Perfectly juicy and tender Air Fryer Shrimp takes less than 10 minutes to make, and requires just a few ingredients! When it comes to easy dinner ideas, it doesn’t get much better than cooking shrimp in an air fryer.
Table of Contents
- Easy Air Fryer Shrimp Recipe
- What Makes This Air Fryer Shrimp So Good?
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Air Fryer Shrimp
- Tips for Success
- The Best Air Fryer to Use for Air Fryer Shrimp
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Serving Suggestions
- How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Can I Freeze Air Fryer Shrimp?
- More Quick and Easy Shrimp Recipes
- Get the Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Shrimp Recipe
When we think about the warmer months ahead, seafood always comes to mind. There’s just something so beachy and tropical about enjoying recipes like this light and tender Air Fryer Shrimp! It’s fresh, zesty, and seasoned to perfection. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you’re at a pool party or the dinner table – these summery shrimp will transport you to paradise!
Oh, and another reason to love this shrimp – it’s an air fryer recipe… need we say more? Air fryers seem to be all the rage lately, and it’s not hard to see why! When we cook shrimp in the air fryer, they come out perfectly tender. No need to worry about texture – they’re not at all rubbery or greasy!
This method for cooking shrimp is truly one of our best! The shrimp themselves only need 5 ingredients and 7 minutes in the air fryer to cook to juicy perfection. When it comes to quick and easy dinner ideas, it doesn’t get much better than shrimp in the air fryer.
Although… you can always try this Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp or this Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp, too, if you want to switch things up!
What Makes This Air Fryer Shrimp So Good?
Air fryer fried shrimp is about to become a summertime (and possibly year-round) staple in your household! Here’s why we think you’ll love it as much as we do:
- Juicy and Tender: This cajun-seasoned shrimp comes out juicy and plump every time we make it in the air fryer. It’ll be love at first bite for anyone who tries it!
- Quick: This recipe is done in just 10 minutes! It’s one of the quickest appetizers/dinners out there.
- Simple Ingredients: One of the best parts about this recipe is that you probably already have most of these ingredients in your kitchen, ready to go!
- Crowd-Pleaser: Who could turn down a plate of tender, seasoned shrimp? We know we couldn’t! That’s why we often serve it at parties, barbecues, and all kinds of other get togethers.
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients list for today is short, but worry not, the flavors are bold! (Also, you can find the exact quantities for each ingredient in the recipe card below.)
- Fresh Shrimp: Make sure you peel and devein your shrimp, leaving the tails attached.
- Olive Oil: You can also use avocado oil if you prefer.
- Garlic: We recommend using freshly minced garlic for the strongest, best flavor.
- Cajun Seasoning: We like to use our easy homemade Cajun Seasoning, but store-bought works too!
- Other Seasoning: A simple blend of black pepper and onion powder is the final touch on this flavorful shrimp recipe!
How to Make Air Fryer Shrimp
Just like the ingredient list, the steps to making this shrimp recipe are nice and short! You won’t believe how quickly you’re going to have the perfect shrimp. (Note that the full set of directions can be found at the bottom of the page in the recipe card!)
- Prepare the Shrimp: Rinse the shrimp and dry them with paper towels. If your shrimp aren’t peeled and deveined, make sure to do both of those things before continuing.
- Preheat the Air Fryer: If your air fryer requires preheating, then preheat it to 400°F.
Season Your Shrimp: In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with olive oil, garlic, creole seasoning, pepper, and onion powder. Continue to mix until the shrimp are evenly seasoned.
Start Cooking! Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket in an even layer. Then, cook the shrimp at 400°F for just 4 minutes.
Flip the Shrimp: After the initial 4 minutes of cooking, flip the shrimp and continue to cook for 2 more minutes, until the shrimp are pink and curled. If the shrimp still are not fully cooked, cook them for an additional 1 or 2 minutes until they’re ready.
Tips for Success
Pretty easy, right? That said, we’ve got a few more tips to share with you before you begin:
- Preheat the Air Fryer: Putting your shrimp into a cold air fryer is like dropping them into cold frying oil. In other words, they will not come out crisp and juicy if you don’t have everything properly heated up!
- Use Large Shrimp: The process moves faster with larger shrimp because they’re easier to season and you don’t have to cook as many of them to have a meal. That said, you can use smaller shrimp if you want to. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time!
- Space Out the Shrimp in the Air Fryer: If the basket gets too crowded, the shrimp won’t cook evenly, so make sure that they’re not touching/overlapping.
The Best Air Fryer to Use for Air Fryer Shrimp
Air fryers come in two different styles. The more popular type has a drawer/basket that slides in the front and usually doesn’t require preheating. The second type looks like a toaster oven and opens with a door, like a mini version of a regular oven.
We have tried a few different air fryers and these are our three favorites depending on your budget and air fryer style preference:
- Budget Friendly: Gourmia Air Fryer
- Best Basket Air Fryer: Cosori Air Fryer XL
- Toaster Oven Style Air Fryer: Power XL Air Fryer
Frequently Asked Questions
We definitely recommend using fresh peeled and deveined shrimp for this recipe! If you plan on using frozen shrimp, try running some lukewarm water over them in the sink to help them thaw out. Or, thaw them in the fridge for a day or two before cooking.
We recommend cooking your shrimp at 400 degrees F. At this temperature, it only takes about 8 minutes to cook them all the way through but, depending on the air fryer, it may take a little longer.
The shrimp should be opaque and pink in color. Using a meat thermometer is the most precise way to tell, though. Once the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F, they’re ready to come out of the air fryer!
Serving Suggestions
The possibilities are truly limitless when it comes to side dishes for shrimp! Here are some we recommend trying:
- Salad: A Caesar or Italian salad would be great served under these juicy shrimp!
- Pasta: Any type of pasta dish would be delicious, but these shrimp would be amazing over some buttery parmesan noodles or noodles tossed in Alfredo sauce. (So, check out these Parmesan Butter Noodles and Shrimp Alfredo!)
- Mashed Potatoes: Or grits! As Texas girls, we have to mention some good cheesy grits to go with your shrimp! Getting back to the potatoes, though, we’re big fans of the Best Mashed Potatoes recipe out there, too. 😉
- Corn on the Cob: Juicy, buttery corn on the cob goes perfectly with tender shrimp!
- Roasted Vegetables: Roasted broccoli, asparagus, green beans… take your pick, they all work!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Want to save some shrimp for later? Sounds good! Here’s the best way to store and reheat air fried shrimp:
- To Store: In an airtight container in the refrigerator, cooked shrimp will stay fresh for up to 3 days!
- To Reheat: When you’re ready to eat them again, you can reheat your leftover shrimp in the air fryer. Just a few minutes at 400°F should do the trick! Be careful not to reheat them too long in the air fryer, or they’ll dry out quickly and become rubbery. You can also always use the microwave as well. We like to use the air fryer to reheat them because it almost perfectly brings the texture back to that of the freshly cooked shrimp!
Can I Freeze Air Fryer Shrimp?
Yes! You can also freeze leftover shrimp in an airtight container for 2-3 months. To reheat, simply place the frozen shrimp in the air fryer and tack a few more minutes onto the reheating time from above.
More Quick and Easy Shrimp Recipes
Let’s make some more easy shrimp dinner ideas! These are some of our favorites:
Air Fryer Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh shrimp, shells removed and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Rinse shrimp and dry with paper towels. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F if your air fryer requires preheating.
- In a large bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, garlic, creole seasoning, pepper and onion powder.
- Place shrimp in air fryer basket, in an even layer. Cook shrimp at 400°F for 4 minutes.
- Flip shrimp and continue to cook for 2 minutes more, until shrimp are pink and curled when cooked.
- If shrimp are not cooked just yet, cook additional 1 to 2 minutes, until done. Do not overcook your shrimp or they will become dry and rubbery.
Notes
- To Store: In an airtight container in the refrigerator, cooked shrimp will stay fresh for up to 3 days!
- To Reheat: When you're ready to eat them again, you can reheat your leftover shrimp in the air fryer. Just a few minutes at 400°F should do the trick! Be careful not to reheat them too long in the air fryer, or they'll dry out quickly and become rubbery. You can also always use the microwave as well. We like to use the air fryer to reheat them because it almost perfectly brings the texture back to that of the freshly cooked shrimp!
- To Freeze: You can also freeze leftover shrimp in an airtight container for 2-3 months. To reheat, simply place the frozen shrimp in the air fryer and tack a few more minutes onto the reheating time from above.
Hi! The nutrition facts are for one serving and the recipe makes two correct? (New to tracking my macros so trying to make sure I track right. )
Hi Heather! Yes the nutritional facts are based off 1 serving, half of the prepared recipe. 🙂
What do you recommend for a sauce to dip them in?
We love to dip them in https://easydinnerideas.com/homemade-tartar-sauce/ or if you are wanting something a little spicier try https://easydinnerideas.com/bang-bang-sauce/
Or just squeeze fresh lemons on them and enjoy!
Hey there!
I have frozen uncooked shrimp. After defrosting, should I cook them or is it safe to toss them right in the air fryer?
Thank you! ♥️
Hi Alyssa, They will cook in the air fryer
Thank you for following us 🙂
I have some frozen COOKED shrimp. Can I use this recipe with them?
Hi Mary,
Try this:
Let shrimp defrost. Follow the recipe but only let the shrimp cook in the air fryer for 1-2 minutes. If the shrimp cook too long they will become chewy.
Please let us know how it turns out!
thank you! Ellen