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This creamy garlic Tuscan shrimp recipe with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil is rich, decadent, and ready in about 15 minutes!
You may also like my Marry Me Shrimp Pasta or this Easy Shrimp Scampi recipe.
Why you’ll love it
This creamy Tuscan shrimp recipe is one of those dinners that makes it seem like you tried very hard, but the minimal time and effort involved makes it perfect for weeknights! It’s super easy, quick, and really, really tasty and impressive.
The classic flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil are the ideal bright contrast to the cream, and it all just goes so well together. And there’s plenty of garlic. Nobody can say no to this restaurant-quality shrimp recipe whenever we serve it for easy entertaining.
What you’ll need
- Shrimp – I used frozen ones that are deveined and already peeled for convenience
- Butter and flour – to make a quick roux that’ll thicken up the sauce
- Garlic – we’re pretty generous here, but add even more if you like! This garlic press makes mincing effortless without having to peel the cloves.
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce luxurious. I wouldn’t sub it out for anything else.
- Lemon juice – for a little bit of acidity and brightness
- Italian seasoning – it’s a versatile blend of dried herbs in a single jar to jazz up so many dishes
- Sun-dried tomatoes – one of our star components that plays so well with the basil
- Spinach and basil – for a burst of freshness, texture, and flavor
Pro tip
I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something like half-and-half of milk since the sauce may curdle and it’ll end up thinner and less rich. You’d have to add more flour for the sauce to thicken properly as well.
How to make Tuscan shrimp
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the flour to make a roux, followed by the garlic. Stir in the cream, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer.
Add in the shrimp, and cook until they’re pink and cooked through and the sauce has thickened up a bit. Stir in the spinach and basil and simmer until wilted. Season with salt & pepper and serve immediately. Top with a squeeze of lemon and fresh parmesan if desired.
Shrimp tips for success
- I used 31-40 count size shrimp in this Tuscan garlic butter shrimp recipe. Technically these are considered large shrimp, but to me they’re more of a medium size when compared to some of the REALLY large shrimp out there. Anyway, any medium-to-large shrimp would work. To thaw, just run under cool water.
- Unless you live right by the ocean, frozen shrimp are actually a great choice because the ones at the seafood counter are usually just thawed anyway and less fresh when you get them.
- I prefer using raw shrimp in 99% of recipes, including this one, because they cook very fast and double-cooking can lead to rubbery shrimp. You could use already cooked shrimp, but be sure to just heat them through!
- I don’t take the tails off the shrimp (mostly for the photos to add some contrast), but feel free to take them off if you prefer.
Substitutions and variations
- Want to try this recipe with chicken? You will love my Creamy Tuscan Chicken recipe.
- If you’re not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, you could use a chopped fresh tomato, but then it will no longer be that iconic Tuscan flavor combo. Also, the sauce may end up thinner, but you’re welcome to try it that way.
- I highly suggest using fresh spinach, but in a pinch you can use frozen as long as you thaw it and thoroughly squeeze out all the excess water. But do try to get your hands on the fresh variety for the full experience!
How to serve Tuscan shrimp
- They’re great served over pasta, rice, or Mashed Potatoes.
- You can also just eat this recipe as-is and grab a big slice of crusty bread for all that delicious sauce! Or go all out and have a slice of Garlic Bread.
- Pair it with a side salad. Try mixed greens with this Easy Italian Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- These creamy Tuscan shrimp will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Make sure you don’t leave them sitting out for too long before refrigerating leftovers, though.
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing this since the cream sauce won’t hold up well.
- To reheat, warm up slowly in a small saucepan over a low heat so the sauce doesn’t separate, stirring occasionally.
Talk to me in the comments below if you made this easy Tuscan shrimp! You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Creamy Tuscan Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp (I used 31-40 count size) thawed & peeled
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped or julienned
- 1-2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Handful fresh basil cut into thin strips
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring until smooth.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Stir in the cream, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer for 2 minutes. Reduce heat if it’s bubbling too much.
- Add the shrimp and cook for around 5 minutes or until they’re cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened, taking care not to overcook them.
- Add the spinach and basil and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately. I like to squeeze extra lemon juice over top when serving (up to you). You could also grate some fresh parmesan over top if you wish.
Notes
- I used sun-dried tomatoes that were packed in oil (I drained the oil). Feel free to use more or less than suggested.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on November 29, 2017. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Looked beautiful but couldn’t bare to eat it, tasted like Chlorine. You should recommend a good brand of shrimp for the recipe. I bought wild caught, frozen, USA shrimp, de-thawed according to instructions on the bag and rinsed like 6 times. The whole thing tasted like chlorine.
So you blame the recipe’s author because you bought bad shrimp? That’s a new one for me. 😀 I suggest complaining to the manufacturer of the shrimp because that’s not how they should taste. Please get a refund. By the way, I live in Canada, so I can’t recommend a brand of raw shrimp that will work for everyone in the world who decides to make this recipe. It’s not like buying a bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.
So good I love it even my kids loves it first time I made it I had family over they absolutely loved it and asked for the recipe 😍
That’s great to hear!! 😀
Whole family loved this!
I’m thrilled to hear that!
Recipe gets five stars, but you REALLY need to add a “Jump to Recipe” feature!! You’re probably a nice person, but I’m a busy 70 yr old and just want to explore recipes. I don’t wish you ill, but I really don’t care about your life.
Hi Julie. I just went back and re-read the post, and there’s absolutely nothing about my life in there. The post is full of tips to help readers make the recipe successfully, related recipes, and what to serve with it. It takes about 2 seconds to scroll through if you really don’t want to read.
Your a nasty person! You are what’s wrong in this world. The author went out of her way to post this for us to make and you were nothing but a C U next Tuesday! I don’t recall anyone asking for your opinion and that’s probably why. Maybe you should take a lesson in kindness and keeping your nasty thoughts to yourself instead of cooking! Sounds like you need that more! By the way, I loved the recipe and her advice! Keep it all coming!
Julie,
Being 70 and busy does not give you a license to be mean. This lovely young lady gave us a 5-Star recipe and you behave like a 3rd grade bully? Shame on you!
Oh my gosh, turned a disaster into a wonderful dish! My sauce was tasting a little bland so I wanted to add a little Worcestershire sauce. I mistakenly unscrewed the cap instead of flipping it and poured about 1/4 cup into my sauce! Disaster! I added about 1/2-2/3 cup of leftover sour cream to balance out the flavor, essentially making stroganoff Tuscan shrimp. Wonderful!
Oh noooo!! I’m so glad you were able to salvage it.
Planning on making this tomorrow. Anyone try with rice?
I made this last night and it was delicious :). The only thing I would like to try is to subtistute dried tomatoes with cherry tomatoes . The dried tomatoes are too chewy for me :(. But it defenitely gave the creamy sauce flavor..plus the spinash and fresh basil. Mmmm.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, and yes, you could definitely sub the sun-dried tomatoes for fresh!
I plan to make this with a mix of cherry and sundried tomatoes tonight, since the tomatoes are in the garden now. I wouldn’t like to eliminate the sundrieds because they add great depth of flavor, but I agree they’re very chewy. Try pouring a small amount of boiling water over them and letting them sit for a few minutes. They’ll soften up for your palate, and they’ll even be easier to chop.
Great tip!
I made a few changes, and we loved it! Omitted flour. Sautéed garlic in 2 T butter. Added 4 Oz. Cream cheese in cubes and 3/4 c whipping cream. Whisked to blend. Italian seasoning, lemon juice, pepper. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes (this really makes the dish). Simmered several minutes and dropped in shrimp to cook. Added maybe 1/2 c shredded Parmesan to melt and served over zucchini zoodles. Delicious!
Delicious! Next time I may double the recipe because my hunny loved it so much! We wished we had more
I’m so glad it was a hit! 🙂
Very easy to prepare and delicious!
Thank you!
This is a fabulous recipe. I made this paleo/whole 30 compliant by using unsweetened coconut cream in place of dairy cream and tapioca starch in place of the flour. I used earth balance vegan butter and extra sun dried tomatoes. It’s delicious!
Thank you! I’m glad you were able to tweak it!