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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp are crispy, sweet coconut shrimp that are a nice appetizer or meal. Jumbo shrimp are coated in coconut flakes and breadcrumbs to help create a crispy layer and a tender, flavorful shrimp. 

    

AIR FRYER COCONUT SHIRMP 

You guys have gone crazy for my Air Fryer Cod recipe and for good reason.

There is something so good about seafood that is cooked in the air fryer to get that delicious, crispy outer layer of breading. 

Today’s Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp takes jumbo shrimp and coats them with a coconut flake and breadcrumb mixture.

The shrimp are then air fried for about 12 minutes to create a tender, juicy shrimp with a crispy outer layer. 

These Air Fryer Shrimp work great as an appetizer or a meal. I like to serve a sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Surprisingly my kids go crazy for shrimp. It is a food I would not eat as a child, so I love that my kids will eat it.

They first tried it at Hibachi when we would go to celebrate their birthdays each year.

The restaurant we would go to served a protein, vegetable, rice and shrimp. The first time we went my kids decided to try the shrimp and were pleasantly surprised how much they liked it.

Now they ask me to make all kinds of shrimp recipes like Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp, Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta and Honey Garlic Sriracha Shrimp.

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS AIR FRYER SHRIMP?

JUMBO SHRIMP: This recipe calls for about 1 pound of peeled & deveined jumbo shrimp with tails. I use fresh but if you want to use frozen just make sure you fully thaw them.

With both fresh and frozen use a paper towel to pat the shrimp dry. This helps to ensure they don’t get soggy in the air fryer due to the excess moisture. 

EGGS: The eggs in this recipe helps to create the breading crust that we all love so much with coconut shrimp. It basically creates the binding to hold the breadcrumbs and the coconut flakes on the shrimp. 

FLOUR: I use all-purpose flour but you can use coconut or almond flour if you would like.

COCONUT FLAKES: I love the coconut flakes and the sweetness that it adds to the shrimp. 

BREADCRUMBS: Plain breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs will work nicely in this recipe.

If you like extra texture and crunch I would go for the panko breadcrumbs otherwise regular works great. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS AIR FRYER SHRIMP RECIPE?

Whisk together your eggs in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the flour in a shallow bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, blend together your coconut flakes, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Pat the shrimp dry on both sides with a paper towel.

Dip your shrimp in your flour and coat entirely.

After your shrimp has been coated entirely with flour, submerge in your egg mixture until it is completely coated.

From there, roll your shrimp in your breadcrumbs and coconut flake mixture.

Making sure to coat the shrimp entirely on both sides.

From there, roll your shrimp in your breadcrumbs and coconut flake mixture making sure to coat the shrimp entirely on both sides.

Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees F. Once preheated spray the basket with avocado or olive oil.

Gently place each shrimp inside the air fryer, be sure that they are not touching. Spray the shrimp with the avocado oil. Bake on 360 for 6 minutes.

Spray avocado oil over top the shrimp before flipping each shrimp over and spraying the other side of the shrimp.

Cook for 6 more minutes. Check shrimp and make sure they are an internal temperature of 120 degrees F.

When cooking time is complete for both sides, remove from air fryer, garnish with parsley and serve immediately with sweet chili sauce.

WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD AIR FRYER COCONUT SHRIMP BE?

When cooking shrimp you want the internal temperature to reach 120 degrees F.

Aside from the temperature you also want that golden brown outside with the crispy outer layer which helps keep the shrimp tender and juicy on the inside. 

HOW DO I STORE LEFTOVER COCONUT SHRIMP?

You can store the leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I personally think they taste better right when you make them though.

If you do need to store leftovers just reheat in the air fryer or a skillet before eating. 

IS AIR FRIED FOOD HEALTHY?

Air frying food is a healthy alternative to deep frying food in oil. You can air fry so many things from Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower, to Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes, to Air Fryer Donut Holes. 

My favorite part of using the air fryer is that the food can get that crispy outer layer that happens when you deep fry food.

When you air fry food it can cut 70 to 80% of the calories from the food and has less fat. You also are using no vegetable oil when using the air fryer which is much healthier. 

    

VARIATIONS FOR THIS AIR FRYER COCONUT SHRIMP:

SPICES: You can spice up these crispy shrimp by adding spices like cajun, old bay seasoning, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper seasoning and more.

I suggesting adding the spices to the flour and mixing it together well.

SHRIMP SIZE: I like to use jump shrimp or large shrimp for this recipe but you can use the smaller ones if you like. I find them harder to work with but they still will work fine.

You might have to take the cook time down a bit because they will cook faster. I would start with 4 minutes per side and see if they are cooked through.

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