Shrimp Carbonara brings together tender shrimp, crispy bacon, and spaghetti with a creamy Parmesan and egg sauce for a flavorful weeknight pasta dinner in about 30 minutes.
For a twist on classic carbonara, this creamy shrimp carbonara combines shrimp and bacon with a rich, silky Parmesan and egg sauce. It’s a satisfying pasta dinner that comes together without a complicated preparation. If you enjoy garlic and seafood pasta, you may also like my Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti.
Quick Look: Shrimp Carbonara
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 4
- 🌿 Flavor Profile: Savory, garlicky, cheesy, and smoky
- 🍝 Texture: Creamy sauce with tender shrimp and crisp bacon
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
- 🏠 Best For: Weeknight dinners
- 🍳 Cooking Method: Stovetop
- 🍤 Key Ingredients: Shrimp, spaghetti, bacon, eggs, and Parmesan
- Why This Recipe Works: Blending the eggs with Parmesan, butter, garlic, and seasonings gives the sauce a smooth consistency. Adding the mixture off the heat helps it stay creamy instead of turning into scrambled eggs.
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What Is Carbonara?
Carbonara is a Roman pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese such as Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, guanciale, and black pepper. Pancetta or bacon can also stand in for guanciale.
Cream isn't typically part of traditional Italian carbonara, but it is common in versions made outside Italy. Some variations also include vegetables such as peas, broccoli, leeks, onions, or mushrooms.
Shrimp carbonara is a seafood variation of the classic dish with shrimp as the main protein.
Ingredients
- Colossal shrimp, 1 pound, raw, peeled, deveined, and tails removed. Fresh or frozen shrimp both work well. Buying shrimp already peeled and deveined cuts down on prep, and jumbo shrimp are fine if colossal aren't available.
- Spaghetti, 12 ounces. Its long, thin strands mix easily with the creamy sauce and help distribute it throughout the pasta. Fettuccine or linguine are good alternatives.
- Large egg, 1, plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature. Bring both to room temperature before starting the sauce for smoother blending.
- Unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons, at room temperature. Room-temperature butter blends more easily with the eggs, Parmesan, and seasonings.
- Heavy cream – ½ to ¾ cup, optional. Add it for a richer, creamier sauce. Traditional carbonara doesn't contain cream, so leave it out for a more classic-style sauce.
- Parmesan cheese, ⅔ cup, grated, plus more for serving. Parmesan gives the sauce a rich, nutty taste.
- Garlic, 6 cloves. Garlic isn't traditional in Roman carbonara, but its savory flavor pairs particularly well with shrimp.
- Freshly cracked black pepper, ½ teaspoon. A classic carbonara seasoning that balances the richness of the eggs, Parmesan, and bacon.
- Salt, 1 teaspoon, or adjust to taste.
- Smoked bacon, 6 slices, diced. Bacon gives the pasta a smoky, savory flavor and leaves flavorful drippings for cooking the shrimp. Pancetta or guanciale are good alternatives.
- Reserved pasta water, 1 cup. Reserve it before draining the spaghetti. Use about ¾ cup for a thicker sauce.
- Italian parsley, ¼ cup, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish. Stir some into the pasta and save the rest for serving.
How to Make Shrimp Carbonara
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 8–10 minutes. PIC. 1
- Make the sauce mixture: Add the egg, egg yolk, softened butter, Parmesan, garlic, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a food processor or blender. Blend for about 15 seconds, or until creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside. PIC. 2
- Cook the bacon: Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. PIC. 3
- Cook the shrimp: Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet. Pat the shrimp dry and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3–4 minutes, turning as needed, until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to the plate with the bacon. PIC. 4
- Finish the sauce: Pour 1 cup of the reserved hot pasta water into the same skillet over medium heat. Stir to loosen the browned bits from the bottom. Turn off the heat, then add the reserved egg and cheese mixture. Stir until creamy. PIC. 5
Note: For a creamier sauce, add ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream when stirring the egg and cheese mixture into the pasta water. - Toss the pasta: Stir the parsley, bacon, and shrimp into the sauce. Add the cooked spaghetti and toss until evenly coated. PIC. 6
- Garnish and serve: Top the shrimp carbonara with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
FAQ About Shrimp Carbonara
Start with ¾ cup of reserved pasta water instead of the full cup. Add more as needed until the sauce reaches the consistency you prefer.
Yes. Stir the pre-cooked shrimp into the pasta near the end and heat it only until warmed through. It doesn’t need the 3 to 4 minutes of cooking required for raw shrimp.
Yes. The sauce starts with a raw egg and egg yolk blended with the other sauce ingredients. The mixture is stirred into the hot pasta water after the heat is turned off, where residual heat thickens the sauce.
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Shrimp Carbonara
Equipment
- Pans
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine
- 1 large egg – at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk – at room temperature
- ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream optional, for a creamier sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter – at room temperature
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 6 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more for pasta water and seasoning the shrimp
- 6 slices smoked bacon, pancetta, or guanciale – diced
- 1 lb colossal shrimp or jumbo shrimp – peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 1 cup reserved starchy pasta cooking water – use ¾ cup for a thicker sauce
- ¼ cup Italian parsley – finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a little olive oil and about 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Make the sauce mixture: Add the egg, egg yolk, softened butter, Parmesan, garlic, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a food processor or blender. Blend for about 15 seconds, or until creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.
- Cook the bacon: Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
- Cook the shrimp: Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet. Pat the shrimp dry and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until pink. Transfer the shrimp to the plate with the bacon.
- Finish the sauce: Pour 1 cup of the reserved hot pasta water into the same skillet over medium heat. Stir to loosen the browned bits from the bottom. Turn off the heat, then add the reserved egg and cheese mixture. Stir until creamy. Note: For a creamier sauce, add ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream when stirring the egg and cheese mixture into the pasta water.
- Toss the pasta: Stir the parsley, bacon, and shrimp into the sauce. Add the cooked spaghetti and toss until evenly coated.
- Garnish and serve: Top the shrimp carbonara with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store leftover shrimp carbonara in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freezing: I don't recommend freezing the finished shrimp carbonara. Freezing and reheating can affect the creamy sauce and make the shrimp rubbery. Reheating: Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Add a small splash of water if the pasta seems dry. Avoid high heat, which can overcook the shrimp and affect the texture of the egg and cheese sauce.Nutrition
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Thanks For Sharing this amazing shrimp carbonara recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Hi Ashok! I am so glad your family enjoyed our shrimp carbonara. Mine did too! It si a simple yet tasty recipe.
If you know it's not carbonara, don't call it carbonara, call it pasta with shrimp.. or any other name.. ITS NOT CARBONARA!
Everytime someone calls a dish what it's not , it drives me mad. Because when I look for a recipe online, I want to find the original recipe, not some variation invented by others.
Hi Georgy! I call it carbonara because this is one of the American versions of carbonara and has the main ingredients of a carbonara (bacon, pasta, eggs, hard cheese, and pepper). I did not create the American version. Americans created it decades ago -- or better, they adapted the Italian carbonara to their taste and availability of ingredients (guanciale was not widely available in the U.S. decades ago so bacon was used instead). This version or recipe is actually closer to the Italian carbonara than other versions on the web that have cream cheese and heavy cream. And I know shrimp is not in the original carbonara -- this is why I made people know it takes shrimp. So yes this is a carbonara with shrimp (or shrimp carbonara). I am sorry if it upsets you. I didn't mean to offend anyone or their culture. I think I made it clear in my post the differences between this American version and the original carbonara which is better than many websites do. If you want to find the original recipe for any food on the web, please search the name of the food with the term "original or traditional recipe". But I will say right now, good luck with that! Most don't display the original recipe and won't inform the public about the differences either. At least I did! Have a good day!
This looks like an amazing recipe. Would make a great dinner meal for Valentine's day!
This looks really good! I love carbonara and I learned a new techinique here, I never had used a food processor to mix all that sauce ingredients, this makes a lot of sense making the sauce as smooth as possible
Hi Denise,
I was really looking forward to making this recipe, because there was no heavy cream required. I made it for dinner tonight, and was very disappointed. I followed the recipe, and your directions, as written, except that I probably used more bacon, and substituted some shallots for some of the garlic. I used one cup of the starchy pasta water, as written, and when I added the sauce base, which I made in the food processor, it did not thicken or even resemble a creamy sauce! It was very, very watery. I ended up having to add at least 1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy cream, to have any kind of "sauce." Are you sure you added one whole cup of pasta water?
Hi Debbie! I am sorry you were disappointed. Have you ever had the traditional carbonara pasta before? The tradiitonal version (not the American version) is not creamy in the same sense of a heavy cream sauce. Nothing can beat heavy cream for obvious reasons. But it is creamy in the italian sense of creamy (not dry). Mine did not get watery at all. I did not experience what you did. But if you want to try it again and want creamier, add way more cheese when adding the starchy water to the pan and also add the double of whole eggs and egg yolks to the sauce base than asked in the recipe. I will add this NOTE to my recipe card so other people will know. Every person has a different idea. If you are used to eat the creamy version of what Americans perceive as creamy and otherwise you will be disappointed, yes add the cream always. Some Americans even add part cream and part room temp cream cheese to the sauce. The Italian carbonara pasta has no cream and the cheese and the eggs are what make the sauce moist and for me creamy yet not like a heavy cream sauce. Something that I will have to add to my notes as well so people don't have false expectations and think that it will be as creamy as a heavy cream sauce. And yes, I am sure that is a cup of water. If you want to try with 1/2 cup of water you can but I am telling you ahead that it will be dry. Thank you again!
Such a great dish, and your version looks superb. Thanks!