I've got a fabulous, one pan wonder for you in the form of one pan creamy garlic shrimp. This dish can be whipped up in under 30 minutes and is wonderful for the whole family. It is gluten free, paleo, low carb and Whole30 compliant, too!
Can I make creamy garlic shrimp in the Instant Pot?
You sure can! If you have access to an Instant Pot and would like to save some time, you can make this recipe in there.
It's so quick and easy to make it on the stovetop though, I wouldn't even go in that direction unless you needed the room on your stove.
I prefer to eat creamy garlic shrimp on a big bed of cauliflower rice or broccoli rice- it's delicious. However, if you are not on a Whole30 and eat white rice or rice noodles, it would be fabulous with them, too!
You could alternatively add extra bone broth to the dish and turn it into more of a soup instead.
You are going to love it regardless of what direction you go in though! 😉
Can I use dairy instead of coconut cream?
You can absolutely use whole milk or half & half instead of the coconut cream in the creamy garlic shrimp. If you aren't into coconut, can't have it or don't want this dish to be dairy free, half & half would be the best substitute.
You can also use grass-fed butter, ghee or coconut oil as the fat in this recipe.
This dish reminds me something I've had before in an Italian restaurant but because of the coconut cream, it is almost reminiscent of Thai cuisine as well.
I think that's why I love it so much. I cannot think of anything better than a marriage between Italian and Thai food!
I have made this creamy garlic shrimp three times in the last two weeks. The first time I made it, it was basically an accident of the best kind.
Tim really enjoyed it and basically split the entire recipe with me... he's a beast. I also served it to my sister the next time, and she told me how much she loved the recipe.
That's when I knew I had to tamper with it in a bit, and then I had decided to add in the nutritional yeast.
I wanted to give it a little bit of "cheesy" flavor without the addition of any type of real cheese. I think the flavors from the yeast pair and compliment the creamy and subtle but sweet coconut milk favor so well.
You'll have to tell me what type of variation you make on this dish (if any at all!) 🙂
How to make creamy garlic shrimp
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter / oil and sauté garlic for about 1 minute. Make sure you stir frequently so it does not burn. Add shrimp to pan and cook on about 2 minutes each side until just opaque throughout & transfer to a bowl.
Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add broth to the pan, scraping the brown bits from the bottom and stirring frequently. Cook until broth has reduced down by at least 50%.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar and all of the drained, julienned sun-dried tomatoes. Fry with the onions for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and well combined.
Add coconut milk and nutritional yeast to the pan. Once the coconut milk has reached a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low. Add spinach to the pan and stir until slightly wilted, about 1 minute.
Add shrimp back into the pan and sprinkle with seasoning. Stir frequently for another 5-7 minutes, letting all of the flavors marinade. Season with salt and pepper and serve with cauliflower rice.
Tips & Variations
If you'd like to use chicken instead, be sure to cut it into bite size pieces, season with salt and pepper and cook through. It will take about 5-7 minutes.
If you are going to use half & half, you may want to make an arrowroot slurry to thicken it up a bit at the end of cooking. Simply mix equal parts arrowroot flour with water (about 1 tablespoon of each) and slowly mix into the dish at the end until it has reached out desired thickness.
Instead of using cauliflower rice, you could serve this with broccoli rice, white rice or rice noodles. It would taste absolutely fabulous with all three!
Well, what are you waiting for?
This creamy garlic shrimp needs to be made in your kitchen yesterday. Seriously.
It has already become a staple at my house, and I'm already dealing with Tim asking me to make it multiple times a week.
It will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator if you'd like to eat it as leftovers later on. I imagine the sauce would freeze well, too if you can't get enough and want to freeze some for later.
Yum! 🙂
If you like this recipe, some others you'll love are:
One Pan Creamy Garlic Shrimp (Paleo, Whole30, Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp deveined, with tails on
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1/2 cup bone broth
- 8 ounces sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, SEE NOTES
- 15 ounces canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 4 cups spinach lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter / oil and sauté garlic for about 1 minute. Make sure you stir frequently so it does not burn. Add shrimp to pan and cook on about 2 minutes each side until just opaque throughout & transfer to a bowl.
- Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add broth to the pan, scraping the brown bits from the bottom and stirring frequently. Cook until broth has reduced down by at least 50%.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar and all of the drained, julienned sun-dried tomatoes. Fry with the onions for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and well combined.
- Add coconut milk and nutritional yeast to the pan. Once the coconut milk has reached a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low. Add spinach to the pan and stir until slightly wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add shrimp back into the pan and sprinkle with seasoning. Stir frequently for another 5-7 minutes, letting all of the flavors marinade. Season with salt and pepper and serve with cauliflower rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Monica – recipe developer, matcha addict and lover of all things chocolate, kombucha and any & all puns. I am also the blogger, real food lover, & bonafide hustler behind the blog ‘The Movement Menu.’ I’m so excited to welcome you to my happy space, where my appreciation of creative recipes and healthy & mindful eats come together to inspire you to live a healthy, balanced life.
So good! I used Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry magic instead of Italian seasoning and it was delicious! If I did anything differently next time I would use fewer sun-dried tomatoes. There were quite oily and gave the sauce a slightly sour or lemony taste. I drained them and even bloated with a paper towel but I don't cook with sun-dried tomatoes enough to know whether I should have rinsed them as well. Would love feedback if anyone has any. I highly recommend this recipe. I paired it with whole30 mashed potatoes which was great.
Hi there! This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it! How would you do this one in the instant pot?
Is that spinach in the picture also? Cause I don’t see it listed in the recipe.
Hi there! It is spinach in the picture, and it is absolutely listed in the recipe. It's in Step 4: "Add coconut milk and nutritional yeast to the pan. Once the coconut milk has reached a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low. Add spinach to the pan and stir until slightly wilted, about 1 minute."
Maybe add the spinach to the ingredients list. Although it is listed in the recipe, it’s easy to forget it because it isn’t listed as an ingredient.
Hi there!!! Not sure what you mean. I do see it as a listed ingredient on the list... where do you see it missing from exactly?
a winnaaa.
this came out lush - so i'm back here to show some love!
we halved the recipe and split it between the two of us tonight - perfect amount.
That makes me so, so happy to hear! I hope you can try the creamy garlic chicken next 😉 it's slightly different and so wonderful. I like serving it with rice or Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi! 🙂
That looks simply delicious!
I only had a pound of shrimp, but I made all the sauce bc, SAUCE!🧡 It was so flavorful and the hubs approved. Restaurant quality with none of the nasty ingredients makes me so happy!
Thank you!
This makes me SO happy, yayyyyy so happy you enjoyed it!
Did you use raw or cooked shrimp? I used raw and there was a lot of juice in the pan. I did make a double batch. There’s was no browning on the bottom of the pan because they made so much juice.
Hmm, I did use raw... was your heat nice and high and were the shrimp dry when you added them to the pan?
Loved this recipe! Will most definitely be making again!
Would this recipe be ok without the tomatoes and yeast?
Good question... not so sure. The yeast gives it a creamy/cheesy note, and the sun dried tomatoes with the oil is a big part of the recipe. You could try it though!
You don’t specify what kind of bone broth to use?
Hi there. You can use chicken or beef actually! Or chicken broth, veggie broth, etc 🙂
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars! My first Whole 30 meal ever and it is AMAZING!!
Thank you so much... you'll have to try the chicken version, too. They are both wonderful, and I am happy you enjoyed it!
So good! Skipped the sun dried tomatoes because I didn’t have any but it was still plenty flavorful. Also added red pepper flakes. I would probably use a bit less onions next time and add the tomatoes. Thanks for the dinner idea!
Yummmmm, you've gotta try it with the sun dried tomatoes- game changer.
Hi I am excited to make this recipe. The nutritional facts seem high. Is it 974 calories per serving?
I'm so sorry... my nutrition calculator has been on the fritz lately. No, completely incorrect... should be accurate now.
This recipe was so so good. I couldn't believe it. Will definitely make this again and again! Made it just like the recipe said and I served it with cauliflower rice.😋😋
That makes me so happy to hear. It's one of my favorites, too!
This was delicious and husband approved. I loved that it was minimal ingredients and prep!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made this last night for my family and we all loved it! I served it over whole30 compliant mashed potatoes and it was wonderful. I'll be making this again and again.
That makes me SO happy to hear. I just came out with a one pan creamy garlic chicken with thighs that is FABULOUS, too. Enjoy!!!!!
This was so so good! I've made a ton of Whole30 recipes over the years and this is one of the best by far! Going to try it out with Italian sausage and some red pepper flakes for a kick next time! Thank you!!
Great Fall meal!
Made this two days ago for my GF's birthday. She loved it and it's so simple to make! Used half and half instead of the coconut milk and it turned out awesome. Thank you!
You're so welcome. Happy birthday to her, that makes me so happy!!
If doing keto, can you use heavy whipping cream in place of the half and half? Would the yeast still be necessary?
Hi. You can absolutely use heavy whipping cream. The nutritional yeast is for a little bit of a "cheesy" flavor, but it is not necessary.
This is so good and SO simple. I used grated Parmesan instead of the nutritional yeast and just basil/thyme because I didn’t have Italian seasoning, it’s still delicious. MAKE THIS! 🙂
I love it, girl. Parmesan is a PERFECT substitute mama.