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
Filed Under
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.
Can this be cooked in the Instant Pot? I’m sure it can be but I’m new at the IP and I don’t know how long to cook things.
Judy
Hi Judy! Honestly, I haven’t tested this recipe in an Insta Pot just yet. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
The scale to put the amount of people the dish serves, is the best thing I’ve seen on culinary sites. Congratulations.
I’m so glad you liked that feature!
Can you use a different cheese, like Cooper? instead of Parmesan Cheese?
Hi Bonnie, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. We had readers state they used half & half instead along with butter and they also enjoyed it. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe. 🙂
bonjour Sarah , serait il posible d’avoir la recettte en FRANCAIS , MERCI
isabele
Hello Isabelle, We don’t have French translation for our recipes at this time.
I enjoyed the receipt. Sometimes a alfredo sauce can be too thick like glue. This one had the right consistency. I did add more garlic since we enjoy it. I also only had cooked shrimp. I seasoned shrimp but when sauce was done. I placed in it for a few minutes to warm then added pasta. I enjoyed it very much ty!
Thanks for sharing that with us, Donna!
Natasha, I found this looking for a better version of Tasty’s Spinach Shrimp Pasta dish. This looks perfect, except there is no spinach. Could I add some in at the end, perhaps the same time the shrimp and pasta are added to the sauce?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried theirs, but I think it would work to add some spinach in at the end and cook until it’s wilted.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll be sure to try it and report back.
You’re very welcome!
I made this for the first time tonight, and my whole family absolutely loved it! My 2 year old even said it was “yummy yummy”. My husband said it was way better than alfredo in the jar. This is a definite keeper for my recipe book! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much, Brittany! I’m glad you all enjoyed it. Sounds like you found a new family favorite! 🙂
I love your clear, speaking voice! So easy to understand. And not a long drawn out video. Great recipe 😀
Thank you for the wonderful compliment, Cc. Welcome to our blog!
Is there anything else to use in place of the wine? Thank you
You can definitely try it without the wine. One of our readers, Milla, recently wrote “Made this for my husband tonight. Had no wine or chicken stock so used vegetable stock and dash for lemon (and a little extra paprika) and he LOVED it.”
I made this recipe tonight, and it is delicious. I used what I had on hand and had to use Zinfandel wine and thick spaghetti. I upped the garlic cloves to two big ones, and I seasoned with some garlic powder as the shrimps were cooking. Everything else was the same and I was very pleased with the outcome.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review Kirsten!
I just read your recipe for Creamy Shrimp Pasta and I can’t wait to try it! Thank you very much for showing an alternate for the wine. Due to diabetes and other health problems, we don’t keep alcohol around any more and I really want to try this dish soon.
I’m so glad it worked out for you Virginia!
I just made this for dinner, and it is so good. Our family loved it. Thank you.
Awesome, I’m glad to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review Terrie!
This looks AWESOME. Wish I could do the pasta but have to watch the carbs. Could you do this with zucchini noodles and have you tried it? Would you add the zucchini in right before you re-add the shrimp? I enjoy reading your recipes. Keep it up !
Hi Melanie, I haven’t tried that but it sounds delicious. I would probably add the zucchini noodles just after the onions (step 3) and sautee them for 5 minutes then add the garlic. So the noodles don’t overcook, remove them before adding the wine and cream. Keep in mind the sauce will be thinner as the zucchini will release liquid so you may need to boil down the liquid and wine longer. That is my best guess! If you experiment, let me know how it goes 🙂
This recipe sounds great but I’d like a little heat……what’s your suggestion, and when to add?
Hi Pam, I would add cayenne pepper of paprika and the end to taste.
I just tried this for the first time today and I’m not a good cook whatsoever but this dish came out perfect! All the flavors are on point. Even though I’m Finnish it was really easy for me to follow the instructions 😊
Awesome, I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe Milla! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
do you have to use wine im only 15
Hi Gray, I shard an easy and tasty substitution in the section above titled: “Want to Substitute the Wine?”
Hi so i accidentally bought heavy cream . is that okay to use instead of whipping cream?
Hi Marina, yes that will work great. I have used heavy whipping cream many times if that was what I had on hand.
I stumbled upon this recipe after searching for a way to use up the remaining heavy whipping cream from a dessert I made (tres leches cake from this SAME website — which I’ve made a couple times and got rave reviews everytime I make the dessert!!).
This creamy shrimp pasta recipe is THE best!! My husband and kids LOVE it!! I used lemon juice instead of the white wine and added sliced mushrooms. And that’s all the changes I made! My husband couldn’t believe when I told him how simple the ingredients were 😂 He told me to save this recipe as he said it is so much better (and cheaper!!) than the restaurant’s! 😂 Thank you, Natasha!!
You’re welcome Dyana! I’m happy to hear how much you and your family are enjoying the recipes! Thanks for sharing sharing your excellent review!! 🙂
IF I MAKE IT WITH THE 1 LB OF NOODLE DO I NEED TO USE MORE WHIPPING CREAM AND WINE?
Hi Alyssa, yes I would increase everything proportionally to achieve the same consistency.
Hi Alyssa A, for 1 lb of pasta, click on the servings number and a slider bar will appear, change that to 8 servings and all the ingredient quantities will adjust for you 🙂
I’m doing this recipe for an anniversary dinner…30 – 35 people; should i just make it 5 times over? lol
Hello Jay, you can adjust the ingredients by adjusting the serving size in the written recipe. The serving size is highlighted red, hover over it to adjust the serving size then the ingredients will adjust.