Juicy sautéed shrimp cooked in a flavorful lemon garlic butter sauce, this palate pleaser in a pan is ready in 20 minutes or less. Plus, a few sneaky ingredients make this Garlic Butter Shrimp lighter than recipes you’ll find elsewhere.

Clear indicators of a fantastic meal:

• It demands you use a hunk of bread to mop up every last lick of sauce from your plate (like Baked Shrimp Scampi).
• Any precious drips that found their way onto the table are also savored, because each morsel is too delicious to be wasted.

This easy garlic butter shrimp recipe is one of those fabulous recipes.

Decadent, dripping with flavor, and tasting just as good (and, in my opinion, better) than any garlic butter shrimp from a restaurant, this versatile stovetop shrimp recipe (hallelujah for one-pan cooking!) is one of the BEST recipes to come out of my kitchen.

Shrimp is one of my favorite proteins, especially for busy weeknights, for a few reasons:

• They take only minutes to cook. We’re talking 3 to 4 minutes and DONE.
• They’re high protein and low calorie.
• Shrimp are mild. That means you can make them as spicy (like Shrimp Tacos) or not spicy (like Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa) as you like.
• Shrimp recipes are EASY. I know that cooking with seafood might sound fancy, but please believe me that it is not. This garlic butter shrimp is appropriate for beginners (same with all of the easy shrimp recipes you’ll find on my site).
• They’re versatile. They’re equally delicious in this bright Mediterranean Shrimp as they are in this Cajun Shrimp Pasta.
• Cook them indoors or out. While this shrimp recipe is designed for the stovetop, now that summer is approaching (it is approaching, isn’t it?), keep shrimp in mind for the grill with recipes like Pineapple Shrimp Kabobs and Grilled Shrimp Seasoning.

Now that I have you sold on cooking shrimp, let’s delve into this recipe a bit more.

How to Make the BEST Garlic Butter Shrimp

This garlic butter shrimp recipe has few ingredients, so make each one of them count.

If you are new to cooking shrimp, fear not!

There’s helpful information throughout this post so you can cook this shrimp with garlic butter sauce (and just about any shrimp recipe!) with success.

The Ingredients

• Shrimp. Not only are shrimp packed with protein, but they’re also loaded with other beneficial vitamins and minerals, including phosphorus, copper, zinc, magnesium, and calcium.

• Unsalted Butter. It’s not garlic butter shrimp without it!
• Garlic. A BFF flavor with shrimp. Sometimes less is more, but when it comes to garlic and shrimp, I say, more is more!
• Lemon. The other flavor bestie for shrimp, it adds freshness and pop (like in this Sheet Pan Mediterranean Shrimp).

• White Wine. For the butter garlic shrimp white wine, choose a dry wine, such as sauvignon blanc, and make sure it tastes good enough to drink with dinner. (This Garlic Shrimp Pasta is another wine-infused shrimp recipe to try.)

• Red Pepper. A pinch wakes up the shrimp but won’t overpower it. If you prefer a spicy garlic butter shrimp (with heat like this Spicy Shrimp Pasta), feel free to add additional cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste. Garlic butter shrimp with paprika is another fun way to add some spice without it being too hot.
• Fresh Herbs. Don’t be tempted by dry. They won’t have the same marvelous results. A handful of fresh parsley and a sprig of thyme or rosemary do wonders for this recipe.
• Choice of Side. Garlic butter shrimp with rice, garlic butter shrimp with linguine, and garlic butter shrimp with grits. No matter your side, you really can’t go wrong.

The Directions

1. Pat the shrimp dry.

2. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with seasonings.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the shallot.

4. Once softened, arrange the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute, then flip to cook the other side.

5. Add the wine and garlic and cook the shrimp until they are pink.

6. Remove from the heat, and stir in the remaining butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and your choice of side. ENJOY!

Storage Tips

• To Store. Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• To Reheat. Cooked shrimp are typically best enjoyed the day they are made but can be reheated very gently in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat covered with a lid. You could also take a note from Air Fryer Shrimp and experiment with using the air fryer to reheat shrimp.

What Goes Well With Garlic Butter Shrimp

This is one of the most versatile shrimp recipes to come out of my kitchen. Here’s how I like to serve it:

• Garlic Butter Shrimp and Rice. Make a side of brown rice (or this Lemon Rice!) and spoon the shrimp, along with plenty of the yummy lemon garlic butter sauce, over the top. Cauliflower rice is a nice low-carb option.
• Garlic Butter Shrimp and Veggies. You can roast, steam, sauté, or grill veggies, then serve them along with the shrimp. Pro tip: vegetables (especially Grilled Broccoli) taste fabulous with this garlic butter sauce on top too!
• A Nice, Crusty Baguette. A few slices to mop up the cooking liquid will instantly make any night feel special. (This No Knead Focaccia would also be a tasty pairing.)

More Ways to Serve Garlic Butter Shrimp

Side Dishes

Roasted Broccolini

25 mins

Side Dishes

Grilled Asparagus

15 mins

Pastas

Pasta al Limone

15 mins

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

• Skillet. A large cast-iron skillet is just about all you need to prepare this easy one-pan recipe.
• Mixing Bowl. For tossing the shrimp in the seasoning (you could also try this Grilled Shrimp Seasoning too).
• Tongs. Make turning the shrimp over as they cook a breeze.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you thought!

Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked the recipe.

Don’t mind me, I’m just using a straw to siphon every last drop of garlic butter from my plate.