This Baked Garlic Butter Shrimp is everything you want in a quick shrimp dinner. Buttery, garlicky, bold, and packed with flavor. Unlike the classic skillet versions, this oven baked shrimp develops rich roasted flavor in just 10 minutes thanks to plenty of garlic, smoky paprika, red pepper flakes, and a luscious garlic butter sauce that coats every bite.
It’s the kind of effortless recipe that feels impressive enough for guests but easy enough for busy weeknights. Serve it with crusty bread, rice, pasta, or a fresh salad for a restaurant-worthy meal with minimal effort and almost no cleanup.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This baked garlic butter shrimp is exactly the kind of dinner I love making on busy weeknights because it feels incredibly flavorful and impressive without requiring much effort at all. The shrimp roast in a rich garlic butter sauce with smoky paprika and red pepper flakes, creating a bold flavor that’s a little different from the classic garlic butter shrimp recipes you usually see.
Lately, I’ve been focusing more on high-protein meals that are effortless, satisfying, and still feel fresh and exciting to eat. This is the kind of recipe I can quickly pair with a big salad or roasted vegetables for an easy lunch or simple dinner that doesn’t leave me stuck in the kitchen for hours.
If you’ve made my 10-Minute Sheet Pan Mediterranean Shrimp Recipe the one with millions of views and hundreds of five-star reviews across social media, you already know how much I love quick shrimp dinners that deliver BIG flavor with very little work. This recipe follows that same philosophy: simple ingredients, bold flavor, and minimal cleanup.
- Ready in just 10 minutes
- Oven baked for easy cleanup
- Bold garlic butter flavor with smoky paprika and red pepper flakes
- Juicy, tender shrimp every time
- Perfect for busy weeknights
- Delicious served with rice, pasta, crusty bread, or salad
- Naturally high protein and low carb
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shrimp: Use large peeled and deveined shrimp for easy prep.
- Butter: The base of the sauce that makes this shrimp rich, silky, and incredibly flavorful.
- Garlic: This recipe uses plenty of fresh garlic because garlic is truly the star of the sauce here. Fresh cloves give the best flavor. I like to mince my garlic but you can slice it or use a garlic press.
- Fresh parsley: Adds freshness and balances the richness of the butter beautifully. Use cilantro as an alternative.
- Paprika: Gives the shrimp its gorgeous color and adds a smoky, savory flavor that makes this recipe stand out from classic garlic butter shrimp.
- Red pepper flakes: Adds a subtle kick and warmth to the sauce. Feel free to adjust depending on your spice preference.
- Sea salt + black pepper: Simple seasonings that help bring all the flavors together.
- Fresh lemon juice: A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the entire dish and balances the richness of the butter sauce.
What Makes This Garlic Butter Sauce Stand Out?
Instead of simply mixing melted butter with dry seasonings, I briefly cook the butter, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes together in a skillet over medium heat before pouring it over the shrimp. This simple extra step helps “wake up” the spices and garlic, creating a deeper, richer, more flavorful garlic butter sauce that tastes much more developed than traditional garlic butter shrimp recipes.
It only takes a couple extra minutes, but it makes a BIG difference in the final flavor.
Silvia’s TIPS
➜ (VERY IMPORTANT) Cook the butter, garlic, and spices together briefly before baking. This helps activate the flavors and creates a richer garlic butter sauce.
➜ Pat the shrimp dry before baking so the butter sauce clings better and the shrimp roast instead of steam.
➜ Don’t skip the lemon juice at the end. It brightens the rich garlic butter sauce and makes the flavors pop.
➜ If you love extra sauce for dipping bread or spooning over rice, add an extra tablespoon or two of butter (or olive oil) you’ll be glad you have extra sauce because it’s so good!
➜ Adjust the red pepper flakes to your spice preference. I personally love the kick because it balances the richness of the butter beautifully.
➜ Use freshly minced garlic whenever possible. Since garlic is one of the main flavors in this recipe, fresh cloves make a huge difference.
➜ Shrimp cook FAST. As soon as they turn pink and opaque, they’re ready.
Sides You Can Serve with Baked Shrimp
This shrimp pairs beautifully with simple sides that soak up all that flavorful garlic butter sauce. Lately I have been enjoying a simple peppery arugula salad from my garden with shaved parmesan cheese and this garlic butter shrimp.
You will probably enjoy serving with some crusty bread to soak up all that yummy garlic butter sauce. Another favorite way to serve shrimp is with either fluffy brown rice or my cilantro lime brown rice.
PASTA and shrimp is just about one of our favorite pairings, and I think this roasted vegetable pasta or this sun dried tomato fettuccine are two delicious options.
Can’t forget mashed potatoes, for a cozy indulgent pairing or quinoa salad for a lighter option.
Love Garlic Butter Flavors? You’ll Enjoy These…
Why Bake Instead of Cooking In a Skillet?
While classic garlic butter shrimp is usually cooked on the stovetop, I love baking shrimp in the oven because it’s faster, easier, and requires almost no hands-on cooking. The shrimp roast gently in the garlic butter sauce, allowing all the flavors to soak in without constantly stirring or worrying about overcooking.
It’s also perfect for feeding a family or making larger batches since everything cooks together at once on a sheet pan with minimal cleanup.
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Garlic Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 lbs shrimp peeled, deveined
- 6 tbsp butter
- 8 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped, reserve 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp salt, pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly grease a sheet pan or baking dish and arrange the shrimp in a single layer.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, just until the garlic is fragrant and the spices are activated. Do not let the garlic burn. Then quickly add in the chopped parsley, stir for 30 seconds and remove from head.
- Pour the garlic butter sauce evenly over the shrimp. Toss gently to coat each shrimp in the sauce.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the shrimp. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm with extra sauce spooned over the top.
Notes
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover baked garlic butter shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm the shrimp gently in a skillet over low heat with a little extra butter or a splash of water to keep the shrimp from drying out. You can also reheat in the microwave in short 20-30 second intervals until warmed through. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe since shrimp can become rubbery once thawed and reheated.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
