Shrimp is great for my recipes because it cooks quickly and can be used in a lot of different ways. It’s great for a quick dinner during the week or an appetizer. You should try my Shrimp Kabobs or these Marinated Shrimp Skewers if you want to fire up the grill. You could also make Ina Garten’s Roasted Shrimp Salad or Shrimp Orzo Pasta Salad for a quick and healthy meal.
This simple shrimp scampi recipe doesn’t call for wine. It only needs five main ingredients that you probably already have on hand or can fast-track at the store. Classic flavors like garlic, lemon, and butter are used to make a tasty sauce. Adding a stock made from shrimp shells makes the sauce even better.
Shrimp scampi is a classic Italian dish that typically calls for garlic, butter, lemon, parsley and white wine. The tangy white wine adds a brightness to the buttery sauce that perfectly complements the sweet shrimp. However, not everyone drinks alcohol or keeps wine on hand. The good news is, you can easily make shrimp scampi without the wine!
In this article, I’ll explain how to make shrimp scampi sauce without wine and share wine substitutions and seasoning ideas to still give you lots of flavor. I’ll also provide a couple delicious shrimp scampi recipes made without vino so you can enjoy this easy skillet dinner even without white wine on hand.
Why Make Shrimp Scampi Without Wine?
There are a few reasons you may want to skip the wine when making this classic shrimp dish
- You don’t drink alcohol or keep it in your home
- You don’t have any white wine on hand
- You need a kid-friendly or non-alcoholic meal option
- You follow an alcohol-free diet for health reasons
- You simply want to try a new variation of the classic recipe
Luckily skipping the wine doesn’t mean you have to miss out on delicious shrimp scampi. With a few simple substitutions you can make shrimp scampi taste amazing without a drop of wine.
How to Make Shrimp Scampi Sauce Without Wine
The first step is figuring out how to mimic that bright, acidic flavor of white wine in your scampi sauce. Here are some easy wine substitutions:
Chicken or Vegetable Broth
An equal amount of chicken or vegetable broth makes a simple swap for white wine in shrimp scampi recipes. The broth adds a savory depth without overpowering the other flavors. Just use 1/4 cup broth for every 1/4 cup of white wine called for in the recipe.
Chicken broth works particularly well and adds extra richness from the chicken fat. But if you want to keep it vegetarian, vegetable broth is a great alternative.
Lemon Juice
Up the lemon flavor as a no-alcohol swap in shrimp scampi. Add an extra tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice when you skip the wine.
Lemon brightens the sauce and gives it that tangy flavor the white wine typically provides. Freshly squeezed lemon juice works best, but bottled juice in a pinch is fine too.
Vinegar
For another tart, bright acid, use vinegar in place of white wine. I prefer apple cider vinegar, but white wine vinegar also works well.
Start with 1 tablespoon vinegar for every 1/4 cup wine. Taste and add more vinegar to your preferences. Just take care not to overdo it since you don’t want the acidity to overpower.
Homemade Shrimp Stock
One unique substitute for wine in shrimp scampi is making your own shrimp stock using the shells.
Simmer shrimp shells in water for 10 minutes then strain. Use the resulting seafood stock in place of wine in the recipe. It infuses tons of extra shrimp flavor!
More Tips for Shrimp Scampi Without Wine
Using one of the swap ideas above will help mimic the wine flavor. But you can also amp up other seasonings in your scampi to make sure it’s bursting with flavor, even without the wine.
Extra Garlic
You can never go wrong with more garlic! Add 2-3 extra cloves minced garlic when making your scampi sauce.
Lemon Zest
Grate in some fresh lemon zest which concentrates lemon oil and flavor.
Red Pepper Flakes
Add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
Italian Seasoning
An Italian herb blend or a sprinkle of oregano boosts the Italian flavor.
Parmesan Cheese
Stir in some grated parmesan cheese right before serving for extra richness.
Shrimp Scampi Recipes Without Wine
Now that you know how to mimic the wine flavor and boost taste without it, let’s look at a couple delicious recipes for easy shrimp scampi that skip the vino.
Skillet Shrimp Scampi
This quick and easy shrimp scampi without wine comes together in just 30 minutes. Lemon juice and homemade shrimp stock add lots of flavor to the garlic butter sauce.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions:
- Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Place shrimp in a bowl.
- Simmer shrimp shells, 1 cup water and 1/2 tsp salt for 10 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid.
- Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in 1/3 cup shrimp stock and salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes per side until pink.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, juice and parsley. Enjoy!
Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
For a healthy, low-carb option, this recipe uses zucchini noodles instead of pasta. Chicken broth and lemon add lots of flavor without the wine.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 12 oz zucchini noodles
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook shrimp 2 minutes per side until pink. Remove shrimp and set aside.
- Add remaining oil and garlic to the skillet. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice and zest. Simmer 2 minutes.
- Add zucchini noodles and butter. Toss to coat.
- Return shrimp to skillet and cook 1 minute to heat through.
- Season with salt, pepper and parsley. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use stock instead of wine in shrimp scampi?
Yes, chicken or vegetable broth makes a great substitute for white wine in scampi recipes. The broth mimics the flavor of wine without containing alcohol.
What’s the best wine substitute for shrimp scampi?
Lemon juice is my top pick for mimicking the bright, acidic flavor of white wine in scampi sauce. Up the lemon juice to compensate when skipping the wine.
Do I need wine for shrimp scampi sauce?
No, wine is traditional in shrimp scampi, but not essential. Using lemon juice, vinegar, broth or homemade shrimp stock are all easy wine substitutes.
Is shrimp scampi good without wine?
Absolutely! With the right seasonings and acidity from lemon or vinegar, shrimp scampi can be amazing even without the wine.
Enjoy Delicious Shrimp Scampi Minus the Wine
As you can see, skipping the wine doesn’t mean you have to miss out on garlicky, buttery shrimp scampi. With a few simple tricks, you can mimic the bright flavor of wine with lemon, broth, vinegar or shrimp stock.
Boost the seasoning with extra garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes or Parmesan to make sure your scampi is full of flavor. Then dig into tender shrimp in the most delicious lemony, garlicky sauce even without a drop of wine.
What to Serve It With
If you want to make this shrimp scampi a main course, you can serve it with different side dishes. It tastes great on its own as an appetizer or light meal. I like to serve mine the traditional way, with pasta or crusty bread (or both!), but if I want to cut back on carbs, I can also serve it with a salad. Here are some ideas:
- Serve with lots of crusty bread. Rustic bread is a great side dish, and you can also use it to soak up the garlic scampi sauce. This shrimp dish tastes great with crusty olive bread or this no-knead bread.
- A simple green salad goes well with butter garlic shrimp scampi. For a low-carb meal, serve it with a simple green salad. This Butter Lettuce Salad is so easy to make, and my Spring Mix Salad is always a favorite.
- For a classic and loved pasta dish, try Ina Garten’s Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. If you want to serve your scampi with linguine, feel free to get ideas from that recipe. It tastes great with angel hair pasta or any other kind of pasta you like. To save time, cook your pasta ahead of time. Follow the directions on the package or cook until al dente in a large pot of salted water. My Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles is a low-carb shrimp scampi recipe that you can try instead.
Substitutions & Seasoning Ideas
Some tasty combinations are hard to go wrong with, like garlic, butter, and shrimp. You can change or experiment with the other ingredients to make this dish your own. Here are some suggestions:
- Big shrimp or extra-large shrimp with their shells work best for this recipe because the shells will be used to make a stock. I recommend sizes 16-20 or 21-25. Make sure the shrimp aren’t frozen before you use them in the recipe if you want to use frozen shrimp. Also, remember that you need to peel and devein the prawns before cooking them. It’s so easy to make shrimp scampi with shrimp that have already been cooked. If you do that, it will take a lot less time to cook.
- Stock: You don’t have to use shrimp with the shells on to make this easy recipe. You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth instead of dry white wine in shrimp scampi because you won’t have the shells to make the stock. You can also use a bouillon cube instead of broth. For best results, mix one tablespoon of Better than Bouillon (affiliate link) with one-eighth of a cup of water.
- If you don’t have any lemon, that’s okay! Just add a splash of apple cider vinegar to your scampi sauce to make it without lemon. Instead of lemon, the vinegar will add a nice sour taste.
- Ideas for seasoning shrimp scampi: Red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley are often used in an old Italian recipe for shrimp scampi. You can change things up, though, by adding a pinch of cumin or paprika or even parmesan cheese to your alcohol-free shrimp scampi.
- Garlic Butter: When I make my garlic butter recipe, I set some aside in the freezer. It helps me make this dish even faster and saves me time from cutting up garlic.