Shrimp Alfredo

Shrimp Alfredo is an Italian restaurant favorite and for a good reason. Fettuccine pasta coated with creamy, cheesy, rich alfredo sauce topped with juicy, flavorful shrimp on top. I will to teach you how to make it at home and it will be a lot easier than you think and SO much tastier.

It doesn’t just taste much better homemade, you also have control over every ingredient. If you want, it’s easy to add a little more parmesan cheese, more or less garlic and seasoning, or even make allergy adjustments.

I know quite a bit about adjusting classic and favorite dishes to allergies so I will show some ways to make this dish lactose free (dairy free), and gluten free. And plenty or tips to make it the best, of course!

How to Make Shrimp Alfredo (Important Tips)

1. In fast recipes, always measure all of your ingredients first and have them ready to go! This is a fast moving recipe.
2. Try to use a heavy bottom sauce pot and cook over medium and then medium-low heat. Never hotter than medium!
3. Melt butter and sauté garlic until fragrant. Stir in flour until it’s mixed with butter and slowly pour in heavy whipping cream while constantly stirring. (This will help with not having lumps in sauce.)
4. Remember, don’t let it alfredo sauce 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.
5. Keep cooking over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, and take off heat!

5. Peel and de-vein shrimp, if you need to. Toss shrimp with seasoning and parmesan cheese.
6. Make sure to preheat the pan first over medium-high! Melt butter in a large cooking pan. As soon as butter is melted, add shrimp.
7. 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. (Depending on size, shrimp only take 2-3 minutes to cook.) 
8. Toss cooked fettuccine with sauce and add shrimp on top. Add some grated parmesan on top but you can never go wrong with more cheese!

Recipe Variation and Add-ins

• Pasta: The best pasta to use with Alfredo sauce is a thicker, long pasta like fettuccine, linguine, tagliatelle and even spaghetti. Just make sure to salt the water that pasta is cooked in and don’t overcook it.
• Vegetables: 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 cook the vegetables first.
• Gluten Free: to make this recipe gluten free, use 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour in the sauce and gluten free pasta.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: 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!
• Lactose Free: If you need to keep this recipe lactose free, use lactose free half and half. Parmesan cheese is aged and aged cheeses are usually naturally lactose free. (As always double check the packaging for sugar content or lactose statement.) Add a little bit more flour in you plan to use LF half and half.
• Dairy Free: you can use unsweetened cashew creamer and almond milk. You can also try unsweetened oat creamer. (There are also plant based heavy whipping cream option you can get at stores but that is meant for whipping for desserts and I personally don’t like it in sauces.)

Recipe FAQs

Storing, Reheating and Make Ahead

• Make ahead: 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.
• Storing: Store leftover pasta, sauce, and shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
• Reheating: Alfredo sauce is a little trickier since it’s cream based and best not be reheated in a microwave. If you have to use a microwave, reheat in 30-second increments, mixing in between.
• It’s best to 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.

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Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in July 2019.