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. 

Air fryer frozen seasoned shrimp served on parchment paper covered plate.

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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

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.
Ingredients shown used to make air fryer frozen shrimp.

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. 

Seasoning tossed into a bowl of frozen shrimp in a mixing bowl.

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

Frozen shrimp inside a mixing bowl covered with 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.) 

Frozen shrimp laying inside the bucket of an air fryer.

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. 
Cooked seasoned shrimp inside an air fryer bucket.

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.

Air fryer shrimp laying over parchment paper.

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

How long does frozen shrimp take in the air fryer? 

Frozen shrimp can be cooked to perfection in the air fryer in under 10 minutes, though it can vary depending on the size of the shrimp — larger shrimp will take longer. 

Pre-cooked frozen shrimp can be ready in about 7 minutes, whereas raw frozen shrimp will take about 10 minutes. Larger sized shrimp may need more time. 

Can you air fry frozen butterfly shrimp?

Yes, butterfly shrimp can be cooked in the air fryer. Coat it with oil or butter and your favorite seasoning, then cook it in a single layer in the air fryer basket for 4 minutes in the air fryer at 370°F. Shake the basket, then return the shrimp to the air fryer and cook for an additional 3 minutes if pre-cooked or 6 minutes if raw. 

Air fryer frozen seasoned shrimp served on parchment paper covered plate.

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

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Frozen Shrimp in the Air Fryer

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Prep 5 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Servings: 4
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. 

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound frozen shrimp large/jumbo size
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon seasoning of choice lemon pepper, old bay, italian seasoning

Instructions 

  • Add the frozen shrimp to a mixing bowl along with the avocado oil (or butter) and seasoning.
  • Mix together until all of the shrimp are coated in the oil and seasoning.
  • Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket in a single layer with no overlapping.
  • Cook at 375ºF for 4 minutes. Open the basket and shake.
  • Place the basket back in the air fryer and cook an additional 3-6 minutes – 3 minutes for precooked shrimp and 6 minutes for raw shrimp.

Video

Notes

  • this method works with any type of frozen breaded shrimp including coconut, popcorn, and butterflied
  • may need additional minutes for really large shrimp

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 137kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 183mg, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 346mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 63IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 132mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American

Hi! I’m Kara!

Kara loves all things food and spending time with her family and dogs. She has a passion for cooking and loves making yummy, family-friendly recipes.

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  1. Super excited about this one!! This goes along perfect with my weight loss program and something I can quickly use to make a good decision when my family may not be eating something that fits. Whoop whoop! Pumped for quick and easy!