✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
This copycat Olive Garden shrimp scampi has everything you order it for: tender shrimp, asparagus and sweet cherry tomatoes in a garlic butter white wine sauce, all tossed with angel hair. It's on the table in 25 minutes, faster than the drive to the restaurant.
How Do You Make Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi? (Quick Answer)
Soften onion and garlic in olive oil and butter, add white wine, asparagus and cherry tomatoes and simmer until the wine reduces by half. Cook 1 1/2 lb shrimp in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes until pink, then swirl in cold butter and lemon and toss with angel hair, pasta water and parsley. Done in 25 minutes.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Shrimp cook in 2 to 3 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat as soon as they turn pink and curl into a loose C; a tight O means rubbery shrimp.
Why You'll Love This Shrimp Scampi
- The real Olive Garden plate shrimp, asparagus and tomatoes in garlic butter wine sauce over angel hair.
- 25 minutes, one skillet the pasta cooks while the sauce reduces.
- Light but rich no cream, just butter, wine and lemon, so it never feels heavy.
- Restaurant gloss cold butter swirled in at the end makes the sauce cling.
- Easy to swap broth for wine, spaghetti for angel hair, or chicken for shrimp.
What Is Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi?
Olive Garden's shrimp scampi is one of its lighter pasta entrees: shrimp sauteed in a garlic sauce with asparagus and tomatoes, tossed with angel hair. Unlike the chain's chicken scampi, there's no cream, just butter, garlic, white wine and lemon.
Olive Garden doesn't publish its recipe, so the amounts here are mine. I tested it against the restaurant plate for the things that matter: plenty of garlic, crisp-tender asparagus, juicy shrimp and a sauce that coats the pasta instead of pooling in the bowl.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Shrimp: large, peeled and deveined, tails off so they twirl easily with the pasta.
- Asparagus: cut into 2 inch pieces so it cooks in the same 4 to 5 minutes as the sauce reduces.
- Cherry tomatoes: halved, they soften and add sweet juice to the sauce.
- Garlic: five fresh cloves. Jarred garlic tastes flat here.
- White wine: a dry Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Broth works if you'd rather skip it.
- Butter: split in two, some to cook the aromatics and cold cubes to finish the sauce.
- Angel hair: the thin pasta Olive Garden uses. Have everything ready before it hits the water.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Dry shrimp, hot pan. Pat the shrimp completely dry so they cook in the sauce instead of watering it down.
- Garlic goes in second. Give the onion a 2 minute head start, then add the garlic for just 1 minute. Browned garlic turns the whole sauce bitter.
- Reduce the wine by half. It takes 4 to 5 minutes and cooks off the sharp alcohol taste, leaving the sweet, savory base the restaurant sauce has.
- Cold butter at the end. Off the high heat, cold cubes emulsify into a glossy sauce. Melted butter just pools and looks greasy.
- Undercook the angel hair. It finishes in the pan and goes soft fast, so pull it a minute early.
- Save that pasta water. A splash or two of the starchy water loosens the sauce and helps it coat every strand.
- Frozen shrimp is fine. Thaw overnight in the fridge or in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes, then dry well.
Pair it with my homemade Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo.
Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi
4
servings10
minutes15
minutes720
kcal25
minutesA copycat Olive Garden shrimp scampi: shrimp cooked in a garlic butter and white wine sauce with tender asparagus and cherry tomatoes, finished with lemon and cold butter and tossed with angel hair, parsley and Parmesan. Serves 4 in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the Pasta
12 oz angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon kosher salt, for the pasta water
- For the Shrimp Scampi
1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (2 for the pan, 4 cold and cubed to finish)
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc) or chicken broth
1 bunch (about 1 lb) asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- To Finish
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan, finely grated, to serve
4 wedges lemon wedges, to serve
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Pat the shrimp very dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring, until fragrant. Do not let it brown.
- Pour in the wine and add the asparagus, tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the wine has reduced by about half and the asparagus is bright green and just tender.
- Meanwhile, cook the angel hair for 2 to 3 minutes, or 1 minute less than the package says. Save 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until pink, curled into a loose C and opaque (145°F).
- Turn the heat to low. Swirl in the 4 tablespoons of cold butter a few cubes at a time, then the lemon juice, until the sauce looks glossy.
- Add the angel hair and parsley and toss with tongs, adding splashes of pasta water until every strand is coated. Serve right away with Parmesan and lemon wedges.
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Variations
Once you've made it the classic way, try one of these.
- Chicken: make my Olive Garden chicken scampi, the creamy version with peppers and onions.
- Classic butter and lemon: skip the vegetables and try my Red Lobster shrimp scampi.
- Spicier: double the red pepper flakes.
- Extra greens: stir a handful of baby spinach in with the pasta.
- Gluten-free: use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti and cook it to the package time.
What to Serve With Shrimp Scampi
For the full restaurant meal, I serve it with a basket of copycat Olive Garden breadsticks to mop up the garlic butter and a big crisp salad with Italian dressing on the side.
Storing and Reheating
Cool leftovers and refrigerate them in a covered container within 2 hours. They keep for up to 3 days, though the angel hair soaks up the sauce as it sits.
Reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or broth, tossing just until hot. I don't freeze this one; thawed shrimp and thin pasta both turn soft.
More Olive Garden Copycats
This is the lightest of the Olive Garden pastas I make at home, and there's a whole menu more in my Olive Garden copycat recipes collection. You can browse every restaurant favorite in our copycat recipes roundup too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in Olive Garden shrimp scampi?
Olive Garden's shrimp scampi is shrimp sauteed in a garlic sauce with asparagus and tomatoes, tossed with angel hair pasta. This copycat uses the same building blocks: shrimp, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, garlic, butter, white wine and lemon over angel hair.
Is Olive Garden shrimp scampi made with cream?
No. It's a butter, garlic and white wine sauce. The silky texture comes from reducing the wine and swirling in cold butter at the end, not from cream.
Can I make shrimp scampi without wine?
Yes. Use 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth and add 1 extra teaspoon of lemon juice for brightness.
What size shrimp should I use?
Large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound) match the restaurant plate and stay juicy. Medium shrimp work too; cook them about 1 minute less.
How do I know when shrimp are done?
They turn pink and opaque and curl into a loose C shape, about 2 to 3 minutes, reaching 145°F. A tight O shape means they are overcooked.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Refrigerate in a covered container within 2 hours for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or broth until hot. High heat makes the shrimp rubbery.
What pasta is best for shrimp scampi?
Angel hair is what Olive Garden serves. Thin spaghetti or linguine also work; cook them a few minutes longer and keep the pasta water handy.
