Few-Ingredient Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil (Under 20 Minutes)
Buttery, garlicky shrimp boil vibes with almost no cleanup. Done in 18 minutes.
A shrimp boil sounds like a weekend project, but this sheet pan version cuts it down to a weeknight reality. You get the same Old Bay–buttered shrimp and corn situation, just roasted fast in the oven instead of simmered in a giant pot. It's genuinely easy — no babysitting, no draining, no mess. The tradeoff: skip the potatoes (they won't cook in time) and lean on pre-cooked corn or thin corn on the cob halves. If you're tired and want something that feels like a treat without the effort, this is exactly that.
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp — peeled and deveined, fresh or thawed frozen
- 2 unit ears of corn — each cut into 3 pieces, or use 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter — melted; or olive oil for dairy-free
- 3 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 unit lemon — half juiced, half cut into wedges for serving
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley — roughly chopped, optional
Method
- 1 Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler to high (around 500–525°F). Line a large rimmed sheet pan with foil.
- 2 In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, minced garlic, Old Bay, smoked paprika, and salt.
- 3 Add the corn pieces to the bowl and toss to coat. Arrange them on the sheet pan in a single layer.
- 4 Broil the corn for 5 minutes, turning once halfway through, until lightly charred at the edges.
- 5 Add the shrimp to the same bowl with any remaining butter mixture and toss to coat.
- 6 Remove the pan from the oven, push the corn to the edges, and spread the shrimp in a single layer in the center.
- 7 Return the pan to the broiler and cook for 5–6 minutes, until the shrimp are pink, opaque, and just curled — do not overcook.
- 8 Squeeze the lemon half over everything, scatter parsley on top if using, and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Replace the shrimp with 1 lb of halved baby bella mushrooms and 1 can of drained chickpeas. Toss everything in the same butter-Old Bay mix and broil 8–10 minutes, stirring once, until golden.
- Faster swap — Use pre-cooked frozen shrimp (thawed) and canned corn. Skip the first broil step entirely — everything goes on the pan at once and broils for just 4 minutes until heated through and lightly blistered.
- Spicy version — Add 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper and a few dashes of hot sauce to the butter mixture for a classic Gulf Coast kick.
Notes
Broiling is key here — it delivers the charred, slightly smoky finish that makes this feel like a real shrimp boil rather than just baked shrimp. Watch closely after the 4-minute mark; shrimp go from perfect to rubbery fast under a broiler. If your corn is pre-cooked (like from a can or frozen), skip the first broil step and add it to the pan with the shrimp for the final 5–6 minutes only.
Equipment that helps
- Large rimmed sheet pan — A rimmed pan keeps the butter from dripping into the oven and gives shrimp enough room to broil rather than steam.
- Foil — Lining the pan means cleanup is a 10-second job — just ball up the foil and toss it.
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