This Creamy Shrimp Pasta reminds me of my favorite dish at Olive Garden. The creamy Alfredo sauce generously coats the juicy shrimp and noodles. Your family will be humming with every bite and will request it for dinner again and again. One of our favorite shrimp recipes!
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If you cook the sauce while the pasta is on the stove, you can be done with the entire meal in under 30 minutes. It’s so simple and has a short list of ingredients, but tastes restaurant quality. This homemade creamy shrimp pasta is way better than going out because it’s not overly salty like dining out tends to be and you don’t get the big bill at the end of your meal #winning!!
Watch How to Make Creamy Shrimp Pasta Recipe:
This is one of the best reviewed recipes on our blog and for good reason (read the glowing reviews here). Creamy shrimp pasta is super easy and tasty! Many of you have told me that you love it more than Olive Garden’s Shrimp alfredo, which is an amazing compliment.
Want to Substitute the Wine?
No problem! Here is a great white wine substitute: squeeze some lemon juice into the sauce after adding the cream, adding the lemon juice to taste (about 1/2 medium lemon) then season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not concentrate.
Make-Ahead tip: This pasta tastes just as good the next day! Add a splash of milk and reheat slowly over lower heat until very warm/hot but not simmering. As with any alfredo pasta, reheating over high heat will cause the cream to separate and liquify into butter.
Funny how that little bit of black pepper, parsley and parmesan cheese really fancies it up at the end, making it look and feel like fine dining. It’s the perfect time to whip out that hand cranked pepper mill to set the mood! 😉
Pasta Recipes to Explore:
These are the most popular pasta recipes on our blog – the top rated and best loved.
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta – Can you tell we love shrimp pasta recipes?
- Lasagna Casserole – All the classic flavors of Lasagna made easy!
- Slow Cooker Lasagna – This one has a make-ahead option
- Spaghetti and Meatballs – The juiciest meatballs we’ve tried!
- Chicken Tetrazzini – A must try, creamy chicken pasta bake
⬇ Print-Friendly Shrimp Pasta Recipe:
Creamy Shrimp Pasta Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb fettuccini pasta
- 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 ct)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, (medium), finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup white wine, I used Chardonnay
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp paprika, or to taste
- 1 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Add 3/4 lb pasta to a pot of boiling water with 1 Tbsp salt and cook according to package instructions until al-dente. Drain without rinsing and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, prepare the shrimp and sauce. Season shrimp with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp paprika. Place a large, non-stick pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 2 min per side or just until cooked through and no longer translucent. Remove to a separate dish to prevent overcooking.
- In the same hot pan, add 2 Tbsp butter with finely chopped onion and sauté until soft and golden (3-5 mins), stirring often. Add minced garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant. Stir in 1/3 cup white wine and boil down until there is only 25% of the liquid left.
- Stir in 2 cups cream, bring to a light boil then simmer 2 min. Sprinkle sauce with 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and stir just until creamy and smooth. Let it come just to a simmer without boiling then turn off the heat and season sauce with more salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
- Stir in the drained pasta and cooked shrimp, tossing until noodles are well coated in sauce. Serve in warm pasta bowls with a generous sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, more parmesan cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Tools We Used in this Recipe (Amazon affiliate links):
Boos Dark Cutting Board
Glass Mixing Bowls
Blue Staub Pan with Lid
5 1/2 Qt Dutch Oven Pot
Cook’s Knife
Love shrimp? Explore all of our top shrimp recipes here. I hope this easy shrimp pasta becomes a new favorite for you!
P.S. Because I’ve had loads of questions about omitting the wine – I think the wine really makes the flavor in this dish next-level delicious but if you prefer not to use it, the recipe still works, just replace it with chicken broth, season the sauce to taste and add a splash of lemon juice for extra flavor.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Can i use a different cheese ? I have no parmesan on hand
Hi Laura! Feel free to try using different type of cheese. I think mozarella or pecorino romano will work fine.
This is a great recipe and for those of us who love (and are at least a bit talented at cooking), you will realize how versatile it is. For example, my husband does not mind cream sauces, but he doesn’t like them thick. So instead of using heavy cream, I used 1/2 & 1/2 and extra butter. Also, I wanted a little extra nutrition. I had one Roma tomato and some peas that needed to be used, so I diced the tomato and added that and the peas as well. I think adding some bacon to the original recipe would be fabulous as well.
Is cooking wine okay, or does it have to be regular wine. The only regular I have is watermelon wine.
Hi Corky! I do not recommend cooking wine. It has salt and other additives and it tastes different.
Fantastic recipe. Have used in the past with great success. This last time, after a trip to Italy, and tasting a similar dish called shrimp pasta Florentine, I added 1 package of thawed and drained chopped spinach and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms at step 3 plus an additional 1 tsp of salt and cooked according to rest of recipe. The dinner club guest loved it and wanted the recipe. Thanks again for the basics of this great dish.
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha,
I have this simple question to know if the cream could be replaced with evaporated milk?
P.s. Love your recipes. Keep up the good work with your hubby.
Jean .
Hi Jean, I haven’t tried that with evaporated milk. I worry it will be too thin. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that.
Yet another fabulous dish Natasha, love your cookbook
Thank you so much, Andrea!
It needs to be more balanced, as it gets a bit sickening after a few bites. More garlic or some lemon may help.
You can squeeze some fresh lemon juicen in the sauce after adding cream.
Natasha! This is an amazing recipe! Soooo delicious, quick & easy to put together. I live in Alaska, so I had the bonus of having on hand fresh shrimp we’d harvested ourselves. The only deviation I made was using jarred minced garlic, about 2 heaping tablespoons, because it’s a staple in my fridge and in my opinion it provides even more flavor than the fresh garlic we’re able to get here. Oh my goodnes, this is a winner! Thank you for sharing.
This is the best Homemade shrimp Pasta I’ve ever had
I follow the recipe But only use angel hair pasta
So glad you love it, Anthony!
So easy and delicious!! I made this recipe for a ladies night and everyone loved it! My friend even asked for the recipe and made it herself!
May I know if there is any alternative for wine? thanks
Hi Jade! Yes, see my note above, “Want to Substitute the Wine?”
Thank you Natasha for always giving the perfect recipes. My family loved it.
Aw, you’re so very welcome. I’m so glad they are enjoying the recipes.
Can I buy the shrimp already cooked and add it in with the sauce or is it better to cook with the sauce
Hi Rita! Raw shrimp is what I use. I have not tried this with cooked shrimp. I think it would still be fine to use. You can sauté the shrimp until the surfaces start turning golden brown but you want to be careful not to overcook them since they are already pre-cooked. If overcooked they will be rubbery.
Made the Shrimp Scampi Pasta from the cookbook tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Honestly, better than going to a restaurant and quite easy to make! Hubby and son gave it a big thumbs up! Thank you one again Natasha for a winner dinner!
I’m so happy to hear that, Susan! Thank you.
recipe was quick, easy and tasty, I substituted the wine with Japanese cooking Sake (Sake (cooking sake) (料理酒 in Japanese) is alcohol made from fermented rice. Sake adds umami and sweet, mellow flavor, eliminates strong odors, tenderizes meat, and it is used in steamed seafood dishes, soups, sauces, and marinades.)
it really hit the spot and helped make the flavor really come out.
That’s great, Rey! Thank you for sharing.
This is by far the tastiest dish I’ve ever made! Thank you so much ! Me and my husband loved this!
I’m so happy to hear that!
I tried this recipe last night and both my husband and I loved it. I only made one change to the recipe where I added 4 dried small piri piri chilies to the oil when cooking the shrimp. Just added a little bit of heat.
Followed the recipe to a T, but was disappointed. There wasn’t much flavor. Would spice it up more next time.
Hi Linda, did you possibly under-season? Also make sure to salt the pasta water which makes a big difference in the final flavor of the dish.
Hi, Linda. Salt amounts are a personal preference and I found I needed to add more of both salt & pepper before serving to suit my taste. It took it over the top for me. Someone else mentioned they added some peppers for a bit of heat and I’m thinking I might try adding some red pepper flakes to the onion/garlic saute in my next batch just for kicks.