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This easy shrimp Alfredo pasta recipe is the perfect fast weeknight dinner that’s tasty enough for company! Tender shrimp and fettuccine pasta are smothered in an amazing creamy garlic sauce.
Love Alfredo sauce? Try this Chicken Tortellini Alfredo or this 15 Minute Creamy Alfredo Gnocchi. Want this recipe but with chicken? Check out my Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo.
Why you’ll love it
It took me a few tries before I was confident in sharing this shrimp fettuccine Alfredo recipe. They were all minor tweaks to get that sauce just right. I am definitely happy with the finished product, and I hope you will be too! In this recipe, cooking shrimp for Alfredo is easy… they just cook right in the sauce.
Alfredo sauce (butter, cream, and parmesan) shouldn’t be complicated to make, but I find that achieving the right sauce thickness is what really matters. You don’t want it too thick… or too thin. I also added my not-so-secret ingredient to this shrimp Alfredo recipe to make the sauce silkier, thicker, and just a hint of tangy (which complements the shrimp). Can you guess what it is? It’s cream cheese!
Why use cream cheese?
- I’m sure some people would argue that cream cheese doesn’t belong in Alfredo sauce, but I disagree. I’m all for variations on recipes if it makes sense and tastes good. I’ve seen plenty of recipes that use it and plenty that don’t. I find that using cream cheese in here allowed me to skip using a thickening agent like flour, which in my opinion makes the recipe a bit easier overall.
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened before adding it to the sauce. Either take it out of the fridge well in advance of starting the recipe, or microwave it in 20-30 second intervals until it’s super soft. It won’t melt into the sauce as easily if you try adding it straight from the fridge.
What you’ll need
- Shrimp – I used frozen raw 31-40 count per pound size shrimp. You could use smaller or larger. If using smaller ones, take care not to overcook them.
- Pasta – the classic is fettuccine
- Butter – make sure it’s unsalted
- Cream cheese – for added texture and tangy taste
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce luxurious and silky
- Chicken broth – for added flavor
- Garlic – it makes everything better!
- Parmesan – I suggest grating your own parmesan cheese. It makes a difference in the taste, and the pre-grated stuff doesn’t melt into the sauce as well.
Shrimp preparation tips
- If the shrimp are frozen, place them in a colander and thaw them under cool running water.
- Peel them (if they’re not already peeled). You can either take the tails off or leave them on depending on your preference.
How to make shrimp Alfredo
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, add the butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, chicken broth, and garlic to a skillet over medium heat. Cook it for 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese, and let it bubble for about a minute.
Add the shrimp, and cook until they’re pink. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and toss with the drained pasta. Serve right away.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I love this cheese grater for the parmesan.
- A garlic press is a handy and quick way to easily mince garlic.
- Kitchen tongs make it effortless to toss the pasta with the sauce.
Substitutions and variations
- You can add more/less garlic depending on your preferences. I like quite a bit of garlic!
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream/butter/etc. for something else unless you’re ok with experimenting a bit. I can’t say how it will turn out without testing it. Half-and-half or milk will make the sauce more watery. This is definitely a treat meal. 🙂
What to serve with shrimp Alfredo
- Try a side salad with my 10 Minute Caesar Salad Dressing or Homemade Italian Dressing.
- If you want to go all out, pair it with my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread!
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover shrimp Alfredo in an airtight container in the fridge, and eat it within a couple of days. It’s best fresh, though. I don’t recommend freezing it.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat so that sauce doesn’t separate, and you might need to add a splash more cream.
If you made this garlic shrimp Alfredo pasta recipe or have questions, let me know in the comments below! You can also find me on Instagram.
Easy Shrimp Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked (31-40/pound size) shrimp thawed & peeled, tails optional
- 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese (I used 1/2 block Philly) softened & cut into smaller pieces
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep your shrimp (if frozen, add them to a colander and run under cool water until thawed).
- Start boiling a salted pot of water for the fettuccine. Cook it al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add the butter, cream cheese, cream, chicken broth, and garlic to a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and the pan has heated up, you can use your spoon to help the cream cheese melt into the sauce. This will take a couple of minutes.
- When the cream cheese has been incorporated into the sauce, let it gently bubble for 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced somewhat. You can give it the occasional stir. I grate the parmesan cheese while it's cooking.
- Stir the parmesan into the sauce. Let it cook for about a minute.
- Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed. Toss with the drained pasta and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can microwave the cream cheese for 20-30 second intervals if you forget to take it out of the fridge in time for it to soften up.
- If at any point the sauce gets too thick for your tastes, thin it out with a bit of the hot pasta water.
- This pasta is also on page 49 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Okay so making this soon. I’m not a big cook but I don’t understand the instructions for the shrimp. Would I pre cook them before adding to the sauce and noodles. Thank you !
Hi! No worries! No, you don’t pre-cook the shrimp. If you’re buying raw frozen shrimp, you run them under cool water until thawed (I add them to a colander in the sink and run the water over them), then peel them (and take the tails off if you wish). Sometimes (often depending where you live), you can get fresh shrimp that aren’t frozen. In that case, you’d just peel them (if they’re not already peeled) and take the tails off. I recommend buying raw shrimp vs. cooked shrimp for any recipe that requires you to cook the shrimp since they can get rubbery if you’re double cooking them. You then add the raw prepared shrimp to the skillet in step 6. They cook really quickly. Just so you know, if any of my recipes require a cooked ingredient, I specify. You can always assume it’s raw/uncooked unless otherwise stated. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Managed to make this without Parmesan (and didn’t have fettuccine but used rice noodles) but it was still YUM!
Glad you were able to make it work! 🙂
Recipe was simple for my novice skills! I only had the Kraft grated cheese, and it doesn’t melt well, but it was still good! I will definitely add this to my rotation! Thanks 😊
So glad you enjoyed it, Felicia!!
Gonna try this Wednesday for dinner…looks simple enough and looks so delicious …do you think i could add mushrooms?
Hi! I think you could, but you may want to sauté them on the side (maybe with a little garlic and butter) and then stir them in at the end. That would probably be easiest. Let me know how it goes!
I had to improvise since I didn’t have any heavy cream. I used about 1/8 to cup sour cream and the rest in whole milk. Delicious!
Fab! Glad it worked out for you. 🙂
this is the worst method i’ve ever tried and watery, nothing like the photos. no measurement tips, not even flour. don’t recommend.
There’s ingredient quantities listed for everything, and there’s no flour in this recipe. I am not sure what you are looking at? It would be great if you double checked before leaving a rude comment.
Made this for my granddaughter tonight. Rarely ever follow a recipe exactly, but l did this one. Turned out perfect! Thank you so much.
Wonderful!! Thanks so much, Edna. So glad you two enjoyed it.
This was such an easy and delicious recipe. Will definitely keep it in my favorite foods file!
That’s great to hear, Suzanne! Thank you.
Just made this for dinner, and it was delicious. I love how simple and easy the recipe is to follow. Great recipe for a novice cook who want to “wow” their house guest!
Fantastic!! I’m so happy that you found it easy to make and delicious! 😀 Thanks for taking the time to write me a review.
If you do t have Parmesan cheese but have Kraft shaker Parmesan cheese can you use that instead?
Hi! You can, but I haven’t ever used that, so I am not sure how well it’ll melt. I’m sure it’ll probably be fine, but freshly grated is best. Let me know if you try!
Making it for my wife and kids tonight it’s pretty easy smells great am very excited to try it thank you
You’re welcome! Hope everyone enjoys it, Randy!