Sheet Pan Shrimp

One Pan Keto Shrimp Dinner

If you love one-pan dinners with zero cleanup, this is the one I come back to. Everything bakes together: shrimp, bell peppers, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and whole garlic cloves, all coated in a tangy cilantro lime vinaigrette. My sheet pan chicken and veggies follows the same approach if you want to rotate proteins.

No stovetop babysitting. Just assemble, slide it into the oven, and it’s done in 10 minutes. I’ve made this dozens of times, and the shrimp come out tender and perfectly cooked when I pull them the second they turn pink.

I line mine with foil so there’s literally nothing to wash. One pan, one meal, and I’m out of the kitchen before the dishes would even finish soaking.

The flavors are flexible. Skip the cilantro if it’s not your thing, or swap the vegetables for whatever’s in the fridge. I’ve done broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts. They all roast well at this temperature. Serve it over cauliflower rice, toss it into a salad, or eat it straight off the pan.

How to Tell When Shrimp Are Done

I watch the color. Raw shrimp are grey-white, and as they cook, they turn opaque white-pink with red accents in the tails. That color shift is your first signal.

They also curl and shrink slightly as the muscle contracts. Once they’re pink, opaque, and C-shaped, they’re done. Pull them the second they curl. Even 30 seconds too long and they go rubbery. I learned that the hard way early on, and now I set a timer for 8 minutes and check from there.

Best Low Carb Vegetables for the Pan

Any vegetables you love will work here. I use bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and whole garlic cloves, but I’ve tested broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, brussels sprouts, green beans, and red onion. They all hold up. High-heat roasting brings out natural sweetness and caramelizes the edges, so even vegetables you’re lukewarm on tend to taste better this way.

If you want a completely different protein with the same roasted vegetable method, my air fryer salmon pairs well with most of these same sides.

Why I Use the Oven Instead of the Stovetop

Oven cooking wins on busy nights. One pan means one thing to wash. No splatters on the stove. No constant stirring or flipping. I slide it in, set a timer for 8-10 minutes, and I’m free to make the cauliflower rice or throw together a side salad while it cooks.

The even heat also means I don’t have to worry about some shrimp overcooking while others are still raw, which happens to me every time I try to do a big batch in a skillet.

How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

Here’s how I do it:

1. Remove the shell.
2. Use a sharp paring knife to make a shallow cut along the back. You’ll see a dark vein running along it.
3. Gently lift out the vein with the tip of the knife.

It takes about a minute the first few times, but you’ll get fast. I can do a pound in about 5 minutes now without thinking about it.

If you’re using frozen shrimp, thaw them in the fridge overnight or soak in cold water for 20-30 minutes before cooking. I always use raw shrimp for this recipe. Pre-cooked shrimp will overcook and turn tough in the oven since they’re already done before they go in.

Tails On or Off

Your call. Both work. I leave them on because they make great little handles for picking up the shrimp, but if you’re tossing this into a salad or over rice, removing them first makes eating easier. I take them off when I’m meal prepping so I can just dump and reheat without fussing.