Chewy udon noodles tossed in a buttery garlic chive sauce with tender succulent shrimp. This quick and easy garlic butter shrimp udon is ready in 20 minutes with minimal ingredients. A great main dish or meal for the family to enjoy!
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Garlic butter shrimp udon is made of bouncy udon noodles, shrimp, tossed in a garlicky butter sauce with a hint of fresh chives. This is heavenly and comforting at the same time!
The best part about this Asian noodle dish is it's made of simple ingredients and the cooking process is swift! Perfect for a busy weeknight meal when time is of the essence since shrimp and udon noodles take little time to cook.
It's also a great meal to impress a guest or date or a delicious way to add seafood to your diet. I love making this for myself because I always have a bag of frozen shrimp and udon in my freezer.
When I was developing this noodle recipe, I was inspired by the Italian version using pasta. I thought it would be more delicious with udon. To my expectation, it was a hit and I hope you enjoy this Japanese-Italian fusion dish.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Frozen Udon: I recommend using frozen udon for best texture over the shelf stable vacuum-sealed kind. Or substitute with freshly made udon and prepare according to package directions.
- Jumbo Shrimp: you can use pacific white or I recommend black tiger shrimp. Get the easy peel kind that has been deveined already to cut down the prep time. Or substitute with scallops or thinly sliced chicken and cook it through.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Chives: any Western grocer will sell this herb in the produce section. This is not the same as garlic chives or Chinese chives which are very long and flat.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter: or substitute with salted butter and season the final dish with less salt.
- Salt: to season the final dish to taste.
Expert Tips
- Don't over soak the udon noodles in the hot boiling water or they will become mushy when you stir fry them in the garlic butter sauce later.
- To quickly and easily peel garlic cloves: place the unpeeled garlic cloves into a jar and seal it with a lid. Then shake the jar until the skins of the cloves fall off.
- Don't burn the garlic or this will ruin the dish and sauté them over low heat to prevent any burning.
- Don't overcook the shrimp! Once they curl and are slightly pink, proceed to the next step.
- Don't over stir fry the noodles in the sauce or the noodles will become soggy. Once they've been tossed with the other ingredients in the pan, remove off heat.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make garlic butter shrimp udon:
- In a large bowl, add frozen udon noodles and fill the bowl with boiling hot water. Soak the udon for 20-30 seconds or until loosened. Strain in a colander and set aside.
- In a large pan on low-medium heat, add olive oil. Add sliced garlic and fry for 10 seconds or until fragrant.
- Then increase to medium heat and fry shrimp on both sides, until curled and slightly pink - about 1-2 minutes. Next melt the butter and mix everything together.
- Lastly toss in strained udon noodles with chopped chives and mix well. Remove off heat and season with salt to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing garlic butter shrimp udon because the noodles will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Garlic Butter Shrimp Udon serve well with:
- garlic bread or toast
- hot creamy soups like mushroom soup or creamy potato soup
- fresh green salads
- cooked vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, or green beans.
- cooked protein like steak, chicken, pork, or fish.
FAQ
Garlic butter shrimp udon can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Garlic Butter Shrimp Udon
Ingredients
- 1.65 lbs udon noodle frozen kind
- 14 jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup chives finely chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt add to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add frozen udon noodles and fill the bowl with boiling hot water. Soak the udon for 20-30 seconds or until loosened. Strain in a colander and set aside.
- In a large pan on low-medium heat, add olive oil. Add sliced garlic and fry for 10 seconds or until fragrant.
- Then increase to medium heat and fry shrimp on both sides, until curled and slightly pink - about 1-2 minutes. Next melt the butter and mix everything together.
- Lastly toss in strained udon noodles with chopped chives and mix well. Remove off heat and season with salt to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
The udon noodles is a brilliant move with garlic shrimp! Looks absolutely amazing Christie!!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Thick noodles, garlic butter shrimp, oh my! I'm wishing I could eat this right now as an evening snack 😉 Looks so good Christie!!!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The shrimp bathed in the garlic butter sauce is heavenly all by itself... but those udon noodles you added make this dish totally irresistible!