Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Course Appetizer or main

Cuisine American

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 10

Total Time 22

Servings

Calories 246kcal

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!

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!