Ultimate Shrimp Alfredo Recipe

Name: Ultimate Shrimp Alfredo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 pound Fettuccine; 10 tablespoons butter; 1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined, tails removed if desired); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 cups heavy cream (UK double cream); ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving); Salt and black pepper ( to taste); 1 tablespoon Fresh parsley (Chopped)

Dinner can be ready in less than 30 minutes with this easy and decadent Shrimp Alfredo recipe. Why order out when you can make it at home?

Serve with fresh garlic bread for an amazing weeknight dinner.

A pan of Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp and garnished with parsley

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Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo is a fantastic quick and easy weeknight dinner, but it’s also special enough for guests! What could be better than delicious shrimp and fettuccine pasta smothered in a garlicky cream sauce?

Why This Recipe Works

Sauteeing the shrimp with garlic adds a punch of flavor to the dish.
Using Freshly grated parmesan cheese ensures it melts easily into the sauce.
Finishing the pasta in the sauce allows the sauce to coat the fettuccine and soak up the flavor.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo From Scratch

This used to be one of my favorite dishes to order when dining out. But now that I’ve perfected my own recipe, I can make it homemade for a lot less money, and it tastes absolutely fantastic.

Shrimp Buying Guide

There are a lot of choices when buying shrimp. Here’s some guidance for making the best purchase.

raw shrimp with tails still on stitting on ice

Fresh isn’t as fresh as you think. Just because shrimp is displayed raw doesn’t mean it’s freshly caught. Only a small percentage (about 10%) sold in the US comes from the US. The rest is imported so chances are it’s has been previously frozen. Be sure to ask at the counter and don’t buy defrosted.
When buying frozen, choose individually quick-frozen shrimp, as you can thaw exactly what you need.
Buy untreated shrimp. Some manufacturers chemically treat frozen shrimp so check the ingredients on the bag and make sure “Shrimp” is the only ingredient listed.

How To Defrost Frozen Shrimp

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator in a covered bowl. Or for a quicker option, place them in a colander and run under cold water for a few minutes. Be sure to thoroughly dry the shrimp before cooking.

What Cheese For Alfredo Sauce

Use a cheese with lots of flavor that will melt easily into the sauce like Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano, Asiago or Grana Padano.

I highly recommend grating your cheese fresh for alfredo sauce. Pre-grated, store-bought cheeses are mixed with preservatives to prevent caking, which makes it harder to melt and can result in a grainy sauce.

How To Make Shrimp Alfredo

Cook the fettuccine. Meanwhile, saute the shrimp with garlic, remove from pan and set aside. Make the sauce using cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, and seasoning. Add the pasta and shrimp back to the pan to coat before serving.

Step By Step Instructions

Cook the pasta in salted water until just under done.

When cooking pasta, add enough salt to the water to season the pasta. Even the best sauce can’t fix bland pasta.

Fettuccine being lifted from the pasta water

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Saute the shrimp for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink and opaque.

Shrimp cook super fast! Depending on their size and temperature of your pan, they can cook in seconds so keep an eye on them! As soon as they turn from translucent gray to opaque pink, they’re done!

Add the garlic and cook another minute. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, heat the cream over low-medium heat.

Add the remaining butter and whisk gently until melted.

The butter added to the cream for the Alfredo sauce.

Mix in the cheese. Season with freshly grated black pepper.

Some Parmesan cheese is salty, so be sure to taste before seasoning with salt.

The cheese being added to the sauce in the pan

Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Add pasta to the pan with the cooked shrimp, gently toss to coat in the Alfredo sauce (adding some of the pasta water if needed to loosen).

A close up of pasta with creamy sauce and shrimp

Top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley. Serve hot.

Erren’s Top Tips

There’s nothing worse than mushy pasta. For this recipe — it should still have a good bite. I recommend tasting your pasta for doneness about three minutes before the time on the box. You want a good firmness in the center. It will finish cooking in the sauce.
Don’t use oil in your pasta water– it will cause the sauce to just slip off the pasta instead of coating it.
Use Cream with high-fat content as it thickens when cooked without the use of flour thickening agent.
Be sure to serve immediately as Alfredo sauce will dry out as it cools causing the dish to start to clump together.

What Can I Use Instead Of Heavy Cream In Alfredo Sauce?

If you need to substitute heavy cream in Alfredo sauce you can use sour cream, Greek yogurt, non-dairy substitutes, or cream cheese. All alternatives can be mixed with milk or stock to achieve the best consistency.

Can you make Fettuccine Alfredo ahead?

The best way to make it ahead is to make the sauce, chill in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Then to reheat, cook the pasta, and add it to the sauce before serving.

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