This creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta recipe makes for the BEST pasta dinner ready in under 30 minutes! Plump and juicy Cajun shrimp in a creamy Cajun sauce mixed with pasta.
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If you love easy pasta dinners in a creamy sauce like our Feta Pasta, creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta, or Chicken Alfredo Pasta, this Cajun Shrimp Pasta is a must-try.
Cajun Shrimp Pasta Recipe
This simple pasta dish is such a great recipe to make, not only for busy weeknights but even a fancy dinner. Cajun Shrimp Pasta is a flavor-packed spin on our Creamy Shrimp Pasta and our Cajun Chicken Pasta. You’ll love the buttery and tender shrimp tossed in a spicy Cajun seasoning and coated in creamy tomato alfredo pasta sauce with penne noodles.
Pro Tip:
Cajun seasoning food is typically spicy, as it includes cayenne pepper in its ingredients. You can add more or less cajun seasoning to adjust the level of spice in this dish. Different brands can be more or less spicy as well (see FAQ section). If you want it even spicier, you can add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
How to Make Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Pasta– Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Keep some of the pasta water for the sauce then drain the pasta in a colander.
- Shrimp– Peel and devein the shrimp. Toss the shrimp into the cajun seasoning and saute in oil over medium heat until opaque, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and cover to keep warm.
- Sauce– Saute garlic with butter until fragrant, add the tomatoes. Add heavy cream, cajun seasoning, and parmesan and bring to a simmer.
- Combine – Add the shrimp back in along with the pasta and stir to coat in sauce. Add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce if desired.
- Serve– Top with freshly grated parmesan and fresh parsley to serve.
Serve Cajun Shrimp Pasta With
This hearty pasta dish is perfect to serve on its own, but we love to pair it with a fresh Caesar Salad or any of these easy sides:
- Easy Garlic Bread
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Panzanella Salad
- Coleslaw
- Grilled Zucchini
- Corn on the Cob
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best results, you will want to use large fresh shrimp that are peeled and deveined. We love 21-25 count. You may also use frozen shrimp and thaw according to package instructions before using.
We don’t recommend using already-cooked shrimp. If you cook shrimp a second time, it will become tough and rubbery. Also, cooking raw shrimp in the pan infuses the sauce with more flavor than using pre-cooked shrimp.
You can substitute the penne for any other pasta such as rigatoni, ziti, mostaccioli, or elbow pasta.
You can use any of your favorite store-bought Cajun seasoning, but they do vary in spiciness, from spicy cajun to a more mild cajun.
You can definitely add your favorite vegetable to the shrimp pasta. Onion, bell peppers, asparagus or green beans would all work great. Sauteed mushrooms are also a delicious add-in.
If your sauce is runny, then you did not simmer the sauce long enough. Also, make sure to use HEAVY whipping cream which has a higher fat content than regular whipping cream and don’t skip the parmesan cheese which helps thicken the sauce.
I hope this creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta becomes a new family favorite for you. It comes together fast and is perfect for busy weeknights.
More Cajun Recipes
- Grilled Cajun Shrimp Skewers
- Easy Shrimp Boil
- Baked Cajun Shrimp
- Shrimp Fajitas
- Shrimp Cobb Salad
- Chicken and Mushroom Cajun Pasta
- Cajun Beef Fajitas
Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp cajun seasoning, divided *or added to taste depending on brand used.
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- 2 Tbsp parsley to garnish, (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the penne pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Keep some of the pasta water for the sauce then drain the pasta and cover to keep warm.
- Coat the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the cajun seasoning. In a deep skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the seasoned shrimp in a single layer and saute for about 1-2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp is no longer translucent, remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter with the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add in the diced tomatoes and saute for about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream, remaining 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning and grated parmesan cheese. Bring to a simmer then reduce to medium/low heat and continue 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Add the shrimp and pasta back into the skillet and stir until the noodles are coated in sauce and everything is heated through. If needed, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce. To serve, garnish with more parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Pasta – Substitute the penne for any other pasta such as rigatoni, ziti, mostaccioli, or elbow pasta
- Vegetables – You can add your favorite vegetable to the shrimp pasta such as onion, bell peppers, asparagus, green beans, or even sauteed mushrooms.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
My grandson and I doubled the recipe tonight and followed the direction exactly. It was amazing !! Will keep this one in our back pocket and cook again soon.
That’s great, Tammmie! Thank you for the feedback.
Absolutely delicious!!!! My entire family loved it! I doubled the recipe and used slightly less cajun seasoning as my daughter likes less spicy. Those of us that like more spice, simply added additional cajun seasoning to our bowl. We will definitely be making this again!!! Also, if you have not tried her meatloaf recipe….DO IT! Love your recipes, thank you so much!
Hi Chrissi! Thank you for the wonderful feedback. I’m so glad your family loved the recipe.
Hi Chrissi, not all of my family likes spicy as well and because of that I make my own cajun seasoning spice mix (lots recipes on internet) but without cayenne pepper and this way everyone gets full cajun seasoning taste and who prefers spicy can add spice to their plate. In my case nobody does because it tastes super yummy without it too. Thought I would share in case it will be helpful for somebody. Natasha’s recipes rock!
I have made this recipe about 7 times. It is my go-to for any gathering because people cannot get enough! It’s literally the best dish at every potluck. Thank you!
Aaaw, that’s awesome feedback. Thank you so much for sharing!
This recipe has been in our home now for three years. I make it at our beach house in the OBX. My 12-year-old grandson ask me to make it tonight, and he said and I’ll eat all the leftovers.
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Ruby! Thank you for the feedback.
I decreased the Cajun seasoning, to taste. Delicious!!!! I am so glad I doubled the recipe.
Hi Susan! I’m glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
Way too salty use 1 tablespoon of seasoning not two. The recipe is good and so easy to make. Next time I will use less seasoning. I had to add more pasta to offset the saltiness
Hi Joanne, You may be using a cajun seasoning with a higher amount of salt in it. If you are using a cajun seasoning that has a high salt content, start with half of the seasoning and add more to taste.
Made this recipe (doubled) and absolutely LOVE it! I used tri-color penne because that was all that I could get and was so pleasantly surprised! The only change I would make is add the tomatoes in with the shrimp and pasta as mine seemed a bit overcooked.
Hi Vicki! So glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
I made this tonight. I didn’t have any heavy cream so I used half and half. It was SO good!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this recipe!
I added onions and red bell pepper with the garlic, mixed full-fat yogurt with my coffee cream (18%), a 1/4 cup of veg stock. Followed with a few chili flakes – outstanding! So rich and flavourful. Will revisit this many times, thanks again 🙂
That’s great, Corey! Thank you for trying my recipe and I hope you find many more recipes you’ll enjoy here.
One of my favorite recipes on here. I recommend cooking the pasta al dente and then putting cold water on it while straining the water. This keeps the pasta from continuing to cook after it’s taken out of the water. The pasta will heat back up plenty with the sauce. Definitely use unsalted butter too, or it might be too salty.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Keegan!
We had this Monday night. I had to go half on the cajun because I can’t do much heat but it was still really good and my hubby loved it!
Wonderful! So glad you still loved it!
I HAD to leave a review. My son doesn’t like seafood. I am not versed in cajun but my son loves it. So to get him to try shrimp this looked easy enough for me to try 5o make something cajun.. It’s unbelievable good! I am shocked it tastes like I put so much effort in it and didn’t!! So good! I followed to the letter. Used Walmart Brand cajun seasons. I am shocked!! Deserves 5 stars!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jodi! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha I want to make saffron rice with prawns. Can you give me a nice recipe ? It’s for for a special occasion please . Thank you so much Margaret 🙏🙏🙏
Hi Margaret! I’m sorry, I don’t have a recipe for this.
I have made this a few times so good. I used canned fire roasted tomatoes with the juice strained instead but of fresh was a nice touch.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sara!
I made this recipe 6 times for family/ friend gatherings and the crowd can’t get enough! Everyone asks me for the recipe, even my 3 year old loves it! This meal is so delicious, quick, and easy.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Carina!
I finally got around to trying this recipe and it was absolutely delicious. I love Indian food because of the spices and so this one with cajun was a real treat and a great introduction to some new flavors. I used a store bought Cajun seasoning that turned out very well. I added 2 more cloves of garlic as well, – (my preference). I served this after a starter and had I had more people to serve, it might have been quite short on quantity. I cooked everything as per instruction but when I went to add the pasta it looked like I would have too much pasta in relation to the quantity of shrimp, so I left out a full bowl full of pasta, which left me, what I felt, was a good mix of shrimp and pasta. I served only 2 people with this recipe + 1 small bowl of leftovers! We really chowed down on this though and the flavors were nice and exotic. 1 pound of shrimp I translated to be 20 good sized shrimp. I think it would be difficult to serve 6 people but for 2 hungry and appreciative adults it was super. Very very delicious.
So glad you loved the recipe, thank you for the feedback.
I used pasta sauce instead of tomatoes. It was really good and creamy 👌
This was excellent! I added some andouille sausage and followed the recipe exactly. I’m a fan of several of your recipes and this one did not disappoint!
Thank you, Tanya! So glad you love my recipes.
I’m changing my review. Yesterday I posted the 2 Tablespoons of Tony Chachere’s is overwhelming salty and next time, I will cut down to 1/2 tsp divided. I reheated the pasta dish today for lunch and it was NOT nearly as salty tasting! I will still cut down the amount of Tony Chachere’s. I also noticed 1/4 tsp of Tony’y Chachere’s has Sodium 340 mg. I read the Badia Cajun seasoning has 80 mg sodium in 1/4tsp. Thank you Natasha for a exceptionally tasty recipie!
Thanks a lot for the update and for sharing that with us!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! The sauce was so flavorful and delicious! I will definitely make this again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Gina!