Pour frozen salad shrimp in the slow cooker and 5 other simple ingredients to get a dish so tasty your friends will be begging for more!

This 6-ingredient slow cooker shrimp is designed for those nights when you want something genuinely tasty with almost no effort. Frozen mini salad shrimp go straight from the bag into the slow cooker—no thawing, no searing, no fuss.

This style of gentle, saucy shrimp cooking is loosely inspired by Midwest potluck casseroles and slow cooker dips: cozy, creamy, and built around pantry staples. The result is a velvety, garlicky shrimp dish that’s perfect spooned over rice, pasta, or crusty bread and just special enough that friends will ask how you made it with so little work.

Serve this creamy slow cooker shrimp over hot jasmine or basmati rice, or toss it with cooked linguine or egg noodles so the sauce can cling to every strand. A simple green salad with a bright vinaigrette balances the richness, and steamed broccoli or green beans make an easy vegetable side.

For a more casual, party-style presentation, keep the shrimp warm in the slow cooker and set it out with toasted baguette slices or crackers so guests can scoop it up like a warm seafood dip.

6-Ingredient Slow Cooker Salad Shrimp

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 pound frozen mini salad shrimp (rock-hard, no need to thaw)
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or other seafood seasoning blend)

Directions

Scatter the rock-hard frozen mini salad shrimp in an even layer across the bottom of a ceramic slow cooker insert. They should go in straight from the freezer—do not thaw.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, garlic powder, and Old Bay seasoning until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.

Pour the soup mixture evenly over the frozen shrimp in the slow cooker, making sure most of the shrimp are coated or submerged in the sauce.

Dot the top of the sauce with the pieces of butter, spacing them out so they melt and enrich the sauce as the shrimp cook.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the shrimp are heated through and tender. Avoid cooking on HIGH, as the tiny shrimp can overcook and turn rubbery.

Once the shrimp are hot and the sauce is bubbling gently around the edges, stir everything well to combine, scraping the bottom of the slow cooker to release any bits of shrimp that may have stuck slightly.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding a pinch more Old Bay or a small splash of broth if you prefer a looser consistency.

Turn the slow cooker to WARM for serving, and spoon the creamy shrimp and sauce over rice, pasta, or bread, or keep it in the slow cooker for guests to help themselves.


Variations & Tips

For a lighter version, substitute cream of mushroom with cream of celery or a 10.5-ounce can of condensed cream of chicken, and use low-sodium broth.

If you prefer a bit of tang, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt at the very end of cooking (after turning the heat to WARM) to prevent curdling. To add vegetables, scatter 1 cup of frozen peas or a 12-ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables over the frozen shrimp before pouring on the sauce; they’ll cook right along with the shrimp.

For more heat, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce to the soup mixture. If you’d like a more Cajun-leaning profile, swap the Old Bay for Cajun seasoning and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. This recipe also scales easily: for a crowd, double all ingredients and use a larger slow cooker, keeping the shrimp in a relatively even layer so they heat evenly without overcooking.