This lemon garlic shrimp pasta is a delicious dinner recipe perfect for any night of the week. Seasoned, perfectly cooked shrimp are served over a bed of buttery, garlic noodles with a burst of bright lemon flavor.
I'm a big fan of rich, creamy pastas and garlic pasta but I also like to make lighter pasta dishes, as well. That's why in addition to my heartier options on Golden Grace Kitchen, you'll also find lighter pasta dishes like teriyaki shrimp stir fry or even spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute.
My latest lighter pasta dish is this lemon garlic shrimp recipe that takes classic lemon butter shrimp pasta and lightens it up with coconut milk in place of regular milk and less butter. The result is a pasta dish that's full of rich flavor while being much better for you.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Better For You: Similar to a shrimp scampi, but using coconut oil, coconut milk, and tapioca starch in place of traditional cream sauce ingredients makes a lighter version that still has plenty of flavor and rich texture.
- Simple Ingredients: Everything you need to make this recipe can be found in any grocery store.
- Easy: It only takes about 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish to make this recipe.
- Delicious: The seasoned shrimp is perfectly cooked, and the lemon garlic sauce is full of bright citrus and bold garlic flavors. Try adding chopped fresh parsley for more flavor.
Ingredients
Shrimp
- Shrimp: Large or jumbo shrimp give the pasta a nice, meaty bite and seafood flavor.
- Seasonings: A blend of smoked paprika, garlic, and thyme gives the shrimp a bold, smoky flavor.
- Coconut Oil: I use Nutiva liquid coconut oil to sear the shrimp. It's organic, non-GMO, non-BPA, and has a neutral flavor that won't overpower the shrimp.
Pasta
- Spaghetti Noodles: Spaghetti noodles create a bed of pasta for a lovely presentation.
- Dairy-Free Butter: A little dairy-free butter adds richness to the sauce.
- Seasonings: A blend of minced garlic, dried shallots, chili flakes, and garlic powder gives the sauce a layer of classic aromatic flavors with a kick of heat.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast mimics the flavor of parmesan cheese in the sauce.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a bright kick of citrus flavor to the dish.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Traditional: You can use regular butter and milk in place of the dairy-free butter and coconut milk and flour in place of the tapioca slurry.
- Other Proteins: Try crab, lobster, or chicken for this recipe.
- Pasta: Linguine works in place of spaghetti noodles.
- Mild: Omit the chili flakes for a mild version of this recipe.
Instructions
Shrimp
1: Boil the pasta per the package directions for al dente and drain, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
2: Combine the shrimp with the seasoning and toss or stir until evenly coated.
3: Heat half of the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Then, cook the shrimp until pink and C-shaped and remove them from the pan.
Pasta
1: Melt the butter in the same skillet and add the rest of the coconut oil. Then, cook the aromatics, stirring constantly, until they begin to brown.
2: Make a slurry with the cold water and tapioca starch and set aside. Then, add the coconut milk, pasta water and sauce seasoning to the aromatics.
3: Add the lemon juice, pasta water, and tapioca starch slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Then, turn off the heat and gently stir in the pasta and shrimp. You can also stir in the pasta only and serve the shrimp over the top.
Hint
It only takes a couple of minutes per side to cook the shrimp. Remove them from the heat as soon as they're pink and C-shaped to avoid overcooking them. Easily use olive oil in place of coconut oil as well.
Storage
Refrigerate this shrimp pasta for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
To reheat the dish, add the pasta and a bit of coconut milk to a skillet and cook over medium-low heat until heated through or microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through.
What to Serve with Garlic and Lemon Shrimp Pasta
A dish like this is perfect with a slice of garlic bread and a simple vegetable side like asparagus, along with a dessert like pistachio ambrosia.
Tips for the Best Lemony Garlic Shrimp with Pasta
- Cook the shrimp for just a couple of minutes per side, and remove it as soon as it's pink and C-shaped. If you cook it until it's O-shaped, it's overdone and will be tough.
- Cook the pasta to al dente and no further. The sauce will be hot and you don't want that heat to overcook the pasta and make it mushy.
- Stir constantly while cooking the aromatics to avoid scorching.
- It's important to make the tapioca slurry before you begin making the sauce. This gives it time to achieve its full thickening power.
- Be gentle when stirring in the shrimp and pasta to avoid breaking it up.
More Shrimp Recipes
FAQ
Medium heat is best for cooking shrimp quickly and evenly in the skillet. It only takes a couple of minutes per side and ensures the shrimp cooks quickly enough to stay moist and tender.
Shrimp is fully cooked when it's a pinkish color instead of gray and C-shaped. If the shrimp is O-shaped, it's overcooked.
Shrimp should be a gray color but shiny, not dull. It should also have a clean, briny smell and never smell fishy. If the shrimp have heads, look for bright eyes.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon Nutiva liquid coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
Pasta and Sauce
- 12 oz gluten free spaghetti noodles
- 1 tablespoon Nutiva liquid coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon dairy free butter
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon dry shallots
- ¾ teaspoon chili flakes
- 3 tablespoon cold water
- 2 tbps tapioca starch
- 12 oz coconut milk
- ¼ cup pasta water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
Shrimp
- Boil the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Then, drain and set aside, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water.
- Combine the shrimp with the smoked paprika, garlic, thyme, and salt in a medium bowl and mix until evenly coated.
- Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Then, cook the shrimp for 2 minutes per side until pink and C-shaped. Remove from the pan.
Pasta Sauce
- Melt the butter in the skillet and add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Then, add the minced garlic, dry shallots, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until they begin to brown.
- Combine the cold water and tapioca starch to create a slurry and set it aside.
- Add the coconut milk, pasta water, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to the skillet and stir.
- Add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and tapioca slurry. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
- Turn off the heat and gently stir in the shrimp and pasta. Alternatively, you can stir in the pasta only and serve the shrimp on top.
Notes
- This recipe serves four people.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- Microwave at 1-minute intervals to reheat.
- BE SURE to stop cooking your shrimp as soon as they're C-shaped.
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