Shrimp scampi feels like restaurant food. If you've never made it, you'll be surprised at how easy this keto shrimp scampi is. In about 15 minutes, you'll have buttery, garlicky shrimp that are tasty enough to serve to guests. It's naturally low in carbs, so you can enjoy it as-is or spoon it over zucchini noodles. Either way, it is the ultimate elevated fast food.
Shrimp scampi is one of those dinners that feels a fancy, but couldn't be easier to make. Especially if you start with raw, already cleaned shrimp.
One of the things I love about shrimp scampi recipes is how naturally they fit a low-carb lifestyle. You can serve it as is with a veggie side, or spoon it over zoodles or your favorite low-carb pasta.
Just don't forget something to soak up the extra garlic butter. Trust me, you'll want every last drop.
A 15-Minute Keto Dinner
If you grab raw shrimp that's already peeled and deveined (do make sure they are raw and not cooked) this easy keto shrimp scampi recipe is one of the fastest hot dinners going.
Make sure that you pat the shrimp dry. If you leave them wet, they will steam. I lay them on a paper towel and gently press the top with another paper towel.
Frozen is fine, by the way. I keep a bag in the freezer for exactly these nights. Thaw them in a bowl of cold water for ten minutes and they're ready.
Don't wander off when the garlic goes in
Garlic in butter is the whole personality of this dish. It's also the thing most likely to turn on you. Thirty seconds, medium heat, stirring. That's all it needs. You want it fragrant and pale gold.
Past that it browns, and browned-too-far garlic goes bitter. Get your shrimp dry and ready before the garlic ever hits the pan.
The 30-second window that makes or breaks it
Shrimp cook fast. Faster than you think. We're talking a minute, maybe a minute and a half, before they even start turning pink.
Here's the trick I lean on. Watch the curl. A shrimp that's done curls into a loose C. A shrimp that's overdone clenches into a tight little O. That O is rubber. That O is regret. The space between the two is about thirty seconds, so I pull them the second they go opaque with a blush of pink, even if part of me thinks they need more. They don't.
When I tested this in my kitchen, the batch I babysat came out tender and the batch I "let go just a little longer" came out chewy. Same shrimp. Same pan. Thirty seconds of ego. Watch the curl.
Want it creamy?
Creamy shrimp scampi is easy. After the shrimp come out, stir a couple tablespoons of heavy cream or a spoonful of cream cheese into the pan sauce and let it warm through before you add the butter and lemon. It loosens into a silky, spoonable buttery sauce.
What to serve it over
You don't actually need anything under it. I've eaten this straight from the skillet standing up, and I'd do it again. But the sauce is too good to leave behind, so give it something to soak into.
Zucchini noodles are the classic move. Make them, salt them, let them drain so they don't water down your beautiful sauce, then toss the hot shrimp right on top.
Cauliflower rice is my other go-to, especially if I want something that drinks up every last drop. Spaghetti squash works if you've got one roasting anyway. I am personally a huge fan of spaghetti squash.
On keto but your family isn't? Serve theirs over regular pasta.
A Few Things I've Learned
- Buy the biggest shrimp your budget allows. Bigger shrimp are more forgiving on timing and they feel like a treat. Look for 21/25 count if you can. But don't sweat it. I will choose cleaned over big every time.
- Salt the shrimp, not just the sauce. Seasoning them before they hit the pan is the difference between flavored shrimp and shrimp sitting in flavored butter.
- Have everything ready before you turn on the heat. This dish goes from raw to done in under five minutes. There's no time to mince garlic mid-cook. Get it all chopped, juiced, and zested first, then go.
- Serve it immediately. Scampi waits for no one. The sauce is at its silkiest the moment it comes off the heat, so get it to the table while it's still glossy.
Step-by-Step
Keto Shrimp Scampi
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup broth or dry white wine
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- For garnish: parsley
Instructions
- Season both sides of the shrimp with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp, and stir for 1 to 1 ½ minutes, until they just start to turn pink.
- Pour in the broth (or wine), and sprinkle with the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan, along with the lemon juice and zest.
- Remove from heat.
- Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
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