Transform a simple shrimp dinner into an Instant Pot favorite! Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi is done in 25 minutes from start to finish and cooks perfectly every single time. Super delicious dinner option for those busy nights!
Why This Recipe Works
Seafood makes me swoon. All I have to do is think about lobster or scallops or crab meat or shrimp and I begin to salivate. I could eat seafood alllllll day long, no joke. And it cooks so quickly!
I think the reason a lot of seafood haters are seafood haters is because they overcook it! Overcooked seafood is no bueno. Perfectly cooked seafood is THE BEST.
Shrimp Scampi is one of those super simple and easy meals that is perfect for busy week nights. And when you throw it all into an Instant Pot? It all gets cooked in a single pot in 25 minutes. It’s a busy mom’s dream!
I about FELL off my stool when I tasted this dish. The flavor was ridiculous and the noodles and shrimp were absolutely perfectly cooked. If you love your pressure cooker and shrimp as much as I do, put this recipe on your list!
Recipe Ingredients
Dry white wine – Chicken stock is a good substitute.
Shrimp – Be sure it’s deveined and peeled clean.
Chicken broth –
Lemon – Juice the lemon.
Angel hair pasta – You can change up the pasta to any favorite shape.
Flat-leaf parsley – Use this as a topping to garnish your meal.
Pantry staples – Olive oil, butter, garlic
Seasonings – Olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
Toppings – parsley, red pepper flakes and lemon wedges for topping
How To Make Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi
Step 1
Set your Instant Pot to saute function. Add the olive oil and butter and let heat for 2 minutes. Now add the parsley and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Next add the 1/2 cup dry white wine, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
Let heat for 3 minutes and add 2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp to the pot. Cook until the shrimp is bright pink in color, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pot, leaving the juices.
Step 2
Add a can of chicken broth or chicken stock and lemon juice. Deglaze the pot (scrape pieces from the bottom using a spoon).
Break 12 ounces of angel hair pasta in half and place in the pot, separating the noodles as much as possible with fork tongs, making sure they are completely covered with liquid. Do not stir the mixture after this point!
Step 3
Place the cover on the pot and set the timer to 5 minutes on high pressure (use the pressure cook setting). It will take the Instant Pot around 6 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
Step 4
When cooking is done, do an immediate quick release. Remove the cover and add shrimp back to the pot. Mix well and let sit in the pot 5 minutes before serving. Top with parsley and red pepper flakes and salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
- Starting with frozen shrimp works just great for this recipe! Thaw the shrimp first by placing the unopened bag into a sink or bowl filled with hot water. This takes 20-30 minutes.
- Replace the angel hair pasta with spaghetti or another type of pasta, if desired. Or replace cooked pasta altogether with a cup of uncooked rice. Pasta or rice will work great!
- A dry white wine that isn’t TOO dry tastes best in shrimp scampi. Great options include pinot grigio, marsala, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.
- The red pepper flakes in the recipe creates just a perfect bit of spice. For a spicier meal, add extra! Yum! For a mild meal, omit the red pepper flakes altogether.
What To Serve With Shrimp Scampi
Shrimps Scampi is a great, filling dinner option on its, but if you’re looking for a side dish to serve alongside it, consider these yummy options:
- A delicious chopped salad!
- Sauteed cabbage is a great side for literally just about any meal on the planet.
- My favorite EASY asparagus side!
- Garlic bread or bread sticks, yummmm.
Cooking Sherry vs Drinking Sherry
Both cooking and drinking sherry will work for any recipe, but there are a few notable differences to consider. Cooking sherry is sold on supermarket shelves for cooking-use only, and it is not something you would drink on its own.
Sodium is added to cooking sherry to create a longer shelf life, so when it is used for cooking, less salt may need to be added to the recipe (after taste-testing).
Another good reason to choose cooking sherry is its affordability! Drinking Sherry has a short shelf life once it is opened, and should be enjoyed within a week of opening. Drink it quickly after using it in your recipe or it’ll go to waste.
FAQ About Shrimp Scampi
If you don’t have white wine on hand, feel free to replace it with equal parts of any of the following: chicken stock or broth, dry sherry or vegetable stock.
The simple, delicious sauce is made from garlic, butter and wine. It comes together quickly, making it an easy dinner option on the fly.
The starch that’s in the pasta liquid will help to thicken it up a bit but it’s not mean to be a creamy sauce. If you prefer to thicken it up, you could combine a tablespoon of water and a tablespoon of cornstarch and mix it in while on the saute setting until you achieve the desired outcome.
You can replace the pasta with zoodles (zucchini noodles).
Best Instant Pot Recipes
The list of recipes you can make in an Instant Pot is endless! It can act as a slow cooker, saute pan, steamer, rice maker, yogurt maker and pressure cooker. It can cook soup, chili, pasta, meat, potatoes, veggies, cake, beans and so much more.
Related Recipes
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Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 lbs shrimp peeled, deveined
- 15 oz chicken broth
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 12 oz angel hair pasta
- extra parsley, red pepper flakes and lemon wedges for topping
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute. Add the oil and butter and let heat 2 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Add white wine, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Let heat for 3 minutes and add shrimp to the pot. Cook until the shrimp is bright pink in color, approximately 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from the pot (leave juices).
- Add the chicken broth/stock and lemon juice and deglaze pot (scrape pieces from the bottom with a spoon). Break the pasta in half and place in the pot, separating them as much as possible with fork tongs and making sure they are completely covered with liquid. Do not stir mixture after this point!
- Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 5 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting). It will take the IP around 6 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
- When cooking is done, do an immediate quick release. Remove cover and add shrimp back to the pot. Mix well and let sit in the pot 5 minutes before serving. Top with parsley and red pepper flakes and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Starting with frozen shrimp works just great for this recipe! Thaw the shrimp first by placing the unopened bag into a sink or bowl filled with hot water. This takes 20-30 minutes.
- Replace the angel hair pasta with spaghetti or another type of pasta, if desired. Or replace cooked pasta altogether with a cup of uncooked rice. Pasta or rice will work great!
- A dry white wine that isn’t TOO dry tastes best in shrimp scampi. Great options include pinot grigio, marsala, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.
- The red pepper flakes in the recipe creates just a perfect bit of spice. For a spicier meal, add extra! Yum! For a mild meal, omit the red pepper flakes altogether.
Completely covering 12 oz angel hair pasta with 15+ ozs of liquid. How is this possible? I’m finding covering 6-7 ozs of pasta tricky. Am I reading something wrong? But….. Even with my problem. Sure is Yummy.
Hello, the pasta will submerse enough into the liquid enough so that when the pressure in the instant pot builds, it will cook well. When you remove the lid, the pasta will be allowed to sit in the pot 5 minutes to finish cooking and the sauce to thicken up.
Just a suggestion you should indicate size of the shrimp as 2lbs is a lot to begin with.
I think you mean “less” salt might be needed if you use cooking Sherry or other cooking wine.
Yes, thank you for pointing that out. 🙂