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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!
Love this recipe! I subbed a can of diced tomatoes, drained for the sun dried tomatoes. We served it over angel hair pasta with garlic bread. Delicious!
Wonderful!! Thanks for your review, Denise!
I want to cook this for my mom but she cannot have milk (because of the casein). Can I use almond milk or coconut milk instead of the heavy cream?
Hi! You could try coconut milk (I think others have), but it’ll change the flavor a bit. Almond milk is much thinner and very watery… so if you go that route, I’d probably make a roux or add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.
You can use oat milk cooking cream, it’s thick and won’t change the flavour.
I use whole milk Lactaid. It is a lactose free milk. My daughter is lactose intolerant.
Hi! I’ve made this a few times, always dairy free, and LOVE it! I sub cashew cream instead (soak 1 cup of raw cashews for a few hours, blend with 1/2 cup – 1 cup of water). Just add the cashew cream at the end (you don’t want to cook it too much, it will only thicken everything). Enjoy!
This fabulous recipe yielded a silky, creamy sauce and perfectly cooked shrimp. And it’s quite fast once all the ingredients are assembled. I’ll be making this again and again!
Fantastic! So happy you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe. Can you tell me where the 3 gram sugar count came from. I want to see if I can adjust to reduce or remove sugar
Thanks
Trish
Hi Trish! For the nutrition, I just plug it into calculator that’s built into my recipe card software, and it pulls from a generic database. It looks like most of it is in the sun-dried tomatoes, but there’s fractions of percentages of sugar in other ingredients too.
This recipe is so delicious! It was easy and didn’t take long to prepare at all which is right up my alley. I’ve made it with shrimp and then I made it with chicken. Both came out great. Definitely a go-to recipe for me. Thank you!
Excellent!! So glad you gave this one a try, Gina! 😀
easy – simple – tasty and delicious!!
Thank you!! Happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Julie,
You are not a kind person. Maybe you should take lessons in kindness instead of cooking, you need that more! The author went out of her way to post this for us to make, there is no reason to be nasty! I feel sorry for you if that how you react to someone helping you. I loved the recipe and all her advice and I thank her for it! Maybe if we cared about each other, whether a stranger or not, this world would be such a better place!
Totally agree, Margaret. Thanks for your support! 🙂
Made this for my family tonight . Did not change a thing .. it was a big hit 🙂
Wonderful!!
I used 473 ml carton of heavy cream instead of 1 cup and it was so creamy and delicious yum yum. Also I salted the water for my pasta so I didn’t have to add any afterwards. Topped with pepper and parmesan cheese as suggested. It was absolutely delicious. I will definitely make it again.
Excellent!! 🙂
This recipe is my new favorite when I want to impress without spending hours in the kitchen! I’ve made it several times and turns out flawless each time. This last go around I added 1/2 lb. of seared fresh scallops and served over pasta -stunning presentation & even better to savor.
Love the scallops addition – that’s a great idea. So happy you like this recipe, Beth!!