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This Creamy Parmesan Basil Shrimp is a restaurant quality dish you can make at home! Creamy luscious sauce envelops plump shrimp, perfect for serving over pasta, or make it keto and serve with spaghetti squash instead!
The best creamy shrimp recipe
If you are looking for the best creamy shrimp recipe, this is it. Oh my goodness, you guys. So much flavor in this creamy basil sauce – all the best flavors, like garlic, Parmesan, butter, cream. Yes, this is the good stuff, and at least as good as you would get at a restaurant. This Creamy Basil Parmesan Shrimp is perfect for a date night at home, but quick and easy enough to serve on a weeknight.
We served this creamy shrimp over pasta, but it is also the perfect keto shrimp recipe. So to keep it keto and low carb, skip the pasta and serve it with veggies – like spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles (zoodles), or cauliflower mash.
Should you cook with shrimp with the shells on or off?
This is a personal preference. I usually buy frozen, peeled shrimp – so I cook them without the shells. But if you have shrimp with the shells, you can leave them on during the cooking and it will just add more flavor to the dish!
Should you leave the tails on or off when cooking shrimp?
Again this is a personal preference. I leave the tails on, but feel free to remove the tails before cooking if you prefer.
If you like this, you will love these other easy shrimp recipes
Easy Broccoli and Shrimp Stir Fry
Creamy Parmesan Basil Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds shrimp
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 yellow onion finely minced
- 3-4 ounces roasted red peppers thinly sliced.
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves plus more for garnish
- 1 cup fresh grated parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken stock)
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large non stick pan on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, then sear, 1-2 minutes on each side, until just pink. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet add 1 tablespoons butter. Add onion, garlic, peppers, paprika, red chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions and peppers are softened.
- Add wine to deglaze the skillet and bring to a gentle simmer until reduced by half.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Add cream to the skillet and stir until a creamy sauce forms. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add Parmesan, stir until melted into sauce. Stir in basil, simmer until wilted, 1-2 minutes.
- Add shrimp back to the skillet and reheat 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve over pasta, zoodles, spaghetti squash.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Honestly the best sauce I have ever tasted. I put it over zoodles and also added scallops with the shrimp!
This dish was a hit. Tried to post a picture. Can’t do it. Will make again.
I’ve never left a review on a recipe on here before but this is amazing and deserves it. My husband and I had it over Zoodles and will definitely be having this again and again!!! ❤️
I’m so happy you love it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! It means so much to me.
Impossible to print the recipe without all the ads and pictures! And the big turquoise colour bar across the top. Grrrrr.
Hi Mia, Thank you for letting me know. Does the print button (the one with a printer icon) in the recipe card not work for you?
Hmmm….
1. Left click, hold and drag until entire recipe is highlighted.
2. Copy
3. Open any text editor
4. Paste
5. Print recipe
Then you don’t need to waste your precious time complaining about a fantastic recipe :)!
just not true. printed normal for me. hit “print recipe” button rather than print the whole page.
Going to try it tonight. I am sure it will be as good as the Creamy Chicken and Basil Yummy
One of my very favorite recipes ever. Everything about it is scrumptious! AND it’s quick and easy!
absolutely delicious, i used argentinian red ship, steer away from farm raised one the taste is awful remember they get fed pellets and the swim in their own pond filled with their feses always try wild caught
Very tasty. I added zucchini, fresh basil and sundried tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you liked it!
Loved it! Modified some ingredients/steps to reduce amount of cheese, used scallops and crab, added zoodles instead of preparing pasta. Made it a one pan dish. VERY flavorful. This is a keeper!
So glad you loved it!
This amazing dinner was a hit!! I did add a tsp of cornstarch to the cream mixture to thicken it up! Was fantastic!! Absolutely making again!!
So glad you loved it!
This dish is amazing VERY DELICIOUS! We added mushrooms, and zucchini. We white pepper and salted the shrimp and served over cauliflower rice that i roasted in a pan.
So very good great way to use all the fresh basil from the garden. Will be making this again for sure.
I’m so happy to hear that Deborah!
Did not turn out well. The flavor was amazing, but the parmesan cheese turned stringy and gummy. It causes all my basil to lump up with it. Picked out cheese/basil lumps, added corn starch to thicken, and added more basil .
I used an expensive 100% parmesan cheese already grated. Del Gioioso.
I will try again with different brand of cheese even if oh have to grate it myself
Hi Jamie – I always recommend grating your own Parmesan when possible. Pre-grated cheese tends to have additives to keep with from clumping, which can make it melt weird. Buying a wedge of Parmesan and grating it with a microplane will usually give you better results. Plus it lasts longer, tastes better and usually ends up being less expensive.
Loved it!!! I didn’t have wine so used beer instead but it was still delish! I need to remember to get those little bottles of wine to keep for dishes like this🥰 Wine also keeps the cheese from being stringy and stretchy so you don’t have to lift your arm way up for a bite and have cheese all over!
I’m so glad it turned out well!
I’ve had this recipe on my waiting list for a while and finally made it tonight. It was a hit with the entire family. Also good enough to make for company.
SO glad you loved it!
Incredible!
So glad you love it Elaine!
Made this tonight. Only tweek was the addition of baby spinach. Served over fettuccine with homemade yeast rolls, absolutely fabulous.
Sounds wonderful, so glad to hear you loved it Nancy!
It was delicious. It tasted like I was in a restaurant eating it. I served my husbands with rice and myself with zoodles. I think next time I’ll do pasta. Soooo good.
Huge hit for Father’s Day dinner! So much flavour. I increased the red pepper flakes a smidge only because we like a little heat. And next time I might use a lighter cream just to lighten the sauce a little…not sure, jury is still out on that LOL. Served it on my homemade pasta and a side of homemade dinner rolls made with cheese, roasted red peppers, garlic & Italian seasoning. Flavour explosion & so filling! Definitely will be making again.
Yay! I am so happy it was a hit!
How many servings is this recipe?
Hi Joanne – it makes 4 servings.
Just made this recipe for my family, no wine, chicken stock instead,removed bell peppers before serving for the kids choice. Turned out delicious,everyone loved it. So creamy!
So glad you loved it!
This was so good, restaurant quality!!! Made per recipe and wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks for sharing this.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this for lunch and my grandson loved it! I only had 8oz of whipping cream so I subbed the rest with whole milk mixed with a little bit of cornstarch and at the end I added frozen peas. yum-o! This one is a keeper.
So happy you loved it Renie!