Keto garlic butter shrimp is the dinner to reach for on nights when you have twenty minutes and zero patience. Shrimp sear in about four minutes, the butter and garlic turn into a sauce in the same pan, and zucchini noodles soak it all up like pasta would.
One plate lands at 8 g net carbs and 33 g of protein for roughly 344 calories. That’s a lot of protein for a meal that feels this light.
Seafood dinners are lean, which means fat and calories can swing a lot depending on how much butter you use. My free macro calculator will show you where your daily fat target sits so you can season to fit.
- 8 g net carbs and 33 g protein per plate, about 344 calories.
- Dry the shrimp first. Wet shrimp steam instead of searing and never get that golden edge.
- Cook the zoodles for 2 minutes, tops. Past that they turn soft and watery.
- Butter goes in off the heat at the end, so the sauce stays silky instead of separating.
- Everything happens in one skillet, so cleanup is as fast as cooking.
Why This Works on Keto
Shrimp are one of the most protein-dense foods you can buy, with almost no carbs and very little fat on their own. That leaves room to add butter and parmesan for flavor while the meal still stays balanced.
Zucchini noodles give you the twirl-on-a-fork experience of pasta for a fraction of the carbs. They don’t taste like spaghetti, and they don’t need to. Their job is to carry the sauce.
Speed matters more than people admit. When a keto dinner is faster than ordering takeout, you stop needing willpower to choose it. This one fits a weeknight without any planning at all.
A Few Notes on the Ingredients
Raw shrimp in the large or jumbo size are easiest to cook without overdoing them. Buy them peeled and deveined to save time, and thaw frozen shrimp in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes.
Zucchini should be firm and medium sized. Oversized zucchini are seedy and watery. A spiralizer is ideal, but a vegetable peeler makes wide ribbons that work just as well.
Garlic is the star, so use fresh cloves rather than jarred. Slice some and mince some; the slices turn sweet and golden while the minced garlic gives sharper bite.
Butter makes the sauce. Adding the last tablespoons after the pan comes off the heat keeps it creamy and glossy instead of oily.
Keto Garlic Butter Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Spiralize the zucchini into noodles and set them on paper towels. Peel and devein the shrimp if needed, then pat them very dry. Slice 2 garlic cloves and mince the rest.
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add them in a single layer. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink, then move them to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, the sliced and minced garlic, and the red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant and just golden.
- Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice and simmer 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits.
- Add the zucchini noodles and toss for about 2 minutes, just until barely tender.
- Return the shrimp to the pan, take the skillet off the heat, and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until the sauce turns glossy. Top with parmesan and parsley and serve right away.
Nutrition
Notes
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Plan your week
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- Dairy free: Use ghee or olive oil in place of butter and skip the parmesan. Add extra lemon zest to keep it bright.
- Swap the protein: Sea scallops or bite-size pieces of chicken thigh work in the same sauce. Chicken needs about 6 more minutes.
- Spicy version: Add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the garlic.
- Different noodles: Hearts of palm noodles or shirataki noodles work if you don’t have zucchini. Rinse shirataki well first.
- Add greens: Toss in two handfuls of baby spinach with the zoodles and let it wilt.
Storage, Leftovers, and Serving
This dish is best right out of the pan. If you want leftovers, store the shrimp and sauce separately from the zucchini noodles in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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Reheat the shrimp gently in a skillet over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, just until warm. Microwaving on full power turns shrimp rubbery fast, and reheated zoodles release a lot of water.
Serve it with a simple green salad or roasted asparagus. For more fast weeknight ideas, browse my keto dinner recipes.
Where I shop
Where I Buy My Pantry Staples
Thrive Market is the online grocery membership I use for pantry staples. It is handy for the oils, nuts, seeds, spices and gluten-free basics that recipes like this one call for, delivered to your door.
Get 40% off your first order →Referral link: new members get 40% off their first order (up to $30), and Thrive Market gives me store credit if you join. I only recommend products I use myself or recommend to my clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Keep Zucchini Noodles From Getting Watery?
Keep the cooking time short, about 2 minutes, and toss them in a hot pan rather than simmering them in sauce. Salting the noodles and letting them drain on paper towels for 10 minutes before cooking pulls out extra moisture too.
Is Garlic Butter Shrimp Good for Keto?
Yes. A serving has about 8 g net carbs, 33 g protein, and 20 g fat. Shrimp and butter have almost no carbs, and most of the carbs here come from the zucchini and garlic.
Can I Use Frozen Shrimp?
Frozen shrimp work well and are often fresher than the thawed shrimp at the seafood counter. Thaw them in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes, then pat them very dry before they go into the pan so they sear properly.
Your This-Week Plan
Here’s the experiment: keep a bag of frozen shrimp and two zucchini in your kitchen this week and make this the night you’d normally order takeout. Time yourself from fridge to plate. Once you know a keto dinner takes 20 minutes, the takeout habit gets a lot easier to skip.
This recipe is for general education, not medical advice. Nutrition values are estimates and will vary with brands. If you’re pregnant, have a health condition, or take medication for blood sugar or blood pressure, check with your doctor before starting keto.
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