Lemon Shrimp Pasta

4.63 from 48 votes

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GET👏IN 👏MY👏BELLY! Why go to a restaurant when you can whip up the creamiest, dreamiest Lemon Shrimp Pasta right at home? My white wine and butter sauce masterpiece 🧑🏻‍🎨 is so good, you’ll question all your life choices up to this point. Best part is, it’s ready in just 15 minutes, plus you’ll feel like the pasta gods themselves blessed your kitchen.

A white pan filled with creamy shrimp linguine garnished with fresh parsley and lemon slices. A wooden spoon is placed within the pasta, and the dish sits on a light surface.

Why You’ll Love Lemon Shrimp Pasta

This recipe is perfect for 🎄 Christmas Eve, making it a great option for Feast of the Seven Fishes 🐟 as one of your seafood dishes, or any time of year. Picture this: perfectly sautéed shrimp, bathed in a luscious white wine and butter sauce with just the right kick of fresh lemon. Every bite is a blend of zesty citrus, velvety sauce, and tender pasta 🍝, all coming together that feels both gourmet and comforting. It’s light, rich, and elegant—just the kind of dish you want to dive into for a cozy night in or an impressive dinner. One taste, and your tastebuds will be singing!

How to Prepare

🧈 Melt butter and olive oil in a pan on medium heat until hot and shimmering.

🦐 Cook raw shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until pink; remove from the pan.

🧄 In the same pan, add garlic and chili flakes; stir.

♨️ Pour in white wine and let it cook off until thick and reduced.

🍋 Add heavy cream, a pinch of salt and pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice; stir.

💦 Return the cooked shrimp to the pan with cooked pasta and a splash of pasta water.

🌿 Stir everything together, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Nonna’s Tip

Boil the pasta of choice in salt and water. The water should be as salty as the sea 🌊 as it’s your only chance to season it.

A dish of shrimp linguine is garnished with lemon slices and parsley. The pasta is mixed with succulent shrimp, and a wooden spoon is visible in the creamy sauce.

Variations and Substitutions for Lemon Shrimp Pasta

This lovely lemon shrimp pasta is so flexible, but remember to adjust quantities and cooking times accordingly based on the substitutions you choose to ensure the best results. Don’t forget to tell me in the comments how you make this dish your own!

  1. Feel free to substitute white wine with chicken or vegetable broth for a non-alcoholic version.
  2. Instead of heavy cream, you can use cream cheese if you have it, canned 🥥 coconut milk (a great option if you’re dairy-free), or a combination of regular milk and Greek yogurt for a lighter option. Cashew cream would also work!
  3. You could swap traditional pasta with whole wheat pasta, gluten-free pasta, or even spiralized vegetables like zucchini or sweet potato for a lower-carb option.
  4. Experiment with different 🌿 herbs like thyme, oregano, or basil in addition to or instead of parsley.
  5. Instead of shrimp, you can use diced chicken, scallops, or even a combination of different 🐟 seafood.
  6. For a vegetarian option, consider adding roasted vegetables such as 🍅 cherry tomatoes, asparagus, or mushrooms.

More Seafood Recipes

Best Served With

  1. A classic Caesar salad with crisp romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing.
  2. Seasonal vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, or 🫑 bell peppers roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  3. Slices of baguette or my cheesy roasted garlic bread.
  4. A Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil drizzled with balsamic glaze.
  5. A lovely Italian Bruschetta would be wonderful served as an appetizer before this lemon shrimp pasta.

Common Questions

How much salt should I add?

Boil the pasta of choice in salt and water. The water should be a salty as the sea as it’s your only chance to season it.

What type of salt Do you use?

I use Redmond Real Salt, please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be less or more salty. Salt is to taste, so please always taste and adjust as you cook.

What can I use instead of heavy cream?

You can use cream cheese instead of heavy cream or even the cream that sits on top of a can of coconut milk if you are dairy-free. Cashew cream is also an option. 

How can I make this recipe vegan?

Feel free to use plant-based butter and dairy-free milk, and leave out the shrimp to make this a plant-based meal. 

A white plate filled with creamy garlic shrimp pasta, garnished with chopped parsley. The golden-brown shrimp are arranged on top of the linguine noodles. Two lemon wedges are placed at the edge of the plate. A fork rests nearby.

Lemon Shrimp Pasta

This is the most perfect and creamy Lemon Shrimp Pasta in a white wine and butter sauce. Why go out when you can make something even better at home? It takes 15 minutes from start to finish and it’s the most heavenly pasta dish of all time.
4.63 from 48 votes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Makes: 2 people
Author: The Modern Nonna
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 14 tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • chilli flakes, optional
  • cup white wine , or vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup heavy cream, or cream from a can of coconut milk
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • zest of one lemon
  • lemon juice, to taste
  • cooked pasta of choice, I used 150 grams dry linguine
  • splash of starchy pasta water
  • parsley, for garnish

Instructions 

  • In a pan on medium heat melt the butter and olive oil and make sure it’s hot and it shimmers before you add the raw shrimp.
  • Cook the shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until pink and remove it from the pan. In the same pan add the garlic and chilli flakes and stir.
  • Add the white wine and let it cook off for a few minutes until thick and reduced. Add the heavy cream, a pinch of salt and pepper, lemon zest + lemon juice and stir.
  • Add the shrimp back in with the cooked pasta and a splash of the pasta water. Stir it all up, garnish with parsley, serve and enjoy.

Video

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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Hi! I'm Sneji. Nice to meet you!

I am more commonly known as “The Modern Nonna” on social media where I create easy home cooked meals with a modern twist. I was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and learned how to cook at the best culinary school in the world – my grandma’s kitchen. I lived in Greece on the Island of Crete with my parents for a while and then moved to Toronto, Canada when I was in grade 5. I started to really cook and experiment with food 11 years ago when I was 21 years old. Everything I currently know is a reflection of some part of my life…

Keep up to date with me on social media! Follow @themodernnonna

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26 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    It tasted good but I made the sauce twice and both times it curdled after I put the lemon juice in. The second try I took it off the heat before adding the cream. Was I doing something wrong?

    1. Hi Elizabeth, ohh nooo so sorry to hear that, the sauce is still probably way too hot and maybe more lemon juice was added than I did. In your case, I would do a lot more zest and it won’t curdle that way. Hope you try it again ❤️

  2. 5 stars
    New Years Eve dinner for us this year and it did not disappoint. Simple yet refined…the flavours where so beautifully balanced. Only change I made was that I peeled my shrimps after the first step and ran the butter/oil through the colander…..liquid gold! Will be making this again. I can imagine it may also be nice with some salmon or mussels!