Are you looking for a quick and easy, delicious garlic shrimp recipe? I have a super easy dish for you that you can make in 15 minutes! The garlic butter sauce makes this the BEST garlic butter shrimp you've ever had. I will share how you can make this delicious dish the Filipino way! It is loaded with savory, garlicky, sweet, salty, umami goodness! It is so good! Your family and friends will love you for it!
This recipe is popular all year round and can be eaten as an appetizer, light snack, or even dinner. You can bookmark this succulent shrimp dish as your go-to for a delicious butter shrimp with Sprite recipe.
This was inspired by my Caramelized Shrimp recipe and paired well with this amazing Chili Cucumber Salad recipe. You can eat this garlic butter shrimp with Sprite or garlic fried rice, Pancit Noodles, or a nice crusty bread.
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Ingredients Needed
- Shrimp: Fresh shrimp with heads and shells will yield the best flavor. Otherwise, you can use frozen and peeled. The flavors will be less intense, though.
- Sprite (7Up, Sierra Mist, or any lemon-lime soda. Please do not use diet.
- Garlic
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Fresh Ground Black pepper
- Cilantro (optional)
*Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities needed to make this delicious dish.
How to Cook Butter Shrimp With Sprite
Step 1. For the Garlic Butter, mix butter and minced garlic using a fork in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2. For the Shrimp: Add the shrimp and Sprite to a skillet and let it simmer over medium-high heat.
Step 3. Add olive oil and sauté with half of the garlic butter once the shrimps turn bright orange and the liquid has been reduced.
Step 4: Add the rest of the butter mixture to the shrimp—season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Garnish with sliced green onion or chopped parsley.
*Please see the recipe card for exact quantities on how to make this shrimp with Sprite recipe.
Top Tip
If you're going to make this recipe, make sure to follow this top tip!
As the shrimp start caramelizing, stir frequently and delicately to keep the shrimp from burning. My favorite cookware is my Le Creuset Braiser, which holds an even temperature throughout cooking time and evenly cooks the shrimp. The cookware doubles as a serving platter because it's so beautiful! #onepotmeal
Variations
- Spicy - If you want spicy garlic butter shrimp, add your favorite spice blends, like crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, or Tajin spice. You can also add a splash of chili garlic oil as a finishing touch or serve it in small bowls as condiments for your guests to spice things up.
- Beer—If you don't want to use lemon soda in this garlic butter shrimp recipe, use beer instead of Sprite. The beer will still give the shrimp a nice golden caramelized color and a nutty flavor.
- Garlic—I used finely minced raw garlic for this recipe. If you prefer, consider roasting the garlic instead. A simple way to roast garlic is to wrap a bulb of garlic, or four cloves, as called for in this recipe, in foil with olive oil. Then roast in a 400 °F (204 °C) oven for 30 minutes. Squeeze the garlic out and blend with butter.
Raw versus Roasted Garlic
Raw garlic will give you a savory and intense flavor, whereas roasted garlic will give you a milder and creamier buttery texture and flavor to this dish.
NOTE: It's important to roast the garlic with skin on it. The skins will prevent the garlic from burning.
Equipment Needed
My favorite cookware to use in caramelizing the shrimp is my Le Creuset Braiser. I opted to use this cookware because the enameled cookware retains the heat evenly throughout and ensures an even temperature, allowing the shrimp to have the lovely golden color you get when caramelizing food. And since the cookware is so beautiful, it also doubles as a serving dish, allowing you to enjoy every savory juice from the shrimp, and nothing goes to waste.
Storage
To store garlic butter shrimp with Sprite, follow these steps:
- Cool Down: Allow the shrimp to cool to room temperature after cooking.
- Airtight Container: Transfer the shrimp and sauce to an airtight container. This helps prevent the shrimp from absorbing any other odors from the fridge.
- Refrigerate: Store in the refrigerator. Garlic butter shrimp can last up to 3 days when properly refrigerated.
- Reheat Gently: When ready to eat, reheat the shrimp gently in a pan over low heat to avoid overcooking. To refresh the sauce, add a little bit of extra butter or Sprite.
If you plan to store it for more than three days, consider freezing it. Remove as much air as possible from the container, or use a freezer bag when freezing. The shrimp can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating
Here are the reheating instructions for your garlic butter shrimp with Sprite:
Stovetop (Best Method):
- Pan Selection: Use a non-stick or heavy-bottomed pan to prevent the shrimp from sticking.
- Heat the Pan: Set the stove to low or medium-low heat and allow the pan to warm up.
- Add Liquid (Optional): To avoid drying out the shrimp, add a small amount of butter, Sprite, or a splash of water to the pan.
- Reheat the Shrimp: Place the shrimp in the pan and gently stir. Cook for 3-5 minutes until heated through. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp as they can become rubbery.
- Serve Immediately: Once heated, remove from the pan and serve.
Microwave (Quick Method):
- Microwave-Safe Dish: Place the shrimp in a microwave-safe dish.
- Cover: Cover the dish with a microwave-safe lid or plastic wrap to retain moisture.
- Heat in Short Intervals: Microwave on medium power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the shrimp is heated through. This usually takes about 1-2 minutes, depending on the amount of shrimp.
- Check Temperature: Ensure the shrimp is evenly warmed before serving.
Oven (For Large Quantities):
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Arrange Shrimp: Place the shrimp in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil to prevent drying out.
- Reheat: Warm the shrimp in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until heated through. Stir once halfway through for even heating.
- Serve Hot: Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Each method is designed to maintain the shrimp's tenderness and the flavor of the garlic butter sauce.
Secrets To Making The Best Butter Shrimp With Sprite Recipe
Use whole shrimp: If you're up for some adventure, cook the raw shrimp with the heads intact, as this is where you'll find most of the rich, sweet, decadent, and salty flavor of the shrimp. Hands down, it is the best. However, if you cook shrimp without the heads, I get you; this recipe will still give you the well-rounded umami flavor you'll enjoy. Want to know the best shrimp size to use? Refer to the Shrimp Sizing Chart.
Caramelize the shrimp: It's essential to caramelize the shrimp to get a nice golden brown color and savory flavor. The not-so-secret ingredient in caramelizing the shrimp in this garlic butter recipe is to use lemon-lime soda. And that's regular lemon-lime soda, not a diet. You need the sugar in the lemon-lime soda to break down, which gives the shrimp its flavor and color. You will get a different result if you use a diet soda.
Be in the moment: By that, I mean watch the shrimp as you cook them! Don't be doing laundry or watching Netflix. But please stand by the shrimp while you stir and look for a color change. They should turn from pink to bright orange in 5 minutes, maybe slightly more, like 8 or 10 minutes, depending on the size and quantity of the shrimp. So don't go anywhere! The longer you cook the shrimp, the tighter and more demanding they get. And I don't think you'd like that.
FAQ
Large-sized shrimps (21-25 count) are ideal. See Shrimp Sizing Chart.
Absolutely! Prawns are generally slightly larger than shrimp, so using this recipe to make garlic-buttered prawns will be a win!
Deveining shrimp is when you remove the black strip that runs along the back of the shrimp. This strip is known as the shrimp's lower digestive tract, where you'll find some sand and grit and the shrimp's digested food.
Deveining the shrimp prior to cooking makes for a cleaner presentation of the shrimp. And you won't get that gritty texture when you bite into the shrimp.
Yes. Frozen with or without the heads and/or tails will work well for this recipe too.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this delicious Garlic Butter Shrimp with Sprite:
Want more recipes? Go to recipe index to see other gourmet recipes sorted by category!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 T Olive Oil
- 1 pound Shrimp fresh or frozen (see notes)
- 4 cloves Garlic finely minced
- ½ cup Sprite other lemon-lime soda will do
- 4 T Butter unsalted
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Cilantro garnish
Instructions
For the Garlic Butter
- Using a fork, make the garlic butter by blending the minced garlic with the softened butter in a small bowl. Set aside.
For the Shrimp
- Add the shrimp and Sprite to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes, until the shrimps turn orange. Around the same time, when the Sprite should have been reduced to half.
- Add half of the garlic butter mixture to the shrimps. Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the garlic butter shrimp from heat and add the remaining garlic butter mixture over the dish. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh chopped cilantro.
Notes
- The best shrimp for this recipe are the large-sized shrimp (21-25 count), which means you get 20 to 25 shrimp per pound.
- Shrimp with heads and shells still intact will give the most flavorful dish!
- For a quicker prep time, get shrimps cleaned and deveined.
- Any lemon-lime soda will work for this recipe. Don't use diet since you will need the sugars to help caramelize the shrimp.
- Frozen shrimp (already peeled or shell-on) will also work for this recipe.
- Any leftover shrimp should be promptly stored, covered, and refrigerated and must be consumed within 4 days.
- This dish is best served and eaten right away; therefore, I will not recommend putting any uneaten shrimp in the freezer.
- This recipe goes great with Garlic Fried Rice and Chili Cucumber Salad.
Nutrition
Food Safety for Shrimp
- Cook the shrimp to an internal temperature of 145 °F (63 °C)
- Wash hands after cleaning and deveining shrimp
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
Joseph
My Filipino wife taught be this dish but my only one advice is to pan fry the shrimp in a shallow thing of cooking oil so the shells become crispy. This is one going to really flavor the oil with all the juices from the shrimp while creating texture. Remove the shrimp and then fry garlic and the whites of green onions. Then add salt and pepper and a cup or regular Sprite or 7UP and start reducing the Soda. When the soda has reduced by a 1/3 add the Shrimp back in and you get a clingy sauce. At this time I ad a quarter of a stick of butter and toss the shrimp and add the green of a chopped green onion for mostly color.
Jocelyn | JOZmahal
Thank you so much for sharing your adaptation of this dish! I have been making this dish for decades, and always had perfectly flavored and crispy garlic butter shrimp with Sprite, but I'll give your method a try next time I make it. It's always fascinating to see how different techniques and ingredients can elevate a dish. I appreciate your input.
Sue
I made this and the family loved it! Will be making it again. I served it as an appetizer and people really enjoyed eating with their hands. So delicious! Making my mouth water just leaving this review. 🌟
Jocelyn | JOZmahal
Thank you for this nice review, Sue! Glad you and the family enjoyed it! We enjoy eating this Garlic Shrimp with our hands too. Perfect dish to bring when we're out swimming/beach days!
Dana
I was unsure about the Sprite, but OMGeee! I'm so glad I tried this recipe. It is deeeelicious!!! A definite keeper! The best garlic buttered shrimp recipe! 😋
Mel
This is truly a finger-lickin' great recipe. And I love that it doesn't have a ton of ingredients. It's the best garlic butter shrimp recipe for sure!