Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

5 from 2 votes

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp have a crispy, golden breading and taste as delicious as your favorite restaurant appetizer without being deep-fried!

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time18

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Preheat Air Fryer to 360 F (optional depending on your Air Fryer)
Clean shrimp if necessary and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
To bread the shrimp use three shallow bowls. In the first combine flour, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, whisk the eggs. Then combine shredded coconut and panko in the third.
Dip each shrimp in the flour mixture until evenly coated, shake off any excess. Then dredge shrimp in the eggs, let drip off any excess, and finally in the coconut mixture, press gently until all sides are covered.
Spray Air Fryer basket with oil spray, then place shrimp in a single layer in the basket and lightly spray with oil spray. Cook for 4 minutes, then carefully flip, and bake for 4-6 minutes longer until golden brown and crispy. Spray with more oil if necessary during cooking.

Fresh or frozen shrimp: You can use fresh or frozen shrimp for this recipe. Make sure to defrost frozen shrimp fully for even cooking and to prevent shrinking.
Prepping the shrimp: Make sure to buy tails-on, peeled, deveined shrimp - it makes it a lot easier. Otherwise, you need to peel and devein the shrimp before. Use paper towels to pat them dry - this increases the crispiness later.
Sauce: Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (affiliate link) is my favorite to serve with Coconut Shrimp
Best oil for air frying: Any pure oil spray can be used, I don't recommend using a cooking spray that has additives because it can damage your Air Fryer
Don't overfill: Cook the shrimp in a single layer for even cooking and crispiness. It also makes it easier to turn the shrimp without losing a lot of breading in the process. Do batches if you have a smaller Air Fryer or use a rack to make two layers at the same time.