Air Fryer Spicy Shrimp Recipe

For many people, shrimp is their favorite type of seafood — and, more specifically, they love fried shrimp. While they may be particularly popular during the Lenten season, you can enjoy fried shrimp as an appetizer or entrée at any time of year. The problem with preparing this dish at home, though, is that deep frying can be messy, even dangerous, so many people opt to skip the hassle altogether.

If you've ever wondered if shrimp can be cooked in the air fryer, hopefully the title of this recipe give you an answer! No need to worry about these air fryer spicy shrimp not being adequately cooked, though, as recipe developer Autumn LeAnn says, "This recipe uses fully cooked shrimp [so you can just cook them until they reach the desired level of crispiness." LeAnn admits this shrimp recipe "isn't super spicy," but she says "it does have a little kick." If you want to up the heat factor, you can increase the chili powder and/or Cajun seasoning, or you could add some cayenne powder.

In addition to the cooked shrimp and the aforementioned Cajun seasoning and chili powder, you'll also need flour, garlic powder, panko bread crumbs (LeAnn uses the plain kind), and eggs to coat the shrimp. LeAnn also makes a dipping sauce from sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice and zest.

Zest the lime, then cut it in half and squeeze out the juice. Mix the lime juice and zest with the sour cream, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Season the sour cream mixture with salt to taste, then cover the sauce and refrigerate it until after the shrimp are cooked.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining garlic powder, chili powder, and Cajun seasoning, then whisk the eggs in a separate bowl. Dip each shrimp in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip them in the eggs. As a final step, dip the shrimp in the breadcrumbs.

Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray, then fill it with breaded shrimp. You'll probably need to do this in batches unless you have a really big air fryer. Cook the first batch for six minutes at 400 F, then flip the shrimp and cook the other sides for four to six minutes. Remove the cooked shrimp from the basket, then repeat the cooking for batch #2 (and batch #3, if necessary).

When the shrimp are done, serve them with the sour cream sauce if you like, although LeAnn also suggests ranch dressing as an alternative. Cocktail or tartar sauce would be good, too. LeAnn tells us, "I'd consider this an appetizer more than a main dish," but if you want to turn these shrimp into an entree, she says they could be used in tacos or on pasta. If you serve them this way, though, she says, "Just make sure to remove the tails."