Garlic Lemon Shrimp Recipe | Easy Keto Dinner

⏲ ~16 min total · prep 14 · cook 2 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled with tails on, deveined
• 4 tbsp butter, divided
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (or dry white wine)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice plus 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the shrimp with the kosher salt and pepper and press them dry once more with a towel so the butter will cling.
2. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low, add the garlic slices, and cook 2-3 minutes, swirling, until fragrant and barely golden — past that they turn bitter.
3. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the shrimp in a single layer, and cook 1 1/2 minutes per side, just until the shells' undersides pink and the flesh turns opaque with the edges curling.
4. Pour in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and lemon zest and let it bubble 1 minute, scraping the bottom, until the liquid loosens the browned bits and starts to look saucy.
5. Turn off the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tbsp butter until the sauce turns glossy and slightly thickened, then stir in the parsley.
6. Serve hot in a bowl with the lemon wedges alongside for squeezing.

Why this recipe works

• Sliced, not minced, garlic Thin garlic slices flavor the butter gently and turn barely golden instead of scorching the way minced garlic does in twenty seconds. You can see the doneness line and stop before it.
• Butter twice Half the butter starts the pan; the last two tablespoons swirl in off the heat. That second addition turns the pan liquids into a glossy sauce instead of a greasy puddle.
• Broth deglaze A quarter cup of chicken broth lifts the browned bits and stretches two simple flavors into a sauce. Lemon juice and zest finish it.

Tips for making this recipe well

Dry shrimp are non-negotiable

Press the shrimp with a towel after seasoning so the butter clings and the surfaces sear. Wet shrimp spit in the butter and steam grey.

Golden, never brown

Two to three minutes over medium-low is all the garlic needs. Past barely golden it turns bitter, and that bitterness spreads through the whole sauce.

Read the curl

Look for opaque flesh with edges curling after about a minute and a half per side. Tight, closed curls mean they've gone past tender.

Zest with the juice

Zest goes into the pan with the lemon juice so its oils bloom in the heat without scorching. Skip it and the lemon reads flatter than the juice alone.

Tails on for flavor

The tail shells protect the most tender part of the shrimp and add flavor to the butter. Eat with your hands and keep a bowl for the shells.

Serving suggestions

Twenty minutes and one skillet, which is the honest answer to a tired weeknight. Serve the shrimp in bowls with lemon wedges alongside and something to catch the garlic butter; cauliflower rice or a crusty keto roll both work. Tails on means fingers, so set out an empty bowl for shells. Four grams of net carbs per serving keeps the rest of the plate open. A simple green salad is plenty alongside.

Storage and meal prep

Cooked shrimp keep 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, and they're best eaten soon after cooking. The garlic butter solidifies when cold; reheating gently in a skillet brings it back to glossy. Microwave in short bursts if you must, since shrimp toughen quickly with extra heat. Freezing for 2 to 3 months is safe, but thawed shrimp release water and the sauce separates. If you know you'll freeze half, pull the shrimp from the heat about thirty seconds early.

Variations worth trying

• Wine instead of broth The recipe offers dry white wine as an equal swap for the chicken broth. It brings a rounder acidity; let it bubble the full minute to cook off the raw edge.
• Chili butter A pinch of red pepper flakes into the melting butter gives a slow warmth that suits the lemon.
• Add spinach Two handfuls of baby spinach wilted into the sauce at the end turn this into a complete skillet meal.
• Scampi plate Toss the finished shrimp and sauce with shirataki noodles for a scampi-style dinner without the pasta carbs.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen shrimp?

Yes. Thaw them fully, then press them dry with towels before the pan; the sear depends on a dry surface.

How do I know the shrimp are done?

The flesh turns opaque and the edges curl, about a minute and a half per side. They keep cooking from residual heat, so pull them the moment they look done.

My garlic burned. What now?

Start the garlic over if you can; burnt garlic makes the whole sauce bitter. Next time keep the heat at medium-low and pull it at barely golden.

Can I make this dairy free?

Olive oil works in place of the butter, though you lose some of the glossy finish. Use a touch less, since oil doesn't need the emulsifying swirl butter gets.

What size shrimp works best?

Large shrimp hold up to the two-stage cooking and stay juicy. Smaller shrimp cook in seconds and are easy to overshoot at this heat.

Related keto recipes

Dinner

Keto Buttery Pan Fried Salmon

18 min · 0.5g net carbs

Dinner

Keto Surf 'N' Turf Skewers

26 min · 1.3g net carbs

Dinner

Keto Filipino Shrimp with Achiote Oil

24 min · 3.3g net carbs

Dinner

Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe - Keto Dinner | 4g Net Carbs

27 min · 4.0g net carbs

As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Keto Food Ideas earns from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Nutritional values are estimates. Recipes are developed with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors before publishing.

← More Dinner recipes · Home