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These Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp are crispy and golden with all the sweet tropical coconut flavor. Paired with a simple Honey Siracha Sauce and ready from start to finish in under 20 minutes--a perfect dish you will love!
I am learning my way around an air fryer and so far I have liked what I have seen. Very much.
I made some delicious, juicy Air Fryer Hamburgers that were a big hit, but I am learning that it's your regular fried foods that taste great from this little kitchen tool. These 3 Cheese Air Fryer Zucchini are definitely one of those!
French fries come out extra crispy, tater tots, and all the other goodies that you can enjoy deep fried. And there are so many more air fryer recipes I cannot wait to try!
When it comes to this Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp, I will say I was so happy with how crispy it turned out. That is key for me when I am having "fried" shrimp.
These big, crispy coconut shrimp can be ready in under 10 minutes--cook time is only about 6-7 minutes. And you won't have that oily, heavy feeling sitting in your stomach after eating them. (However, if you are craving deep fried, fry these puppies up in oil, pleeeeease. Sometimes that's just what you crave and you've gotta do it!)
But if you are in for something a bit less oil filled, these Air Fried Coconut Shrimp are the simple, crispy and oh so dunkable solution!
Did I mention the simple Honey Siracha Sauce? The perfect partner to this dish!
What you will need to make this recipe:
- I used Extra Large shrimp for the air fried coconut shrimp recipe. They looked the best the day I was at the grocery when I started testing, so that's what I went with. One pound of XL shrimp is about 25-30 shrimp for reference. Need to know how to shell and devein them?
- My preference for this recipe is sweetened coconut. If you only have unsweetened, you can toss about a teaspoon or two into the flour mixture to add a touch of sweetness.
How to make this air fryer shrimp:
- Grab 3 bowls. I make sure they are on the shallow side. In one bowl, add the coconut. In a second, add the eggs and whisk. And in the third, add the flour, pepper, salt, garlic and cayenne (optional). Whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
- For ease of the process, place the bowls in the following order from left to right: flour mixture, egg, coconut.
- Add the shrimp into the flour mixture and coat well. (steps 1 and 2)
- Add to the egg and coat the shrimp. You can keep the tail out of the mix or if it's easier, it can get the coating as well. (step 3)
- Finally, toss the coated shrimp into the coconut and gently press the coconut on to help it stick. (step 4)
- Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket that has been sprayed with oil. Work in batches if your basket is too small. Cook for about 4 minutes on the first side and flip the shrimp and cook another 2-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- While everything is cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients and then you are all set!
Notes:
- Not all air fryers are the same I am learning. Mine heats up REALLY FAST and I burned the first couple tries at this Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp based on reading times for other fried shrimp recipes. The best advice I can give is to keep an eye on it. You can even flip after 3 minutes if yours is like mine!
- If you want a bit more crunch to your shrimp, toss in about ¼ cup bread crumbs or panko into the coconut. This will add that breaded crispiness.
- If you are a coconut lover, you can pulse the coconut a few times in the food processor to break it down a little more. This should allow more to stick on the egg coating for extra coconut goodness!
- I have read that internal temperature of shrimp needs to be at least 120°F.
Check out these other recipes:
- Simple Chicken Tenders
- Butter Herb Instant Pot Salmon
- Air Fryer Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
- Ultimate Air Fryer Hamburgers
- Cilantro Pesto Rainbow Trout
- Crispy Smoky Sweet Potato Fries
DID YOU MAKE ONE OF MY RECIPES? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! I ALSO LOVE TO SEE YOUR LEMONS + ZEST RECIPES ON SOCIAL MEDIA–TAG ME @LEMONSANDZEST ON INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK!
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Honey Siracha Sauce
Ingredients
For the Shrimp:
- 1 lb shrimp, XL or Jumbo, shelled and deveined
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ c flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 c shredded coconut, sweetened ( add 1-2 teaspoon of sugar to flour if you only have unsweetened coconut)
For the Honey Siracha Sauce
- ¼ c honey
- 1 T Siracha
- Juice of ½ a lime
Instructions
- Spray your air fryer basket with spray oil and set aside.
- Grab three bowls. In one, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne. In another add the eggs and whisk well. In the last, add the coconut. Line them up in the following order: flour mixture, eggs, coconut.
- Take each shrimp and dip it into the flour and coat evenly. Dunk it into the egg and fully coat. Last, place it in the coconut and gently push the coconut onto the shrimp to help it stay on. Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket so they are not touching each other. Work in batches if necessary.
- Cook in the air fryer at 350°F for 4 minutes and flip. Cook another 3-4 minutes or until a crispy golden brown.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients before serving and enjoy!
Notes
- Not all air fryers are the same I am learning. Mine heats up REALLY FAST and I burned the first couple tries at this Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp based on reading times for other fried shrimp recipes. The best advice I can give is to keep an eye on it. You can even flip after 3 minutes if yours is like mine!
- If you want a bit more crunch to your shrimp, toss in about ¼ cup bread crumbs or panko into the coconut. This will add that breaded crispiness.
- If you are a coconut lover, you can pulse the coconut a few times in the food processor to break it down a little more. This should allow more to stick on the egg coating for extra coconut goodness!
- I have read that internal temperature of shrimp needs to be at least 120°F.
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