshly grated Parmesan will create the very best flavor and consistency.
Heavy whipping cream – for the best rich and creamy Alfredo, it’s best to use heavy whipping cream and nothing with lower fat content.
Flour – use all purpose flour to thicken the sauce and if you need to make it gluten free, use gluten free all purpose flour.
Fettuccine – of course, your best choice for a Fettuccine Alfredo dish is to use fettuccine pasta! Use gluten free pasta if you need to keep this dish gluten free.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Shrimp Alfredo
Add the first few ingredients to a pot. In a medium, heavy bottom sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add pressed garlic. Cook garlic until it’s fragrant and sprinkle flour over it. Stir until flour is all mixed with butter and slowly pour in heavy whipping cream while constantly stirring (1).
Add more ingredients. Gently stir the mixture together and let it heat through. Don’t let it boil! Once heavy cream is hot, whisk in sour cream, Parmesan cheeses, salt, and pepper (2). Lower heat to medium-low and gently stir until grated cheese melts and incorporates.
Finish off the sauce. Keep cooking over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often (3). Once sauce is ready, mix it with cooked pasta. Reserve a little bit of sauce to drizzle over shrimp.
PRO TIP: Measure all of your sauce ingredients first and have them ready to go! This is a fast moving recipe.
Prepare the shrimp. Clean, de-vein, and take all the shells off shrimp if needed. Use a mixing bowl to season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add dry Parmesan cheese and toss until it’s evenly spread out (4).
Cook the shrimp. Preheat a large cooking pan over medium-high heat and add butter. Melt butter and add shrimp (5). Cook shrimp until pink and opaque on one side and flip them all over (6). Cook on the other side until just turns pink and opaque. Take shrimp out of the pan right away so it doesn’t keep cooking.
Serve. Portion sauce coated pasta into large bowls and top it off with sautéed shrimp. Drizzle a little sauce over shrimp.
Recipe FAQs
The best pasta to use with Alfredo sauce is a thicker, long pasta like fettuccine, linguine, tagliatelle and even spaghetti. Whichever pasta you choose, will taste great with the sauce and shrimp. Just make sure to salt the water that pasta is cooked in and don’t overcook it.
Broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, chopped asparagus, and diced zucchini all taste great with shrimp and Alfredo sauce. Cook the vegetables in the same pan as the shrimp but start cooking the vegetables first. Depending on how soft you want the vegetables, it will take a few minutes longer than shrimp.
Heavy whipping cream is the best option for a rich and creamy Alfredo sauce. If you’re in a bind, you can use half and half but it will be slightly thinner and not as rich. To make the sauce thicker when using half and half, add another 1/2 tbsp of flour and use a little more Parmesan cheese. Don’t use anything less rich than half and half!
Absolutely! You can easily make the Alfredo sauce ahead of time. Store Alfredo sauce in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
How to Store and Reheat Shrimp Alfredo
Store leftover pasta, sauce, and shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating Alfredo sauce is a little trickier since it’s cream based and not tomato based. Alfredo sauce should not be reheated in a microwave and should be reheated slowly or it will separate.
Use a sauce pot to reheat your leftovers. Reheat it over medium to medium-low heat. If the sauce seems a little thick, add a splash of whole milk and stir gently until mixed.
More Comforting Italian Recipes To Try
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Shrimp Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb fettuccine pasta*
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 lbs raw shrimp
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry Parmesan cheese
Alfredo Sauce:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour*
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup dry Parmesan cheese
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
Fettuccine:
- Start cooking pasta at the same time as starting the sauce.
- Bring a pot of water to boil and salt the water. Salt it generously so that pasta gets seasoned as it cooks.
- Add pasta and cook according to the package suggested time. Don’t overcook the pasta because it will continue to cook while coated in hot Alfredo sauce.
- Once pasta is done, strain it and add it back to the pot.
Alfredo Sauce:
- Measure your ingredients ahead of time because cooking the sauce goes fast.
- In a medium, heavy bottom sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add pressed garlic. Cook garlic until it’s fragrant and sprinkle flour over it. Stir until flour is all mixed with butter and slowly pour in heavy whipping cream while constantly stirring.
- Gently stir the mixture together and let it heat through. (Don’t let it boil!) Once heavy cream is hot, whisk in sour cream, Parmesan cheeses, salt, and pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and gently stir until grated cheese melts and incorporates.
- Keep cooking over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Once sauce is ready mix it with cooked pasta. (Reserve a little bit of sauce to drizzle over shrimp.)
Shrimp:
- Clean, de-vein, and take all the shells off shrimp if needed.
- Use a mixing bowl to season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add dry Parmesan cheese and toss until it’s evenly spread out.
- Preheat a large cooking pan over medium-high heat and add butter. Melt butter and add shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink and opaque on one side and flip them all over. Cook on the other side until just turns pink and opaque. Take shrimp out of the pan right away so it doesn’t keep cooking.
- Portion sauce coated pasta into large bowls and top it off with sautéed shrimp. Drizzle a little sauce over shrimp.
Video
Notes
- *Gluten Free Notes: This recipe is pretty easy to make gluten free. Use your favorite gluten free pasta as a base and use gluten free all purpose flour in the sauce.
- Storing: Store leftover pasta, sauce, and shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheating Alfredo sauce: it is a little trickier since it’s cream based and not tomato based. Alfredo sauce should not be reheated in a microwave and should be reheated slowly or it will separate.
Use a sauce pot to reheat your leftovers. Reheat it over medium-low heat. If the sauce seems a little thick, add a splash of whole milk and stir gently until mixed.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in July 2019.
Pam says
Sounds so yummy; want to try, but what is dry Parmesan? I know shredded, shaved, but dry?
Thanksl
Angela Reeves says
Very delicious recipe. I added garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning to shrimp. Very cheesy. Kids loved this recipe.
LyubaB says
Glad you liked it, Angela!
Barbara says
This was amazing!! I added extra garlic and some Old Bay. We also added Scallops! Amazing flavors. Definitely going to become a comfort meal.
LyubaB says
Yum, I am so glad you liked it!
Sue says
So so easy and super delicious. I added extra garlic cloves to kick up the sauce and it paid off. My husband gave it 5 stars and said it was the best he had ever had. Love it and its a keeper for sure. Thanks
LyubaB says
Wow! What a nice compliment! I am so glad you guys liked it, Sue!
Amanda says
When you say “dry Parmesan” do you mean the powdery stuff from the can? Sorry if this is a silly question, I’ve just never heard of it being referred to in that way, and want to make sure I’m using the right thing! Thanks!
LyubaB says
Hi Amanda,
Yes, the one in the plastic container that is usually with the deli section of cheeses but sometimes you find it down the pasta aisle.
Janet says
Oh my goodness is this yummy
Thanks for sharing your recipe💚🌻
LyubaB says
You are welcome, Janet! I am glad you liked it!
Pat Hamilton says
I made this tonight… my husband said one of the best dishes I have ever made!!! This is a keeper… so glad you said to measure everything first.. it came together fast.., I make mine with angel hair pasta as that is his favorite. We loved it!!!
LyubaB says
Wow! What a complement for us both! I am so glad he liked it! 🙂
Danielle says
Very good and easy to make
Patted myself on the shoulder
LyubaB says
LOL! So glad you liked it!
Kate says
Looking forward to trying this. The picture shows green stuff on the shrimp – is that parsley? It’s not listed in the actual recipe. Thanks!
LyubaB says
Hi Katie, yes it is, I used it as a garnish.
Leslie says
I just made this and it was CRAZY delicious! I modified it by adding tomato sauce/additional spices to make a parma roma type of sauce (and added crisped prosciutto) which took it to the next level! So thankful for this recipe to build off of, though! Thank you thank you thank you!!
LyubaB says
Yum! I am happy you were able to make it your own, Leslie!
Chelsea says
Can you sub plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Amy says
Made this last night, added broccoli. Sauce was absolutely on point! Decadent. I will be making this over and over again. Thank you!!!
LyubaB says
Hi Amy,
I am so happy to hear that and I am glad you liked it so much!