Sweet and Crispy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp easily made in under 20 minutes and served with the most delicious chili dipping sauce! This appetizer is always a crowd-pleaser, but also makes a filling main dish served with a salad, veggies or in a wrap.
You are going to love this easy coconut shrimp recipe! Juicy shrimp coated in a crunchy blend of shredded coconut and panko breadcrumbs, served with the most delicious dipping sauce! The best part? No deep frying involved with this recipe. These shrimp are made healthier with zero oil right in your air fryer. A crowd-pleasing appetizer that is sweet, savory and perfectly crunchy!
Why You’ll Love This
- Flavor-packed – you’ll love the salty and sweet flavors of this shrimp and the sweet chili dipping sauce adds even more flavor!
- Quick and easy – these crispy air fryer coconut shrimp easily come together in under 20 minutes!
- Healthy – no fried shrimp here! These shrimp are made golden and crispy right in the air fryer with zero oil making them a healthier option.
- Versatile – these homemade coconut shrimp make a great appetizer or a delicious meal served with veggies, on a salad or in a wrap.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- shrimp – you can use fresh or frozen large shrimp that is thawed. Just make sure you peel and devein shrimp first, leaving the tails on. Only use raw shrimp, not use pre-cooked shrimp.
- flour – I used whole wheat flour, but feel free to use all purpose flour, gluten free flour or even cornstarch to coat the shrimp before cooking.
- panko bread crumbs – I used whole wheat panko breadcrumbs, but feel free to use regular panko bread crumbs or gluten-free bread crumbs to give the shrimp that crispy coating.
- shredded coconut – I used unsweetened shredded coconut to make these lower in sugar, but feel free to use sweetened shredded coconut if you want sweeter coconut shrimp.
- eggs – this coats the shrimp and acts as a binder to hold the breading on. Egg whites will work as well.
- seasonings – a combination of garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt and black pepper.
For the Dipping Sauce
- Thai sweet chili sauce – a delicious sweet and spicy condiment with red pepper flakes that tastes amazing with the coconut shrimp! You could also use apricot preserves or orange marmalade for a sweeter sauce.
- mayonnaise – I like to use this avocado oil based mayo any time a recipe calls for mayo. It’s unsweetened with better-for-you ingredients, but any type of mayo or homemade mayo will work.
- ginger – freshly grated ginger tastes amazing in this dipping sauce!
- cilantro – adds even more flavor and I like to use extra chopped cilantro as a garnish.
How to Air Fry Coconut Shrimp
- Prepare ingredients. Using 3 shallow bowls, whisk together the flour and seasonings in one bowl, beat the eggs in a separate bowl, and combine the bread crumbs and shredded coconut in the third bowl.
- Coat the shrimp. First dip the deveined shrimp into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Next dredge shrimp into the egg mixture and lastly into the breadcrumb coconut mixture, pressing firmly making sure to coat all sides. Repeat this until all the shrimp are coated in breading.
- Air fry shrimp. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F and spray the basket with cooking spray. Once heated, place the shrimp in the air fryer basket in a single layer making sure they are not overlapping (this may need to be done in batches depending on the size of your air fryer). Spray the tops with a little olive oil. Cook the shrimp for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until shrimp are golden and crispy.
- Make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the Thai sweet chili sauce, mayo, grated ginger and chopped cilantro until all combined. Serve with shrimp, a squeeze of fresh lime juice (or lime zest) and enjoy!
How to Bake Coconut Shrimp
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can easily bake the coconut shrimp in the oven. Evenly spread the shrimp on a prepared baking sheet, making sure not to overcrowd the shrimp. Spray the tops with a little oil and bake the shrimp at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown.
How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp
- Quick thaw – place frozen shrimp in a colander or large bowl and run cold water over them for about 10-15 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure they thaw evenly. Pat dry with paper towels before cooking.
- Overnight thaw – transfer the frozen shrimp (still in the bag or in a covered bowl) to the refrigerator. Let the shrimp thaw slowly in the fridge for about 12-24 hours. Drain any excess liquid and pay dry before cooking.
Please avoid thawing shrimp on the counter at room temperature as this can cause bacteria to grow and make them unsafe to eat.
Tips and Variations
- Pat shrimp dry – using paper towels, pat the shrimp dry before you dredge in the flour as this will help get the shrimp as crispy as possible.
- Don’t overcrowd shrimp – depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the shrimp in small batches to keep the shrimp crispy.
- Use panko breadcrumbs – regular breadcrumbs will work, but panko adds that extra crunch! You can also gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, if needed.
- Sweet vs unsweetened coconut – I used unsweetened coconut flakes in this recipe which gives the shrimp a more savory flavor and keeps them lower in sugar, but sweetened coconut flakes gives a more tropical flavor.
- Make it spicy – to add extra heat, sprinkle in a little cayenne pepper with the breadcrumb mixture or you can add sriracha sauce into the dipping sauce.
- Toast the coconut flakes – for extra flavor, toast the dried coconut flakes in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes until lightly golden.
How to Serve
- As an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce.
- Over a fresh green salad with this ginger sesame vinaigrette.
- As a main dish served with coconut rice, coconut quinoa, rice noodles or cilantro cauliflower rice with fresh veggies for a tropical meal.
- In a wrap with soft tortillas or lettuce leaves drizzled with this sweet chili ginger sauce.
Prepping and Storage
To Store: Leftover coconut shrimp can be stored in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: If you defrosted frozen shrimp for this recipe, do not freeze again. Only freeze if you started with raw shrimp. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months in the freezer.
To Reheat: You can reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 3 to 4 minutes to bring back that crunch or warm them up in a large skillet. I don’t recommend using the microwave as that could make them soggy.
More Shrimp Recipes
- 20-Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Chickpeas
- Easy Firecracker Shrimp Stir Fry
- Margarita Shrimp Skewers
- Sheet Pan Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus
Hope you all enjoy this Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp recipe! If you love these as much as we do, please leave me 
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Crispy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3/4 cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 lb large shrimp peeled and deveined with tails attached
- Fresh cilantro as garnish
For the Dipping Sauce:
- 1/3 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
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Using 3 shallow bowls, whisk together the flour and seasonings in one bowl, beat the eggs in another bowl, and combine the breadcrumbs and shredded coconut in the third bowl.
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First dip the shrimp into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Next dredge the shrimp into the egg mixture and lastly into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing firmly making sure to coat all sides. Repeat this until all the shrimp are coated in breading.
-
Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F and spray the basket with cooking spray. Once heated, place the shrimp in the air fryer basket in a single layer making sure they are not overlapping (this may need to be done in batches depending on the size of your air fryer).
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Spray the tops with a little olive oil. Cook the shrimp for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until shrimp are golden and crispy.
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To make the dipping sauce, whisk together the Thai sweet chili sauce, mayo, grated ginger and chopped cilantro in a small bowl until all combined. Serve with shrimp and enjoy!
Nutrition
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