Name: Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup all purpose flour; 2 large eggs; 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut; 1/2 cup panko Japanese style breadcrumbs; 1 pound large raw shrimp (21-25 size, peeled and devined - tails on); 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste); cooking spray

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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp – crispy coconut breaded shrimp ~ like your favorite restaurant version but WITHOUT deep frying! Includes 2-ingredient dipping sauce for a delicious appetizer or main dish!

Coconut Shrimp is a restaurant favorite of ours as an an appetizer to share or main dish with rice or a baked potato.

Tender perfectly cooked Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp ~ crispy breading without deep frying or excessive oil. See how incredibly easy this popular seafood dish is to make at home.

I know I’ve said this before, but if you’ve held off buying an air fryer because you weren’t sure you’d use it, this may be the recipe to tip the scales. The only thing missing with Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp is a whole lot of oil. A light spritz of oil is all you need for this version to get the crispy coating we crave.

Can I put shrimp in an air fryer?

I’ve been asked by a few readers lately whether you can cook shrimp in an air fryer. After all, it cooks so fast and the air fryer cooks food fast to start with. The answer is yes! The air fryer cooks shrimp to tender perfection without drying them out.

What’s in Coconut Shrimp:

all purpose flour
salt
eggs
sweetened flaked coconut
panko (Japanese style) breadcrumbs
21/25 large raw shrimp peeled and deveined, tails on
cooking spray

NOTE: 21/25 refers to the size of the shrimp and means you can expect to get 21 to 25 shrimp in one pound.

How to make air fryer coconut shrimp:

Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes at 390° then lightly brush or spritz the basket with oil or cooking spray.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper then set aside.

Set up a dipping station in 3 bowls:

#1: flour and salt

#2: eggs

#3: coconut and panko breadcrumbs

Dredge the shrimp into the flour mixture, shake off any excess then dip into the eggs and finish with the coconut breading. Gently press the breading to help it stick, transfer to the waiting baking sheet then lightly spray with cooking spray.

Place several breaded shrimp in the air fryer leaving space between them then cook 8-10 minutes turning them over halfway through.

Remove the cooked shrimp from the air fryer then eat right away plain or with.These shrimp are delicious with a squeeze of lemon juice, a little salt or one of the dipping sauces below.

what goes with air fryer coconut shrimp?

I have two uber-simple, 2 ingredient sauces. Both start with sweet chili sauce – one is creamy, the other not. Either – or both – compliment the shrimp really well.

Sauce #1: Blend 1/4 cup of sweet chili sauce and 1/4 cup of jelly or jam. I used this Peach Pepper Jelly from Jennifer’s Kitchen but you can use most kinds of jam you may already have in the fridge, such as apricot, orange marmalade, peach preserves or any kind of jalapeno jelly.

Sauce #2: Mix 1/4 cup of sweet chili sauce and 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise.

To serve these shrimp as a complete meal, add a baked potato, some plain white rice or crispy slaw.

More Air fryer recipes:

Enjoy!

If you tried this Coconut Shrimp recipe or any other on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating!

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