Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp, made with panko crumbs so they’re deliciously crunchy. Great as an appetizer on game day or a quick 15-minute meal!
Who loves crispy, crunchy fried shrimp? My family can’t get enough. But traditional frying can be so messy and time consuming.
Fortunately, these coconut shrimp can be made in the air fryer in no time at all – which makes them great for snacking or feeding the family when you are short on time.
Growing up, crispy breaded shrimp was the only way I would touch seafood. It just wasn’t my thing – until my grandparents had me try some coconut shrimp.
It was the greatest thing and became the menu item of choice whenever we would dine out. But making it at home back then meant standing over hot oil – which completely negated the idea of having a healthier option with seafood.
New to air frying? Be sure to check out my Smart Air Frying Guide.
coconut shrimp air fryer
Now, you can get all the same crispy, crunchy texture that you love about fried foods – all in your air fryer and in less time than conventional methods too.
I love that it is not only fast, but has reduced fat by reducing the oil – so it’s better for me too. I don’t have to give up the things I love – thanks to air frying.
air fried coconut shrimp
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can this be made with sweetened coconut?
Yes – if you love to add some sweetness to maybe balance the zip of the chili sauce you might be dipping these into – then sweetened coconut is perfect for this. It is really a personal choice.
The girls and I love to add that sweetness, but we make this unsweetened batch for the boys.
What are the benefits of air frying?
Healthier
It’s no secret that fried foods are more fattening – but did you know that there are 9 calories in every gram of fat? With air frying, we can reduce the fat by removing most of the oils usually needed to create crunchy foods. This helps to drastically reduce fat intake and calories.
Convenience
I love being able to cook with my air fryer and eliminate the need for large baking sheets and lots of pots and pans. Most of my air fryer recipes can be made with just a mixing bowl or two or a small saucepan in addition to my air fryer.
Energy Efficient
Someone said to me once, “why make this in the air fryer if you can do it the conventional way in the same amount of time?” Well, air frying helps eliminate the need for a conventional oven.
Not only can you keep your home cooler in the summer by not using the oven, but you are saving money with reduced energy consumption costs as well.
Time Saver
I don’t know about you, but if I can avoid turning on the oven and having to wait 20 minutes for it to preheat, I’m happy about that. Most air fryer recipes either don’t require that you preheat the fryer – or the preheat time is 5 minutes or less. That is a huge time saver over using the oven.
Take it on the go
I love that the air fryer is compact and easy to take along on trips. We pack ours in our RV and find that air fryer cooking while camping is so much easier than trying to deep fry foods on a small RV stove or camping burner.
HOW TO MAKE COCONUT SHRIMP
- Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and season them lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place the flour in a small bowl.
- Place the beaten eggs in a second bowl.
- Finally, place the panko and coconut in a third bowl. Toss to combine.
- Dip the shrimp (one by one) into the flour, followed by the egg and then coconut/panko mixture.
- Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
- Place the coated shrimp in the air fryer (make sure they’re not overcrowded– you may have to cook them in two batches).
- Spray the shrimp lightly with olive oil.
- Cook the shrimp at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes, or until the shrimp are fully cooked and the coconut has turned golden brown.
- Serve warm, with sweet chili sauce if desired. Coconut shrimp are best on the same day they are made so making them in advance is not recommended.
What to serve with Coconut Shrimp?
- Buckaroo BBQ Dipping Sauce
- Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce
- Sriracha Ranch
- Fry Sauce
- Spicy Dijon Mustard BBQ Sauce
coconut shrimp
How Air Frying Works
While air fryers are relatively new to the market, the technology isn’t really a new concept. They basically work like tiny convection ovens that you can use on your countertop.
Similar to a convection oven, it circulates the hot air within the cooking area using a high-powered fan. This helps evenly distribute the heat around the food which not only creates more evenly cooked food but also reduced cooking times.
By circulating the hot air, which contains the fine oil droplets from adding a light mist layer before cooking, and allows you to remove the need for submerging our foods in heavy oils to create the deliciously crunchy foods we all love.
To make Air Fried Coconut Shrimp you will need…
- shrimp peeled and deveined
- salt & pepper
- all-purpose flour
- eggs beaten
- panko bread crumbs
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- olive oil for spraying
What is the best way to store leftover coconut shrimp?
These really are best when served fresh. But if you need to keep leftovers, I recommend placing the shrimp in an airtight container and refrigerating for up to 2 days.
air frier shrimp
Can this be made gluten-free?
You bet. If you have gluten-free versions of the ingredients needed to make this recipe – you can definitely use those and get a very similar result.
I have a bake option and other special features on my air fryer, is that the setting? Or do you put it on “air fry” setting?
All of my recipes were created with an air fryer that had only a temperature & timer setting – since not all air fryers have all the additional settings.
You can use the bake setting when making recipes that you would traditionally bake – but if possible, please just set the temperature & time for this recipe.
What air fryer do you use?
We actually have 3 air fryers. I have a smaller one from Phillips that we started with. I have since given that to my son since he’s only cooking for 1.
But the more I used the air fryer I realized I really wanted a digital screen. It wasn’t any more expensive, in fact- our XL air fryer from GoWISE was less expensive than the Phillips and I love its ease & extra functions.
Plus it comes with a lot of the extra accessories I like to use when cooking with my fryer.
But I when I started working on my second air fryer book, I wanted to change things up. I picked up this LARGE air fryer that has been wonderful. It has Touch Screen Presets plus it is XL Family Size, which is great!
Why is my food dry, chewy, or not crisp?
Most people think that air frying is done completely without oil. However, you need just a little bit of oil so the machine can circulate those tiny oil droplets, which is what makes air frying create deliciously crisp and crunchy food.
So when your food isn’t turning out as expected, it is usually that you aren’t actually adding enough oil to the recipe. If those oil droplets aren’t present, all you are doing is baking your food, resulting in a less flavorful taste and texture. Be sure to not skip the step of spritzing the food with oil if the recipe calls for it.
Air Frying Doneness Tip
Every air fryer is a bit different and they all cook at different rates – so in general, all cooking times are approximate based on the pan and temperature.
You can always cook the recipe longer if needed and reduce the heat a bit. If needed, you can tent the top if it is browning too much.
coconut shrimp recipe
Can this be made with regular bread crumbs?
Yes, you can make this coconut shrimp with regular or seasoned breadcrumbs in place of the panko. But I do highly recommend the panko because it is crispier and gives an overall better texture – especially when eliminating most of the oil in the cooking process like we are doing here.
recipe for coconut shrimp
Products I love when making Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp…
This air-fried shrimp recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you might already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you are new to air frying, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this snack recipe.
- salt
- pepper
- all-purpose flour
- panko crumbs
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- olive oil for spraying
- oil sprayer
- air fryer
- parchment liners
air fryer shrimp recipes
If you love this Easy Air Fried Shrimp recipe, you’re going to love these other quick recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Be sure to check out these 50+ Easy Air Fryer Recipes too.
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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- salt & pepper – to taste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- olive oil for spraying
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and season them lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place the flour in a small bowl.
- Place the beaten eggs in a second bowl.
- Finally, place the panko and coconut in a third bowl. Toss to combine.
- Dip the shrimp (one by one) into the flour, followed by the egg and then coconut/panko mixture.
- Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
- Place the coated shrimp in the air fryer (make sure they’re not overcrowded– you may have to cook them in two batches).
- Spray the shrimp lightly with olive oil.
- Cook the shrimp at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes, or until the shrimp are fully cooked and the coconut has turned golden brown.
- Serve warm, with sweet chili sauce if desired. Coconut shrimp are best on the same day they are made so making them in advance is not recommended.
Notes
- Servings: 4 as a meal or 6 as an appetizer
- I used 16-20 count shrimp so if you’re using another size, make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Make sure to use unsweetened coconut– you can find it in the baking aisle.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
