Air Fryer Shrimp (Best Easy Recipe In 8 Minutes)
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Air Fryer Shrimp are cooked to perfection in minutes with little effort. Enjoy these on their own or use them in your favorite recipes! Cooking shrimp in the air fryer basket is a breeze! The shrimp cook up perfectly every single time!
It’s time to make juicy shrimp your main dish. Air frying is a simple way to cook the perfect shrimp.
This simple recipe makes an easy appetizer, and really helps to cut down the cook time for fresh shrimp.
When I’m wanting a low carb meal during busy weeknights, this is an easy way to make that happen.
And trust me – once you air fry shrimp, you’ll never want to go back to deep frying ever again.
This is one of my favorite ways to cook shrimp, which is why I literally love telling people about this easy air fryer shrimp recipe.
Not only do you get tasty shrimp, but pairing it with your favorite dipping sauce makes every bite unique. It’s a fast and easy dinner, that you can easily flavor as well.
I love pairing with cocktail sauce, and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice from lemon wedges. You can even add some heat by adding some cayenne pepper on top!
Air Fryer Shrimp
Five simple ingredients are all it takes to create tender bites of air fried shrimp that are bursting with flavor!
Plus, there’s no need to babysit a pan on the stove or worry about splatters of butter and oil.
Just pop the shrimp in the basket, set it to cook, and give it a shake around the halfway point.
You can also pair them with our air fried brussels sprouts for a fantastic meal.
If you love these air fryer jumbo shrimp, I’ve got plenty more recipes to try! There are skillet versions with a tangy honey lime or lemon butter sauce.
Or, toss them on the smoker with your favorite sides for a quick and easy meal.
Air Fryer Jumbo Shrimp – Tips and Tricks
- Save time and effort. I prefer to buy my shellfish already peeled and deveined so I can get right to cooking.
If these aren’t available, you can find instructions to do it yourself in this post. - Get creative with spices. Cajun blends add a nice kick, while lemon pepper or oregano are perfect for a Mediterranean flavor.
Add red pepper flakes for heat, and don’t forget that dipping sauces pair well with this tasty air fryer shrimp recipe! - Remove from the basket immediately! Since shellfish cooks quickly, leaving it in longer will cause it to become dry and overcooked.
- Feeding a large group? This air fried shrimp recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, but you may need to work in several batches depending on the size of your model.
Keep everything in a single layer for the best results, without too much touching or crowding.
Shrimp In The Air Fryer Serving Suggestions
Air fryer shrimp is delicious with a green salad, seasoned vegetables, or pasta with cream sauce.
The tender shrimp pair perfectly with air fryer asparagus as well, making a super simple quick dinner.
You can also whip up air fryer Brussels sprouts as well to enjoy the crispy texture.
If you want to keep your kitchen cool, use the same appliance to make corn on the cob, baked potatoes, or crispy cauliflower.
Tent the veggies with foil so they stay warm while you prepare the shellfish.
You can also adjust the spices and seasonings on air fried shrimp for tacos, pasta salad, or just to have something different!
Air Fried Shrimp FAQ
The cooking time is pretty straightforward, but you can go by appearance the first time to be safe.
When cooked, the color changes from grey and translucent to pink/white and opaque.
Also, each one should curl into a “C” shape – if it’s tightly curled or shaped like an “O” then it’s probably overdone.
If you’ll be eating air fryer jumbo shrimp on its own, I recommend leaving the tails on. They’re easier to grab and look much prettier on the plate this way.
Otherwise, it’s entirely up to you if you want to remove them before you air fry the shrimp or chop them all off after they’ve been cooked.
Absolutely! Place them in the refrigerator overnight to thaw safely, adding extra time if you’ll be cooking more than a pound.
When it comes to cooking raw shrimp, I think that the size of your shrimp does matter. Smaller shrimp tend to cook quickly and become overcooked easily, so large shrimp is always my choice and what I pick.
If you want to have juicy air fryer shrimp, choose jumbo or large shrimp size.
There are different ways that you can enjoy the cooked shrimp. If you want to remove the tails, you can, but you don’t have to. The delicious shrimp will cook just fine with the tails on, and you can always bite and pull off the tail as you’re eating them. It’s up to you.
Most times, when you buy prepared shrimp, the tails are already taken off and done for you.
You can make many other easy weeknight dinners with leftovers. Shrimp tacos are always a hit, or you can use the crispy air fryer shrimp to pair with a bed of noodles and alfredo sauce as well.
When it comes to making a quick weeknight meal with the leftovers, the great taste of the cooked shrimp makes it simple.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Air Fryer Shrimp (Best Easy Recipe In 8 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, Peeled, shelled and deveined.
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile: pat Shrimp dry with paper towel if they are wet.
- In a medium bowl combine shrimp, olive oil and spices and toss together.
- When the Air Fryer is hot place the shrimp in a single layer on the tray and adjust the temperature to 370 degrees. Cook for 5 minutes shaking or flipping at the halfway point of cooking.
- Serve immediately and garnish with fresh chopped parsley, melted butter and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published September 2021, updated and republished January 2025
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I was a little unsure about how shrimp would come out in the air fryer, but this was really good! They came out perfectly! So easy to make too!