Making perfectly crispy fried shrimp in the air fryer is so easy and the results are delicious! Ready to serve in 20 minutes, they are easy to prep and made with a few simple ingredients.

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I’m so excited to bring you this new air fryer recipe! The shrimp come out so perfectly cooked and juicy and the panko breadcrumbs add a wonderful crunch to each bite!
They are great to serve as a simple appetizer with your favorite dips, or make it a fuller meal and serve with a fresh salad or veggie and potato sides.
If you love this crispy air fried shrimp, be sure to check out my Air Fryer Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp.
How To Make Air Fryer Crispy Fried Shrimp
- Prepare a dredging station by placing 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp seasoning salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp black pepper in one bowl. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and in a third bowl, place the panko breadcrumbs. You can season the breadcrumbs at this stage too.

- Place each shrimp in the flour, then the egg, and then the panko, making sure to shake off any excess flour and eggs before placing it in the panko.
- Place in a greased air fryer basket, making sure the shrimp are not overlapping. Do not spray the shrimp at this point.

- Air Fry on 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-9 minutes, flipping and spraying halfway through.

- Remove when the shrimp is golden. Salt and pepper to taste.

Can you use frozen shrimp?
I find it’s best to use fresh shrimp for this recipe so that they cook all the way through and the coating isn’t overcooked. If you have frozen shrimp then defrost them and pat them dry before dredging them.
Do you keep the tails on?
I prefer to keep the tails on as they add more flavor and they are easier to dredge and dip in your sauce of choice! You can remove the tails if you prefer.
Make sure that the shrimp are shelled and deveined before dredging them.
Can you reheat air fried shrimp?
These shrimp are best served as soon as you’ve made them, but if you have leftovers they can be reheated in the air fryer and all that good crispiness will come right back!
Reheat the air fryer to 400F and cook the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes until they are nice and crispy again.
Leftover fried shrimp will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes and Tips
- Wait until the halfway mark to spray your shrimp. This will help it get super crispy.
- Cook the shrimp in batches if they cannot all fit in your air fryer basket. The second batch will cook much faster than the first. If you overcrowd the basket, the shrimp will steam rather than fry and won’t be as crispy.
- Make these breaded shrimp gluten-free by using GF panko breadcrumbs.
- This shrimp is great served with homemade tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
- Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella
- Indoor Grill Chilli Lime Shrimp
- Balsamic Shrimp and Sausage Skillet Dinner
- Shrimp & Bacon Scampi
Watch this video tutorial and see how I make these shrimp from start to finish.
Air Fryer Crispy Fried Shrimp
Ingredients
- 12 oz medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cup of Japanese panko breadcrumbs
- Oil for spraying Canola, avocado, etc
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare a dredging station by placing the flour, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in one bowl. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and in a third bowl, place the panko breadcrumbs.
- Place each shrimp in the flour, then the egg, and then the panko, making sure to shake off any excess flour and eggs before placing it in the panko.
- Place in a greased air fryer basket, making sure the shrimp are not overlapping.
- Air Fry on 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-9 minutes, flipping and spraying halfway through.
- Remove when the shrimp is golden. Salt and pepper to taste.
Suggested Tools
Video
Notes
- Wait until the halfway mark to spray your shrimp. This will help it get super crispy.
- Cook the shrimp in batches if they cannot all fit in your air fryer basket. The second batch will cook much faster than the first.
Venus
Friday 19th of February 2021
Tried this recipe tonight so good, I give you 5 stars, great crust on shrimp. Yum!w
Tanya
Saturday 20th of February 2021
Thanks Venus! :)
Christina
Tuesday 17th of November 2020
Great recipe!! Super easy to make and they turned out tasty. My 8-yr old helped with the prepped and was impressed with how great it came out. Thanks for sharing!
Tanya
Wednesday 18th of November 2020
Yay! I love that you made it with your 8-year old too. So glad you all liked the recipe :)
Dawn
Monday 7th of September 2020
Hi there! I'm new to the air fryer world and would love to use up some shrimp with this yummy recipe but I don't have anything to spray oil at the flipping point. Is that a necessary step, and if so could I just melt butter or coconut and drizzle, or any suggestions? Thanks!!
Tanya
Monday 7th of September 2020
Hi Dawn, the oil just make the shrimp browner and crispier. You could try drizzling with oil but it will be harder to get as much coverage with that method.
Dick Pearson
Friday 31st of July 2020
The shrimp was absolutely perfect!! I overdid the panko a tad, but this was my first try and, as a 79 year old man, I thought I did great. I have done other recipes from Tanya, and all have been great. Think fish fillets ( I used cod).
Tanya
Friday 31st of July 2020
Thank you so much! So glad you liked the recipe :)