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This easy shrimp and rice recipe has juicy shrimp sautéed in a rich garlic butter sauce and tossed with fluffy rice. I finish mine with parmesan, risotto-style! It’s a quick, tasty dish that’s ready in 20 minutes.
Looking for more delicious shrimp recipes? Try my creamy shrimp alfredo linguine and this lemon herb garlic butter shrimp, next. You might also love this hearty chicken rice recipe!
Sometimes, the best-tasting recipes are the easiest to make. Case in point: This creamy garlic shrimp and rice! This quick and easy dinner idea combines juicy jumbo shrimp with a rich garlic butter sauce and fluffy minute rice. It’s fast, simple to prepare, and especially delicious if you’re as obsessed with garlic butter as I am.
Why I Love This Shrimp and Rice Recipe
- Quick and easy. With simple ingredients and easy steps, this shrimp with rice comes together in no time.
- Rich, flavor-packed sauce. Um, is there any flavor better than garlic and butter? If you love seafood recipes like shrimp scampi and garlic butter seared scallops served over rice, this is the dinner idea for you.
- Creamy parmesan goodness. Stirring in parmesan cheese right at the end creates the creamiest, most luxurious rice texture. It’s like a shortcut to risotto, and it really ties the whole thing together.
- Perfect for any occasion. This shrimp and rice dish is an easy weeknight meal, and I’ve also cracked it out at dinner parties. It’s a real all-rounder!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Unlike shrimp fried rice, which is quick to make with leftover rice, this recipe speeds things up with minute rice. You need just a handful of easy ingredients, which I cover below. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for a printable ingredients list with the full recipe amounts and instructions.
- Minute Rice – You can actually make this shrimp and rice recipe with any rice you’d like, since you’ll be cooking it before you combine it with the shrimp. I’ve also made the occasion batch of Instant Pot jasmine rice to use instead of minute rice.
- Unsalted Butter – For sautéeing the shrimp, and to make the garlic butter sauce. You can use salted butter if you prefer.
- Garlic – Please, please use fresh garlic cloves for the best possible flavor. It makes all the difference!
- Shrimp – Peeled and deveined, fresh or frozen shrimp both work in this recipe. If you’re using frozen, thaw the shrimp completely in the fridge before you start.
- Parmesan Cheese – Ideally, grated fresh. You can also use pecorino or Asiago cheese.
- Milk – You can use 2%, whole milk, or any dairy or non-dairy milk you’d like. For an even richer dish, use half-and-half or heavy cream.
- Garnishes – I finish this dish off with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and extra parmesan cheese. A squeeze of lemon also brightens everything up!
How To Make Shrimp and Rice
This garlic shrimp and rice is one of my go-to recipes when I have zero time to think and no time to prepare. It’s ready in about 20 minutes and there’s hardly any clean-up! Here’s how to make it:
- Cook the rice. First, prepare the minute rice (or your rice of choice) according to the package directions or following your preferred method.
- Make the garlic butter sauce. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet. Add the garlic, stirring often until it’s fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the shrimp and rice. Now, stir in the shrimp and sauté for a couple of minutes until it’s pink. Then, add the cooked rice.
- Make it creamy. Lastly, fold in the cheese, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper. Give everything a good stir until it’s creamy and heated through. Remove from heat and serve!
Tips and Variations
- Opt for good-quality, fresh shrimp. Fresh is always best in terms of flavor. For convenience, I buy shrimp that’s already peeled and deveined. If needed, you can ask your local fish counter for guidance.
- Avoid rubbery shrimp. Shrimp have a short cooking time (often only a few minutes). To avoid a rubbery texture, keep a close eye on the little guys while they cook. You’ll know shrimp are done when they turn pink and curl into a “C” shape.
- Don’t burn the garlic! Burnt garlic tastes bitter, so do your very best to avoid overcooking the garlic. Turn the heat down or take the pan off the heat entirely if you notice it browning too quickly.
- More seafood. Consider tossing in a few scallops or bites of white fish to sauté with the shrimp for a yummy seafood medley.
- Substitute the rice. If rice isn’t your go-to, feel free to pair your garlic butter shrimp with alternatives like quinoa, couscous, or even your favorite shrimp pasta.
- Give it some kick. For those of you who love a spicy kick, sprinkle in crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne. You might also like these Mexican-inspired camarones al ajillo made with three types of chili!
Serving Suggestions
This shrimp and rice is a dream on weeknights when all I need to add is a side of steamed broccoli or a green bean salad to round out the meal. It’s also great with fluffy homemade dinner rolls and a roasted vegetable salad or corn on the cob. For dessert, I’ve been baking batch after batch of these apple oatmeal cookies lately. They pair perfectly with a cozy latte after dinner!
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store this shrimp and rice within 2 hours of cooking. Keep everything in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Reheat. When you’re ready to enjoy leftovers, reheat the shrimp and rice gently on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.
More Shrimp Recipes
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Garlic Butter Shrimp and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Minute rice, you can use dry rice, as well, just cook it according to the package directions
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 to 16 ounces extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons skim milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus a little more for garnish
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- shredded parmesan cheese, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook the rice. Prepare the rice according to the directions on the box.
- Make the garlic butter. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring very frequently. Do not burn the garlic. Lower the heat if the garlic starts to brown too fast.
- Add shrimp and rice. Stir in the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, or until they turn pink, stirring frequently. Add the prepared rice to the skillet; stir and mix until well combined.
- Make it creamy. Add the parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper; mix and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until creamy and heated through.
- Garnish and serve. Remove from heat. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, and serve.
Notes
- Use fresh, good-quality shrimp for the best flavor. If possible, buy them already peeled and deveined to save time. If you’re using frozen shrimp, thaw them properly before cooking.
- Cooking the shrimp: Shrimp cook quickly, usually in just a few minutes. Overcooking can make them rubbery, so keep a close eye on them. They’re done when they turn pink and opaque.
- Making the garlic butter: Be careful not to burn the garlic when making the garlic butter. Burned garlic has a bitter taste that can overpower the dish.
- You can add scallops or chunks of white fish to the dish for more variety.
- If you prefer, you could serve the shrimp over quinoa, couscous, or even pasta instead of rice.
- If you like heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper to the garlic butter.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Delicious!! and very easy and quick. This is definitely going to be a go-to staple from now on. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi, can I make this without the parmesean cheese?
Hi Jessica! You could, but it does add a great amount of flavor to the dish. Without the cheese, the dish won’t be the same.
Could I use mozzarella cheese if I don’t have parmsean cheese?
Hi Megan!! I think the mozzarella might melt a bit sooner and lack flavor, but if that’s all you have, I’d still give it a try. 😀
Made this with my boyfriend it is so delicious!
I made this tonight and my family ooved. I added asparagus and mushrooms as well. Def will be making this again.
I just found your blog via Pinterest and will be making this recipe this week! By the way, I am so relieved to know that there’s someone else out there who freaks out about bugs getting into their food packages through the tiniest of openings. And of course they will lay eggs and we will eat them and die! LOL! Anyway, thanks for a great recipe!
You’re so right! Butter and garlic are incredible together… they equal perfection. Add garlic and it’s even more perfection! Looks super tasty!
This looks amazkng! I am soooo making it today! On the ingredient list you said 2 tbs fresh cilantro but in the instructions you said to garnish with fresh parsley. Could you specify which one we should use?
Hi John!! I should have someone proofread my recipes before I hit the “live button” … SO sorry about that! What I meant to say is, if you like cilantro, use that, if not, use parsley. I myself can’t stand cilantro. 😀 Hope that helps! Have a great weekend!
Thank the Gods! I thought I was the only person on the planet that loathes cilantro! It tastes like getting my mouth washed out with soap!
Made this the other night and it was very delicious!! We only used 4 tablespoons of butter and it was perfect.
I’m not much of a shrimp fan, but do you suppose I could use chicken instead? Would I have to make any changes?
Hi Kaelin! You will have to cook the chicken a lot longer than you would cook shrimp. To make it quicker, chop up the chicken into cubes, cook it as per the directions for the shrimp, and once the chicken is cooked through, add the rice into the pan; add cheese, milk, parsley, salt, pepper and mix and stir for 2 minutes, or until creamy and everything is heated through. I hope that helps!
Thank you! I will definitely give this a go 🙂
left over rotisserie chicken was awesome in this
I wish I could read this recipe but my page keeps scrolling on its own and changing due to SO MANY ADS. No more diethood.com for me 🙁
I’m sorry Dawn! The reason that’s happening is because I’m trying to work in the background to fix those ads. It’s the ads that are glitchy. My apologies please. I will send you the recipe via email asap. Thank YOU!
I always get confused on the Parmesan cheese, you said shredded. So that means the cheese in the bag not the canister. Canister is called grated. I just want to buy the right ingredients.
I always get confused on the Parmesan cheese, you said shredded. So that means the cheese in the bag not the canister. Canister is called grated. I just want to buy the right ingredients. For the recipe Garlic shrimp and rice
Hi Lisa! I have the same problem! 🙂 But, yes, grated is in the canister and shredded is the one in the bags. 😀 Hope you like it!!