These Air Fryer Shrimp are plump, juicy, and perfectly seasoned! This healthy dish is ready in just 8 minutes and requires basic pantry staples to make it.
If you enjoy using your air fryer, you may also like my Garlic Parmesan Crusted Salmon recipe and the popular Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets that are always a big hit with kids!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Did you know you can make delicious shrimp in your air fryer? I have been testing this recipe for the past few weeks and I am so happy with the results! I brushed the shrimp with seasoning and oil mixture, then cooked them for 8 minutes in the air fryer. That's it! The result was juicy, plump, and tasty shrimp that pairs so well with pasta, rice, veggies and so many other side dishes!
This healthy dish is quick to make, even if you never cooked shrimp or used the air fryer before. It's really that easy!
Ingredients:
- shrimp - I recommend medium or large size shrimp. Medium shrimp will cook faster.
- oil - I used olive oil but grapeseed oil works too.
- seasoning - I used garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Feel free to experiment with your favorite spices and make a mix that you like!
How to make Air Fryer Shrimp?
- Start by cleaning the shrimp. Remove shells and veins.
- Mix oil with seasoning in a small bowl.
- Brush shrimp with a seasoning mixture.
- Arrange shrimp in an air fryer basket or rack.
- Cook for 8 minutes (no need to turn them).
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Raw or frozen shrimp?
Whether you have raw shrimp or frozen shrimp, you can use both kinds in this recipe. Make sure to thaw the frozen shrimp in the fridge, rinse and tap dry with a paper towel. The seasoned oil will stick better. Also, wet shrimp can burn so you want to dry them before seasoning and cooking.
How to serve air-fried shrimp?
Serve this shrimp as a main dish with rice or pasta, as a taco filling with fresh veggie salsa, or as a salad topping for a light meal. If you read the comments, our readers cook the shrimp to serve with shrimp Alfredo pasta, seafood tacos with cilantro sauce, in rice bowls, or in salads.
Helpful tips!
- Do not spray the shrimp inside of an air fryer basket or tray. The oil spray will get on the walls of your appliance, bake in and be hard to clean. That's why I don't use a spray in this recipe, but mix olive oil with spices and brush on the shrimp. Or better yet, add oil and seasoning to a bowl, add shrimp, and toss to coat!
- Get the largest size of shrimp you can. I don't recommend popcorn shrimp or even small shrimp, as they are tiny when baked.
- The smaller the shrimp, the faster it will cook. I used large shrimp for this recipe and 8 minutes was my magic number. For medium shrimp, set the timer to 6 minutes.
- Feel free to replace the seasoning with your favorite mix: Cajun, lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese, etc.
- I use kosher salt in this recipe. The amount of ½ teaspoon was perfect, however, if you are using table salt, half of a teaspoon can be too much. Cut it down to ¼ teaspoon.
Common questions:
I used thawed shrimp in this recipe. I bought them frozen and thawed them in the fridge. The cooking time is stated in the recipe below as 8 minutes, no flipping needed.
If you use a parchment paper liner in your air fryer, flip the shrimp. Otherwise, the basket (which has holes) or a tray allows the air to circulate around the food so there is no need to flip it.
All leftovers should be stored in a container with a lid, in the fridge, for up to 3 days. You can reheat the shrimp in the air fryer or microwave for a couple of minutes.
If you are using cooked shrimp, you are only reheating them. Apply the seasoning with oil but cut the time to 4 minutes, then check if the shrimp is heated through.
Absolutely! I do recommend air frying the shrimp in batches, so the air can circulate properly around the food. Do not over-crowd the air fryer basket.
I used the "air fry" setting. If you are not familiar with your air fryer, check the manual for more info or simply test it with just a few shrimp.
More air fryer recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Air Fryer Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cleaning the shrimp by removing shells and veins. Run under tap water, then pat dry with paper towel.1 lb shrimp
- Mix oil with seasoning in a small bowl.2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Brush shrimp with seasoning mixture on both sides.
- Arrange shrimp in air fryer basket or rack, in a single layer.
- Cook at 400℉ for 8 minutes (no need to turn them).
- Once the cooking cycle is done, remove shrimp from air fryer. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and your favorite side dishes.
Notes
- I recommend medium or large size shrimp.
- I used kosher salt in this recipe. If you are using table salt, decrease the amount to ¼ teaspoon.
- You can place oil and seasoning in a bowl, add shrimp and toss to coat.
- You can double the recipe, but cook the shrimp in batches so the air can circulate properly around the food. Do not crowd the air fryer basket.
- I do not recommend popcorn shrimp for this recipe.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use a calorie counter you are familiar with.
Lila williams says
Wonderful and very easy.
Anna says
Thank you, Lila!
Jamie Baumgardner says
Perfect and delicious!
Anna says
Thank you so much, Jamie!
Cherri’ says
OMG these are the very best ever and perfect way to cook them for Shrimp Alfredo Fettuccini - so so yummy!
Eric l says
Do I set it to air fry, broil or bake ?
Anna says
Hi Eric! I used the air fry setting. Hope this helps!
Deb says
I liked the simplicity, but not a lot of flavor. I will try it again with a few more spices.
Anna says
Thank you, Deb! You can use it as a base and adapt it to your preferences however you like.
John Horch says
I assume you have all kinds of air fryer receipes. I will look forward to additioal ones.
Anna says
Hi John! We have a whole category you can browse. I hope you will give them a try!
Jamie says
Delicious. Almost tasted like grilled shrimp. A new favorite. I did use 2 tablespoons of olive oil by accident the first time, but I feel like it diluted the seasonings so no issues with too much salt, like some reviews said. Love this recipe! Thanks!
Anna says
Thank you so much, Jamie! I am so glad the shrimp was a success!
CKDaisy says
This is the only way to make shrimp.
P.S. I add ground red pepper to give it some kick. 🌶️
So good!
Linda says
These shrimp were good and easy. I followed the ingredients exactly, and I agree that 1/2 tsp is too much salt. I preheated my air fryer and cooked the shrimp 7 minutes. I may lower it to 6 minutes next time.
Art says
Followed ingredients and instructions as per recipe. Very delicious resutts
Anna says
Thank you so much!
BP says
This is great. Only problem is, my wife really liked them, so now I have to cook them every time. Twice in a week now.
Anna says
Haha! Love that! I am glad the recipe is a hit!
Debra says
I just bought my very 1st airfryer and raw shrimp was in sale 🙂 i came across your recipe...it looked yummy so gave it a whirl. Did a couple minor tweaks to suit our taste but this recipe receives an A from us 🙂 our tweaks included: for seasonings we used Badia Adobo with Complete Seasoning, paprika for color, italian seasoning and a little salt....id probably cut out the salt next time....we did use the olive oil as suggested but added some Panko seasoned bread crumbs. Stirred that all together and did the 8 mins like you suggested but DID flip the shrimp and cook an additional 2 mins on other side. We definitely will make these again 🙂 Thank you so much for making our 1st air fryer experience a great one!!!! 🙂
Anna says
Hi Debra! I am always happy to see our readers adjust the recipes to their preferences. Your version sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing and for the review!
Laura A Rodgers says
Super easy, quick and delicious. I used my metal skewers. They turned out perfectly.
Melinda says
My daughter shared the link to this recipe and I am thrilled to have a shrimp recipe that my husband likes! This is so easy and tasty.
Terri says
This blend of olive oil and spices is perfect. I made 2 pounds of jumbo shrimp and doubled the recipe except for salt and pepper. I put the marinade in a deep bowl and tossed the shrimp with a gloved hand to coat. I preheated the air fryer for 3 minutes at 400° then cooked each batch for 8 minutes at 400° without turning. PERFECT!
Jackie says
Made this recipe twice tonight, in two batches, half of the recipe each time. Made it as described and it was delicious! The only difference is I use the pink salt, I find it to be less salty and we get some extra minerals lol. We cut it up into little pieces and used it as our taco Tuesday protein accompanied with avocado tomato cilantro lime juice and a little dash of olive oil it was so tasty. It’s a keeper. Thank you!