This Air Fryer Crispy Breaded Shrimp is so easy to make in the air fryer and it turns out perfectly crispy and delicious in just 6 minutes.
»You will love this Air Fryer Frozen Fish Fillets or Easy Air Fryer Halibut.
Air fryer shrimp are super versatile and they are the perfect recipe to add to your repertoire. Tender seafood with a crispy breading, what’s not to love? Frozen seafood can be so easy to cook in the air fryer. Try these air fryer frozen calamari as an appetizer at your next party.
Sometimes fried food can be a bit intimidating. Not to mention the dreaded oily fish smell that hangs around after deep frying. I’m happy to report that the air fryer gets rid of that problem! Now you’re free to have delicious crunchy shrimp whenever you like.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shrimp – 1 pound of shelled, cleaned, and deveined shrimp.
- Flour – All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Egg
- Bread crumbs – You can use regular bread crumbs or panko. I would stay away from the Italian bread crumbs since they have herbs and spices added.
Equipment Information
- Air fryer: I use this 4-quart basket-style air fryer. It’s large enough to fit a meal for 4-6. But some things need more space in the air fryer basket, so they cook evenly.
- Kitchen tongs: It’s very easy to remove food from your air fryer with kitchen tongs. I use these kitchen tongs that are silicon coated so they don’t scratch the interior.
Ninja® Foodi®XL 2-Basket Air Fryer
- 2 independent XL air fryer baskets
- Integrated Foodi® Smart Thermometer
- Cook 2 foods 2 ways that finish at the same time
How to Make Air Fryer Crispy Breaded Shrimp
One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s easy and fast. Thaw your shrimp, making sure they’re cleaned, deveined, and shelled. Then pat them somewhat dry.
Mix seasonings and flour to create a dredge then crack the eggs into a bowl and scramble them. Pour the Panko onto a plate. Your seasoning could be just about anything. We used plain old salt and pepper but lemon pepper, old bay seasoning, cajun seasoning or this dry rub would work great.
For each shrimp, season with salt and pepper, coat them in flour, dip in the egg and coat in Panko before adding them to the air fryer basket.
Air fry at 400° F for three minutes on one side, flip the shrimp over and cook for three more minutes at the same temperature.
Then you’re finished!
These shrimp go great with just about any sauce you can dream up. We recommend bang bang sauce or honey sriracha sauce.
What Shrimp To Use
I like to use a large sized shrimp so that you get a nice big bite.
I buy fresh raw shrimp that are already shelled and cleaned (who has the time for that!) If you do have that time, it’s totally fine to get shrimp with the shells on and do the shelling and cleaning yourself.
You can use frozen shrimp, but you’ll have to thaw it first in order to bread them properly. The flour, egg and breadcrumbs won’t adhere to the shrimp when they’re frozen.
Here is a list of the number of shrimp by size:
- Jumbo (21/25 count per pound)
- Extra Large (26/30 count per pound)
- Large (31/35 count per pound)
- Medium (41/50 count per pound)
How To Thaw Frozen Shrimp
Thawing frozen shrimp safely is important to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. Here are some of the best and safest ways to thaw frozen shrimp:
- In the refrigerator: The best way to thaw frozen shrimp is to transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator and let them thaw slowly overnight. Place the bag of frozen shrimp in a bowl or on a plate to catch any drips. This method can take several hours, so it requires some foresight, but it is the safest way to thaw shrimp as it keeps the shrimp at a consistent, safe temperature.
- Under cold running water: If you need to thaw shrimp quickly, you can place them in a colander or strainer and run cold water over them for several minutes until they are fully thawed. Make sure to keep the shrimp in their packaging or in a sealed plastic bag during this process to prevent any contamination.
- In a bowl of cold water: Fill a large bowl with cold water and place the bag of frozen shrimp in the water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the shrimp are fully thawed. This method can take longer than running water over the shrimp, but it’s still faster than thawing them in the refrigerator.
Why Use an Air Fryer
An air fryer is an incredibly easy way to cook just about anything. You place the food in a fryer-style basket and hot air rapidly circulates all around the food, making the food crisp – much like deep-frying, but without the oil. You can cook anything you’d make in the oven.
- I use a Ninja MaxXL air fryer (pictured left). If you don’t have an air fryer yet, check out these options to find one that fits your needs.
- See reviews and prices for air fryers on Amazon.
- Here’s a printable Air Fryer Cooking Times Cheat Sheet to get you started.
- Click to find more recipes to make in your Air Fryer.
- Learn how to make fun things in the air fryer, like potato wedges, pork belly bites, and chicken wings.
Tips for Making Air Fryer Shrimp
- As seasoned air fryer veterans may know, you shouldn’t use normal non-stick cooking spray. It contains additives that can mess with the non-stick finish of your cooking basket. In order for these to not stick to the air fryer basket you need to spray the basket with oil. A light spray will do.
- We picked up an avocado oil sprayer from the store and that did fantastic. You can also buy a reusable oil sprayer and fill it with any kind of oil you like (vegetable, avocado, canola, or peanut work best).
- Since every air fryer is different you should consult your models instructions on cooking times.
- You may need to adjust your cooking time for the size of shrimp you are using. Shrimp tend to get rubbery when overcooked, so you really don’t want to overdo it. In this recipe we are using large-sized shrimp.
How To Store And Reheat
If you have any leftovers wait until they have cooled to room temperature and then store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat them in the air fryer at 350° F for 2-3 minutes. You don’t want them to become rubbery.
What Oil & Oil Sprayer is Best for the Air Fryer?
The biggest issue most air fryer lovers face is finding the right oil and oil sprayer to use on food cooked in the air fryer. A fine mist of oil will help the entire piece of food crisp evenly, so it’s very important.
My personal preference is to use canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil. I use both a refillable spray bottle like the Evo one pictured below and non-propellant extra virgin olive oil, which has not harmful aerosols or chemicals.
Before You Go
Since you’ve made it this far, you might want to see more shrimp recipes. Here are a few more articles we think you might enjoy.
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Air Fryer Breaded Shrimp
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp shelled, cleaned and deveined
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Clean and dry shrimp.
- You need three shallow bowls. Add flour and salt to one bowl, egg to another bowl, and breadcrumbs to the third bowl. Start by coating the shrimp in flour, then dip it in the egg mixture, then coat it with breadcrumbs. Bread all the shrimp this way.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° F.
- Lightly spray air fryer basket with oil and place shrimp in the basket leaving space between each shrimp. Lightly spray the tops of the shrimp.
- Cook for 3 minutes. Flip shrimp over and cook an additional 3 minutes. Cook for 4 minutes per side for larger shrimp. Continue in small batches until all shrimp are cooked.
All air fryers have different wattage and may cook at different rates. You may need to adjust the time or temp for the best results.
Nutrition
Related Posts:
- 6 Benefits of An Air Fryer: Why You Need One
- Bang Bang Shrimp in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings
🥧 If you’re interested in more great recipes, I share all my favorite recipes over at A Food Lover’s Kitchen, and you’ll find Instant Pot recipes at A Pressure Cooker Kitchen, and cocktails and drinks at Savored Sips. Check it out today!
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Laura is a passionate foodie and owner of Air Fry Anytime She is dedicated to sharing delicious recipes and helpful tips for using air fryers at home. With years of experience in the kitchen and a love for healthy, flavorful cooking, Laura has become an expert at using air fryers to create amazing meals that are both nutritious and delicious.
I love using my air fryer. I always have shrimp in the freezer. I would love to stuff these into some tacos for dinner tonight.
This was so delicious. I made it today! It was approved by my entire family! I am adding it to the rotation! YUMMMM
I am always looking for new ways to use my air fryer and this looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it.
Looks delicious! I love that it’s air-fried 🙂
WOW, what a crispy and delicious looking shrimp. Love how easy and convenient it is to make these in the air fryer. Thank you for the amazing recipe.
The breading looks so crispy and delicious!
These look great!
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to make this!
Perfect recipe, better than eating out!
They turned out perfectly crispy. I put old bay in my flour which gave them a little eastern sure flavor
The shrimp had a delightful crunch without being too greasy.
A great way to make crunchy shrimp
I couldn’t believe how easy it was to achieve that perfect golden crust using the air fryer.
I used frozen shrimp. So easy!
The perfect way to make shrimp tacos.