This delicious and healthy recipe for air fryer shrimp is quick and easy! The air fryer makes juicy and crisp shrimp that is perfect for eating by itself or adding to a salad, tacos, pasta or fajitas.
One of my favorite things to cook in my air fryer is seafood. Recipes like air fryer catfish and air fryer tilapia are delicious healthy seafood recipes.
The high heat of the air fryer is excellent for cooking seafood that is crispy on the outside, juicy inside and not overcooked. Air fryer shrimp is delicious and healthy.
Reader Review
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This was VERY GOOD! Plus it was super easy and fast — and healthy! I was making just one serving so I just sprinkled on the seasonings in a bowl with a little olive oil. I shared it with a couple of people already. I will definitely be making it again.
— Vickie
Why You Will Love Air Fryer Shrimp
- This recipe cooks super fast, making it perfect for busy weeknight meals.
- Air fryer shrimp is naturally low carb and healthy.
- You need to add only a little bit of oil to cook the shrimp.
- Shrimp is versatile – once you have it cooked you can use as a base for many different meals.
Ingredients
- Shrimp – I used medium shrimp, which means 36/40 shrimp per pound for this recipe. This is my favorite size shrimp because it costs a little less than large shrimp.
- Olive oil – With an air fryer you can use less oil, but I find a low fat meat like shrimp tastes best with a little bit of oil added.
- Seasoning – I seasoned my shrimp with paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. This gives the shrimp a great, mild taste. I list some great seasoning alternatives below.
Step by Step Instructions
1. Preparations
Start out by preheating the air fryer at 400 F for 5 minutes. I don’t always preheat my air fryer, but for some recipes it makes a difference and this is one of them.
You want the shrimp to cook fast and not get overcooked. So get the air fryer hot before you add the shrimp.
If the shrimp is not peeled and deveined do that now. You can either take the tails off or leave them on, depending on your preferences. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
2. Season and Cook the Shrimp
Put the shrimp in a large bowl and add the olive oil, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper. Toss everything to mix it well and coat the shrimp in spices.
Put the shrimp in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer you might need to cook the shrimp in batches.
Cook it at 400 for about 5 minutes. About half way through the cooking time use a spatula or tongs to flip the shrimp over.
When the shrimp is done the flesh will be white and opaque. If you think they aren’t done put them back in for another minute or two.
How to Serve
If you are serving the shrimp by itself then sprinkle it with parsley and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top. I like to serve shrimp with a bowl of melted butter for dipping!
This air fryer shrimp is crispy on the outside with a tasty juicy insides. It is also excellent served with cocktail sauce or with tartar sauce.
If there are leftovers refrigerate the shrimp in an airtight container for 2-3 days. I prefer not to reheat shrimp, since it can get rubbery if it is overcooked. But the leftovers are delicious cold.
Other Serving Ideas
Instead of just serving the shrimp by itself you can use it as the basis for an entire meal. Here are some suggestions:
- Add the shrimp to tortillas with salsa and lettuce to make shrimp tacos.
- Put the shrimp on top of a rice bowl for an easy, healthy dinner.
- Use the shrimp to add some protein to a dinner salad.
- Make Cajun po’ boys by serving the shrimp in buns.
- Add it to pasta for a quick seafood pasta dinner.
- Serve the shrimp with your favorites sauce, like Boom Boom sauce or cocktail sauce.
With these ideas you can have an easy dinner on the table fast!
Seasoning Variations
The seasoning mix I use in the recipe is a basic, mild seasoning. Here are some ways you can change things up! For each variation just take the paprika, onion powder and garlic powder out of the recipe and replace it with 4 teaspoons of the following:
- Mexican Taco Shrimp – 3 teaspoons of chili powder and 1 teaspoon cumin
- Cajun Shrimp – 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Italian Shrimp – 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Old Bay Shrimp – 3 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Lemon Pepper Shrimp – 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Caribbean Shrimp – 3 teaspoons Caribbean jerk seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Frequently Asked Questions
You can air fry frozen shrimp, but I don’t recommend it. The air fried shrimp will taste much better if you thaw the shrimp first.
The seasoning doesn’t stick well to frozen shrimp, so they will be bland. In addition is very easy to overcook frozen shrimp and overcooked shrimp isn’t very tasty.
You can quickly thaw shrimp by taking it out of its bag, putting it in plastic bag in a bowl of cold water, and letting the water from the faucet trickle into the bowl. The shrimp will thaw in 15-30 minutes.
The cooking time will vary based on the size of the shrimp you are cooking. I would estimate that small shrimp would cook in 3 minutes and large shrimp in 7-8 minutes.
But the time will vary by air fryer, so to some extent figuring out the optimal cooking time for your air fryer is trial and error.
Find More Air Fryer Dinner Ideas
Air Fryer Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp 36/40 shrimp
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons paprika *see notes for other seasoning ideas
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes. Don't skip the preheating for this recipe!
- Peel and devein the shrimp if necessary. You can either leave the tails on or take them off, whichever you prefer.1 pound medium shrimp
- In a small bowl combine the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.2 teaspoons paprika *see notes for other seasoning ideas, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Add the shrimp to a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Then sprinkle the seasonings over the shrimp and toss everything so the shrimp is coated in seasoning.1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Add the shrimp to the preheated air fryer basket. Keep the shrimp in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket you might need to make two batches.
- Cook at 400 F for 5 minutes, flipping the shrimp with a spatula halfway through.
- Serve with parsley, lemons and melted butter or add them to a salad or tacos.
Notes
from the recipe and replace it with the following:
- Mexican Taco Shrimp – 3 teaspoons of chili powder and 1 teaspoon cumin
- Cajun Shrimp – 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Italian Shrimp – 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Old Bay Shrimp – 3 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Lemon Pepper Shrimp – 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Caribbean Shrimp – 3 teaspoons Caribbean jerk seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
This was delicious. And really easy!
Loved the original had to cit in half as onlyb2 of us but tirned out great planing to try other ones over the next 2 months
Did you use raw or cooked shrimp? Thanks!
Thank you for helping me learn to air fry shrimp. The family loved it and I loved how quick and easy it all was.
This was VERY GOOD! Plus it was super easy and fast — and healthy! I was making just one serving so I just sprinkled on the seasonings in a bowl with a little olive oil. I shared it with a couple of people already. I will definitely be making it again.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Hi, if I used 21-25 size shrimp, will that be 6 or 7 mins. Thank you
This was very delicious. I will definitely make this again. Tomorrow I am going to do my boneless and skinless chicken thighs in the spices. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Just tried this recipe & was.pretty successful for my first time.
Think.I used too much olive oil, more.Cajun spice, higher temp, + more time. Didn’t turn out crisp at all…too much oil? Tasted great.
1 lb. medium shrimp filled the basket very well. We love shrimp & eat it often. So I will try again soon, esp the taco.
Made it with the old bay seasoning and garlic powder. Left off the salt but it was still too salty. I would half the old bay next time but this was very easy and otherwise delicious
Delicious!!! My family loved this recipe
OMG this dish was delicious but I kept mine in for 8 minutes because my shrimp were rather large. They came out
perfect. Definitely a crowd pleaser.
I appreciate all on air fryer cooking!!!!
Love my air fryer need & want many RECIPS I can cook!!!!
God Bless YOU
BE PRAYING FOR U AND YOUR FAMILY!!!
Loved
WENDY LONGWILL
Delicious. I will make this over and over again.
It’s arduous to find knowledgeable folks on this subject, but you sound like you understand what you’re speaking about! Thanks
This has become my go-to recipe for shrimp using many of the seasoning recommendations you listed. I have teenagers and this is easy and quick for them to make, too. I did a honey/lime/cilantro seasoning last night and it was superb. Thank you!
Made this for brunch today with 6 jumbo shrimp I had left. Didn’t feel like doing the whole breading and dredging thing, so I gave this a shot. Turned out great! A quick and easy way to prepare them. I used the basic seasonings you listed, and they were very tasty. I’m intrigued to try some of the seasoning variations you listed when I do this again. Thank You!