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This restaurant-quality Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo is a classic pasta dish, loaded with plump shrimp, tender fettuccine, and a luxuriously smooth and creamy Alfredo sauce with parmesan cheese!
Serve this shrimp fettuccine alfredo in just 30 minutes with a side salad or homemade dinner rolls to soak up all the delicious sauce!
Serve with garlic bread or Asiago Focaccia Bread, Roasted Red Pepper Ricotta Crostini, and a Chopped Vegetable Salad, and Italian Ricotta Cookies for dessert, and you have a delicious Italian-inspired meal.
Since it is so easy to make, give it a try and I’ll bet it becomes one of your favorite Seafood and Pasta Main Dishes!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Shrimp fettuccine alfredo is both rich and light without requiring much time over the hot stove – perfect as a summertime pasta meal.
- While this dish is typically expensive when ordered at a restaurant, this homemade version saves you money while being super easy to make too!
- With just 10 wholesome ingredients, this shrimp fettuccine alfredo comes together in 30 minutes, making it ideal as a midweek family meal when you need that pasta fix!
Why This Recipe Works
- This shrimp fettuccine alfredo recipe includes step-by-step instructions with photos for making the seafood pasta dish from scratch.
- The ingredients called for in this recipe are simple, pantry-staple items, that are likely to already be in your pantry and fridge or easily sourced from your local grocery store.
- You only need to spare 30 minutes of your time to make this deliciously creamy and flavorful shrimp fettuccine alfredo. Perfect for a midweek family meal!
- You don't need to scroll too far before coming across helpful recipe tips and tricks to make shrimp fettuccine alfredo.
- Shrimp fettuccine alfredo is a family-favorite that I've enjoyed making for years. As a result, you can trust that I'm guiding you from tried and true techniques and processes.
- Recipe variations have been included in case you want to mix things up, or try something new to keep things interesting for yourself and the family.
- Serving suggestions are provided in this recipe that you can use to enjoy this shrimp fettuccine alfredo.
What’s Needed To Make This Recipe
🍽 Equipment
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🥘 Ingredients
Below, I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions if you don't have a specific ingredient. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.
- Fettuccine pasta – This pasta is best cooked al dente since it will continue cooking as the other elements of the dish are made and when combined.
- Butter – I've used unsalted butter in this recipe since salted butter contains more water which can result in the shrimp steaming in the pan instead of cooking. If you only have salted butter on hand, simply omit the salt listed in the ingredients. Oil can also be used in place of butter when first cooking the shrimp but you will still need some butter for the alfredo sauce.
- Raw shrimp – Peeled and deveined medium to large shrimp with their tails removed and patted dry. You can also use frozen shrimp for this recipe that are deveined, fresh shrimp, or even cooked shrimp.
- Salt – Omit the salt if you've used salted butter.
- Black pepper – Cracked.
- Garlic – Minced. You could also mince a garlic clove instead.
- Heavy cream – Creates a luxurious alfredo sauce.
- Spaghetti water – Hot. The heat from the boiled pasta water won't cool down the sauce and also acts as a thickening agent with some added flavor for the sauce.
- Egg yolk – This makes the sauce extra creamy.
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated. I find that grating cheese from a block always provides better flavor and melts better too. This is most likely because pre-grated cheese is coated with ingredients to extend the shelf life and reduce its taste and ability to melt well. Use whatever cheese you enjoy the most.
- Parsley – Fresh for garnish.
📋 How To Make Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan. Cook for 2 minutes until it turns pink, then flip over and cook the other side till it turns pink for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan and cook the garlic for 2 minutes. Whisk in the cream, making sure it doesn't heat too quickly and curdle. In a small bowl, whisk a half cup of the hot spaghetti water into the egg, then set aside.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the hot cream and stir till melted, turn on low. Slowly whisk in the egg, making sure not to curdle. Remove from the heat.
- Add the noodles and toss to coat, add the shrimp.
- Garnish with parsley.
- Transfer to a serving dish.
💭 Recipe Tips
- The pasta should be al dente so be careful not to overcook it otherwise it will become mushy which is rather unappetizing.
- Overcooked shrimp will turn rubbery. Make sure that you keep a close watch on the shrimp as it cooks quickly. Remove the shrimp from the heated pan as soon as they turn pink.
- Freshly grated Parmesan will always provide the best taste. Pre-grated cheese is usually coated with ingredients to extend the shelf life which reduces the flavor and ability to melt well.
- The egg yolk is key to achieving a creamy Alfredo sauce. Whisking the egg yolk with the hot spaghetti water until smooth and creamy is essential so that you prevent the yolk from scrambling!
- Medium to large sized raw shrimp are best for this shrimp fettuccine alfredo but if you are using frozen shrimp then be sure to first thaw them and pat them dry prior to cooking otherwise they will end up soggy from all the excess moisture.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of hot spaghetti water to thin it, whisking the sauce continually so that the egg yolk doesn't scramble. And if your sauce isn't thick enough, add in some extra flour or cornstarch until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Cook the creamy alfredo sauce over low heat to prevent it from burning and curdling.
📖 Variations
- If you don't feel like making your own alfredo sauce from scratch, use a store-bought fettuccine alfredo sauce instead. You can always add in extra seasoning as you heat it if the sauce tastes bland.
- Add some wholesome vegetables to your shrimp fettuccine such as broccoli, green peas, kale, shallots, and spinach. This will add texture and bulk up the dish even more.
- Add a kick of heat to your homemade alfredo sauce by mixing in some cayenne pepper or chili flakes.
- Make a low-carb version of this recipe by using spaghetti squash instead of fettuccine.
🥗 What To Serve With Fettuccine Alfredo
This shrimp fettuccine alfredo is a complete meal in and of itself, but there are various side dishes that also pair beautifully, such as homemade Caesar salad, Chopped Vegetable Salad, Italian Wedding Soup, Oven Roasted Asparagus, or freshly baked dinner rolls to soak up any remaining sauce!
Recipe FAQs
How Can I Tell If My Shrimp Is Cooked?
It's always good to be extra careful when cooking seafood since you can get quite ill from it if it's undercooked. Shrimp will have a slight pinkish hue when the meat is cooked sufficiently for safe eating. Never eat shrimp that appears gray or translucent – that's a sure sign of it still being raw.
On the other hand, overcooked shrimp will appear white and will have a rubbery texture.
How Should I Store Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo?
Leftover shrimp fettuccine alfredo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat stored shrimp fettuccine alfredo in the oven in a baking dish, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes at 350F, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of milk or water to thin out the sauce if needed.
Can I Freeze Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo?
While you could technically freeze this dish, I don't recommend it as this recipe contains a cream-based sauce which could curdle when thawed from frozen.
Can I Make This Fettuccine Alfredo Ahead of Time?
Yes! You can cook the shrimp the day before and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, ready to be added to the pan for reheating before assembling the dish with freshly cooked pasta and alfredo sauce. However, since shrimp cooks so quickly in only 3 to 4 minutes, I recommend waiting to cook the shrimp just before you are ready to serve.
How Long Should I Cook The Fettuccine?
Most instructions on the packaging of pasta state to cook the pasta for 6-8 minutes although this can vary depending on the size and thickness of pasta.
You want to make sure that you only cook this fettuccine until it is 'al dente' which means that it is slightly undercooked.
The pasta won't be ultra soft at this stage which is good since it will continue cooking once removed from the boiling water. By the time that you combine this pasta with the alfredo sauce and pan-cooked shrimp, it'll be the perfect texture!
More Shrimp Recipes
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined, tails removed and patted dry
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup hot spaghetti water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package, minus 1 minute. They will cook a little more in the sauce so you don't want to overcook them.
- In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter, over medium heat.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet.
- Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on one side or until the shrimp turns pink, then flip and cook the shrimp on the other side until it turns pink. (approximately 2 minutes.) Carefully remove the shrimp from the pan.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan and cook the garlic for 1 minute.
- Lower the heat and whisk in the cream, making sure it doesn't heat too quickly and curdle.
- In a small bowl, whisk a half cup of the hot spaghetti water into the egg, then set aside.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the hot cream and stir till melted, turn on low. Slowly whisk in the egg, making sure not to curdle. Remove from the heat.
- Add the noodles and toss to coat, add the shrimp and garnish with parsley.
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