Easy Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe

Last June, Oliver and I were sitting at our go-to Mexican spot waiting for creamy shrimp enchiladas I'd ordered maybe twenty times before. The plate showed up and I cut into one - same disappointment as always. Rubbery shrimp, watery white sauce that tasted like nothing, all for sixteen bucks. Oliver poked at his with a fork and said "Mom, you could probably make these way better." He was seven and thought I could cook anything, which was sweet but also not true because I'd never made shrimp enchiladas in my life. But that comment bugged me for two whole days until I gave in and bought shrimp at the store.

Creamy shrimp enchiladas topped with melted cheese, diced tomatoes, and cilantro on a gray plate, with creamy sauce and shrimp visible around the edges.

Why You'll Love This Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

These creamy shrimp enchiladas don't eat up your whole night. Takes about 45 minutes once you know what you're doing, maybe an hour the first time. You can cook the shrimp and make the sauce earlier in the day if you want - I do that on Sundays sometimes when I've got time. Stick everything in containers, then just roll the enchiladas and bake when dinner hits. Beats that 5 o'clock scramble when everyone's starving and you haven't even thought about food yet.

Leftovers are actually good, not just edible. The cream sauce stays Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas instead of drying out like tomato sauce does. I've eaten these three days later and they still tasted right. Oliver packs them in his thermos for school and comes home saying his friends tried to trade their sad sandwiches for his lunch. Recipe makes eight Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas- perfect for three people with one left over for tomorrow's lunch. Double it easy if you're feeding a crowd or want some for the freezer.

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Why You'll Love This Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Ingredients For Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
How To Make Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Variations on Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Smart Swaps for Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Equipment For Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Storage Tips For Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
What to Serve With Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Top Tip
FAQ
Time to Make These
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Pairing
Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

Ingredients For Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

For the Shrimp Filling:

Raw shrimp
Butter
Garlic cloves
Chili powder
Cumin
Salt and pepper
Lime juice
Fresh cilantro

For the Creamy White Sauce:

Butter
All-purpose flour
Chicken broth
Heavy cream
Sour cream
Diced green chiles
Garlic powder
Ground cumin
Salt

For Assembly:

Flour tortillas
Monterey Jack cheese
Cheddar cheese
Green onions

See recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

Cook the Shrimp First

Pat shrimp completely dry with paper towels until no moisture remains
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until it stops foaming
Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until you smell it
Toss in shrimp with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper all at once
Cook 2-3 minutes per side until just pink and opaque, don't overcook
Squeeze lime juice over top, chop into bite-sized pieces, set aside

Shrimp sautéed with red and green bell peppers, onions, and herbs in a black skillet with a wooden spoon on a rustic wooden table.

Make the Creamy White Sauce

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat
Add flour and whisk constantly for 90 seconds until it smells nutty not raw
Pour in chicken broth slowly while whisking to avoid lumps
Add heavy cream and keep whisking until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon
Stir in sour cream, diced green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, and salt off heat

Creamy white sauce with green chiles simmering in a black skillet on a rustic wooden table.

Build Your Enchiladas

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray
Spread one cup of cream sauce on bottom of dish so enchiladas don't stick
Warm tortillas 10 seconds each in microwave so they roll without cracking
Fill each tortilla with shrimp mixture and handful of cheese down the center
Roll tight, place seam-side down in baking dish, repeat until dish is full

Hands rolling a tortilla filled with creamy shrimp, red peppers, and herbs on a rustic wooden surface.

Bake Until Bubbly

Pour remaining cream sauce over all enchiladas covering them completely
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top in even layer
Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes until cheese melts and edges bubble
Let sit 5 minutes before serving so sauce sets up slightly
Top with chopped green onions and cilantro right before serving

Homemade creamy shrimp enchiladas in a white baking dish, topped with melted cheese, red peppers, and parsley, baked until golden and bubbly.

Variations on Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

People kept asking "can you make it with..." here are the versions that actually turned out good:

Spicy Chipotle Version:

Add two chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the cream mixture
Use pepper jack cheese instead of regular monterey jack
Creates smoky heat that builds with each bite
My favorite but Oliver won't touch it because it's too spicy for him

Green Chile Suiza Style:

Replace cream sauce with tomatillo salsa verde mixed with sour cream
Top with extra green chiles and queso fresco instead of cheddar
Tangier, lighter flavor than the white sauce version
Made this for my friend's birthday dinner and everyone wanted the recipe

Seafood Combo Mix:

Use half shrimp, half lump crab meat in the filling
Add old bay seasoning to the cream sauce
Costs more but tastes like fancy restaurant food
Save this one for special dinners because crab's expensive

Poblano Cream Twist:

Roast two poblano peppers, peel them, blend into the white sauce
Adds subtle smokiness and green flecks throughout
Not spicy at all despite using peppers
Takes extra fifteen minutes but worth it when you want something different

Smart Swaps for Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

I've tested different ingredients when I couldn't find what I needed or someone had dietary restrictions - here's what works:

Shrimp Options:

Raw shrimp → Frozen cooked shrimp (thaw completely, pat super dry, add at end so it doesn't overcook)
Regular shrimp → Bay scallops cut in half (tested for my shellfish-allergic cousin, worked great)
Seafood → Cooked chicken chunks (not the same but my picky sister-in-law ate three)

Cream Sauce Swaps:

Heavy cream → Half-and-half (thinner sauce but tastes fine, used this plenty of times)
Sour cream → Greek yogurt (tangier flavor, don't let it boil or it separates)
Chicken broth → Vegetable broth (makes it lighter, less rich)
All-purpose flour → Cornstarch slurry (mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with cold water for gluten-free)

Cheese Changes:

Monterey Jack → Pepper Jack for spice (Oliver hated this version)
Cheddar → Mexican blend (melts easier, what I use most now)
Regular cheese → Dairy-free shreds (tested for lactose-intolerant friend, texture's weird but edible)

Tortilla Options:

Flour tortillas → Corn tortillas (more authentic but crack easier when rolling)
Regular → Low-carb wraps (my attempt at being healthy, worked okay)
8-inch → 10-inch tortillas (use less filling per enchilada or you'll only get six)

Equipment For Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

Large skillet for cooking shrimp
Medium saucepan for cream sauce (heavy bottom prevents burning)
9x13 baking dish (glass or ceramic, both work fine)
Whisk for the sauce (fork doesn't work, tried it once, total disaster)
Box grater for cheese (pre-shredded doesn't melt right)

Storage Tips For Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

Refrigerator Storage (3-4 days):

Cover tight with foil or plastic wrap as soon as they cool down
Cream sauce stays creamy instead of separating like red sauce does
Reheat single servings in microwave for 2 minutes on medium power
Or reheat whole dish covered with foil at 325°F for 20 minutes
Add splash of milk or cream if they look dry when warming up

Freezer Storage (2 months):

Bake them first, don't freeze unbaked or shrimp gets weird and mushy
Cool completely then wrap individual portions in plastic wrap and foil
Reheat from frozen at 350°F for 35-40 minutes covered
Uncover last 5 minutes to crisp up the cheese on top
Texture's about 85% as good as fresh but saves you on busy nights

Make-Ahead Tips:

Cook full batch Sunday, eat fresh that night
Leftovers work for Tuesday and Thursday dinners
By day 4 tortillas get softer and more casserole-like but still taste fine
For parties, bake right before leaving so they're hot when you arrive

What to Serve With Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas

I've made these Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas probably sixty times by now, so here's what goes with them. Cilantro lime rice is my usual - takes twenty minutes and beats plain white rice by a mile. Spanish rice from the box works when I can't be bothered. For beans, I heat up canned refried beans and melt cheese into them, or do black beans with garlic and cumin. Oliver likes pinto beans mashed with cream but he's picky about mushy textures so your kids might not care either way. Fresh stuff helps balance out all that cream - basic salad with lime dressing, pico de gallo if you chop it fresh, sliced avocado with salt and lime.

Tuesday nights it's usually just Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas, rice, and bagged salad I throw dressing on. When we have people over or I feel like doing more, I'll add black beans and pico. Oliver wants chips and salsa no matter what else is happening - could serve him a seven-course meal and he'd still ask for chips. The enchiladas fill you up pretty good on their own because they're rich. Make your rice first before starting anything else so it can sit there staying warm while you deal with the enchiladas. I've tried timing them to finish together maybe five times and it never works - always end up with cold rice or burnt enchiladas because I'm waiting on something.

Top Tip

These last 3 or 4 days in the fridge if you cover them soon as they cool down. Use foil or plastic wrap, doesn't matter which. The cream sauce stays Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas instead of turning into that gross separated mess red sauce does after a day. I reheat one serving at a time in the microwave - 2 minutes on medium does it. Sometimes I add a tiny splash of milk if it looks dry. For reheating the whole pan, cover it with foil and stick it in a 325°F oven for 20 minutes.

Freezing works but only after you bake them. Don't freeze raw Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas - I tried that once and the shrimp turned into mush when I thawed it. Bake the whole thing first, let it cool completely, then wrap pieces in plastic and foil. Keeps 2 months frozen no problem. Reheat straight from the freezer at 350°F for about 35 to 40 minutes covered, then take the foil off for the last 5 minutes so the cheese gets crispy again.

I usually make these Sunday night, eat them fresh, then we have leftovers Tuesday and Thursday. By the fourth day they're still okay to eat but the tortillas get really soft and it turns into more of a casserole situation instead of neat rolled Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas. Flavor's still there, just looks messier. If you're taking these somewhere, bake them right before you leave so they arrive hot.

FAQ

What is the secret to good enchiladas?

Warm your tortillas first or they crack when you roll them. Put sauce on the bottom of your pan so nothing sticks and burns. Don't overcook your filling twice - cook it less than you think because it cooks again in the oven. That's where most people screw up and end up with dry rubbery stuff.

Can you add cream to enchilada sauce?

Yeah, cream works fine in Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas sauce. Mix it into red or green sauce to calm down the heat and make it richer. This recipe uses cream as the base for white sauce. Just don't let it boil hard after you add cream or it splits into nasty oily puddles. Keep the heat medium or lower.

What are common mistakes when making enchiladas?

Using cold tortillas that split when you roll them. Stuffing too much filling so they explode in the oven. Forgetting to put sauce on the pan bottom so they stick and burn. Baking too long until the edges turn hard and crusty. Not covering them while they bake so everything dries out. Pick any three of these and that's probably what went wrong.

Why are they called divorced enchiladas?

Divorced Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas have red sauce on one half and green sauce on the other half of the same plate, split down the middle like a divorce. Called "enchiladas divorciadas" in Mexico. Nothing to do with this recipe but people see it on menus and get confused. Just means you get both sauces at once instead of picking one.

Time to Make These

Here's what happens after you make these once: Oliver bugs you for them again in three days. Then the next week. Before you know it they're happening every other Tuesday because they've hijacked your dinner schedule. The sauce cooks in one pan while Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas goes in another, assembly takes maybe fifteen minutes after you've done it twice, and the whole thing's on the table in under an hour. No stress about complicated stuff, no weird ingredients you'll use once and never touch again, just regular cooking that makes people assume you worked way harder than you did.

Want more dinners that don't waste your time? Our Easy Old Fashioned Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe uses simple ingredients everyone already has and tastes like grandma's cooking. Craving that fast food fix without leaving home? The Best Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme tastes exactly like the real thing but you know what's actually in it. For those nights when you can't even deal with the stove, try our Easy Crock Pot Pierogi and Kielbasa Casserole - dump everything in and walk away for six hours.

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Why You'll Love This Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas