Air fryer frozen shrimp are the best shrimp ever! They turn out so juicy and tender and have hints of lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper. They are so easy to make and are ready in just 10 minutes. You'll never want to cook shrimp any other way again.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- This is the easiest way to cook shrimp! They are cooked from frozen so it takes way less time than most other shrimp recipes.
- Frozen shrimp in the air fryer turn out so juicy, tender and full of flavour. Never dry or overcooked, they turn out perfect every time.
- The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make. You only need 6 ingredients and the shrimp will be ready in just 10 minutes so you can have a quick meal on the table in no time.
- I've added a delicious lemon garlic butter sauce to take these shrimp to the next level and make them taste even better.
- Shrimp are an easy way to get more protein in your diet and shrimp are also low in calories so they are great if you are on a low calorie diet.
Looking for other air fryer seafood recipes? Try my air fryer Mahi Mahi recipe!
Key ingredients and substitutions:
You should be able to find all of these simple ingredients at any local grocery store. For the exact measurements refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Frozen raw shrimp - you should be able to find a bag of frozen shrimp in the frozen fish section of your grocery store. I recommend using wild shrimp rather than farmed shrimp if possible.
- Butter or coconut oil - for the base of the delicious lemon butter sauce that tops this air fryer shrimp recipe. You can use either butter, coconut oil, olive oil or avocado oil for the sauce.
- Fresh garlic - to help give these shrimp the most delicious flavour.
- Fresh lemon - you will use the lemon to add a squeeze of lemon juice to the butter to make the lemon butter that tops these juicy shrimp.
How to cook:
Step one:
First, add the melted butter, crushed garlic, and lemon juice to a bowl and stir well to combine.
Step two:
Next, dunk each frozen shrimp into the lemon garlic butter, ensuring you coat both sides of the shrimp.
Step three:
Then place the frozen shrimp on the racks of your air fryer and cook them for 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have precooked shrimp they will likely be done at this point but if you use raw shrimp then flip the shrimp and cook them for another 5-6 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, until the shrimp are cooked.
Step four:
Once cooked, sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste and remove the shell and tails from the shrimp. If you prefer you can also devein the shrimp at this point. Then enjoy!
How to cook in a basket style air fryer:
Coat the frozen shrimp in the lemon butter and then place the frozen shrimp in the air fryer basket, in a single layer, and cook for 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit if they are pre-cooked shrimp, or 10 minutes if they are raw shrimp.
Top Tips:
- This recipe uses frozen raw shrimp. If you use frozen cooked shrimp decrease the cooking time to 5-6 minutes.
- I did not preheat my air fryer for this recipe. If you do preheat your air fryer you will need to decrease the cook time by 2-3 minutes.
- I have not tested this cooking method for frozen breaded shrimp or frozen popcorn shrimp.
- The cook time for this recipe will vary depending on the type of air fryer you have and the size of shrimp you are using. For larger shrimp or jumbo shrimp you will need to add more time.
- Leave the shell and tails on these shrimp when making them in the air fryer to help protect them and then remove them after they have cooked.
- Don't overcrowd the shrimp in the air fryer or they won't cook as well - for best results be sure to put them in a single layer or even layer in your air fryer basket or trays.
- Don’t add the salt until after the shrimp are cooked! The shrimp stay more tender if you add the salt afterwards.
Variations and add ins:
- Feel free to add other seasonings to the shrimp to give them a different flavour such as garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper etc.
- You can either use melted butter or coconut oil for this recipe.
- Feel free to make a double or triple batch if you are feeding a crowd.
How to serve:
These shrimp are great served as is but you can also squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice on them just before serving to give them even more flavour.
You could also serve these shrimp with your favourite sauce or dipping sauce such as seafood sauce, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, or cajun butter sauce for even more flavour!
You can use cooked shrimp to add to pasta or rice dishes, or serve them steak or air fried chicken wings for the perfect surf and turf meal! Or you could use these shrimp to make shrimp tacos.
How to store:
Store any leftover shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Frequently asked questions:
To remove the shell: Put your thumb on the underbelly of the shrimp, where the legs are attached. Release the shell with your thumb. Hold the tail while removing the shell by simply pulling it off. I don't recommend doing this until the shrimp is cooked. It would be very challenging with frozen shrimp.
To remove the tail: It's really easy to remove the tail! Pinch the tail at the bottom, where it connects with the shrimp’s body. Pull it. The tail should come off easily.
Nope! This is a matter of personal preference. The vein is safe to eat. And it's actually not a vein at all. It's the shrimp's digestive tract.
For this recipe you do not need to preheat your air fryer.
Other air fryer recipes you will love:
- Air fryer salmon cakes with lemon dill aioli
- Air fryer salt and pepper chicken wings
- Air fryer BBQ ribs
- Air fryer frozen chicken wings
- Air fryer carrots
Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star rating before you go!
Recipe
Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen raw shrimp
- 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- Juice from one lemon
- sea salt (to taste)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Add the melted butter, crushed garlic and lemon juice to a bowl and stir well to combine.
- Dunk each shrimp into the lemon garlic butter, coating both sides of the shrimp.
- Place the shrimp on the racks of your air fryer and cook for 5 minutes at 400F. Flip the shrimp and cook for another 5-6 minutes at 400F, until the shrimp is cooked.
- Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste and remove the shell and tails from the shrimp. If you prefer you can also devein the shrimp.
Notes
- The cooking times for this recipe are for frozen raw shrimp. If you use frozen cooked shrimp decrease the cooking time to 5 minutes.
- I did not preheat my air fryer for this recipe. If you do preheat your air fryer you will need to decrease the cook time by 2-3 minutes.
- Cooking times may vary depending on the air fryer you use.
- Remove the shell and tails after the shrimp have cooked.
- Don't add the salt until after the shrimp has cooked.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
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