Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi Pasta Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

What’s not to love about Instant Pot shrimp scampi pasta? Creamy angel hair pasta and flavorful shrimp, cooked in one pan in less than a half hour! The shrimp cooks from frozen.

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

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 my go-to for quick 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.

And this pasta dish is really so delicious: 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!

Why spend a bunch of money at a restaurant when you can easily make this absolutely delicious 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!

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 quick sauté with butter and garlic.

So shrimp scampi, which is kind of like saying “shrimp shrimp,” has evolved into a garlic butter shrimp dish that is prepared in a variety of ways. Try my lemon shrimp recipe with olive oil, garlic, and lemon which really 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 an easy iteration of a classic dish.

Look for the complete printable recipe with instructions, measurements, and notes at the end of this post.

What you’ll need

• 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 quick 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.
• Shrimp: Since shrimp cooks very quickly, you won’t even have to thaw it before adding it to the Instant Pot. How easy is that!
• Parmesan Cheese: Use a good quality Parmesan if you can. I like to pass additional cheese when I serve this dish.
• Fresh Parsley: Choose Italian (flat leaf) parsley.
• Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice really brightens up this pasta dish.

How to make Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi

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.

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. Oh, that smells soooo good! Turn off the heat while you add the rest of the ingredients.

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.

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.

Select Manual or Pressure Cook 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!

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

FAQs

Make It Your Own

• Cooking 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.
• Use a skillet to cook the shrimp: Sauté the shrimp in a skillet, plate the pasta, and top with the shrimp. You might like to try my easy shrimp Alfredo which is cooked in a skillet.
• Vegetarian entrée: Omit the shrimp.
• Looking for something different? Try this delicious Greek orzo salad with shrimp or .

Storage & Reheating Tips

Shrimp scampi pasta is really 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.

More one pot pasta recipes

• Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta – cheesy ranch perfection
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Broccoli — so creamy!
• Taco Pasta – One Pan, Healthy, 30 Minutes
• Pizza Pasta – 1 pan, 6 ingredients, 20 minutes
• – ONE PAN!
• Easy Skillet Lasagna
• One Pot Vegetarian Orzo with Sundried Tomatoes
• Creamy Chicken Spaghetti – one pan, endless variations!