Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp

Making Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp is one of the quickest ways to get shrimp on the table! You can use this recipe for any time of frozen shrimp. It’s perfect for tacos, po’boys, appetizers, and more. 

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Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp Recipe

The air fryer might be surpassing my oven as my most-used appliance. It’s such a quick and easy way to get food on the table in no time flat. 

Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp is my latest obsession. I love shrimp in everything from shrimp alfredo to shrimp scampi. The air fryer makes putting together any shrimp recipe so easy. 

I’m going to show you how to cook shrimp that’s frozen to crispy, cooked perfection right in the air fryer. 

This recipe for air fried frozen shrimp works for…

• Breaded shrimp and unbreaded shrimp
• Tails on and tails off
• Precooked or raw frozen shrimp
• Butterflied shrimp
• Any size shrimp, even popcorn and jumbo
• Coconut shrimp
• fresh shrimp

And better yet? There’s no need to thaw before cooking. You are going to love how easy it is! 

Love shrimp? Try my air fryer popcorn shrimp and air fryer coconut shrimp.

Why you’ll love this recipe

I’m not kidding when I say this is going to be your new favorite way to cook shrimp. It’s the easiest way to get tender shrimp cooked for a quick meal.

• It’s so easy and quick. It’s ready in less than 10 minutes and you don’t have to stand over a skillet the whole time. 
• Shrimp is always a great weeknight dinner or quick lunch. 
• You can make it with any kind of frozen shrimp. 
• It’s a great main dish for busy weeknights with a short cook time
• A great way to use up a bag of frozen shrimp you have sitting in the freezer

products used to make air fryer frozen shrimp

air fryer

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glass mixing bowls

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tongs

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Ingredients for this air fryer shrimp recipe

Here’s what you’ll need to put this easy air fryer recipe together: 

• frozen shrimp: Any size, and any kind of shrimp. They can be breaded or not, tails on or off, precooked or raw, butterflied, coconut, whatever! 
• avocado oil or melted butter
• seasoning of choice: You can go nuts here. Lemon pepper seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and taco seasoning are all great. You can also use garlic powder, chili powder, black pepper, or red pepper flakes.

Cooking frozen shrimp in the air fryer

Now, let’s get to air fryin’! 

Start by adding the frozen shrimp to a mixing bowl along with the avocado oil or melted butter (make sure it is slightly cooled) and your seasoning of choice. 

Mix them all together until all of the shrimp are coated in both the oil and seasoning. 

Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket. Arrange them in a single layer with no overlapping — this is so that the air fryer can cook each piece evenly. (You may have to cook in batches if you are cooking a lot of shrimp.) 

Cook at 370ºF for 4 minutes. Open the basket and shake everything up. 

Place the basket back in the air fryer and cook again: 

• For precooked shrimp, set the timer for 3 minutes. 
• For raw shrimp, cook them for 6 minutes.
• Larger shrimp may need additional cooking time. 

Test your shrimp with a digital read meat thermometer. Shrimp should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. 

Tips & tricks for this easy shrimp recipe

This method works with any type of frozen shrimp including coconut, popcorn, jumbo, and butterflied. I love how versatile it is! 

There is no need to thaw before cooking. 

It is absolutely key that the shrimp be in a single layer in the air fryer basket to cook evenly and avoid overcooking. 

What to serve with shrimp

Shrimp goes with so many dishes and cuisines. One of my favorite dinners is this creamy garlic shrimp with white sauce.

Spoon them in tortillas (with the tail off) with your favorite toppings for shrimp tacos or on bread for a shrimp po’boy .

Serve them up with your favorite dipping sauce, like remoulade, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, or pineapple sauce for an appetizer. 

Add them to your favorite pasta dishes like shrimp orzo or bowties with shrimp. 

You can also enjoy shrimp on a salad like this rainbow chopped salad.

Add them to a bowl with white rice, avocado, cucumbers, and nori. Drizzle it with spicy mayo for a sushi-inspired bowl.

Serve it as a simple meal with a squeeze of lemon juice and a side of some air fryer asparagus for a great low-carb option.

Best seasoning for shrimp

Shrimp is tasty with a simple seasoning of just salt and pepper, but there’s so much you can do with shrimp.

Old Bay Seasoning is a classic for seafood dishes. 

If you make shrimp a lot, you may want to keep your own homemade shrimp seasoning on hand at all times. 

Citrus goes especially well with shrimp, so you can try adding lemon zest or lime zest or even using lemon pepper. 

You can also cook by cuisine. For Italian dishes, try this Tuscan herb blend. For Greek dishes, use Greek seasoning.

For Mexican and Latin dishes, use fajita seasoning. 

FAQ

Leftover Shrimp

If you have leftover shrimp, allow them to cool completely and then place them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can use the leftover cooked shrimp on top of a salad, in shrimp tacos, or in a deli-style shrimp salad.

More Air Fryer Recipes

• Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Croutons
• Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

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