This garlic grilled shrimp on the Traeger is easy to make and cooks up super quickly. Lightly seasoned before being placed on skewers, it cooks for less than 10 minutes and gets covered with a wonderful garlic and ghee (or butter) sauce. This gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compatible recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal!
If you love the flavors of shrimp scampi, this recipe is for you.
Grilling shrimp is a great way to cook up this crustacean, and it couldn’t be easier on your Traeger grill.
This recipe is great for summer when you don’t want to overheat the kitchen, but also don’t want to stand over a hot grill forever. The shrimp cook up in no time and are super flavorful in the garlic sauce. I promise, you’re going to love this recipe.
Why you should make these grilled garlic shrimp kabobs
- This recipes requires very little prep and very few ingredients.
- The shrimp take less than 10 minutes to cook, which means you can get dinner on the table FAST.
- The garlic and ghee sauce tastes absolutely amazing – you won’t be able to stop eating them.
Ingredients
- Raw shrimp – use medium to large shrimp (sized between 31-40), and make sure they’re defrosted if they were previously frozen!
- Lemon – I love Meyer lemons, but any lemon will work, or just use lemon juice.
- Garlic – the recipe calls for 3 cloves. Use less for a lighter garlic flavor or more for a heavier garlic flavor.
- Parsley – be sure and use flat leaf parsley, not the curly kind.
- Ghee – the recipe uses unsalted ghee. You could also use unsalted butter if you don’t have a dietary restriction.
- Oil – this recipe calls for extra virgin olive oil, but any higher heat oil.
- Spices – kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal brand) and ground black pepper.
I’ve written condensed directions here including pictures so you can see how to make this recipe. The full set of detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Before you scroll through, there is important information throughout this post.
How to grill garlic shrimp on the Traeger
- Set your Traeger to 400 degrees F and remove excess water from the shrimp with paper towels.
- Add the oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper to the shrimp.
- Stir the shrimp with your hands until evenly coated.
- Slide the shrimp onto a metal skewer. You should be able to fit 6 to 7 on each skewer.
- Place shrimp kabobs on the Traeger and close the lid. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Open the Traeger and flip each shrimp kabob, cooking for another 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp are light pink and opaque.
- While the shrimp are cooking, combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat.
- When the shrimp are done, pour or brush the garlic sauce onto each shrimp skewer. Serve immediately.
What to serve with shrimp kabobs
If you’re wondering what side dishes would go well with grilled shrimp, here are some options for you:
- some roasted veggies, like this turmeric roasted cauliflower
- a leafy green salad, like this pear green salad
- a summer salad, like this corn tomato avocado salad
- a starchy side dish, like this Greek rice salad
- some sauteed veggies, like these sauteed zucchini and mushrooms
- or check out this post of 60+ options for what to serve with grilled shrimp
FAQ
You may have some questions about grilling shrimp – let’s get to those now.
How do you know when shrimp are cooked?
Raw shrimp are kind of translucent, meaning you can see inside of them a little bit. When they are cooked, they are completely opaque, meaning you can’t see the inside at all. They will turn slightly pink on the outside and white on the inside. Recommended internal temperatures for shrimp range from 120 to 145 degrees F.
Should I grill shrimp with the shell on?
You can grill shrimp with the shell on, but the shrimp will have more flavor if you de-shell them before seasoning then grilling them.
Do you use frozen or defrosted shrimp?
You need to use raw, defrosted, and peeled shrimp in this recipe. This recipe won’t work with frozen shrimp or pre-cooked shrimp.
Can you use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic in the sauce?
No, you cannot use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic in the sauce. The flavor doesn’t come out the same.
Recipe tips and substitutions
- You can use a different sized shrimp in this recipes, but the cooking time is dependent on the size of shrimp you have. If you use smaller shrimp, it will be less time. If you use jumbo shrimp, it will be a little longer.
- Don’t let the garlic and ghee mixture boil as the parsley will turn the garlic a weird shade of green.
- Either ghee or butter will work for the sauce – use whichever fits your dietary preference.
- You’ll want to serve this dish right away as both the shrimp and garlic sauce can cool quickly. If the garlic sauce starts to harden a bit as it cools, just heat it up again.
Click here to save this Traeger shrimp recipe to Pinterest
YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AND PINTEREST TO SEE MORE GOOD TO EAT, GLUTEN FREE & WHOLE30 FOOD.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you make end up making this shrimp on the Traeger, then don’t forget to leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Grilled Garlic Shrimp on the Traeger
Equipment
- A Traeger grill
- A bowl or large dish
- 6 12-inch metal skewers
- A small saucepan
Ingredients
For the shrimp:
- 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined, medium to large size (31-40)
- ¾ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil or other high heat oil
For the sauce:
- ¼ c unsalted ghee can use butter if not paleo/Whole30
- ¼ c parsley chopped
- 3 garlic cloves pressed or minced (medium sized)
- ½ lemon squeezed (about 1 tbsp)
- ½ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
Instructions
- Set your Traeger to heat up to 400 degrees F. Place your shrimp in a bowl or dish and dry them off with a paper towel until any excess water is gone.
- Pour the oil over the shrimp, then sprinkle the kosher salt and ground black pepper over them as well. Use your hands to stir everything together, making sure the shrimp are evenly covered with oil and seasonings.
- Take out six 12-inch metal skewers and slide the shrimp onto the skewers, making sure to get the skewers as close to the middle of the shrimp as possible. You should be able to fit 6-7 shrimp on each skewer.
- Once the Traeger is up to temperature, place the skewers onto the grill grates and close the lid. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side, then flip the skewers over and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the second side. You want the shrimp to look opaque all the way through, with a slightly pink outside and a white inside.
- While the shrimp is cooking, add the ghee to a small saucepan over low heat. Let it melt, then add in the chopped parsley, pressed garlic, lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon or other utensil then let cook very gently until the shrimp is done.
- When the shrimp and garlic sauce are done, pour or brush the sauce onto the shrimp. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The cooking time is dependent on the size of shrimp you have. If you have smaller shrimp, it will be less time. If you have jumbo shrimp, it will be a little longer.
- You’ll want to serve this dish right away as both the shrimp and garlic sauce can cool quickly. If the garlic sauce starts to harden a bit as it cools, just heat it up again.
- Don’t let the garlic and ghee mixture boil as the parsley will turn the garlic a weird shade of green.
Aeil
Thank you for saying can’t use
Powdered garlic four garlic cloves
the real deal👍
Your recipe is delicious flavorful
Easy the shrimp are perfect
Thank you for sharing and
Explaining the recipe I’ve used
Powdered garlic no taste clomping
On sea food.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍😍five stars
Two thumbs up smiling loved this
Recipe
Taryn your a awesome blogger✌️