Beautifully pan seared Italian scallops in a creamy Tuscan sauce with all the flavors of Tuscany, dairy-free and ready in 25 minutes! The sauce with garlic mushrooms, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh spinach is the perfect foil for this shellfish.
Try my Shrimp and Scallop Pasta, this Baked Seared Chilean Seabass, or Blackened Rockfish next for another delicious seafood-inspired meal.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4
- ⚡ Calories: 336kcal per serving, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: jumbo sea scallops, mushrooms, garlic, vegetable broth, cashew milk, white wine, dairy-free sour cream, cornstarch, sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, basil and lemon
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich, garlicky and savory with sweet sun-dried tomatoes
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, one skillet
Quick Answer
Pat 1 pound of jumbo sea scallops dry and sear them in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes per side, then set them aside. In the same pan brown 8 ounces mushrooms for 5 minutes, add 3 minced garlic cloves, then stir in 1 cup vegetable broth, ½ cup cashew milk, ⅓ cup white wine, salt and pepper. Whisk in ½ cup dairy-free sour cream mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch, add sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and basil, cook 3 minutes until thick, return the scallops and finish with lemon.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why These Scallops Sear So Well
- Why You'll Love These Tuscan Scallops
- What You'll Need
- Recommended Tools for This Recipe
- How to Make Tuscan Scallops
- Expert Tips
- What to Serve With Tuscan Scallops
- Scallop Sauce FAQs
- More Seafood Dinners
- Creamy Italian Scallops In A Dairy-Free Cream Sauce
Italian scallops loaded with flavor and simmered in a dairy-free cream sauce. This seafood feast is light, flavorful, and packed with protein.
Why These Scallops Sear So Well
Click to see why it works
- Dry scallops brown. Patting them dry removes extra liquid, the key to a nice crisp exterior.
- Heat the pan first for about 2 minutes before the oil and scallops go in.
- Sear, then remove. Scallops come out while the sauce cooks so they stay tender.
- Cornstarch in the sour cream thickens the sauce smoothly with no lumps.
- Back in at the end. Return the scallops on low heat right before serving.
Why You'll Love These Tuscan Scallops
- Bursting with flavor from sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, greens, and garlic.
- Dairy-free cream sauce. Raise your hand if you like a good cream sauce but feel a little guilty or bloated after indulging in it? Now you can enjoy your rich cream sauce without the dairy.
- Ready in 25 minutes.
- A complete balanced meal in one with protein, vegetables and fat.
- Date night worthy with one skillet.
What You'll Need
- Scallops - jumbo sea scallops, fresh or frozen (thaw first completely).
- Sauce for scallops - vegetable broth, plain unsweetened cashew milk or canned coconut milk, white wine, dairy-free sour cream, and corn starch.
- Italian flavors - mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, fresh spinach and basil leaves.
- Lemon - for a squeeze of juice at the end.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
- Knife. I love this paring knife for cutting vegetables and prepping meals.
- Cutting Board. A good cutting board is always an essential kitchen item.
- Iron Skillet or frying pan. I love these pans and have both of them.
How to Make Tuscan Scallops
1Sear the scallops. If using frozen, make sure they are completely thawed first. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove any extra liquid. This step is very important for a nice crisp exterior. In a skillet or cast iron pan skillet let it heat first for about 2 minutes on medium-high, then add the olive oil and scallops and cook 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the scallops from the pan and set them aside.
2Start the sauce. In the same pan, cook the mushrooms over medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Then add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, cashew milk or canned coconut milk, wine, salt and pepper.
3Thicken. In a small bowl, stir together the dairy-free sour cream and cornstarch, then whisk into the skillet. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the spinach wilts.
4Finish. Turn the heat to low, add the scallops and serve with a squeeze of juice from the lemon! Serve right away.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Sauce thick? The sauce gets thicker as it heats. If you make this in advance and heat it later, add more dairy-free sour cream and broth to thin it down.
- Using arrowroot? You might need up to 2 tablespoons in place of cornstarch. Start with 1 tablespoon and work your way to a desired thickness.
- Thaw completely. Frozen scallops must be fully thawed and patted dry before searing.
- Want it thicker? Let it simmer longer before adding the scallops back in, or mix in a dash more cornstarch.
- A finishing herb. A pinch of tarragon or a tarragon substitute like chervil is a delicious finish on these scallops.
What to Serve With Tuscan Scallops
We like to eat light dinners that are well-rounded and this Tuscan scallop seafood recipe is a complete balanced meal in one! To expand on it, serve creamy Italian scallops with a fresh salad like this Chopped Kale Salad, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, or topped over this Healthy Spaghetti Recipe, or Baked Spaghetti Squash Noodles.
More recipes you may enjoy: Shrimp and Scallop Pasta In Cajun Garlic Cream Sauce, Cold Pasta Salad With Italian Dressing, Healthy One-Pan Broccoli Pasta, Mushroom Onion Soup, Baked Cod in Foil With Grape Tomatoes and Chilean Sea Bass Recipe.
Scallop Sauce FAQs
Sea scallops are nice and large and wonderful for searing in pan sauces. Bay scallops are bite-sized and best used in casseroles, pilafs, and quiches.
Let it simmer longer before adding the scallops back into the pan. You can also mix in a dash more cornstarch.
Yes. Make sure they are completely thawed, then pat them dry with a paper towel to remove all extra liquid.
2 to 3 minutes per side on medium-high heat in a preheated skillet.
Plain unsweetened cashew milk or canned coconut milk.
Yes, but it thickens as it heats. Add more dairy-free sour cream and broth to thin it down.
More Seafood Dinners
Try Shrimp and Scallop Pasta, Baked Cod in Foil or Blackened Rockfish next. I hope you enjoy these creamy Tuscan scallops! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Creamy Italian Scallops In A Dairy-Free Cream Sauce
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Equipment
- Iron Skillet or stainless steel frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound jumbo sea scallops
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup cashew milk unsweetened and original flavor or canned coconut milk
- ⅓ cup white wine
- ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup dairy-free sour cream (optional)
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (or arrowroot starch for grain-free)
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil drained and chopped
- 2-3 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons basil fresh, chopped
- 1 lemon
Instructions
Seared Scallops
- Pat dry fresh or thawed sea scallops with a paper towel to remove any extra liquid- this step is key to getting a nice crisp exterior. In a skillet or cast iron pan skillet let it heat for 2 minutes on medium-high heat to warm. Add the olive oil and jumbo sea scallops and cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the scallops from the pan and set them aside while you make the sauce.
Creamy Italian Sauce For Scallops
- In the same pan, cook the mushrooms over medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, cashew milk or canned coconut milk, wine, salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, stir together the dairy-free sour cream and cornstarch. Whisk into the skillet. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and the spinach wilts.
- Turn the heat to low, add the scallops and serve with a squeeze of juice from the lemon! Serve right away with a side salad or over your favorite pasta noodles or vegetable noodles.
Natalie says
Going to make this tonight! Also think I’m going to add some gnocchi in at the end yum
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
That sounds delicious adding the gnocchi!