These Air-Fried Coconut Shrimp are covered in crispy coconut breading and paired with a delicious Sweet Thai Chili dipping sauce. They're the perfect appetizer recipe for your Air Fryer.

air fryer shrimp with coconut breading on a table

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I’ve got a love for fried seafood and thanks to my Air Fryer, I can have “fried” seafood anytime I want without all the added grease and deep frying. For example, this Crispy Air Fryer Fish recipe is a favorite among readers and in our house. This coconut air fried shrimp has now been added to our favorites.

Now it may seem weird cooking shrimp in an air fryer since shrimp is so delicate and can overcook, but I found that my shrimp cooked perfectly in my Air Fryer. I like the crispy coconut coating on these shrimp and it is a restaurant quality appetizer.

hand dipping air fryer shrimp in thai sweet chili sauce

Ingredients Needed

Fresh Large raw shrimp - the shrimp should be defrosted, peeled, and deveined with the tail on. It'll be easy to grab the shrimp by the tail for dipping.
For the breading station - eggs, all-purpose flour, panko breadcrumbs, and unsweetened shredded coconut, salt, and black pepper
Oil - for spraying the shrimp to make them nice and golden in the air fryer.

How to make Coconut Air Fryer Shrimp?

First, preheat your Air Fryer oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.

Next, make your dredging station. Grab three bowls. In one bowl, add flour. In the second bowl, add a beaten egg. For the third bowl, add panko breadcrumbs, coconut, salt, and pepper and mix.

Grab your large raw, peeled shrimp and make sure they are clean and dry. I like to keep the tail on the shrimp for easy dipping.

Then, dip each piece of shrimp in your bowls in the following order: First the flour, next the egg, and then the panko and shredded coconut mixture.

Next, place your shrimp in a greased air fryer basket in a single layer and spray them lightly with oil.

Close your air fryer basket and cook for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes is up, flip your shrimp, then spray the other side. Close the basket and cook for 5 more minutes.

Once your shrimp is cooked on both sides, remove them from the basket and serve them with Thai sweet chili sauce—it's the perfect flavor combination.

Can you cook raw shrimp in an Air Fryer?

Yes. That's what this recipe calls for. I tend to only use cooked shrimp for salad recipes, like this Cold Seafood Salad recipe. But for any recipe that calls for shrimp to be cooked, I recommend raw shrimp. For this recipe, I use large defrosted peeled and deveined raw shrimp.

air fried shrimp after air frying in basket

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these as an appetizer with a side of chili sauce. You could also serve them with ketchup or use the shrimp as a salad topper.

You can find chili sauce in the International section of most supermarkets. But, if you're feeling up to it, you can also make your own Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.

How do I make my coconut shrimp crispy?

The key to getting this shrimp extra crispy is using flour, egg, panko breadcrumbs and shredded coconut to bread the shrimp. This will give you that extra delicious crisp exterior with a well cooked interior.

Tanya's Top Tips

For easier cleanup, use parchment paper liners with holes in them. It's one of my favorite air fryer accessories. I talk more about these accessories in my 10 Air Fryer Accessories that are worth your money post.
This recipe calls for large shrimp. If using smaller shrimp, decrease the cooking time by a few minutes.

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If you are looking for more Air Fryer Appetizers, try these out:

If you make this air fryer shrimp recipe, please let us know how you like it by leaving a review below. Your feedback is appreciated!

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4.85 from 13 votes

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Dipping Sauce

This easy and delicious Crispy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Dipping Sauce is the perfect way to prepare shrimp in your Air Fryer. The shrimp is perfectly cooked and dipped in Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer shrimp

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 9

Total Time 19

Servings people

Calories 293kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

1 lb large raw shrimp peeled and deveined with tail on
2 large eggs beaten
½ cup All-Purpose Flour
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Oil for spraying

Instructions

Clean and dry shrimp. Set aside.
Grab 3 bowls. Place flour in one bowl. Place beaten egg in the second bowl. Combine coconut, breadcrumbs, salt, and black pepper in the third bowl.
Preheat your Air Fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. This should take about 3 minutes.
Dip each shrimp in flour, then egg, then coconut mixture, ensuring shrimp is covered on all sides during each dip.
Place shrimp in a single layer in an Air Fryer basket that has been greased.
Lightly spray the shrimp with oil and then close the Air Fryer basket. Cook for 4 minutes.
After 4 minutes, open air fryer basket and flip shrimp over. Spray shrimp again, close air fryer basket, and cook for 5 more minutes.
Remove shrimp from basket and serve with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Enjoy 🙂

Notes

Vegetable oil, olive oil, or avocado oil can be used for spraying.
If using parchment liners, do not place liners in air fryer during preheating. Place shrimp evenly on liners before starting Air fryer. This avoids the liner from flying up into the heating element.
Make sure the shrimp are in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You may have to cook shrimp in batches to ensure even cooking and crispiness.

Tools Used for Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Dipping Sauce

Nutrition

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This post was originally published on January 25, 2019. It has been updated with new information.

Comments

4.85 from 13 votes (1 rating without comment)