The Best Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

a big pile of coconut shrimp with lime wedges

The Best Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

The Best Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp recipe makes restaurant quality comfort food healthy and delicious! It's crispy and sweet and still lighter and healthier than the original. Serve with a homemade dipping sauce for the ultimate appetizer.

5 from 6 votes

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Course Appetizer, Main Course, Main Dish

Servings people

Calories 339 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

24 ounces extra large shrimp approximately 36 shrimp, peeled and deveined, see note below
⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
⅓ cup shredded coconut sweetened, see note below
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs room temperature
1 tablespoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground if possible
cooking spray
fresh cilantro
sesame seeds
1 lime cut into wedges
honey sriracha mayo aioli

Instructions

Breading the shrimp

Pat dry all shrimp to ensure that the breading will stick and they will get crispy in the air fryer. Set dried shrimp aside.
In a medium bowl, combine panko bread crumbs, shredded coconut, flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix well with a fork.
In a smaller bowl, whisk the 2 eggs until the whites are thoroughly incorporated with the yolks.
Holding a shrimp by the tail, dip into the egg mixture, then place it in the bowl with the breading mixture. Working with your hands, ensure all sides of shrimp are well-coated with the breading. Set breaded shrimp aside on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat steps for the remaining shrimp.

Air frying the shrimp

Spray the base and sides of your air-fryer basket with cooking oil spray, including the extra rack (if you have one).
Place as many shrimp in the bottom basket as possible without crowding them. Spray the tops with cooking spray. Repeat for extra rack if you have one.
If using the extra rack, set the heat to 400°F and timer to 5 minutes. Check the shrimp on the extra rack after 5 minutes, ignoring the ones on the basket below. Once the top surface of the top shrimp are golden and crispy, flip them over so the other side can get crispy as well. Fry for another 5 minutes and check again, adding another 1-2 minutes of cooking time if necessary. Once all the top shrimp are golden and crispy, remove the top layer along with the rack. Flip the remaining shrimp on the bottom basket and fry for another 3-4 minutes, or until golden and crispy on both sides.
If using only one basket, set the heat to 400°F and timer to 5 minutes. Once the tops are golden and crispy, flip them over. Fry for another 5 minutes. Once tops and bottoms are golden brown and crispy, take the shrimp out of the fryer. Add additional time in increments of 1-2 minutes if the shrimp are still pale and not yet crispy.
Repeat the process for the remaining shrimp.
Garnish fried shrimp with chopped cilantro, sesame seeds, and lime wedges, if desired, and serve with honey sriracha mayo aioli.

Notes

It is important to ensure shrimp are completely thawed, drained of excess liquid, and patted dry prior to breading. This is to ensure the breading sticks to the shrimp, and that the end results are crispy, golden brown fried shrimp.

It is always best to thaw seafood in the refrigerator. Don't let it sit out on the counter to defrost.

I like to pulse the coconut flakes a few times in the food processor to make the pieces smaller. They adhere to the shrimp better when they're fine.

Do not crowd the shrimp on the basket or on the extra rack. You need to make sure there is plenty of space for hot air to circulate around each one. I am using the Instant Pot Air Fryer to make this recipe and each basket and rack can fit 7 shrimp.

Cooking time depends on your air fryer. If in doubt, use less cooking time and keep checking the shrimp and adding more cooking time until they are crispy, flipping them over so that the other side can get crispy as well.

Nutrition

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