How Long Do You Cook Fresh Shrimp

I love making this quick 20-minute recipe for baked shrimp with butter, garlic, and Parmesan.

It's the ultimate weeknight dinner - easy, fast, and delicious. Everyone loves it - grownups and kids!

Baked shrimp served in a white dish and topped with parsley.

This is one of my favorite shrimp recipes. It's so tasty and it's so very easy to make, and my family loves it too - yes, even the Picky Eater! 🍤

This simple recipe flavors the shrimp with a tasty mixture of butter and garlic. Cooked to perfection and ready in just 20 minutes, these tasty shrimp are like fast food. Seriously, making this recipe at home is faster than going through a fast-food restaurant's drive-through!

Jump to:

Ingredients
Instructions
Expert tip
Frequently asked questions
Variations and substitutions
Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
Recipe card

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to bake shrimp in the oven. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Raw shrimp: I use large shrimp, peeled and deveined. The tails can be on or off - it's up to you. Tails on are prettier, though.

Melted butter: You can also use olive oil if you wish, as I do in the video below. This is especially helpful if the shrimp are very cold, as explained below.

Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.

Spices: I like to use garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Paprika is also very good. Please make sure the spices you use are fresh - a stale spice can easily ruin a dish.

Grated parmesan: It's best to use finely grated parmesan and not coarsely shredded cheese in this recipe. There's a difference.

Instructions

This is one of my easiest recipes, which is why I make it so often. Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

Coat them with butter (or olive oil) and sprinkle them with salt, black pepper, spices, and parmesan.

Bake in a preheated 400°F oven until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

A photo collage showing the steps for baking shrimp in the oven.

Expert tip

The best way to ensure the shrimp are not dry and stringy is to cook them in high heat and avoid overcooking them. That's why I use a hot oven (400F) and bake them for just 8 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

What if my shrimp are frozen?

Defrosting shrimp is easy! Fill a large bowl with cool water. Add the shrimp. Replace the water once or twice, gently separating frozen shrimp that have stuck to each other.
They should be fully defrosted in about 10 minutes. Drain them using a colander, then dry on paper towels.

If you just defrosted your shrimp and they are very cold, the melted butter will harden as soon as you mix it into the shrimp. That's OK - it will melt back in the oven.
But when this happens, I do quickly spray the top of the shrimp with olive oil before placing them in the oven, just to make sure they don't dry out.

Another option is to use olive oil instead of butter when using just-defrosted shrimp. I tried this recipe with olive oil and it's excellent.

How long do you cook shrimp?

Regardless of how you cook them, their small size means that they're ready very fast. I bake large shrimp for about 8 minutes in a 400°F oven.

This is one of the best things about this recipe (and about shrimp in general). They are ready super fast!

How do you cook shrimp so it's tender?

The secret is to use high heat and avoid overcooking them. So on the stovetop, you'd want to sear them over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

And in the oven, about 8 minutes in a 400F oven is all they need. Because of their high protein content, overcooked shrimp become stringy. We certainly want to avoid that!

Variations and substitutions

I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:

Use olive oil instead of butter.
You can add more spices if you'd like. I like adding a pinch of dried thyme, and paprika is also good.
Instead of garlic powder, you can toss the shrimp with a few cloves of minced fresh garlic.

Serving suggestions

This is such a versatile main dish - it goes with anything! But since I bake the shrimp in a 400F oven, I like to serve them with a side dish that I can cook in the same oven. So I often serve them with one of the following sides:

Zucchini casserole
Broccoli tots
Baked shiitake mushrooms

Storing leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in a shallow airtight container, for up to 3 days. But I try to use them up the next day.

I reheat them very gently, covered, in the microwave on 50% power. Sometimes I use them cold in a salad or serve them with some cocktail sauce.

Closeup of shrimp served in a white baking dish.

Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp Stir-Fry
Boiled Shrimp
Shrimp Salad

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Recipe card

Baked Shrimp with Butter, Garlic, and Parmesan

A quick 20-minute ecipe for baked shrimp with butter, garlic, and Parmesan. It's so easy, it's the perfect recipe for a weeknight dinner!

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 305 kcal

▢ 1 ½ lb. large raw shrimp peeled and deveined
▢ ¼ cup melted butter (or olive oil)
▢ 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (not fine salt)
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or paprika
▢ ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a large rimmed broiler-safe baking sheet.
Pour the melted butter on top of the shrimp and toss to coat.
Sprinkle the shrimp with the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and Parmesan.
Bake until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 8 minutes. If you want the Parmesan to brown, finish by broiling for about 1 minute.
Transfer the baked shrimp to a serving platter and spoon the pan juices on top. Serve immediately.

Need to defrost your shrimp? Fill a large bowl with cool water. Add the shrimp. Replace the water once or twice, gently separating frozen shrimp that have stuck to each other.
They should be fully defrosted in about 10 minutes. Drain them using a colander, then dry on paper towels.

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About the Author

Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.