This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Air fryer shrimp are so quick and easy to make and they are just as good, if not better, than one of your favorite restaurant appetizers. Made in the air fryer, these healthier fried coconut shrimp are made with just a handful of ingredients and without the need for a lot of oil. It’s so quick and easy to cook shrimp in the air fryer and this recipe is my favorite!
I can’t tell you how delicious this coconut shrimp recipe is! Wonderfully crispy and succulent, but so much better for you! Perfect as an appetizer, party snack or to add to your dinner salad.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: Use large shrimp for this recipe. If using frozen, make sure they are fully thawed. Peel and devein them, but keep their tails on so that they are easy to pick up.
- Flour: Use all purpose flour for the coating. Use a 1:1 GF flour or coconut flour if you have an intolerance to wheat.
- Eggs: So that the coating sticks to the shrimp.
- Coconut: Use unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Breadcrumbs: I like to use panko breadcrumbs to get a really nice crispy crust.
How to make this air fryer shrimp recipe
Set up your dredging station with the flour mix (flour and spices) in one bowl, beaten eggs in a second, and the panko and shredded coconut in a third. Make sure to dry the shrimp well but keep the tails on to make it easier to dip them when they’re done cooking. Plus, they are just cuter that way haha.
One by one, dredge each shrimp in the flour, then the eggs and then the panko mixture. Gently push the panko mixture onto the shrimp to make sure it adheres. Place on a baking tray until you have coated all of the shrimp.
Now you’re ready to add them to the air fryer. For a pound of shrimp, I found it best to work in two batches to ensure that the coconut shrimp are not touching in the basket. Cook for 10 minutes and flip halfway through cooking for extra crispy edges.
When they’re done, they will be golden brown on the outside with crispy edges from the panko and coconut. Shrimp doesn’t need a long time to cook but you can watch them closely in case you use shrimp that might be smaller in size. That’s the beauty of the air fryer…you can open the tray any time to check on the coconut shrimp.
Tips for making this recipe
- Use fresh or frozen shrimp based on availability. If you use frozen shrimp, make sure to fully defrost them before you coat and air fry them. Any extra ice on the shrimp will impact the final results.
- Pat the shrimp dry to remove any excess water before you coat it. This will help the shrimp to get really crispy, if there is excess moisture the air fryer shrimp can steam and become soggy.
- Don’t overload the air fryer basket. The shrimp should be in one layer with space in between them, so they’re not touching. This helps to make sure the air fryer shrimp is crispy.
- Make it gluten-free by swapping the all-purpose flour for coconut flour. That also adds an extra subtle coconut flavor so it’s a win/win.
Frequently asked questions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, in a skillet with a little olive oil, or in an air fryer before serving. You can also freeze the cooked shrimp for up to 3 months.
My air fryer has become one of my most used kitchen appliances. It’s a great way to enjoy your favorite deep fried foods but without the need for all of that oil. The shrimp comes out perfectly crispy and light, and they stand up to any restaurant dish!
Shrimp in the air fryer takes between 10 and 12 minutes to cook through depending on the size of your shrimp. Be sure to flip them halfway through cooking so that they are crispy all over. If you have an instant read thermometer, the shrimp is cooked when it reach 165ºF.
More shrimp recipes:
- Healthy Shrimp Scampi
- Shrimp Avocado Salad
- Grilled Shrimp with Herbed Yogurt Sauce
- Shrimp Fajita Bowls
- One Pan Shrimp and Rice
More air fryer recipes:
- Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs
- Air Fryer Chicken
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer Salmon
Hope you’re making use of your air fryer to recreate lots of deep-fried restaurant foods in a healthier way with less fat and less calories. Coconut shrimp is one of those recipes that packs in a lot of good fats from the shrimp, so it’s best to limit the saturated fats that come with deep frying by using the air fryer.
If you’ve tried this healthy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
order MY book
The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook is now available everywhere books are sold!
Amazon TargetBarnes & Noble Books A Million Hudson Booksellers BookshopSCHULER Books
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp raw, large, peeled and deveined with tails attached
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking spray
- Sweet chili sauce for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F. When heated, spray the basket with cooking spray.
- Combine the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in one shallow bowl. Whisk the eggs in a second shallow bowl. Then combine the shredded coconut and panko breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.
- Dip the shrimp into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Then dredge the shrimp into the eggs, and finally into the coconut panko mixture, gently pressing to adhere.
- Place the coconut shrimp in the air fryer so they are not touching, and spray the top of the shrimp. Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately with sweet chili sauce, if desired.
Notes
- Instead of the eggs, you can use flax eggs. Replace each egg with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before dredging the shrimp in it. You can also use low-fat buttermilk.
- Instead of all-purpose flour, you can use almond flour or coconut flour.
- If you prefer not to use breadcrumbs, you can just use the shredded coconut, although they will not be as crispy on the outside.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
The hubs & I LOVED these!
Amazing, I’m so happy to hear that!
I really didn’t like it, the coconut didn’t really brown. But every air fryer is different so I figured out the time to get it browned, just didn’t like the taste.
So sorry it didn’t turn out how you had hoped, Cathleen. Can I ask what about the taste you didn’t like, specifically?
I made these in my Breville oven on the air fryer setting last night. They were absolutely delicious so crispy and just the right amount of sweet and salt. I made a mango dipping sauce that went with them beautifully will definitely be making these again.
@findingcaroly
So glad to hear!
These turned out really nice! But was expecting sweet. Not sure why I was, because the recipe called for unsweetened coconut. Very yummy but would prefer a sweeter coconut shrimp.
Might be a nice option to serve them with a sweet chili sauce next time!
I love coconut shrimp in my air fryer but my dipping sauce is sour cream, lime juice. I would sub yogurt for sour cream and mint maybe
I love your recipes!
I made this recipe months ago and loved it. I marked it for X-mas day serving so have a few questions. What is the best way to serve this in mid afternoon to family gathering.
I have many dishes to prepare so need some help here. I try to do as much possible to prep in advance. So for the best tasting Coconut shrimp.. should I :
1. Cook the shrimp night before, put in refrigerator and then reheat in AF (temp and how long?) or in oven – (temp and time) and then keep warm in Chafing dish or
2. Prep the shrimp, put in refrigerator night before and cook fresh in AF and then keep warm in Chafing dish? Thanks,
Hi Ellen, this is one recipe that I would not prepare beforehand. You don’t want to over cook the shrimp by reheating and you don’t want to put the crust on and then refrigerate because the breadcrumbs will take on moisture. To prep I would just clean the shrimp the day before. I hope that helps!
Thank you, I will make that coconut shrimp just before company comes, and keep it in the chafing dish. Thank you again.
Came out perfectly! I used spelt flour, egg white, shredded coconut (without Panko) and they were perfectly cooked and crispy in 10 minutes. Delicious!
Great! So glad you enjoyed these!
I’m trying tomorrow night, my first meal in my new air fryer!
I hope it turned out well for you!!
I plan to make this tomorrow – I can’t wait, it sounds/looks delicious. Two questions: all I have is sweetened coconut. I’m sure it will still work, albeit it sweeter. Second question: how do you suggest keeping the shrimp warm while cooking in batches?
Right, it will be sweeter – You can heat your oven to 200 degrees just so it’s slightly warm. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! Served atop jasmine rice with shredded carrots and it was 👌🏻👌🏻.
Oo, that does sound amazing! Thanks for sharing!
One word- A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I was really craving coconut shrimp, but I was resigned to making healthy coconut shrimp, making myself believe it was as good as the deep fried real deal and end the evening in taste bud disappointment. I followed the recipe pretty much as it was written, except I dipped in the shrimp in egg before dredging it in the flour. The breading came out pretty thick, which I love. When I took the shrimp out of my air fryer and tasted one, I ended up closing my eyes to savor the deliciousness. I still can’t believe how good this is. I’m going to try this with chicken fingers.
Thank you so much, Veronica!! I am so happy it turned out better than you expected – great idea to use the egg to “beef” up the breading if you like a thick crust!
Question. Right now I make buffalo shrimp by dipping in egg (no flour) and then breadcrumbs. Even with the 10-15 count Atlantic white shrimp I got recently, I only cook for 8 minutes at 385 without pre-heating. Do these really require 10-12 minutes? Thanks
Hi Jim, great question! After rigorously testing this specific coconut shrimp recipe, I found that the shrimp was juicer and the coconut crust crispier with preheating and a temperature of 360°F for 10-12 minutes. That said, I am sure the shrimp would cook with the temperature and timing you mentioned above; I am just unsure how the coconut coating would turn out. You can always try it if you prefer. You’ll have to come back and let me know how they turned out!
Absolutely delicious! I seasoned my flour dredge and panko/coconut mixture with Lawry’s seasoning salt and it was perfect. Quick, easy, so much healthier than the frozen stuff, will be making again and again!
Hi Ayla! I am so glad you liked it! Great idea adding seasoning salt to the dredge.
So good….loved it. Better than the ones in restaurants/from the grocery store, and very simple to make. I do what I can to decrease calories, so used oat flour instead and egg whites instead of whole eggs. Hubby, who is not typically a fan of coconut, loved these. I ate with no dipping sauce, he used a pear compote that we have and he said it was amazing!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved it! What a great idea to use oat flour and egg whites; the pear compote also sounds fantastic!
A-MAZ-ing!! This recipe makes restaurant-quality deelish Coconut Shrimp! While I was eating I was thinking about how much $$ I had spent at seafood restaurants on this and now I can make my own anytime! I did use regular, sweetened coconut instead of the unsweetened it calls for simply because I didn’t pay closer attention. It was perfect!! Thank you! A friend has already asked for your recipe too! ♡♡
Thank you so much! Homemade for the win! Glad you liked the recipe either way. I hope your friend continues to enjoy too!
Made these for Christmas Eve dinner, we loved them so much I just doubled the recipe and made them again for New Year’s Eve dinner, thank you! Happy New Year!
That is such a compliment! Thank you so much. Happy New Year to you too!
No flavor and I followed recipe. Disappointing
Did you add any seasonings to personalize the recipe?
Very good recipe, just needed a little tweaking. Soak shrimp in coconut milk, dredge in seasoned coconut flour and use both sweetened and unsweetened coconut flakes with the panko. Came out so delicious, I will be making this recipe many times in the future.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed!
The shrimp came out perfectly cooked and crispy, unfortunately the flavor was bland. Non-Air Fryer recipes with stellar ratings use sweetened coconut so I’ll try that next time.
Glad the shrimp turned out perfectly! You can definitely add more seasonings to fit your preferences. Let me know what you think if you try it with sweetened coconut!
No flavor and I followed the recipe exactly. I would not make again.
Thank you for the feedback! I recommend adding in whatever seasonings you enjoy to make it more flavorful, but I will have to give this recipe another test and see how to improve it.
I made this in a toaster oven with convection bake on 350º, 7-8 minutes each side at half the recipe makes about 10 large shrimp. It was perfect. dipped in thai sweet chili sauce–soooo yummy.
That’s great to hear! It’s such a good pairing.
Tasted great! I just wish they would have been crispier. Any advice?
Thank you! You can always keep them in the air fryer for 1-2 extra minutes to get them to be extra crispy. Also, don’t overload the air fryer basket. The shrimp should be in one layer with space in between them, so they’re not touching. This helps to make sure the air fryer shrimp is crispy!
I always make extra! they are great cold on a salad or chopped and make tacos with a little pineapple coleslaw. I use a gluten free flour blend for mine.
I love how versatile it is! Yay!
I wouldn’t bother with a gluten free flour, I would just dip it in corn starch instead
Thank you for this recipe! My husband LOVED your ! 🍤🍤🍤🍤 He came back for THIRDS! This recipe is SO GOOD, I’m adding this to my repertoire. Thanks again!
You’re so welcome! That’s amazing!
Made these tonight, used Jumbo frozen shrimps & switched up the coconut. Instead I used Toasted Coconut Cashews crushed, mixed in with Japanese Panko, air fryer 400* for about 6-8 mins, (made a couple of batches) and dipped them in Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.
Family liked them & ate to fast to snap a picture-definitely a keeper! 🙂
Con: the process to flour, egg wash & panko crust – dip each shrimp. :\
That’s amazing! So glad everyone enjoyed!
Used frozen, cooked shrimp – 3 mins each side and they were perfect!
I love that! Yay!!
Did you defrost the cooked shrimp before cooking in air fryer?
It took my fryer 6 mins a side and P
perfect shrimp. Substituted coconut flower and panko pork rinds. To make it Keto friendly Also added some Jerk seasoning to the dry mix. Served with a Thai style red curry sauce
So glad you made it work! The sauce sounds like a delicious pairing!
Followed recipe. Coconut did not stick to shrimp and pretty bland. Would not recommend. Stick to deep frying which is what the pictures appear to be.
I’m sorry to hear that. It’s likely the shrimp wasn’t pat dry enough, so the coconut didn’t stick to it even with the help of the egg. Feel free to use any seasoning of your choice moving forward!
Great recipe! I followed it as written, I made cocktail sauce to dip them in, they were delicious with or without dipping them. My air fryer is not the kind with the basket, it’s more like a large toaster oven, I can’t set it at the suggested temperature so I cooked them on the middle rack at 375° for 10 minutes, very pleased with how the turned out.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed and made it work!
Hello.. this recipe looks amazing.. which panko do you use?
Thank you!
Thank you so much! I just use the panko breadcrumbs they have at my local grocery store – any will work!
Nope. Too bland.
I’m sorry to hear that! What seasonings or ingredients would you add to make this more flavorful?
I honestly don’t know. I followed the recipe exactly. The shrimp were beautifully cooked, just really boring. Salt after the fact didn’t help. Maybe sweetened coconut would make a difference. This was the first time making coconut shrimp so I have no experience to base changes on.
You could definitely do that, or you could also add some seasonings to the flour mixture such as garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Just made these.. so perfectly cooked. They taste wonderful..i had to add a little more panko and coconut.. but fantastic all over.. I’ll make these again!!boyfriend loved them too.. thanks for this awesome recipe!!!
Yay!! That’s perfect!
This looks delicious and I’ll be trying it soon.
I think you’d have to replace or omit the panko breadcrumbs as well, if you want the shrimp to be gluten free.
Thank you! I can’t wait to hear what you think! If you prefer not to use breadcrumbs, you can also just use the shredded coconut, although they will not be as crispy on the outside.
You can use GF panko too.
I only have already cooked frozen/thawed jumbo shrimp. Can I still use the air fryer method without them drying out?
I would still make sure to dry the shrimp well but keep the tails on to make it easier to dip them when they’re done cooking!
This worked great!! First time using our new air fryer and they turned out terrific. I had to use unsweetened coconut (as the market was almost sold out -probably for Christmas cookies.) But the recipe was simple, easy to follow and delicious. The kids already want to make more!
Thank you! That’s exactly what I was going for!
So good!!! I made these for our weekly app/snack on football Sunday and my husband and I both loved them. We could only find sweetened coconut at the store, we don’t use coconut often when cooking so we didn’t notice a difference, they turned out exactly as expected. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much! That’s great to hear. Happy to have shared!
I just got a new air fryer for my brother and I can’t wait to make these today. All the reviews give me a lot of confidence! I’m wondering how far in advance you can prep the shrimp on a baking sheet. I’m going to do it right before putting it in the air fryer this time but I’m just wondering for next time how far in advance I can have them prepped. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I will be looking for more of your air fryer recipes.
That’s so exciting! I would try to prepare this right before you’re going to cook them. However, you could store any leftovers in an airtight container and reheat in an air fryer before serving.
Haven’t tried yet but will soon! The recipe says 1/4 cup “large avocado” — did you mean panko breadcrumbs?
Can’t wait for you to give it a go! Thank you for spotting that – yes, it’s 1/4 cup breadcrumbs.
Just made these Coconut Shrimp in my air fryer for the first time
and they were delish! Such an easy recipe. My prep time was 12 minutes and I cooked them for 20 minutes (I like them to be extra crispy). I am going to make them for a party that I am going to in two weeks.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!! Hope it’s a hit at the party!
This is my second time using this recipe, so good the first time just had to try it again I’m using 12/15 super colloidal shrimp had to increase cook time to about 10 min per side ,added a little lemon pepper to the flour,thanks for the recipe.
I’m glad it still worked! You’re so welcome!!
Super easy to make! ALL my guests loved it
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you!
I’ve made this 3 times and we absolutely love it! In full disclosure, I used sweetened coconut (that’s what I had) and love it that way. It’s such an easy, delicious dinner. Thank you for sharing a fabulous recipe that’s now in our regular rotation.
That makes me so happy to hear! You’re so welcome!
I just got an air fryer for Christmas and this recipe was so easy to make and delicious! Will definitely be making again. Thank you, Yumna!
Love to hear it! Stay tuned for more air fryer recipes that are to come!
I made this tonight for dinner in my new air fryer. So yummy! Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you liked it! Thank you!
A perfect quick and easy weeknight (and weekend) recipe! I loved this lightened up version of traditional oil fried coconut shrimp, will be making again. Thank you for sharing Yumna!
So glad to hear it. Thank you Emily!
This was amazing! It’s definitely a must repeat. Thanks a lot for this recipe so quick, delicious and low in calories.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂
Thanks for introducing the air fryer into my kitchen. Got crispy and delicious shrimps without having to use all the oil.