This slow cooker 5-ingredient frozen shrimp recipe is for those nights when you’re racing in the door at 5:30, everyone’s hungry, and you still want dinner to feel a little special. You literally toss raw frozen shrimp into the crock with four pantry-friendly ingredients, flip it on, and let the slow cooker do the work while you handle everything else. The shrimp simmer in a buttery garlic-lemon sauce that tastes like something you’d order at a restaurant, but with almost zero effort and only one dish to wash. It’s not a traditional regional recipe so much as a busy-weeknight hack I leaned on after too many late meetings and kids’ activities, and it quickly became the kind of meal my family asks for again before they’ve even finished their first plate.
Serve the shrimp and its garlicky lemon-butter sauce over hot cooked rice, or spoon it onto buttered noodles for an easy shrimp scampi vibe. It’s also great piled on toasted baguette slices to soak up every drop of sauce. Add a simple green salad or steamed broccoli on the side, and if you have time, a bag of frozen garlic bread or roasted asparagus makes it feel like a full restaurant-style dinner with almost no extra work.
Slow Cooker 5-Ingredient Frozen ShrimpServings: 4
Ingredients
2 pounds raw frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined (tail on or off)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions
Place the raw frozen shrimp in an even layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. The shrimp should go in straight from the freezer; do not thaw first. It’s okay if they’re a bit clumped, but scatter them as evenly as you can so they cook at the same rate.
Scatter the butter pieces evenly over the top of the frozen shrimp. Sprinkle the minced garlic (or garlic powder) and kosher salt over everything, then pour the lemon juice over the shrimp and butter. Do not add water or broth; the shrimp will release liquid as they cook and create their own sauce.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the shrimp are just cooked through. The shrimp are done when they are opaque, pink, and firm but still tender, and the centers are no longer translucent. Start checking around the 1 1/2-hour mark, especially if your slow cooker runs hot.
Once the shrimp are cooked, gently stir them in the lemon-butter-garlic sauce to coat evenly. Taste the sauce and add a pinch more salt if needed. If you’d like a little extra brightness, you can squeeze in another splash of lemon juice at this point.
Turn the slow cooker to WARM and serve the shrimp straight from the crock. Spoon the shrimp and plenty of the sauce over rice, pasta, or crusty bread so it can soak up all the flavor. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 1 to 2 days, reheating gently just until warmed through.
Variations & Tips
For a little heat, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes along with the garlic and salt. To give this more of an herby, Italian feel, stir in 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano before cooking, then finish with a handful of chopped fresh parsley if you have it. If you prefer a slightly creamier sauce, stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half right at the end, after the shrimp are cooked, and let it warm through on WARM for a few minutes. You can also swap the lemon juice for 1/4 cup dry white wine for a more classic scampi-style flavor (cook as directed, the alcohol will cook off). For extra richness, use salted butter and reduce or skip the added salt, tasting at the end. Food safety tips: Always start with raw frozen shrimp that have been properly stored (tightly sealed and kept at 0°F/-18°C or below). Put the shrimp into the slow cooker while still frozen; do not let them sit out at room temperature to thaw. Cook on LOW as directed, and avoid using the KEEP WARM setting to cook from frozen, as it won’t bring the shrimp up to a safe temperature quickly enough. Once cooked, do not leave the shrimp sitting on the WARM setting for more than 2 hours, and refrigerate leftovers promptly in a shallow container. Reheat leftovers gently on the stovetop or in the microwave just until hot to avoid overcooking the shrimp.
