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Get It NowI have such a soft spot for dishes that look fancy without much time or effort. If you’re in the mood for a dinner recipe that feels elegant but is actually super easy to whip up, I’ve got just the thing for you… my easy shrimp scampi recipe! It’s a little bit like my garlic butter shrimp (it’s got the butter and garlic, after all), but it’s also swimming in this irresistible lemony white wine sauce that gives it a unique refined flavor. And that time and effort thing? All you need is one pan and 10 minutes!
Why You’ll Love My Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
- Zesty, garlicky, and buttery flavor – A good scampi needs the perfect balance of zesty and garlicky, so naturally I use plenty of lemon and garlic! But you’ve also got butter for richness, white wine for depth (and to make the shrimp more tender), and a shallot for a delicate sweet bite.
- Plump, tender shrimp – I can’t stand this seafood overcooked, to the point that I used to think I disliked it… until I learned to cook shrimp the right way, that is. But my shrimp scampi in particular is extra juicy, because the white wine helps it stay tender.
- Simple ingredients – Grab a bag of shrimp and maybe a shallot, and the rest is just easy pantry staples!
- Quick and easy – Your busy weeknight just got a whole lot easier! You can whip up my easy shrimp scampi in just 10 minutes.
- Works for fancy meals and regular days – This dish tastes like it came out of a restaurant (hello, date night!), but making it is simple enough to serve up any night of the week.
What Is Shrimp Scampi?
Shrimp scampi is an Italian-American dish cooked in a garlic, butter, lemon, and white wine sauce. With some of my favorite flavors all combined and ultra quick prep, it’s no wonder I’m obsessed with it. You’ll love it too if you like these!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best shrimp scampi ingredients, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Shrimp – I used extra-large shrimp (26-30 count per pound), mostly because that’s what I could find. I don’t know why, but in my area looking for specific sizes is always such a challenge and it’s always changing! It’s totally fine to use whatever size you’ve got, the cook time might just vary very slightly. I buy my shrimp peeled and deveined for convenience, but you can also do it yourself. Leave the tails on, as this will give your shrimp scampi more flavor!
- Garlic – Mince up fresh garlic cloves for the most intensity, or use 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic for convenience.
- Shallot – Adds a mild, sweet flavor, similar to an onion but more subtle. Mince it finely.
- Dry White Wine – It adds depth and acidity to the garlic butter sauce, but the best part is that it helps make the shrimp more juicy. You can substitute chicken broth, though it doesn’t quite have the same effect.
- Butter – For that buttery richness. Since I like to add my own salt to taste, I used unsalted butter.
- Lemon Juice – Gives the shrimp scampi that classic flavor. I used fresh lemon juice, but bottled can work. If you’re squeezing it fresh (highly recommend), you can even throw in the lemon zest.
- Oil – For sauteing. I prefer the flavor of olive oil for this dish, but avocado oil is a great alternative.
- Seasonings – Crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Fresh Herbs – I stir in fresh parsley for added color and freshness, though this is optional. You can consider other herbs, like chives or thyme, or add a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
How To Make Shrimp Scampi
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Prep the shrimp. Peel and devein it if needed, then pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
- Saute the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced shallots, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute until the shallots are translucent, and the garlic is fragrant.
- Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Stir, then saute in a single layer, until almost cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Deglaze the pan. Add the wine (or broth) and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Simmer until the liquid volume reduces by half.
- Finish cooking. Add the butter and lemon juice to the sauce. Let the butter melt, then return shrimp to the skillet. Simmer, stirring, until your shrimp scampi is fully cooked.
My Recipe Tips
- Be careful not to burn the garlic and shallots. This is particularly if you use a cast iron skillet like I do (which I still recommend because it cooks the shrimp scampi so evenly). Your sauce will be bitter if the aromatics burn. Just keep the heat on medium for this step, or even turn it down to low if they brown too much. I do recommend a little browning for flavor, though.
- If you want the dish milder, add the crushed red pepper at the end instead. I saute it with the garlic and shallot to infuse the oil with its flavor, which then transfers to the shrimp. If you add it later, it’s more subtle.
- You want to slightly undercook the shrimp when sauteing. It cooks a little more when you add it back to the pan after reducing the sauce, so if you fully cook it before then, it will be overcooked by the end. I remove it when it’s mostly opaque but has a few spots that aren’t.
- If you reduce the wine or broth too much, you can just add more. Yep, been there. You want it to reduce by half. If there’s too little left, you won’t have much sauce. It tastes just fine if you add another splash and simmer a little again.
- Don’t forget to scrape the bottom of the pan. Doing this after adding the wine releases all the delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom, giving your shrimp scampi sauce so much flavor. I use a wooden spoon to avoid scratching my pan.
Storage Instructions
This dish doesn’t store well for very long, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two. Just dump it back into a skillet (along with any sauce) and warm over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Shrimp scampi recipes are typically served with pasta, but that’s not the only way to do it! Here are some of my suggestions:
- Noodles – Had to start with this one, as it’s the most traditional! Most people serve shrimp scampi over linguine or angel hair pasta. Just cook it separately and then toss it with your shrimp. I usually use either this high-protein fusili (not gluten-free, but less processed and higher in protein than regular pasta) or make my baked spaghetti squash (lighter option).
- Zoodles – When I first made my easy shrimp scampi recipe, this is how I served it (pictured above). The bonus is you can cook your zucchini noodles in the same pan. If you’re looking for that older version of my recipe, it’s simple: Just salt the zoodles in a colander for 20 minutes, squeeze out extra moisture, and throw them in the pan to cook before the last step.
- Salad – Since this dish has Italian vibes, I love serving it with an Italian-inspired salad on the side. Try my equally elegant burrata salad, quick artichoke salad, or hearty antipasto salad.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
This simple shrimp scampi is perfect when I’m craving a bit of elegance, but there are so many ways to prepare this protein! Try one of my other easy shrimp recipes next:
My Favorite Skillet For This Recipe
This cast iron skillet is my beautiful, durable go-to that you can spot all over my site. And my recipe for shrimp scampi cooks so fast in it!
Easy Shrimp Scampi (10 Minutes)
A 10-minute, easy shrimp scampi recipe! The juicy shrimp in a lemony, garlicky white wine sauce feels fancy, yet it's quick for busy nights.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Set aside.
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Heat 2 tablespoons (29 ml) of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
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Add the minced shallots, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for 1-2 minutes, until the shallots are translucent, and the garlic is fragrant.
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Add the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, and arrange in a single layer. Saute for 1-2 minutes per side, until just slightly undercooked. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.
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Add the wine (or broth) and scrape the bottom to deglaze. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the liquid volume reduces by half.
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Stir in butter and lemon juice. After butter melts, return the shrimp to the pan and simmer for 2-3 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is cooked through and the sauce reduces a little.
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Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed. Stir fresh parsley into your shrimp scampi if you like.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers, or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 7-8 shrimp with sauce, or 1/4 of entire recipe
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
42 Comments
Thom Pantazi
1Again, another recipe I could’ve found in Maya’s cookbook! I’m starting to wonder if we’re related! 😀
One thing a love about this recipe is something it took me a while to learn. That’s to let the shrimp sit undisturbed. My problem always seemed to be it took a while to put in the shrimp, so I would lose track of the order to flip them. A trick I learned was to go in a spiral so when the shrimp have been placed you can follow the spiral to flip them when the first one is ready.
Thank you for another great recipe.
Janine
1Made this tonight…absolutely delicious. Could have eaten the whole thing myself. 5 🌟
Terri
1The flavor was delicious! Actually turned out like ordering from a restaurant! I will definitely make it again and again!!
Tia
0Do you use raw or already cooked shrimp?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tia, I recommend starting with raw shrimp, as it cooks as part of the recipe and absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients better if it starts out raw.
Jody
0This is delish! It’s bursting with flavor, will make again for sure 💜
Diana Melin
0I love shrimp but I’m allergic to it. Do you think this recipe would work with say, boneless, skinless chicken breasts? How would that affect the nutritional facts for the recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Diana, You probably could but I haven’t done that. You might like my pan seared chicken breast, which has some similar flavors.
Laurie
0I really enjoyed this recipe. The zoodles work very well with the tasty garlic butter sauce. Delicious!
Delray Dorsey
0Very easy and tasteful recipe. I may have to double noodles since first time cooking zucchini noodles.
Crissi Allen
0Quick and easy and it taste wonderful!
David D
0Can I use shirataki noodles instead because I have never been a fan of zoodles?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi David, that would work great!
Lee Ann Vieck
0This was delicious!!! I used one zucchini and one package of cauliflower linguine. Hubby loved it!!! I will be putting this in our rotation of meals! Thanks!!😊
Sondra
0Wonderful recipe! My husband (and I) loved it! I only made a few changes. Added red pepper flakes for a little heat, substituted spaghetti squash (which was awesome) and added some of my pesto. Yum!!!
Carole Baldridge
0Love the recipe. I seasoned the cooked shrimp for about an hour before heating with paprika, thyme and oregano.
Laura
0Making this tonight with spaghetti squash instead of zoodles. We’ll see!
CHERYL
0I don’t eat chicken…can beef broth be used instead of chicken bone broth?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cheryl, Yes, beef or vegetable broth will work, but this recipe doesn’t actually require any chicken broth. I use white wine and the chicken broth is only a substitution option.
Susan Ravens
0Excellent! Allowing the zucchini to sweat really made a huge difference to a meal I was anticipating to be “just ok”. Excellent and so easy!
Donna
0Made this last night and it turned out awesome!! I will be making this again.
Brenda
0This was the very first keto dinner that I have made. It was delicious. I used riced cauliflower instead of zoodles. It was late and I was very hungry. I also put a little cream cheese in it because I have seen it used in other recipes and was excited to see how it would taste with it. I wanted something a little creamier. Thanks for all you do Maya.
Sharon
0This is delicious! i will remember this recipe. My husband loved it.
Kathy
0I do not have any white wine, can you use chicken broth or any suggestion?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kathy, Yes, chicken broth will work well. Enjoy!
Sarah
0Very tasty! And I finally found a way to properly cook zucchini noodles! This was such a treat to make – I overcooked the shrimp but it was still tasty enough to eat!
Lynda Pedersen
0I made this last night and it was delicious!! I served the shrimp with a side of roasted green beans and a salad. This will be my go to shrimp recipe from now on.
Cindi
0We really liked the recipe. I did not rinse the zoodles after 20 minutes, so it was a bit too salty for us. I will know for next time!!
Marilyn O'Neal
0OMG this is delicious. So quick to make and zucchini is better than noodles. Thank you.
Toni
0Question I have frozen pre-cooked shrimp. Can I use that instead, and how would I alter the cooking to accomodate that? I LOVE the sound of this recipe, but I bought a whole bunch of frozen cooked shrimp when it was on sale, and I am looking for ways to use it. Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Toni, This recipe works best if the shrimp is raw, but you can use frozen pre-cooked shrimp if that’s all you have. Thaw it first and skip the sauteing step. Just make the sauce and add the shrimp at the end. The shrimp will take on less of the sauce flavor, though.
Barbara
0Love your recipes…. really annoying website…. I am happy for you but all the ads ….the auto scrolling…not great
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Barbara, Thanks for your feedback. Ads keep the Wholesome Yum website running and allow me to develop recipes that readers like you can access absolutely free. However, you may be interested in Wholesome Yum Plus, which includes an ad-free version of the website, along with other perks.
Nicole Rubinow
0This is my favorite shrimp recipe yet!!
Susan
0This was amazing. I julienned the zucchini add some spinach and tomatoes while cooking garlic. Perfection
Carrie Robinson
0This looks absolutely delicious! Definitely adding this to my weekly dinner plan soon. 🙂
Kelli
0I served it with zucchini noodles and it was a game-changer for me! Love this healthy twist on an Italian classic.
Charla
0I have some zucchini and spare shrimp laying around. I think I might make this dish with it, looks great!
Anita
0Such a delicious pasta dish! The whole family loved it and there will be many repeat in the future.
Lisa
0I’ve got a whole bunch of zucchini in the fridge, so this is a perfect meal for us tonight! Thanks for inspiring.