Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
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Light, airy gnocchi tossed with tender shrimp and the most amazing cream sauce you’ll want to drink!

Featured Comment
You know I don’t have to convince any of you when it comes to a garlic parmesan cream sauce. So go ahead and make that emergency grocery run. You’ll need gnocchi, fresh shrimp, and a whole mess of fresh Parmesan and garlic.
reasons to make shrimp and gnocchi with garlic parmesan cream sauce
- Fancy weeknight meal. With its quick time stamp, this weeknight superhero can be on your dinner table in 30 minutes start to finish. It comes together lightning fast, yet it’s fancy enough to serve to weekend company.
- A cream sauce made of dreams. Made with tender, juicy shrimp laced with a silky garlic-Parmesan-infused cream sauce, all tossed alongside some pillowy gnocchi, this dinner is simply irresistible.
- Versatile recipe. This shrimp and gnocchi recipe is incredibly forgiving and flexible. Not a fan of shrimp? Swap out for boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (or even leftover shredded rotisserie chicken). And you can use your favorite variety of gnocchi here – classic potato, ricotta or cauliflower are all great options.

types of shrimp
Wild caught shrimp vs. farmed shrimp
Farmed shrimp are raised in controlled environments, whereas wild caught shrimp have been caught in their natural habitats by fishermen. Wild caught shrimp is generally preferred over farmed shrimp primarily due to taste.
Frozen vs. fresh shrimp
Unless you reside in a coastal area, the “fresh shrimp” on display at your local grocery store have already been previously frozen at sea. Frozen shrimp offers ultimate freshness (flash-frozen as soon as they are caught) and flexibility, using only what you need for dinner. Bottom line, frozen shrimp will taste better and cook better.
tips and tricks for success
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, using frozen shrimp is ideal (but avoid the bags with freezer burn), opting for a quick thaw under cold running water.
- Cook in batches. Overcrowding the pan will lead to poor searing and chewy, rubbery shrimp.
- Use your favorite meat. Crumbled Italian sausage (sweet or spicy) or boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) will all work very well here.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all perfect additions.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!

what to serve with shrimp and gnocchi with garlic parmesan cream sauce
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce: Frequently Asked Questions
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture (so they can brown nicely and evenly).
Absolutely! You can substitute rosemary or oregano (dried or fresh!) or any other herb of your choosing. And because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim/low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.

Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package gnocchi
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the garlic parmesan cream sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth, or more, as needed
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ cup half and half*
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, add shrimp, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- To make the garlic parmesan cream sauce, melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken broth, thyme and basil. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more half and half as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in shrimp and gnocchi, and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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its sooooooo good
looks so good
Delicious! So easy and tastes great! Thank you!
Hi, I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Next time I will use Parmigiano-reggiano and a few more shrimp. A loaf of crusty Italian bread would be good with this also. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe! But as I was eating it, some oil, I’m assuming from the butter, separated from the cream sauce. Is there something I can do to make sure that doesn’t happen in the future?
High heat can cause separation; low and slow is the safest option!
Have you ever made your cream sauce with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth? My daughter is a vegetarian and I would love to make this for her!
I actually have not but it should still work just fine! 🙂
Absolutely Devine!
How many grams does a serving have?
Rosana, you would have to divide the full amount by 4 servings to get the serving size in grams. I hope that helps!
Can I use frozen shrimp? I live in a tiny town and there is no fresh shrimp anywhere!!!
Yes, absolutely.
Made this tonight and it turned out perfect the first time! It’s amazingly delicious!! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight. Rarely do I find a new recipe that’s 100% perfection 1st time around…i usually have to tweak them somehow. Not this one. Thanks for the new addition to our regular meals. Will try it with sauteed mushrooms and ref pepper flakes next time, but it surely doesn’t need anything else, it’s that damn good
Should I change anything if I’m using lump crab meat and crawfish?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, we cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
How many servings does this make? I want to make this for Valentine’s Day dinner for 5-7 people. Can you use cooked shrimp?
This recipe yields 4 servings.
Made for Superbowl Commercial, it’s a hit! Used the butter from cooking the shrimp for the sauce. Will make again.
I have made this recipe several times and it’s delicious. I just went to pull up the recipe and am I going crazy, didn’t it use to say to cook shrimp in the oven???
You are not crazy at all. You actually have an amazing memory!
I have updated the recipe so that you don’t have to dirty another sheet pan to bake the shrimp in the oven.
By cooking the shrimp in a skillet on the stovetop, you can actually use that same skillet for the garlic parmesan cream sauce!
Made this for my husbands’ birthday at his request and thumbs up across the board! I never made gnocchi before and this recipe made it seem less intimidating. Featured in my recipe roundup!
Made this for family dinner and it was a huge hit. Thinking about adding sauteed sliced mushrooms to it next time. Thanks for sharing the recipe! A real winner!
What can be substituted for the gnocchi please?
Any type of pasta you prefer should work just fine. Enjoy!
hi i would like to add that it took us about 2 goddamn hours to make this dish, maybe we are noobs but still i am hungry af. props to my gf to make this. I am just looking though XD
I’ve made many of your recipes and never been disappointed. I will be trying this one tomorrow night.