Creamy Garlic Paprika Shrimp
Published August 20, 2024 • Updated March 10, 2026
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Plump shrimp in a garlicky cream sauce with red bell pepper and spinach, all in one skillet. I make this low carb dinner constantly in late summer when my garden is overflowing.
Five cloves of garlic. I know that sounds like a lot, but do not scale it back. I’ve made this dozens of times and the sauce needs every one of them. One reader told me she second-guessed the garlic for two batches before finally going all in, and now she won’t make it any other way.
The dish comes together fast. Sear the shrimp, set them aside, then build the sauce in the same skillet: onion, red bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, and paprika. Deglaze with chicken broth and lemon juice, stir in heavy cream, and let it reduce until it coats a spoon. The shrimp goes back in at the end so it stays tender, not rubbery. I toss in a couple handfuls of baby spinach right before serving because it wilts into the sauce and soaks up all that paprika and garlic.
I serve this over cauliflower rice most nights, but my husband thinks the sauce is too good for that. He tears off pieces of bread and drags them through whatever pools at the bottom of the skillet. If you want more keto shrimp ideas, my garlic butter shrimp is even faster, or try creamy pesto chicken if you want the same creamy-sauce-in-a-skillet concept with chicken instead.
What makes this a true one-pot dinner is the flexibility. I throw in whatever vegetables I have, and it works every time. Late summer is peak season for this recipe because my neighbors start leaving bags of peppers and zucchini on my porch. But even in January with frozen bell peppers and a bag of spinach, the low carb version is just as good. If you like weeknight skillets, sheet pan chicken and veggies and chicken stir fry are two more I rotate through.
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Ingredients
1 pound 21/25 ct raw shrimp, peeled & deveined (tails removed) -
1 teaspoon salt, divided
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3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
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1/4 cup olive oil, divided
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1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
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1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
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5 cloves garlic, minced
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
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2 teaspoon paprika
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1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
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1 cup chicken broth
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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2 cups baby spinach
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1/2 cup heavy cream
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2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Prep shrimp
Prepare the shrimp by peeling, deveining and removing the tails if necessary. Rinse shrimp, pat dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- 1 pound 21/25 ct raw shrimp
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cook the shrimp
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook for 2 minutes on each side until firm and cooked. Remove the shrimp and set aside in a bowl. Cover to keep warm.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauté vegetables
In the same skillet, add the remaining olive oil, chopped onions, and red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until the onions and peppers are just starting to soften.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
Season the base
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and paprika, and cook for another minute.
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Deglaze and brighten
Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the pan to deglaze and reduce the heat to simmer for 4 minutes until slightly reduced. Once reduced, add in the spinach and cook for 1 minute until wilted.
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cups baby spinach
Make it creamy
Stir in the heavy cream and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Simmer on medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes to thicken. Add the shrimp to the skillet and top with the fresh chopped parsley.
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prevent the shrimp from becoming rubbery?
I cook my shrimp about 2 minutes per side over medium-high heat. The second they turn pink and curl into a loose C shape, they're done. I pull them out of the skillet immediately and add them back at the very end so they stay tender while the sauce builds.
Can I use frozen shrimp?
I use frozen shrimp for this all the time, especially in winter. Thaw them in a colander under cold running water for about 5 minutes, then pat them completely dry before seasoning. If they're wet when they hit the skillet, you'll steam them instead of searing them, and that's how you get rubbery shrimp.
Can I use pre-cooked shrimp?
I always go with raw shrimp because the sear gives you better flavor and texture. If pre-cooked is all you have, skip the initial cook entirely and just toss them into the finished sauce for about 30 seconds to warm through. Any longer and they turn to rubber.
What's the difference between sweet and smoked paprika here?
I developed this recipe with sweet paprika, which gives the sauce a warm, earthy flavor without competing with the garlic. I've also made it with smoked paprika and it's a completely different dish. Smokier, deeper, almost campfire-ish. Both are good. I'd say try sweet first (that's the default at most grocery stores), then swap to smoked once you know the base recipe.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I've tested this with full-fat coconut cream in place of the heavy cream and it works well. The sauce is a little thinner and picks up a slight coconut sweetness, which I actually like with the paprika. Use the thick cream from the top of the can, not coconut milk from a carton. This keeps the dish keto and dairy-free.
Can I freeze paprika shrimp?
I freeze this regularly. Cool it completely, transfer to a freezer container, and it keeps for up to 3 months. When I reheat from frozen, I thaw overnight in the fridge and warm it in a skillet. The cream sauce can look a little broken after thawing, but a minute of stirring over low heat pulls it right back together.
How do I adjust the heat level?
My default is 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, which gives a gentle warmth. When I want more kick, I go up to 3/4 teaspoon, and occasionally a full teaspoon if I'm in the mood. I'd start at the recipe amount your first time, then dial up from there. You can always add more flakes to your bowl, but you can't take them out of the sauce.
How many net carbs per serving?
My batch comes out to about 7-8g net carbs per serving, depending on exact vegetable amounts. The red bell pepper and tomato paste are the main carb sources. I've never felt the need to swap them out because the flavor payoff is worth every gram.
Made this for a small dinner Saturday night, and the garlic smell from the skillet had everyone crowding the kitchen before I even finished plating. Pan was empty in 15 minutes. I'd bump the paprika up a touch next time, but making double regardless.
Double batch is the right call for that. I go up to 2.5 tsp paprika when I want it more forward.
Gave up on creamy shrimp when I went keto, figured that whole category was just off the table. Made this last week and sat there after dinner kind of floored. The garlic actually sticks to the shrimp instead of sliding off. Paprika warmth I genuinely wasn't expecting. Four stars because the red pepper flakes were more than I bargained for, but already planning round two with less heat.
Yeah the flakes sneak up on you. Try 1/4 tsp next time, the paprika has plenty of heat on its own.
Third time making this in three weeks. I'm still figuring out the timing on the shrimp (mine tend to overcook a little in the last step) but the sauce is so good it doesn't matter. The paprika and tomato paste together, I wasn't expecting that depth from a 30-minute dinner. Already have shrimp defrosting for tomorrow.
The C shape is your cue, not the color. Second they curl, pull them out. Adding them back too early is what gets you. I add mine literally last, like 20 seconds before I plate, heat already off.
Wasn't sure about tomato paste in a cream sauce, but it rounds out the paprika in a way none of the other shrimp recipes I've tried managed to do.
That combo was the thing I kept tweaking the most. Most cream sauces skip the paste and the paprika just floats. Needs something to anchor to.
My husband scraped the skillet clean of cream sauce with a piece of bread (HIS bread, not mine) and I've never felt more vindicated about a weeknight dinner.
The keto/non-keto household is real and the bread thing made me laugh. My husband does the same with his dinner roll while I'm over here proud of my macros.
Third time making this and I finally went for all five garlic cloves instead of scaling back (I kept second-guessing myself), and the sauce is so much richer for it. Still working on getting the heat exactly where I like it, but on a cold night this is exactly what I want.
No more second-guessing on the garlic. For heat I go up to 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes, occasionally a full tsp.
Added a handful of baby spinach right before the shrimp went back in and it just wilted straight down into that cream sauce. Didn't think it would work but it soaked up the paprika and garlic and now I can't make this without it. Trying zucchini next.
Zucchini should work, just slice it thin and give it a couple minutes before the shrimp goes back in. It releases more water than spinach so the sauce might need a minute to tighten back up.
Husband said the garlic cream sauce was too good for a weeknight. Asked if I made enough for leftovers
Ha! That's the best kind of weeknight problem. I always make extra sauce now because my husband does the same thing.
This is an amazing dish. I have made it 3 times in the past couple of weeks. So flavorful. Thank you for all the effort you put into developing all your recipes.
Three times already! The garlic cream sauce gets me every time too. Hope you're saving some for the sauce pooling at the bottom.
I made this last night for dinner. It was delicious! I didn't add lemon, because I forgot to purchase one at the store and I used very little salt in the recipe. It was so good! Thanks for this recipe.
Lemon is barely a tablespoon in there, so not much lost. Salt to taste always.