This perfectly spiced Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos recipe takes only 10 minutes to make! Juicy, tender shrimp and fresh mango salsa are tucked into warm corn tortillas and drizzled with plenty of freshly squeezed lime juice.
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Easy Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos Recipe
We love a good air fryer recipe and this one, dreamed up special for Taco Tuesday, does not disappoint. These irresistible air fryer shrimp tacos are the quickest way to bring the taste of Mexican takeout to your own kitchen. They’re bursting with fresh flavors from luscious mango salsa and bright citrus juice. As a final touch, a little easy DIY spice mix brings it all together.
The air fryer is one of our favorite kitchen tools to use because it makes dinner prep as quick and easy as possible. In fact, it took me just 4 minutes to cook the shrimp to juicy perfection in the air fryer! Once the shrimp are cooked, we wrap them up in soft, warm corn tortillas with a good hearty serving of fresh mango salsa, and enjoy. Just like that, dinner is served!
Oh! And as a final note… if you’re hooked on shrimp tacos, you’ve gotta try these Easy Shrimp Tacos With Slaw and cilantro lime crema, too! Or, skip the tacos and just go to town on some Air Fryer Shrimp! We support either choice. 🙂
Why You’ll Love These Air Fryer Tacos
There’s a lot to love about these air fryer tacos! Here’s why we keep making them again and again:
- Quick to make. It really does take 4 minutes or less to make the shrimp, making this one of our fastest dinner ideas yet. But the quickness of the prep doesn’t take away from flavor – these are definitely not boring!
- The air fryer makes it so easy. We really do love a good air fryer recipe! It makes dinner prep such a breeze. Check out more of our favorite Air Fryer recipes if you’re a big fan, too.
- Exploding with fresh flavor. The taste of comforting corn tortillas combined with the juicy seasoned shrimp and the sweet fruit salsa results in a flavor explosion. A slight kick of heat from the spice mix and the fresh lime juice takes these over the top!
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick overview of everything you need to make these shrimp tacos. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Shrimp: Make sure to shell and de-vein before using.
- Olive Oil: You could also use avocado oil.
- Dried Spices: We like to add smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper to these tacos.
- Tortillas: We like corn tortillas in this recipe, however if you prefer flour tortillas you can use those as well.
- Mango Salsa: You can make your own homemade Mango Salsa or look for it in the store.
- Optional Toppings: Lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, Mexican crema, Cilantro Lime Crema, avocado, and/or Easy Guacamole are all good options!
How to Make Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos
Follow our simple method below to make this easy taco recipe. Have everything ready to go before you start, as this recipe cooks fast. (And make sure to read over the full set of directions, which you can find in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!)
- Prepare the shrimp. Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the oil, smoked paprika, chili powder, pepper, and salt.
- Add the shrimp to the air fryer. Arrange the shrimp in the air fryer basket in an even layer. Cook at 375°F for 4 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are pink, curled, and cooked through. Shake the basket lightly and cook for an additional 1-3 minutes till done.
- Heat the tortillas. While the shrimp are cooking, heat the tortillas. On the stovetop, place a griddle over medium-high heat and lay the tortillas on the griddle, making sure not to overlap. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortillas start to lightly brown. Keep the tortillas warm by wrapping them in foil.
- Serve. To assemble, place the cooked shrimp in a warm tortilla and top with mango salsa. Serve immediately with lime wedges, if desired.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips to help you achieve success with these air fryer shrimp tacos every time.
- Warm the tortillas on the stove. When it comes to warming the tortillas, our favorite way to do so is on the stovetop. (The microwave works too, but it doesn’t give them that soft browning that makes the flavor really come out.) You can use a griddle to warm the tortillas, or, if you don’t have one, you can use a skillet and heat them one at a time. Heating the tortillas directly over an open flame is also an option. Use tongs to heat and flip each one, but watch them carefully as they will brown very quickly. Wrap the tortillas in foil to keep them warm until they’re ready to serve!
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Do not overcook the shrimp or they will become chewy. Our air fryer cooked the shrimp in 4 minutes, but cooking times can vary depending on the fryer. Check the shrimp at 3 minutes, shake the basket lightly, and then return for a minute or two, if necessary, until they are perfectly cooked.
- Prep ahead. If you are making these for a crowd, you can prep the shrimp and the salsa ahead of time. Coat the shrimp in the seasonings and store them in the fridge until ready to cook. The salsa can be prepared ahead and stored in the fridge as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can definitely use frozen shrimp to make this recipe! If you do, buy shelled shrimp to save time. Also, make sure to defrost the shrimp according to the package directions before you use it.
If you’re worried about undercooked shrimp, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Shrimp is safe to eat once it reaches 120 degrees F.
If you’re in a hurry, you can try running your shrimp under lukewarm water to help them thaw quickly. You may need to do this a couple times to bring them fully to room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
We consider these tacos plenty enough for dinner, but if you want to go further, check out some options below.
- Chips & Dip. Serve air fryer shrimp tacos alongside some crispy tortilla chips and dip. Pico de Gallo, Easy Guacamole or our favorite easy Chili Con Queso are all great options!
- Make a Salad. Some fresh vegetables alongside these tacos would be really nice. You could make a simple side salad like our Cucumber Salad, or serve something more hearty like our Mexican Corn Salad which has a similar spicy kick to it.
- Rice & Beans. Serve these tacos alongside some Cilantro Lime Rice and black beans! You could also use the rice, shrimp, beans, and salsa to create shrimp burritos!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
We’re not promising that you’ll have any leftovers, but if you do, here is how to store and reheat your extras!
- To Store: The shrimp tacos are best served fresh, but if you have leftovers we recommend storing everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3 days.
- To Reheat: When you’re ready to serve the tacos again, you can reassemble them from the stored ingredients. To reheat the shrimp, use your air fryer for the best results.
Can I Freeze Air Fryer Shrimp?
We don’t recommend freezing leftover air fryer shrimp, as the texture will be too altered to taste good. Since it takes literally minutes to get this recipe on the table, it’s best to just make a fresh batch each time you’re craving tacos.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
Ready to dig into some more easy shrimp dinner ideas? These ones are calling your name!
Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and de-veined
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 corn tortillas
Optional Toppings:
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F.
- In a medium size bowl, toss to combine the shrimp, oil, paprika, chili powder, pepper and salt.
- Add the shrimp to the air fryer basket in an even layer. Cook at 375°F for 4 to 6 minutes, until shrimp are pink, curled and cooked through. (You do not need to flip the shrimp. Check at 3-minute mark for doneness. Shake the basket lightly and cook for an additional 1-3 minutes till done. My shrimp were ready at 4 minutes, but air fryers are all different, so make sure and check at 3 minutes.)
- While the shrimp are cooking, heat the tortillas. Stovetop:Using a griddle over medium high heat, lay the tortillas on the griddle making sure not to overlap. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortillas start to lightly brown. Microwave: Or, wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel warm in the microwave for 60 seconds. Keep Warm: Keep tortillas warm by wrapping them tightly in foil.
- To serve add the cooked shrimp to a warm tortilla and top with mango salsa. Serve immediately with lime wedges, if desired.
Notes
- To Store: Tacos are best served fresh. If you have leftovers, we recommend storing everything separately (shrimp, mango salsa and tortillas) and assembling tacos when ready to serve again.
- To Reheat: When you're ready to serve the tacos again, you can reassemble them from the stored ingredients. To reheat the shrimp, use your air fryer for the best results.
- When it comes to warming the tortillas my favorite way is on the stovetop. The microwave warms them okay, but it doesn’t give them that soft browning that makes the flavor really come out.
- If you do not have a griddle use a skillet and heat one at a time. You can also heat them directly over an open flame, but watch carefully as they will brown very quickly.
- My air fryer cooked the shrimp in 4 minutes. Do not over cook the shrimp or they will become chewy. CHECK at 3 minutes, shake basket lightly and return for a minute or two, until perfectly cooked.
