This Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe is a quick and flavorful dish perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions. With juicy shrimp cooked in a rich, buttery garlic sauce, it’s a simple yet impressive meal that’s ready in just 15 minutes.

I’ve been preparing shrimp recipes for years now, and each time I make one, my family and I enjoy it more and more. These recipes are the best because they’re quick and easy to prepare, and they’re incredibly flavorful.
Why You’ll love this recipe
- Rich and Savory Flavor.
- Quick and Easy Preparation
- Versatility: Garlic butter shrimp is incredibly versatile. You can serve it as an appetizer or as a main course with rice or pasta.
- Crowd-Pleaser: My family and I love it so much. Whether I’m cooking for family or guests, it’s a dish that tends to receive rave reviews.
How do I prepare shrimp?
For a quicker meal, I like to use peeled and deveined shrimp. It may cost a little more, but will save you a lot of prep time. If you use shrimp that requires cleaning first, you will have a few extra steps before cooking.
- Wash the shrimp and discard any that look slimy or discolored.
- Pull off the legs and continue pulling back the shell, then remove the tail.
- Cut down the back of the shrimp and pull out the black vein. To remove the vein easily, slide a toothpick underneath to help lift the vein up and out.
- Allow the shrimp to soak in cold water until you are ready to use them. Then, pat them dry with a paper towel by cooking.
Ingredient to make Garlic Butter Shrimp
The garlic butter sauce brings this garlic butter shrimp recipe to another level. So, you can use as much butter and garlic as you wish.
- Olive oil — I like using extra virgin olive oil but you can use a neutral oil of your choice.
- Fresh Shrimp — raw, peeled, and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic — I prefer freshly minced garlic over buying pre-minced.
- Butter — I recommend unsalted butter.
- Italian seasoning
- Juice of 1 lemon — or more, to taste. Citrus always add more flavour to a seafood dish.
- Fresh parsley — or herb of your choice. Cilantro and basil work as well.
- Optional: add a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat. You can also add some ground onions, garlic powder or bay seasoning.

How to cook shrimp
- Thaw shrimp completely in the refrigerator before cooking.
- Heat a cast iron skillet (non-stick pan works too) over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add the shrimp and season well.
- Cook until the shrimp is pink and opaque. Depending on the size of the shrimp, it should only take four to five minutes to cook fully.
- Add garlic to the skillet, and cook and stir few times for about 1 minute. Add butter, Italian seasoning and lemon juice or lime juice. Stir in shrimp and cook for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe tip
If the shrimp starts turning white, it’s overcooked. Over cooked shrimp will be rubbery, so don’t let them cook too long.
Can I Make this recipes with frozen shrimp?
Yes, you can! First, you need to defrost the shrimp.
Place the frozen shrimp in a sealed bag. Then, submerge the bag in cold water for about 20 minutes. Change the water halfway through. This keeps the shrimp safe from bacteria while thawing quickly and evenly.
Avoid using hot water, as it can partially cook the shrimp.
Can I make this recipe with Pre-cooked Shrimp?
Absolutely! You can use pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe. Since they’re already cooked, simply stir them into the skillet at the end, after the garlic butter sauce is finished.
Toss them quickly for about 1-2 minutes, just until they warm up, to prevent overcooking.
How To Store Leftovers
- To Store: You can store this garlic butter shrimp in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- To Freeze: This garlic butter shrimp will last in the freezer for about three months. I like to use an airtight container, so the shrimp doesn’t take on any odors from the fridge.
- To reheat: To reheat the meal, I prefer to toss it in a pan over low heat. If you have frozen it, be sure to thaw it before reheating. Shrimp does not reheat well in the microwave.

What goes well with this shrimp recipe?
This perfectly seasoned garlic butter shrimp needs side dishes to create a complete meal and a light dinner. I love to serve this shrimp recipe with:
- Pasta: It’s a classic choice
- Roasted asparagus for a healthy and delicious side dish.
- Shrimp Tacos
- Salad (I love shrimp salad)
- This Tomato salad goes so well with any type of protein and especially shrimp.
- Shrimp Quinoa Bowl
- Grits

More Shrimp Recipes:
If you love easy shrimp recipes, try this Shrimp boil recipe or this Cajun Shrimp. I also always make this curry coconut shrimp. So good!
And I highly recommend you thy this shrimp scampi recipe and shrimp skewers as well.

Garlic Butter Shrimp
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil extra virgin
- 1 lb shrimp raw, peeled and deveined
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 4 tbsp grass-fed butter melted — use Ghee if you're doing Whole30
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Juice of 1 lemon or more, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add shrimp, salt and pepper.
- Cook until pink for about 3 minutes. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. Set aside.
- Add garlic to the skillet, and cook and stir few times for about 1 minute. Add butter, Italian seasoning and lemon juice.
- Stir in shrimp and gently toss everything to combine. Cook for another minute.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley.
Tips
- Pat dry the shrimp before you add them to the skillet so they sear instead of steam.
- If using frozen shrimp, make sure they are fully thawed before you start cooking with them.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Bill Weltin says
Made the garlic butter shrimp last night. Nice added touch to our Caesar Salad !
Olivia says
That’s perfect!
Maria vilma Ribas de Farias says
Delicious it food
Olivia says
Happy you liked it!
Glenda Carter says
Love it 💕.
Olivia says
Happy you liked it!
Karen Bliese says
Made this recipe with precooked frozen shrimp, with Olivia’s help, it turned out great!
Olivia Ribas says
Karen, I’m so happy that it turned out great for you!! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback 😉