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My air fryer coconut shrimp recipe is a light, crispy, and refreshing weeknight meal certain to become a new favorite! Ready in under 30 minutes with only 7 easy ingredients, coconut shrimp air fryer style are perfect as an appetizer or the star of a great meal.
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Air Fried Coconut Shrimp
If you're looking for a perfect appetizer or a fast and delicious main course, then today's recipe is for you! Coconut shrimp in the air fryer comes together in under 30 minutes with simple steps and a delicious crispy breading. Because it's an air fryer shrimp recipe, it cooks up perfectly, so no matter if you're a shrimp beginner or a seasoned expert, you're going to love it!
It all starts with jumbo shrimp. Living in Florida, I like to get them fresh, but you can use frozen shrimp for air frying, too. Then I started mixing up a breading that would be crispy without being too heavy- something sweet and savory at the same time. That's where the coconut flakes come in, adding a unique flavor and irresistible sweetness.
The result was a crispy, impossibly poppable coconut shrimp popper recipe that cooks up so quickly, it's done before you know it. And by using the air fryer, it's crisp without all the added oil from shallow frying, making this a breaded shrimp recipe you can feel good about.
Tools to Make Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- An air fryer - I use a 6 qt air fryer and love it. You can use a basket or tray style air fryer, both will work great.
- A food processor for chopping the coconut and panko.
- Three bowls for mixing and breading the shrimp.
- A large plate for placig breaded shrimp.
- Oil for wiping down the air fryer.
- A skewer goes a long way in making the breading process easier, but you can also use your fingers.
Isabel's Air Fryer
It's amazing what you can cook with an air fryer! I love mine and highly recommend it. It even has a steaming function to re-hydrate stale bread!
photo courtesy of Our Place
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Recipe Ingredients Notes
- Large shrimp: I recommend large or jumbo shrimp. You can use smaller ones, but it will take longer to bread them and they will need a shorter cook time.
- Salt and pepper: Kosher salt or sea salt flakes work best.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: To reduce on sugar, you can use unsweetened coconut. I love the sweetness combined with the crunchy, toasty panko!
- Panko breadcrumbs: You can use regular breadcrumbs in a pinch, but panko has a better texture. Alternatively, make your own breadcrumbs by blending toasted bread.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour will do. You can also use gluten-free.
- Baking powder
- Eggs
Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Detailed Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the shrimp! I recommend checking out my guide on peeling and preparing shrimp to make this as easy as possible. You can choose to leave on the tails or not; I like leaving them on as handles. Pat them nice and dry after.
Step 2: Lightly season both sides of the shrimp with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Step 3: Start making the breading components. First, prepare the panko and coconut mixture by adding both to a blender and blitzing it until the coconut is in fine shreds, the same size as the panko. Pour it in a shallow bowl.
Step 4: Prepare the flour mixture by combining the flower, baking powder, most of the salt, and the rest of the pepper in a shallow bowl. Whisk well.
Step 5: Finally, whisk the eggs in a third shallow bowl.
Step 6: Using a skewer or your fingers, dip each shrimp in flour, then shake off the excess. Then dip them in eggs, letting the excess drip off. Finally, dredge them thoroughly in the coconut panko mix, making sure each piece is well coated. Set the coated shrimp aside on a large plate.
Step 7: Preheat your air fryer to 385°F and lightly oil the basket with oil on a paper towel- do not use spray oil, as the aerosol will damage the nonstick coating! You can safely spray the shrimp with oil while they're not in the basket to ensure they crisp nicely.
Step 8: Add the shrimp to the air fryer basket in a single layer, ensuring no shrimp are touching. It will take a few batches to cook them all.
Step 9: Cook for 5 minutes, then flip and air fry another 4-5 minutes.
Step 10: Move to a serving plate with your favorite dipping sauce, and enjoy!
Tips for Air Frying Coconut Shrimp
- For less sweet shrimp, you can use unsweetened shredded coconut, or mix in your own sugar-free sweetener.
- You can easily make these shrimp gluten-free by swapping the flour for gluten free flour, and the panko for gluten free panko!
- You can make coconut shrimp poppers by using smaller shrimp! I like using large or jumbo shrimp as it makes the breading process less tedious.
- To make it easier to bread the shrimp, I recommend using a skewer to dip and dredge shrimp instead of your fingers, which can get messy fast.
- For the perfect dip, try my thai sweet chili sauce included in my reader-favorite Chinese Prawns! Or, try out the shrimp dip classic, Remoulade sauce!
Leftover Coconut Shrimp Storage and Reheating
I highly recommend making only the amount of shrimp you expect to eat, as reheated shrimp never really turn out the same; it's easy to overcook them while reheating. If you do end up with leftovers, however, I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge (they last up to 3 days) before using them in a recipe where you can finely mince the meat, such as shrimp shumai or shrimp empanadas!
FAQ
Absolutely, but you'll need to sub a few ingredients. I recommend using coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour, unsweetened coconut flakes, and your favorite keto panko alternative such as crushed pork rinds or packaged keto panko.
Yes! If you have a conventional oven, you'll need to increase the bake time. I recommend 7 minutes per side. Additionally, I recommend cooking the shrimp on an oven-safe drying rack on top of a baking sheet so the air can circulate around them, keeping the breading crispy.
It's easy to make coconut shrimp without wheat! Just swap out the flour for your favorite gluten-free alternative such as gluten free flour or cornstarch. Then use packaged gluten-free panko or, alternatively, toast some gluten free bread and blend it into little pieces.
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Equipment
- Air fryer 6 qt or larger
- 3 Shallow bowls for breading
- Large plate
Ingredients
- 1 lb Large shrimp - peeled and deveined, tails on
- 1 teaspoon Salt - divided
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper - divided
- ½ cup Sweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 2 large Eggs
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving on the tails, and pat them dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.1 lb Large shrimp
- Lightly season the shrimp on both sides with a pinch of the salt and pepper.1 teaspoon Salt,¼ teaspoon Pepper
- Combine the panko and coconut in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and uniform in size, then pour in into a shallow bowl.½ cup Sweetened shredded coconut,¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, the rest of the salt, and the rest of the pepper.½ cup Flour,1 teaspoon Baking powder
- In a last bowl, whisk together the eggs.2 large Eggs
- Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in the eggs. Let drip, then finally dredge in the coconut panko mix, turning and patting it down until evenly coated.
- Place the coated shrimp on a large plate and continue until all shrimp are coated. Spray them with nonstick cooking spray before adding them to the air fryer.Cooking spray
- Preheat the air fryer to 385°F and lightly wipe the air fryer basket with oil. Place shrimp in the air fryer in a single layer; it will take multiple batches.
- Cook for 5 minutes, then flip, and cook 5 more minutes until golden brown.
- Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!
Notes
- For less sweet shrimp, you can use unsweetened shredded coconut, or mix in your own sugar-free sweetener.
- You can easily make these shrimp gluten-free by swapping the flour for gluten free flour, and the panko for gluten free panko!
- You can make coconut shrimp poppers by using smaller shrimp! I like using large or jumbo shrimp as it makes the breading process less tedious.
- To make it easier to bread the shrimp, I recommend using a skewer to dip and dredge shrimp instead of your fingers, which can get messy fast.
- For the perfect dip, try my thai sweet chili sauce included in my reader-favorite Chinese Prawns! Or, try out the shrimp dip classic, Remoulade sauce!
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