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.
Hey! I normally don't comment on these. But this was delicious! I plan on adding scallops tonight. You are greatly appreciated.
AW THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY, YUM!!!!!!!
Unreal! This recipe is SO delicious! Will definitely be making again!
This looks and sounds great. Your recipe narrative refers to using coconut cream, but the list of ingredients in your recipe box state coconut milk. Which is it? I have cans of coconut cream (not milk, but I do also regularly use that), so am looking for recipes that use the cream. Thanks.
You can use coconut cream, that's perfect!!!!!!!! 🙂
This is super tasty! I added my riced cauliflower to the pan along with everything else and pulled it off the heat. Only used 2 oz. of dried tomatoes from last summer and added the 1 oz of olive oil. Great meal!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was amazing!! Can’t wait to to make it again!
Holy cow!! This recipe was UNBELIEVABLE. Our favorite whole30 recipe we found. It tastes like a cheesy, cream sauce, and its so filling. Absolutely loved it. Thank you for a recipe we have now included in our weekly rotation, even after Whole30.
YAYYYY, that makes me so happy to hear. You've gotta try the chicken next! 😉
Made this tonight and it was excellent. Day 18 of whole30 and needed something new and decadent. My entire family enjoyed it (even my husband who is as meat + potatoes as they come), and I am already looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I served over mashed potatoes and it was a truly delicious meal, thank you so much!
Aw yay that makes me so, so happy. You'll have to try the chicken version next!!!! 😉
Could you use frozen, thawed, cooked shrimp?
Uh, they would get pretty dry. You can heat them gently separately... (just follow instructions on the bag.) just don't want them to become overcooked!
This recipe is a keeper! Since I didn't have sun-dried tomatoes, I drained a can of petite diced tomatoes and used that instead with an additional shake of red pepper flakes. Although the plan wasn't to make pasta tonight, I did end up making angel hair to go with it. I'll definitely be sharing this one! Yummy!
That sounds absolutely FABULOUS. Definitely grab some sun dried tomatoes for next time- they really make the dish, I promise! 🙂
I have spaghetti squash and am wondering what you think of that substitute for the base? I have white rice but was thinking if I could use the squash I’d prefer that for health reasons.
You can DEFINITELY use spaghetti squash as the base- go for it!
WOW I am so impressed! This will be my new staple for dinners. I am not a fan of sundried tomatoes but love artichokes and used them instead. I also turned it into more of a soup and it was delicious and so satisfying!
AMAZING!!! My husband and I were both greatly impressed and more than happy to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Will be making again
This sounds so amazing! My boyfriend is not a fan of coconut though... does the coconut milk give it much of a coconutty flavor? Or is it pretty unnoticeable? I haven’t done much (or any) cooking with coconut milk so I’m new to this. Thanks for your feedback!!
Hi there. If you can have dairy, you can use half and half instead!!!! However, I do not think the coconut milk gives it a coconutty flavor- I'd recommend sticking with it. You need something creamy and thick...!
Surprised my family with this recipe and it was delicious! The flavors were awesome and I didn't have nutritional yeast. Definitely adding this to our regular healthy meals.
Woo hoo- i have a creamy garlic chicken with a bit of a variation if you want to give that a try, too. The nutritional yeast is a wonderful bonus! 🙂
Where did you find sun dried tomatoes without sulphur dioxide (which is against whole 30)?
Someone else has asked me this recently. You can find them in a bag without sulphur dioxide I know. For instance, this brand: https://www.amazon.com/Mediterranean-Organic-Sundried-Tomatoes-Olive/dp/B001HTG5BG?ots=1&slotNum=2&imprToken=00ba2874-56ad-026b-417&tag=kitchn-20
I really want to make this but I can't find sundried tomatoes without sulphur dioxide which is against whole30. What brand did you use??
Hmm, good question. I am not completely sure.... you can definitely get some in a bag without sulphur dioxide.
This recipe is a keeper! Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! My whole family loved it