Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

At a glance

What stands out: Bite into one of these air fryer coconut shrimp, so golden brown and crispy, and you’ll know why you have an air fryer! From-scratch coconut shrimp are so much better than pre-made frozen coconut shrimp.

How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep, and 9 minutes cooking time per batch
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer, three shallow bowls, (small tongs are helpful for flipping)
Servings: 4 (4 to 5 shrimp per serving)

A standby Coconut Shrimp

Perfectly cooked shrimp encased in a flaky, crunchy coconut coating are exactly what you’re looking for in this delightful appetizer. The air fryer once again is a winner when it comes to “frying” evenly, with barely any added oil, merely a light spritz of cooking spray.

Even if you’re not a huge shrimp fan, this recipe may win you over. The coconut breading is slightly sweet and tropical, and the flavor intensifies as the coconut toasts during the cooking process. Shrimp, coconut, and a zingy sweet chili sauce equals some good eating.

Are you ready to air fry your way to crispy happiness? We'll get you started here and give you lots of helpful tips.

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

You can do this! We don’t know why but making coconut shrimp always seemed a bit intimidating. Well, we're here to tell you that it’s quite straightforward. You can see by the short list of ingredients that this recipe isn’t complicated. You may have everything you need already in your pantry and freezer.

Frozen shrimp are so convenient. We almost always have shrimp in the freezer because it’s so reliable for speedy dinners. It takes only a few minutes to thaw the shrimp under running water, and it cooks in mere minutes. We keep it on hand for speedy dinners like sheet pan shrimp fajitas, shrimp tacos with mango and avocado, or lemon pepper shrimp (a straightforward recipe).

From-scratch coconut shrimp is better! if it doesn’t seem too much like bragging, we think this coconut shrimp is way better than its restaurant cousins or the frozen bag from Trader Joe’s or Costco. Try it and we think you’ll agree.

Serve it as an appetizer or main course. While coconut shrimp is normally served as an appetizer, it makes an equally fantastic entrée, served with cilantro-lime jasmine rice, sugar snap peas, or roasted sweet potato wedges with Chinese five spice. For a lighter dinner or lunch, serve coconut shrimp with a salad. It’s great with this mango slaw.

What goes in

• Shrimp: Frozen shrimp are just fine. Make sure they are peeled and deveined, tail off, thawed and patted dry. If you prefer fresh shrimp, that’s probably even better. Living here in Michigan means that fresh shrimp usually are not available.
• All-Purpose Flour: This will be the first step in the breading process. The flour is seasoned simply with salt and pepper.
• Egg Whites: Egg whites act as a glue and hold the coconut on much better than whole eggs.
• Sweetened Coconut Flakes: Unsweetened coconut works fine, too, and so does shredded coconut so use what you happen to have in your pantry.
• Panko: Because these bread crumbs are coarse and flaky they add more crunch than regular breadcrumbs.

How it comes together

Prep the breading. Your shrimp need to take three little dips to obtain a crisp coconut carapace: once in seasoned flour, then a speedy bath in beaten egg whites, and lastly, a deep dive into a bowl of coconut mixed with panko for ultimate crispiness. Use three shallow bowls, lining them up on your counter in the proper 1-2-3 order.

1 – flour

2 – egg whites

3 – coconut/panko mixture

A Note About Coconut

Coconut flakes are too large to stick to the shrimp and make a nice crunchy coating. This problem is solved by a speedy whir in a food processor which breaks up the flakes. You don’t need to pulverize the coconut. You should still see small pieces of coconut about the size of the panko crumbs. If you choose shredded coconut, you’ll want to do the same so those long shreds are broken down.

Bread the shrimp. Once you have the shrimp breaded, they’re ready for the air fryer. Depending on the size of your shrimp, coconut shrimp will take around ten minutes to be evenly done.

Ways to serve it

Dipping sauces: We love coconut shrimp dipped in sweet chili sauce. You can usually find it in the Asian section of the grocery story. Bang bang sauce or yum yum sauce are popular choices, too, or French fry sauce.

Cocktails: For cocktails, serve a spicy Paloma, an Aperol spritz, or a simple rosé spritzer.

Sides: Coconut shrimp goes well with steamed rice and an Asian salad.

Ways to change it

• Breading. Use regular bread crumbs, or make your own panko. For gluten-free coconut shrimp, use gluten-free bread crumbs and flour.
• Add different seasonings. Try garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, or onion powder.
• Bake the shrimp. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake the shrimp in your oven instead. Preheat the oven to 400° and bake in a single layer on a greased pan for 10 to 12 minutes. For best results, bake the shrimp on a rack, sprayed lightly with cooking spray and placed into a sheet pan, so that the shrimp are crispy on all sides.
• More shrimp recipes. If you love the combination of coconut and shrimp, you have to try our creamy coconut shrimp. The sauce is simply memorable. If you’re not a coconut fan, try air fryer breaded shrimp, evenly flavored with Old Bay seasoning.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Prepare the shrimp as directed. Once you’ve breaded the shrimp, arrange them in a single layer on a plate or container, and cover tightly. Refrigerate for up to two days. Preheat air fryer and continue with recipe.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerator: Leftover coconut shrimp, wrapped well, can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.

Freezer: To freeze, once the shrimp has cooked and cooled, spread them on a baking pan and freeze. Once the shrimp have frozen, you can put them into a container and keep them for two to three months. Reheat as directed below.

Reheating: A speedy stint back in the air fryer is a standby way to get the crispiness back but a straightforward alternative is to pop them into your toaster oven for 5 minutes or so. They remain delightfully crispy.

Reheating frozen shrimp: If the shrimp are frozen, there’s no need to thaw them before reheating. Simply spread them on a baking sheet and put them in a preheated 400°F oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through, or cook them in the air fryer.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 9 minutes
• Total: 19 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw shrimp (20-30 count) peeled and deveined, tail off, thawed if frozen and patted dry
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 large egg whites
• ¾ cup sweetened coconut flakes
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs

Method

1. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites till frothy.
2. In a food processor or blender pulse the coconut until it is in smaller pieces. Mix the coconut and panko in a third shallow bowl.
3. Dip each shrimp into the flour, then into the egg whites, making sure to coat the shrimp completely. Place shrimp in the coconut mixture and press down to cover, flip them over and press the other side to cover.
4. Spray air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray, and then place shrimp in a single layer, careful not to overlap the shrimp. Spray the shrimp with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Set air fryer on 325°F, and cook shrimp for 5 minutes. Flip shrimp over and spray with nonstick cooking spray again. Continue cooking for 4 minutes.
6. Remove the shrimp and empty the basket. Repeat the coating process and air fry the rest of the shrimp.
7. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Notes

Bake the shrimp in your oven instead of an air fryer. Preheat the oven to 400° and bake in a single layer on a greased pan for 10-12 minutes. For best results, bake the shrimp on a rack, sprayed lightly with cooking spray and placed into a sheet pan, so that the shrimp are crispy on all sides.

Storage: Wrap leftover shrimp well and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating: To reheat, air fry the shrimp a couple of minutes or pop them into your toaster oven for 5 minutes or so. They remain delightfully crispy. If the shrimp are frozen, there’s no need to thaw them before reheating. Spread them on a baking sheet and put them in a preheated 400°F oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through, or cook them in the air fryer.