Can You Eat Shrimp on a Keto Diet?

Shrimp is one of the most popular seafood choices, slip it in some pasta and it makes a tasty dinner. But when you’re compiling a list of foods that you can eat whilst on a keto diet, the burning question arises, is shrimp keto? The important element that we would need to figure out is how much carbohydrates are obtained from shrimps.

Table of Contents

• What is Keto?
• Is Shrimp keto Friendly?
• Keto Shrimp Recipes
  • Garlic Parmesan Shrimp
  • Keto Creamy Asparagus and Shrimp Alfredo
  • Tuscan Butter Shrimp
  • Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wrap Tacos
  • Low Carb Old Bay Shrimp
  • Smoked Shrimp Zero Carb Recipe
• So Can You Eat Shrimp on a Keto Diet?
• FAQs

What is Keto?

A keto diet, is a very low carb, high fat diet that involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This form of reduction forces your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. Once this happens your body becomes incredibly great at burning fat for energy, and can turn fats into ketones in the liver, which supplies energy for the brain.

Is Shrimp keto Friendly?

Shrimps are very low in carbs and they are a great source of protein, they can be eaten on a keto diet and when they’ve been baked or boiled you’re consuming mainly protein. When figuring out the nutritional value of shrimp, you have to remember that the way you cook shrimp is going to heavily impact the nutritional value. You might want to stick with cooking methods like grilling, or roasting the shrimp when you’re on a keto diet. When you dip shrimp into flour, or bread crumbs before deep frying it, you’re adding up to 20 grams of carbs, which cuts it close to the normal keto dieters’ daily carb intake. For a fried keto shrimp recipe, try air frying your shrimps instead.

You may want to avoid the bottled sauces, that are commonly used to dunk shrimps in, as they contain high sugar content and not good for the keto diet at all. Here are a few keto friendly sauces you can serve with your shrimp.

• Sugar-Free Cocktail Sauce
• Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
• Chimichurri Sauce

Keto Shrimp Recipes

Knowing that you can make a batch of delicious keto friendly shrimp, why not bring out the big bag of frozen shrimp from your freezer, and get cooking with these tasty recipes:

• Garlic Parmesan Shrimp
• Keto Creamy Asparagus and Shrimp Alfredo
• Tuscan Butter Shrimp
• Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wrap Tacos
• Low Carb Old Bay Shrimp
• Smoked Shrimp Zero Carb Recipe

Garlic Parmesan Shrimp

This brilliantly scrumptious, keto friendly garlic Parmesan shrimp is a cheesy Italian style appetiser that can be made in less than 30 minutes. For this recipe you’re going to need to peel the shrimp, or you can buy the shrimp peeled and deveined. In a bowl combine olive oil, Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, onion powder, salt and pepper. Then gently toss the shrimp in a single layer to coat.

Then spread the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet that’s been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Place the shrimp in a 400 degrees oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until the shrimp is firm and pink, then squeeze the juice of one lemon over the shrimp and garnish with parsley. You can pile these in a bowl, and serve them with your favourite keto friendly sauce for dipping. Here are the ingredients for this recipe:

• 2 pounds large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 5 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• Parsley for garnish

Keto Creamy Asparagus and Shrimp Alfredo

There’s nothing like a delicious bowl of gluten-free and keto-friendly dish, a perfect replacement for high-carb pasta. Using only shrimp swimming in a delicate creamy Alfredo sauce, with asparagus, cream, and parmesan cheese, this mouth-watering recipe is both hearty and satisfies every craving. You’ll need:

• 1 pound raw wild-caught shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons organic grass fed butter or ghee
• 2 cups asparagus
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Start by tossing the shrimp in salt and pepper, then place a frying pan over medium heat, dropping some butter into it; wait for the butter to gently sizzle, and then drop the shrimp into the pan. Sauté the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes until they start to turn opaque. Add the asparagus, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cream and parmesan cheese, reduce the heat and stir allowing the cheese to melt, and the sauce to thicken. Pour this into your favourite bowl, and enjoy immediately.

Tuscan Butter Shrimp

Tuscan sauce is a well-known pasta sauce that you can shamelessly enjoy whilst on keto. In this recipe, we cook the shrimp with butter, heavy cream, parmesan and basil to create a rich, potent aroma and taste. with additional cherry tomatoes, and spinach giving the dish a delightful splash of vibrancy. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 3 cups of baby spinach
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil
• Lemon wedges for serving

In a large skillet heat some oil, over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, when the oil starts to simmer add the shrimp to the pan and sear until they start to turn golden. Then flip until they turn opaque; remove them from the pan and set them aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add butter to the pan, once the butter has melted stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the cherry tomatoes and season them with salt and pepper, cooking until the tomatoes start to burst. Add spinach and cook until they start to wilt.

Stir in the heavy cream, parmesan and basil, then bring this mixture to a simmer, reducing the heat to low whilst the sauce starts to thicken.

Return the shrimp to the pan, and stir so that they’re coated in the thick creamy sauce, garnish with some more basil and squeeze lemon juice over the top before serving.

Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Are you missing the comforting crunch of tacos, well this recipe might just replace that emptiness with something incredibly delicious. A healthy keto taco, this dish lets you much more, without the fear of added carbs, or the absence of fulfilment. The shrimp are simmered in a spicy buffalo sauce and wrapped in fresh, crispy romaine lettuce hearts. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 pound raw peeled and cleaned frozen shrimp (thawed)
• 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
• 1 teaspoon oil or butter
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 6-12 leaves of romaine or Bibb lettuce leaves

Set the defrosted shrimp in the fridge, covered while you prepare your keto tacos. Wash the lettuce and chop your choice of vegetables like red bell peppers, carrots, jalapenos, cabbage, red onion or green onion. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat with 2 teaspoons of butter or oil, and sauté your shrimp. Season with paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper. Cook them on each side for about 2 minutes until the shrimp curl and become opaque. Add buffalo sauce to the pan, and mix thoroughly to coat while the pan is still hot. The shrimp may be added to the tacos whole, or chopped into bite-sized bits. Start to pile the shrimp onto your lettuce, and top with your choice of tasty toppings.

Low Carb Old Bay Shrimp

This quick and easy recipe, is made using pre-made Old Bay seasoning and olive oil, to coat your shrimp. You’ll need:

• 32 ounce peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Old Bay Sesoning
• 1/2 lemon

Toss all your ingredients in a medium bowl until the shrimp are thoroughly coated. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, cooking the shrimp for about a minute and a half on each side. Serve this with melted butter and old bay for dinner, or even a tasty snack at tea time!

Smoked Shrimp Zero Carb Recipe

Who wouldn’t want to try a delicious dish, that has no carbs whatsoever? This easy recipe consists of cooking shrimp covered in garlic olive oil and salt, topped with basil or parsley, until they’re cooked on a smoker or grill. It’s exceptionally delicious with a garlic herb butter sauce, or any other favourite sauce you have picked out. here’s what you’re going to need:

• 1 pound shrimp deveined
• 1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup grass-fed ghee melted
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of fresh basil and/or parsley minced

Preheat smoker or grill on low heat, meanwhile toss your shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay the shrimp on a smoker rack in a single layer and close the lid. Check the shrimp after 10 minutes and keep a close eye on them.

Smoke the shrimp until they’ve just cooked through, and while the shrimp are smoking, stir ghee, garlic, herbs and salt in a small bowl. Drizzle this over the cooked shrimp and toss to coat. Serve the remaining garlic herb butter mixture as a delicious dipping sauce.

So Can You Eat Shrimp on a Keto Diet?

The answer is yes absolutely! As long the methods in cooking the shrimp are low-carb and keto friendly, then you can eat shrimp whenever you like! Avoid deep frying so that you don’t accumulate more carbs with each bite than normal, and enjoy keto-friendly shrimp recipes for you and your family, They’re so delicious, that you don’t even need to be on keto to enjoy them.

FAQs