Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi Pasta

At a glance

What stands out: What’s not to love about Instant Pot shrimp scampi pasta? Creamy angel hair pasta and flavorful shrimp are cooked in one pan in less than a half hour! Even better, you don’t even have to thaw the shrimp first.

How long it takes: 30 minutes, start to finish
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot
Servings: 4

What is Shrimp Scampi?

In Italy, scampi are small crustaceans in the lobster family. They are called langoustine or prawns. Since they aren’t widely available in the U.S., cooks began substituting shrimp, cooking them the same way they would have cooked scampi, a speedy sauté with butter and garlic.

So shrimp scampi is kind of like saying “shrimp shrimp.” The term has evolved into a garlic butter shrimp dish that is prepared in a variety of ways. Try our lemon shrimp recipe with olive oil, garlic, and lemon which is a shrimp scampi preparation.

You’ll find that shrimp scampi is so often served on angel hair pasta that folks think that’s what shrimp scampi is. This Instant Pot shrimp scampi pasta recipe is a straightforward iteration of a classic dish.

Straightforward Shrimp Scampi

Creamy without being greasy. This pasta dish is so rich with briny shrimp and delicate angel hair pasta in a garlicky white wine sauce, with bright lemon and salty Parmesan. This isn’t a creamy cheese sauce, like Alfredo, but you’ll definitely notice a creamy feel due to the starch that’s released into the broth from the pasta. And with just 414 calories per serving, you’ll enjoy every bite!

A straightforward one pan meal! This pasta dish is straightforward to prepare. From start to finish, you’ll have it on the table in less than a half hour. That’s our kind of recipe! And such a straightforward cleanup — only one pan. Plates and forks are optional (just kidding!).

No need to thaw the shrimp. Don’t have any meat thawed out for tonight’s dinner? No worries, just grab a bag of frozen shrimp out of the freezer and you’re good to go. Shrimp is our go-to for speedy meals. Try sheet pan shrimp fajitas or grill up shrimp kabobs with pineapple. These shrimp tacos with avocado, mango and pineapple salsa are crazy good.

Budget friendly. Why spend a bunch of money at a restaurant when you can easily make this absolutely rich shrimp scampi pasta at home? Open that bottle of white wine (for the pasta, of course, but you may as well enjoy a glass!) and let’s get cooking!

Traci Said:

“we made this and it was rich! Our husband told us we HAVE to make it again.”

See More Reader Reviews

What goes in

• Butter and Olive Oil: A mixture of butter and olive oil reduces saturated fat but increases the flavor of this simple dish.
• Shallots and Garlic: The pungency is tempered by sautéing briefly in the butter/olive oil mixture.
• Dry White Wine: Use wine that you like to drink. Sauvignon blanc has a nice citrus note that complements the lemon in this recipe.
• Angel Hair Pasta: A speedy cooking pasta that’s often served with shrimp scampi.
• Chicken Broth: Look for low sodium or unsalted chicken broth.
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Add as much or as little zingy heat as you like.
• Frozen Shrimp: Since shrimp cooks quickly, you won’t even have to thaw it before adding it to the Instant Pot. (The recipe card also has instructions for using thawed or fresh shrimp.)
• Parmesan Cheese: Use a good quality Parmesan if you can. We like to pass additional cheese when we serve this dish.
• Fresh Parsley: Choose Italian (flat leaf) parsley.
• Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice brightens up this pasta dish.

How it comes together

You’ll need an Instant Pot pressure cooker to make this pasta dish. You won’t need an additional pan to cook the pasta or a colander to drain it, nor will you need a skillet to sauté the shrimp.

Sauté. Begin by sautéing chopped garlic and shallots in olive oil and butter in your Instant Pot. In a few minutes, they’ll be tender and so aromatic. Add the wine and stir for another minute. It should be smelling fragrant right now. Turn off the heat while you add the rest of the ingredients.

Add broth and uncooked pasta. Stir in half of the broth, making sure nothing’s sticking on the bottom of the pan – scrape all of those brown bits up. Crack the angel hair pasta in half and layer it in the pot in a criss-cross pattern. If you just plop the dry pasta in, all going in one direction, it will stick together when it cooks and you’ll end up with a pasta blob.

Add shrimp. Pour in the rest of the broth, separating the pasta as much as possible. Sprinkle on a few red pepper flakes, then arrange the frozen shrimp on top. Season with a bit of salt and put the lid on the pot.

Cook. Select Pressure Cook (or Manual, High Pressure) and set the time for zero minutes (not a typo!). Both shrimp and angel hair pasta require a short cooking time and by the time the pressure cooker comes to pressure, they’re both fully cooked. Magical!

Important Tip

Some pressure cooker models may not let you select zero. Select the lowest time you can but stop the cooking as soon as the pressure cooker indicates full pressure (hit cancel), then speedy release the pressure!

Serve. Remove the lid when the pressure is safely vented and stir in shredded Parmesan, parsley, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Enjoy immediately!

Ways to change it

• Use thawed or fresh shrimp. If you’d like more control over cooking the shrimp (or if you’re using fresh or thawed shrimp), don’t add it to the Instant Pot right away. Wait until the pasta is cooked, set the Instant Pot to warm, and stir in thawed or fresh shrimp. The residual heat will cook the shrimp in about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp.
• Skip the wine. You can omit white wine when making shrimp scampi although it won’t have the same flavor. Fresh lemon juice or additional chicken broth can be substituted to deglaze the pan.
• Use a skillet to cook the shrimp. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, try our skillet shrimp scampi. Cook the pasta separately and serve the shrimp scampi on top. Another alternative is our straightforward shrimp Alfredo which is also cooked in a skillet.
• Looking for something different? Try this rich Greek orzo salad with shrimp or pasta with shrimp, Brussels sprouts, & wine sauce.

Keeping leftovers

Shrimp scampi pasta is best eaten immediately. If you do happen to have some left over, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheat pasta in the microwave in 15 second increments until warm. Add a little broth if the pasta seems dry.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 4 minutes
• Total: 29 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup dry white wine (such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio)
• 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth, divided
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pound large frozen shrimp (size 20-30), deveined, shells and tails removed (do not thaw, see note)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

1. Heat Instant Pot on Sauté function. Add butter, olive oil, shallots, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until shallots soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add wine and cook, stirring, until wine has reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Turn Instant Pot off.
3. Add 1 ¼ cups broth to pot, scraping up any brown bits. Crack pasta in half and layer in a criss cross pattern (see photos). Add remaining broth and separate strands of pasta as much as possible.
4. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and then arrange frozen shrimp on top of the uncooked pasta, without stirring. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Secure Instant Pot lid and turn valve to seal. Set on Pressure Cook (or manual, high pressure, depending on your model) for 0 minutes (not a typo!). If your Instant Pot model will not accept 0 minutes as a setting, simply press Cancel when you hear the signal that it’s reached full pressure.
6. Once the Instant Pot has reached full pressure, immediately release pressure by doing a quick release, and turning valve to vent.
7. When pressure is completely released, remove cover and stir in Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and lemon juice.
8. Taste and season with additional salt and red pepper flakes as needed. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cook pasta as directed above, omitting shrimp. It will only take about 6 minutes to come to pressure instead of 15.

When pasta has finished cooking, remove the lid and stir in shrimp. Leave Instant Pot on warm setting, with the lid on but not sealed, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through (pink and shaped like the letter C), stirring 3 times to ensure shrimp cooks evenly.

Stir in Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and lemon juice, check seasonings, and serve.

Use a skillet to cook the shrimp. Sauté the shrimp in a skillet, plate the pasta, and top with the shrimp. If you’re worried about the shrimp being overcooked, this is a good method, or try our skillet shrimp scampi, and cook the pasta separately.

Skip the wine. You can omit white wine when making shrimp scampi but it will affect the flavor. Additional fresh lemon juice or chicken broth can be used to deglaze the pan instead of wine, if you prefer.