How To Cook Shrimp In An Air Fryer

Learn how to cook shrimp in an air fryer in this blog post. It’s so easy, all you need is a bag of your favorite shrimp and a few ingredients from your pantry.

Air Fryer Garlic Shrimp

There’s no need to pan-fry your shrimp. You can easily cook them in your air fryer and get incredible results! This method uses a delicious easy sauce to add flavor to the shrimp. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and a side salad for an easy and delicious meal.

In this recipe, I use my Ninja Foodi Deluxe air fryer, but this method can be used for any brand of tray or basket air fryer (which is every air fryer). So if your air fryer looks different than mine, not to worry as the results will be the same!

Ingredients Needed

Here’s a quick look at the ingredients list:

• Frozen Shrimp – You can use any kind of frozen shrimp available at your grocery store. Larger shrimp will take longer to cook. I prefer shrimp with the shell removed and deveined.
• Olive Oil – You can use any kind of oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil and coconut oil will also work. I used olive oil for this recipe.
• Spices – To add flavor to the shrimp, I used a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and ground pepper.

How To Cook Shrimp In An Air Fryer

Here is an overview of how to cook shrimp in an air fryer with full detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Preheat Air Fryer – Spray the air fryer basket or tray with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the air fryer on at 400°F and preheat for 5 minutes.
2. Prep – Add olive oil and spices to a large bowl and mix together. Next, add the shrimp and toss together with spices.
3. Cook – Once air fryer is preheated, add the shrimp. Close the lid and set timer. The time will vary depending on style of shrimp (see recipe card below)
4. Flip Halfway – Halfway through, open the air fryer and toss the shrimp. Remove from the air fryer and serve.

Best Way To Thaw Frozen Shrimp

There are two easy methods you can use to thaw shrimp:

• Method #1: Place the bag of shrimp into a large bowl and fill it with cold water. It’s important the water is cold, not warm or hot as that can cook your shrimp. Add a heavy bowl or pot on top of the bag to weigh it down for 45-60 minutes.
• Method #2: Pour the frozen shrimp into a strainer. Rinse under cold water for 2-3 minutes to help it thaw. Pat dry each shrimp thoroughly before cooking. Excess moisture can produce soggy shrimp.

How Long To Cook Frozen Shrimp In Air Fryer

If you want to skip the seasoning of your shrimp, you can air fry it frozen. The time will vary depending on if you have raw shrimp or pre-cooked shrimp. Check the package to see which one you have:

• Cook the shrimp at 400°F for 5 minutes if it’s frozen cooked shrimp.
• Cook the shrimp at 400°F for 10 minutes if it’s frozen raw shrimp.

Cooking Tips

These general rules ring true for almost every recipe I’ve cooked in the air fryer:

• Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes before. This will ensure even cooking.
• Spray the air fryer basket or tray with nonstick cooking spray so that your food never sticks.
• Always add food in a single layer. Stacking food won’t produce crispy results. You might need to cook in two batches, but it’s worth it.
• Most recipes do well when flipped halfway through cooking. Any type of shrimp, fries, chicken wings, etc. This ensures a more even baking process.
• Always check your food in the last 1-2 minutes to make sure it isn’t overcooking. Every air fryer will cook slightly different.

Air Fryer Shrimp FAQs

More Recipes

Here are some more easy air fryer recipes:

• How To Cook Frozen Fish Sticks In Air Fryer – It’s so easy!
• Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks – These are crispy and another easy way to cook chicken.
• Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes – These are delicious. I will eat a whole bowl of these myself easily.
• Crispy Brussels Sprouts – Crispy and the perfect side dish for chicken. You can also snack on these like kale chips.
• Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Wings – These taste just like wings from the pub. They’re a big hit with my family.

Did you love this air fryer shrimp recipe? Be sure to leave a rating below!