Keto Garlic Butter Shrimp (Printable)

Shrimp cooked in garlic butter paired with tender zucchini noodles offers a light, flavorful low-carb dish.

# What You Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Vegetables

02 - 4 medium zucchini, spiralized into noodles
03 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
04 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

→ Sauce & Seasoning

05 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
08 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Garnish

10 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper.
02 - Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until pink and opaque. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, add the remaining butter and minced garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Stir in red pepper flakes and lemon juice.
04 - Add zucchini noodles to the skillet and toss to combine. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until noodles are tender but still have bite.
05 - Return shrimp to the skillet and toss everything together for 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The whole meal comes together in under 25 minutes, which means you can have dinner on the table faster than you can order takeout.
  • Butter and garlic do something almost magical to shrimp, making it taste restaurant-quality without any pretense or complicated technique.
  • Zucchini noodles soak up that silky sauce in a way that feels indulgent while keeping you firmly in keto territory.
02 -
  • Don't leave zucchini noodles in the pan too long or they'll release water and turn your beautiful sauce into something watery and sad—2 to 3 minutes is genuinely the sweet spot.
  • Pat your shrimp completely dry before cooking; any moisture on their surface will steam them instead of searing them, and you lose that gorgeous golden crust that makes them taste restaurant-quality.
03 -
  • Use a large skillet rather than a smaller one—there needs to be enough surface area for the shrimp to actually sear instead of steam in a crowded pan.
  • If you're making this for guests, spiralize your zucchini just before cooking rather than hours ahead; it releases water over time and gets mushy waiting around.
Go Back