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This lemon butter baked shrimp has juicy jumbo shrimp coated in buttery garlic sauce with a bright pop of lemon. The shrimp bake right in the sauce, then get a quick broil at the end for a little color.
This oven baked shrimp recipe is easy to turn into dinner. Spoon the shrimp and garlic butter over lemon orzo pasta with baked asparagus, or serve them with air fryer steak for a simple surf-and-turf meal.
Why Make Lemon Garlic Butter Baked Shrimp
- Quick and easy: Raw shrimp cook in minutes, and everything comes together in one baking dish. It’s an easy baked shrimp recipe for weeknights when you don’t want a lot of prep.
- Lots of garlic butter flavor: The shrimp bake right in the lemon garlic butter, leaving flavorful sauce in the dish for spooning over the shrimp and your sides.
- Easy to serve: Add pasta or rice for a heartier dinner, or keep the meal low-carb with vegetables or spaghetti squash.
Ingredients Needed
- Raw jumbo shrimp: I use peeled and deveined shrimp that are about 13–15 or 16–20 per pound. You can leave the tails on or remove them.
- Cajun seasoning: My homemade Cajun seasoning adds savory flavor and a little heat. You can also use another seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay.
- Lemon garlic butter sauce: My lemon garlic butter sauce gives the shrimp their buttery garlic and lemon flavor. I use the same Cajun seasoning and lemon butter combination for my lemon butter baked salmon.
- Parsley: Optional for garnish.
Check the recipe card below for exact amounts.
How to Make Oven Baked Shrimp
Season the shrimp
Pat the thawed shrimp dry if they have excess moisture, then toss them with the Cajun seasoning until evenly coated. Starting with dry shrimp keeps extra water from thinning the lemon garlic butter sauce.
Arrange the shrimp
Spread the shrimp in a single layer in a broiler-safe baking dish. Keeping them in one layer helps the shrimp cook evenly rather than steaming on top of each other.
Add the lemon garlic butter
Pour the lemon garlic butter sauce over the shrimp and turn them as needed to coat them. Some of the butter will settle in the bottom of the dish and become sauce for serving.
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Bake and broil
Bake the shrimp at 400°F until they start turning opaque. Finish them under the broiler on low for a little color and to cook them through. The lemon butter shrimp are ready when the flesh has changed from translucent to opaque and feels firm but still tender. Remove them promptly so they stay juicy.
Tips for the Best Baked Shrimp
- Use raw, thawed shrimp: Precooked shrimp can become rubbery by the time the sauce is hot. If you want to skip thawing, my air fryer Cajun shrimp cooks raw frozen shrimp directly in garlic butter.
- Pat the shrimp dry: This is especially important with previously frozen shrimp. Excess water can thin the garlic butter sauce.
- Use similarly sized shrimp: They’ll cook more evenly and finish at about the same time. I prefer jumbo shrimp for this recipe.
- Keep them in one layer: Avoid crowding or stacking the shrimp so they cook evenly in the oven.
- Use the broiler for color: The shrimp are already cooking quickly, so the final broil is just enough to finish them and add a little color. Watch them closely so they don’t overcook.
- Adjust the finish: Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or some lemon zest for more brightness. Red pepper flakes work well if you want additional heat.
What to Serve With Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp
The extra lemon garlic butter in the baking dish is perfect for spooning over the rest of your meal.
- Lemony pasta dinner: Serve the shrimp and garlic butter over lemon orzo pasta with baked asparagus.
- Steakhouse dinner: Add the shrimp to air fryer steak with creamed spinach for an easy surf-and-turf dinner.
- Low-carb dinner: Serve the shrimp over air fryer spaghetti squash, similar to my spaghetti squash with shrimp scampi, and spoon some of the extra garlic butter over the top.
You can also browse my shrimp recipes for more ways to make shrimp for dinner.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Store: Keep leftover shrimp with the lemon butter sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm the shrimp gently just until heated through. Too much additional cooking can make them rubbery.
FAQs
I bake shrimp at 400°F for this recipe. The hot oven cooks the shrimp quickly in the lemon garlic butter before the short broil at the end.
For the jumbo shrimp in this recipe, bake them for 5 minutes, then broil on low for 2–3 minutes. Smaller shrimp can finish sooner, so watch for the flesh to change from translucent to opaque.
The shrimp should change from translucent to opaque and feel firm but still tender. Remove them once they’re cooked through rather than waiting for them to brown heavily.
Avoid overcooking them. Use similarly sized shrimp, arrange them in a single layer, and watch them closely during the final broil. Shrimp can go from tender to overcooked quickly.
Yes. Smaller shrimp cook faster than the jumbo shrimp used in this recipe, so start checking them sooner.
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Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb Shrimp, I used jumbo (16-20 or 13-15 per lb), tail-on, deveined and peeled
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, click for recipe, or use another seafood seasoning
- ½ cup Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce, click for the recipe. I used 1/2 the recipe for this dish and the other half for baked salmon.
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Season: Add the shrimp and Cajun seasoning to a bowl. Toss until evenly coated.
- Arrange: Add the shrimp in a single layer to a broiler-safe baking dish.
- Add the sauce: Pour the lemon garlic butter sauce evenly over the shrimp.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Broil: Turn the broiler to low and broil for 2–3 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque, tender, and lightly browned.
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Recipe Notes
- Shrimp size: I use jumbo shrimp that are about 13–15 or 16–20 per pound. Smaller shrimp will cook faster.
- Use thawed shrimp: Pat away excess moisture before seasoning so it doesn’t water down the garlic butter. For shrimp cooked straight from frozen, use my air fryer Cajun shrimp.
- Don’t crowd the dish: Keep the shrimp in a single layer so they cook evenly.
- Watch the broiler: Shrimp cook quickly. Remove them once they’re opaque and tender rather than waiting for heavy browning.
- Extra sauce: This recipe uses half a batch of lemon garlic butter sauce. Save the remaining sauce for vegetables, another side, or lemon butter baked salmon.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
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