This shrimp linguine in a creamy alfredo sauce is one of our favorite shrimp pasta recipes. It’s so quick and easy to make, it’s perfect for unexpected guests or a fast weeknight dinner that everyone will love.
For a full meal, serve this creamy shrimp pasta with a side salad and crispy French bread.
How do you make creamy shrimp pasta? (Step by Step)
To start, boil the the linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, grab 3/4 pound of raw shrimp that’s been peeled, deveined, and tails removed.
Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. Give this a stir to evenly distribute the seasoning.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon of flour…
And stir to coat.
Add one more tablespoon of flour for good measure.
And stir to evenly coat the shrimp. Perfect.
Melt one tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
When melted and hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook one one side for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Flip the shrimp and cook until golden brown on the other side, another 2-3 minutes.
When done, remove the shrimp to the plate.
Pour in the chicken broth and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
Reduce heat to medium and pour in cream, whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium heat until bubbly and the cream starts to thicken the mixture, about 5-10 minutes.
You’ll want to add some seasoning to your shrimp pasta at this point. Just some salt and pepper would be nice, but I usually add 1/2 teaspoon of my favorite cajun seasoning. It’s perfect for rich, creamy sauces like this.
Season your sauce as desired, then add the drained pasta and shrimp to the sauce and stir to combine.
This creamy shrimp pasta has such a rich, wonderful flavor. Try it once and you’ll see why it’s one of our all-time favorite pasta recipes!
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Creamy Shrimp Pasta Recipe
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Cook Time: 25 minutes -
Total Time: 25 minutes
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Yield: 3 servings
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Category: Dinner
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Cuisine: Pasta
Cook Time:
Yield:
Category:
Cuisine:Description
Ingredients
- 4 oz fettuccine pasta
- 3/4 lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Season shrimp with salt, pepper, and toss to combine. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the shrimp, and toss to coat the shrimp. Sprinkle 1 more tablespoon flour and toss to evenly coat the shrimp.
- Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook on each side, flipping once, until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to plate.
- Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium and pour in cream, whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium heat until bubbly and the cream starts to thicken the mixture, about 5 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and add seasonings as desired (salt, pepper, cajun seasonings, etc.) Add the drained pasta and shrimp to the sauce, and stir to combine.
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Hi! I’m confused. You say this is an alfredo sauce, but there’s no parmesan cheese in the sauce. Did I miss something? My kids love alfredo and I want to make this because it looks incredible! Also, fettuccine or linguine (the instructions say fettuccine)? Does it work better with one or the other sauce coating wise?
Wow, I already feel this stunning smell and perfect taste! I love pasta, shromps and creamy textures separately, but together it will be a real BOMB! I will try not to cook this dish for the night, so as not to eat it all to the last shrimp :) I really like your blog, that you share your life, travels and, of course, delicious recipes. Do not stop, I am a frequent guest here and always find something interesting, keep it up, Kevin and Amanda!
What a great dinner! Quick, easy and incredibly delicious!
My sauce didn’t thicken. What am I doing wrong?
I made this pasta shrimp dish yesterday. Amazing recipe and It taste SOOO GOOD, Very easy to make and very fast.
This recipe is delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you!
It’s one of our favorites!!
Made this tonight, it was simple and delicious.
Oh! this looks super delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thawing shrimp now. I love to find different ways of cooking shrimp. I grew up in a fishing family and we always cooked seafood the same 10 ways…thank you!!
This was absolutely delicious and easy!
Hi, Amanda. I have a question.You see, I made this shrimp pasta today and my brother and my dad kept asking me if I can put alfredo sauce for the shrimps and the pasta and I said no because I was busy cooking and following the instructions in the recipe and a little frustrated and exhausting after that. My dad taste the pasta and he said it’s good, but he thinks it needs a little extra-something. Do you think adding alfredo sauce instead of chicken both and whipping cream is okay or does it have to be what it’s in the recipe?
Just saw this post and made it for the first time and and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing! I didn’t have any whipping cream so I improvised by putting 1 tablespoon of of corn starch into the cold milk before adding. I also didn’t have any specific creole seasoning so I added a mix of cayenne pepper, chili pepper and oregano (with some extra salt). Delish and super easy!
I have made this a bunch of times and it’s so good! I even added chicken to it!
HI Amanda. this crispy shrimp recipe looks great. but i don’t like Spicy foods,
i like mild foods, can i substitute the Cajun seasoning for something a lot milder?
please contact me on this at my e-mail above.
thank you.
Made this last night for dinner and it was quick and easy and very good. Though I feel as though the sauce needed something added to help make it thicker. But overall it was very good and will be trying to it again to come. Thanks for an awesome recipe.
Simple ingredients, easy to follow steps, great photos. Fantastic post Kevin and Amanda! Can’t wait to try this!, we love cajun spices!
Panos and Mirella
I’ve never cooked shrimp before (I rarely cook meat at all, that’s usually my hubby’s job!) but I HAD to try this and he doesn’t like shrimp. Holy WOW. This is so good!! I think even the hubs will like it. Thank you for sharing!
Just made this for dinner tonight. Excellent!!!! Definitely recommend trying. Will be making this again.
It’s looks good and very delicious thanks!!!!
This recipe calls for ‘whipping cream’ – can I just use half and half? Or heavy cream instead? Why the whipping cream?
Thanks! This looks yummylicious! :)
The recipe phenominal
I just tried this and I hate to admit, it just didn’t work out. Even with the cornstarch it never thickened up. I will try it with modifications the next time.
I made this last night and it was so good! The portion size was good for 2 people with a little leftover for a small lunch. I waited about 10 minutes for the sauce to thicken up and it didn’t. So I mixed 4 tbps cornstarch and 4 tbps of cold water in a cup, making sure it got thoroughly mixed (no clumps!) and then dumped it into the pan. It almost instantly got thick! I served it with a salad and garlic bread. Wonderful dish and I’ll definitely make it again!
Made this for my family of 5 today so had to triple the recipe (hoping for enough leftover for my lunch tomorrow). Problem is, the ratios were a little off when tripling everything. The 3 teas. each of salt and pepper was way too much on the shrimp! Even combined with the pasta and sauce, the dish was almost too salty/peppery to enjoy.
We did, however, love the crispy coating on the shrimp! *The trick to it staying crispy under the sauce is to add the shrimp at the very last second before serving.
The sauce didn’t thicken very much (even after I added cornstarch in a bit of the starchy pasta water). Next time I will make a roux first with flour before I add the broth or cream.
Overall, love the recipe. I will definitely try again and make my adjustments instead of tripling all ingredients.
I served this with a salad of romaine, tomatoes, black olives, parmesan, and croutons with a copycat Olive Garden vinaigrette dressing. Yum!
I will definitely make this recipe again as it was delicious BUT I will leave out any and all salt. I thought it was extremely salty and I like salt on my food. I use a Cajan spice that has salt as one of the last ingrediants instead of Zataran’s where I believe salt is the first and main ingrediant. My recomendation is to just coat the shrimp with pepper to taste and flour and leave out the salt. I guess I’m one of the unlucky ones whose sauce didn’t thicken with just the chicken broth and heavy whipping cream and had to add the corn starch BUT your formula of 1TB starch to 4TB water was perfect. Like I said the flavor was excellent but leave out the salt.
Just made this and it was delicious. I followed the recipe, but added some garlic to the butter/oil and also added some seasoned salt to the shrimp. This will be added to our dinner rotation; thanks!
This was excellent. We are gluten free so I used cornstarch instead of flour and I did add some parmesan cheese to the sauce. I just topped the pasta with the shrimp so they stayed crispy. Thank you for sharing. This recipe is a keeper.
This was excellent!!! Thank you! It was so good, hubby and I wanted seconds and thirds…haha! I tweaked mine a bit to make for our family, with 2 little ones eating, too. You can check it out by clicking on my name. :)
Hey! I just made this meal. I must admit, all was going well until my sauce wouldn’t thicken and I realized I didn’t have cornstarch. My Husband even was getting discouraged and mumbled something about another screwed up meal. I decided to throw in the shrimp and noodles and next thing I know we’re both eating a delicious meal. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be cooking it again soon :)
Heather
St. Louis, MO
Yeowza this looks delish! Thanks for Sharing.
Really nice thanks – I love the change in texture with the crispy shrimp & soft pasta. Also, had to use king prawns here in the UK as the shrimp we get are tiny but tasted great!
This looks absolutely heavenly. I can’t wait to make this! This may just become my new signature dish.
New follower! Found your blog through A Cup of Jo.
I’ve made this dish for hubby and I many times over – its always a hit! Thanks!
I’ve never been compelled to post a comment on any recipes before (even though they were good) but I had to for this one. It’s delicious! I love recipes that don’t call for many ingredients.
I just want to thank-you for posting this wonderful recipe. I found it on Pinterest and made it tonight for dinner. My husband and I both enjoyed it very much. I did not have whipping cream, so I used half and half, but I just added the cornstarch and it thickened up perfectly. I also used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp, since I am unable to get fresh in my small town. It was still fabulous. I will be making this again very soon. Thanks again and keep those recipes coming!
I doubled the recipe for the husband as he wanted leftovers. I did not double the oil and butter for the shrimp. My sauce just would not thicken. After 20 minutes of trying I gave up in hopes it would thicken off the heat. It never did. I am not sure if it is b/c I doubled? I did used 1 3/4c broth vs the doubled would be 2 1/2 cups. We are hoping it will thicken overnight for his leftovers. We have now ordered a pizza….
I found this recipe on Pinterest and I have to come by and tell you how much I loved it! I made it tonight for dinner and my family loved it. The sauce was so creamy and the Cajun spice gave it just the right amount of kick! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I am making this for my husband tonight. we buy seafood in bulk at the Fish Market, and freeze it in dinner size packs for the 2 of us. So we’ve had shrimp a dozen different ways this month. This is going to be by far, the most tastiest, and hubby is looking forward to it. you should have seen his eyes light up when i told him what i was making for today. i will let you know how it turned out, it looks delish!!
OMGz! this was absolutely delightful. hubby loved the cream sauce, as well as the seasonings. i couldnt find Cajun seasoning, so i added Creole Seasonings. it turned out delish! thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Yesterday I googled shrimp pasta and your recipe popped up it looks amazing and I am making it tonight for Valentines’s dinner. I pinned it and it got over 50 repins! Thanks for sharing :)
A friend of mine recommended your blog and I cannot thank her enough eventhough I have trouble getting ahold of all required ingredients here in Germany.
This recipe is simply irresistable!
However, it lacked a bit of color for my taste so I added about half a cup of halved cherry tomatoes and arugula to the sauce just before combining it with the shrimp and the pasta. To die for! :)
My family LOVED this recipe! It was delicious and so easy. My 2 year-old ate 5 shrimp, which he normally doesn’t like shrimp. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. (I found it on Pinterest…love that site!)
I made this last night for dinner. It was simple to make and came together quickly. It was good; however, one whole teaspoon of pepper on the shrimp turned out to be a bit too much for my family, especially my four year old son, who usually loves shrimp. I would make it again, just reduce the amount of pepper. Also, I did have trouble getting the cream sauce to thicken, so I added the suggested water and corn starch mixture and it worked like a charm!
This is just like a recipe my Mom makes but she coats the shrimp in flour AND grated parm cheese and doesn’t do the cream sauce–just shrimp over rice pilaf YUM! I will definitely try this recipe though–love the photo for every step–so helpful! =)
This is just like recipe my Mom makes but she coats the shrimp in flour AND grated parm cheese and doesn’t do the cream sauce–just shrimp over rice pilaf YUM! I will definitely try this recipe though–love the photo for every step–so helpful! =)
We loved this shrimp pasta and have made it several times since you posted it. Thanks so much for sharing! :)
This looks to die for – will definitely have to make it for my husband who loves shrimp. I think you could also get away with using chicken tenders or flattened breasts as well (using the same dredging technique). Sauté them the same way, remove from the pan and finish the sauce. Mix a little sauce in with the pasta, then just before serving, dip the chicken in the sauce, place it on top of the pasta, and pour the remaining sauce over everything. Mmmm. Now we need breadsticks to go with it.
Amanda, you are a PEARL. Love this site, keep ’em comin. Asheville NC USA
This came out very flavorful! I used cornstarch instead of flour to make the shrimp extra crisp. However, in the end when tossed with the sauce and pasta, there was no “crispiness” to the shrimp, it just had a nice crust to it. I also added some fresh minced garlic to the butter and olive oil before adding the shrimp. The shrimp had a nice butter garlic flavor to it! I can’t tell you how lovely and aromatic my kitchen was as I was cooking the shrimp! As with many others, I too had trouble getting the sauce to thicken up. I found that melting some butter in the pan and whisking with flour for a couple minutes before adding the broth and heavy cream will thicken it right up and give it more of that alfredo consistency. Instead of cajun seasoning (since I don’t like even the slightest of spicy), I used salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash, which I love to use with everything I cook in! While the sauce is simmering, I covered the pan to let it thicken up, whisking every now and then. It worked! The end result is a very tasty and flavorful pasta dish! I used bowtie pasta instead of linguine the second time around since it’s easier for my toddler to eat. She loves it! The sauce is not enough for me, so I think from now on I will double the sauce or use just half of a 1lb. pasta box. Next time I will add capers and sauteed mushrooms and maybe a squeeze of lemon juice! I also like the idea of finishing it off with grated parmesan as someone had mentioned, but I didn’t have that on hand! This dish can be quite versatile! Thanks for sharing!
Hello Amanda! I must say that this recipe is amazing! I discovered it about a month ago and have probably made it at least 5 times since. Today I decided to make it again but changed up the recipe a bit. I had some sun-dried tomatoes in the cabinet that I needed to use so, I threw them in after I added the cream. It was even more delicious! I have found that the tomatoes give the recipe a nice mix of Italian and Cajun seasoning. I add that I love this recipe by itself but it has so much versatility! I will also say that the homemade cheeseburger mac recipe you posted is also amazing…..no more Hamburger Helper in this house…..EVER!!!
Looks absolutely delicious. Can you substitute the cream for like regular cream if you don’t have it on hand?
Or would whipping cream be more preferred?
Thanks!
Awesome! Though I had a tough time getting the sauce to thicken… any tips??
Finally made it and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. Loved it!
I totally tried this recipe with my family and they LoVeD it! I am so excited to try it again! I wish I could get the specific spices you used in it for the authentic flavoring! I have never been to the “South” and hope to one day do so! I would love to try some Gumbo!
Thanks for sharing this delictable dish!
OMG!!!! i going to try this recipe, for sure.. it looks delicious and i’m crazy about shrimps.. thank you for sharing!
If this were offered at a restaurant I would eat there everyday. I LOVED. I made it this evening to test, and now I can’t wait to make for everyone I love. It may be what I make for my next dinner club, after I verify that everyone likes shrimp. The simplicity of this is so great, I can see where after I’ve made a few times I won’t even need to consult the recipe. Thank you for this. I SO love your blog.
I’m excited to try this recipe, your blog is awesome, the pictures are just amazing.
I just made this. It was simple, quick, and so delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I have seriously looked at this meal about 25 times, mouth watering each time!! I am going to try and make it tonight and get over stalking it on your page! lol! Thanks for the yumminess!!!!
Thank you for the recipe! I made it tonight for my very picky family and it was a hit!
I can’t wait to make this dish!! Thanks for sharing!
PS. LOVE all the free fonts as well!
Thank yall!
Holly Ann
Baton Rouge, LA
Wow. This is a keeper! I made it the same day my friend sent the recipe to me and even my husband, who’s not big on shrimp, couldn’t keep out of the crispy little delights. He said he’d even like it without the sauce so I thought “What the heck!” It’s on the menu for next Monday night, sans sauce, and am figuring the calorie count right now.
The cheeseburger macaroni was a huge hit, too–it’s on for next week as well. :)
I was so excited to try this recipe – I love your website!
For me, the sauce didn’t thicken and the shrimp turned out way to salty, so I will have to try it again with a few adjustments. I love the idea of crispy shrimp with creamy pasta!
We loved this! However, we doubled the recipe and had trouble with the sauce thickening, too. Anyone have suggestions. It took 30-40 minutes for the sauce to thicken. It hasn’t stopped us from making it twice in 3 weeks! Yum!
Oh this looks yummy-licious!! I will definitely have to give this a try. I make something similar to this already but I don’t add the cream or the flour so the texture is a bit more like a butter sauce than a cream sauce. And I add tomatoes at the last minute or broccoli or onion… or all three. just depends on my mood.
Thanks for sharing!
Made this for the fam for dinner tonight – made a few small changes. I doubled the recipe (more or less) and used Old Bay instead of cajun seasoning. We also added shredded parmesan cheese at the last minute. It was terriffic!! Something we will definitely make again. I served it with homemade butter rolls. Yum!!!
Thanks so much for the great recipe, and all those awesome fonts!
Oh and I shared a link to your recipe – hope thats ok. :-)
Thanks so much for this recipe! Sounds so good can’t wait to try it! It really helps me out to find such a thorough recipe with step by step directions and photos!! I am still learning as far as cooking so those kind of recipes make it so much easier! To give you an idea, I am 28 years old and just boiled chicken for the FIRST TIME to make chicken and pastry last weekend… ;) I must also tell you that I search through so many recipes online trying to find ONE that I would want to try, and usually have no luck at all! So when I went to your page just now and saw this recipe, it was very exciting! =) Thanks again for the fonts and awesome recipes. Love your blog, great pics and it’s entertaining!! Great job. =)
OMG!, this was Soooo good. I made it exactly like the recipe and it was gorgeous. My husband just kept going yum and when he had finished, I could swear I heard a purr! This is definitely going on our favs list. Thanks!
My girlfriend made this for dinner for us over the weekend and it was absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to eat it again! Super yummy!
Thank you so much for the great ideas, I love shrimp and pasta. I hope you two have a restaurant or that it will be in your future. Ann
I made this last night. It was totally delish. Easy to make and I will definitely make it again. Restaurant worthy! Thanks for the recipe.
I am always up for pasta!
This looks awesome! Hope to see you soon!
Oh hello! This sounds and looks awesome!
This looks scrumptious and love the photo! Cheers.
Oooh, sounds amazing! Adding this to the list. :-)
This reminds me of a wonderful dish we had at a little cafe on our honeymoon. I will have to make this for my husband.
I could eat this every night of the week and be the happiest girl ever!! Yum girl and great photos!
This looks great and super quick and easy! Thanks for the calorie breakdown – much appreciated!
Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait to make it!
Yummy! We’re eating this as we speak and it is delicioso :D
Thanks for posting this yummy, yummy din! I made this tonight and it was a huuge hit! My 2 year old gobbled it all UP too! ;-)
Made this for lunch it was awesome!!
This looks amazing! I love shrimp AND pasta and can’t wait to try this. Thanks!
I am making this for my dinner, as I type this. Oh, and I’ll make to have enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Yay! Thanks for sharing. :)
Mmm, this looks delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I look forward to making it!
Amanda–
Not only does the recipe look wonderful, but I appreciate the effort you took to provide the CalorieCount breakdown. Thank you thank you thank you!
That looks so good, although heavy, but good :]
I’d like this for dinner tonight, please! Delicious!
This looks delicious and super simple. Thanks for sharing!!
Oh this looks soooo good! Will have to post links to your blog (again) :)
Thanks for sharing, look delicious going to make tonight!
Looks delic girl.
So how DO you cook with one hand holding a camera anyway? ?
Oh my Cajun soul singeth! LOUDLY
looks delicious, thanks!!
Hi Amanda, I’m a seafood buff and my DH loves pasta…so this is just perfect for us! Thanks for sharing. :)
Amanda, this looks delicious! Even if touching raw shrimp is something I’ve never done, it’s something I just may brave so I can taste this for myself!
This was delicious! I did change it just a tad by adding a little bit of panko bread crumbs to the flour for that extra bit of crispiness to the shrimp. Hubby loved, and he usually just prefers his shrimp sauteed in butter with garlic and lemon. Thanks for sharing:)