Ultra silky and creamy, this homemade shrimp alfredo linguine pasta is served with garlic-sauteed shrimp for the ultimate easy but elegant dinner. It’s so velvety and rich and ready in less than an hour.

 

The Best Shrimp Alfredo Linguine

This homemade alfredo pasta is the perfect solution for special occasions when you’re stuck between wanting to cook something special and having little time to stand over the stove. Topped with garlic and shallot-sauteed shrimp, it’s a dreamy pasta loaded with indulgently creamy and cheesy ingredients.

On the table in less than an hour, this alfredo linguine is better than anything you can get at restaurants without being a professional chef. Ready in 6 easy steps, it’s a fail-proof recipe if you don’t overcook the shrimp.

Garnished with fresh parsley and extra parmesan, this recipe gets its finishing touch from its light herbiness and sharpness. Don’t worry if you’re out of linguine, though. Using fettuccine will get you the same yummy results without having to add something else to stress over as you plan the perfect dinner.

What You’ll Need

It’s all about indulgent ingredients: heavy cream, butter, and parmesan. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts.

For the Pasta

• Water
• Dried linguine #13 – Feel free to use any type of linguine. Fettuccine works too.
• Olive oil

For the Shrimp

• Unsalted butter – Salted butter also works.
• Garlic
• Shallot – You can substitute it for more garlic.
• Medium-sized shrimp – Try to use something other than cocktail shrimp because they’re too small and dry out quickly during cooking.
• Dry white wine – Feel free to use Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.
• Salt

To Make the Alfredo Linguine

• Heavy cream – Half-and-half is a good substitute. Please don’t use milk for this.
• Low-sodium chicken stock – You can add milk instead. No water, please.
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• White pepper – Ground black pepper works too.
• Fresh parsley

Recipe Variations

Don’t worry if you’re out of shrimp. You also have steak, chicken, and veggie variations for this homemade alfredo pasta.

• Add steak. Grill your favorite steak, slice it, and use it to top your alfredo pasta. Grab that recipe right here: Alfredo Pasta with Steak. Remember to let the steak rest for several minutes before cutting it so the juices can redistribute and make the meat juicy.
• Use chicken. Grilled chicken is a great way to jazz up this homemade alfredo too.
• Add mushrooms. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil to a large pan. Add 2 to 3 cups of sliced mushrooms and cook them for 5 minutes over medium heat or until they release their moisture. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and use them to top your pasta.

How to Make Alfredo Linguine

Make the sauce and pasta ahead to make your homemade shrimp alfredo pasta a quicker recipe.

• Boil the pasta. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the linguine and cook it according to the instructions on the package. Drain it, toss it in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set it aside.
• Cook the garlic. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and shallots. Stir well and let them cook for 5-6 minutes or until the shallots have softened. If they start to brown, lower the heat.

• Cook the shrimp. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp. Immediately add the white wine. Stir and let the shrimp cook for 1-2 minutes on each side or until opaque and pink. The cooking time will depend on the size of the shrimp. Season with salt to taste. Remove them from the heat and set them aside.
• Make the sauce. In the same pan, pour in the heavy cream and chicken stock. Lower the heat to medium. Whisk the mixture to combine, and add the parmesan cheese. Stir constantly until it has melted into the sauce and thickened slightly. It should take about 6-10 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

• Add the pasta. Gently stir in the cooked linguine until it’s completely coated in sauce. Season with more salt and white pepper to taste. Add the shrimp and mix well.
• Serve. Top the pasta with fresh parsley and shaved parmesan cheese to taste. Serve warm and enjoy.

Tips for Success

Follow these simple tips for a restaurant-worthy homemade alfredo linguine:

• Use other pasta. Don’t worry if you don’t have linguine on hand. Feel free to use other pasta shapes like spaghetti, fettuccine, rigatoni, etc.
• Don’t overcook it. Make sure your pasta is al dente, meaning it should still have a bit of a bite. This is because it’ll finish cooking in the pan with the sauce.
• Salt the water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to your pasta water, but not much more than this. While some people say it should be “as salty as the sea,” I find there’s a fine line between irreparably salting your pasta this way. Add a tablespoon to the water and any more should go straight into the sauce.
• Cook the shrimp in the moment. Although preparing the sauce and pasta in advance can be a great head start, I don’t recommend doing so for the shrimp. The more you reheat them, the more rubbery they get. If possible, cook them right before serving this dish.

What to Serve with Homemade Alfredo Pasta

On its own, this homemade alfredo pasta is great with a simple salad like my Apples and Cheddar Chicken Salad or Spring Vegetable Potato Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette.

You can also serve it as a side dish for protein-based mains consisting of fish, pork, chicken, or even steak. This pasta is great with almost anything that isn’t cream-based, otherwise, the richness becomes overwhelming. My Classic Baked Chicken Pieces, Crock Pot Garlic Balsamic Pork Loin, Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts, and Garlic Butter Oven Baked Tilapia are some of my favorite dishes to serve it with.

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

• Once cooled, refrigerate this homemade alfredo pasta in an airtight container for 3-5 days. The number of days depends on whether you store the shrimp and pasta together. If you refrigerate them together, they will only keep for up to 3 days to avoid food poisoning. If stored separately, you can store the pasta for up to 5 days and the shrimp for up to 3 days.
• To reheat, sprinkle the pasta with a couple of teaspoons of milk or water and microwave it for up to a minute or until warm. You can also melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a large pan and heat the pasta for 5-7 minutes.

More Easy Pasta Recipes

• Rasta Pasta (Caribbean Jerk Chicken Pasta)
• Garlic Pasta with Ketchup and Feta
• One Skillet BLT Pasta
• Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

ENJOY!