Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp, crispy

Air Fryer Crispy Fried Shrimp (Popcorn Shrimp) – you can get crispy, satisfying shrimp in a healthier way with your air fryer ! No need to deep fry them.

You can get that crispy, crunchy crust with your air fryer and a few other ingredients.

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Air Fry Popcorn Shrimp

Air Fry Popcorn Shrimp is straightforward to cook, healthy, and suited to a weeknight meal. Often times when you skip on the frying, you don’t get the crispy exterior you love about popcorn shrimp.

With this method, you can still get crispy crunchy shrimp without deep frying. This batch is well-balanced as appetizers or the main course.

Popcorn Shrimp Air Fryer Ingredients

• Panko breadcrumbs
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Old bay seasoning (we prefer lower sodium version)
• All-purpose flour
• Eggs
• Shrimp that’s been tails, deveined, and peeled removed
• Avocado oil spray
• Dipping sauce (optional)
• Lemon (optional)

How to cook Popcorn Shrimp in Air Fryer

Detailed instructions and measurements are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

1. Place the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, and old bay seasoning in a food processor. Pulse until a fine, sand-like consistency.
2. Place the all purpose flour, egg, and panko mixture in separate shallow dishes.
3. Dip the shrimp into the flour, coating all sides. Remove, shake off the excess, and dip in the egg, fully coating. Remove, shake off the excess, and dip in the panko mixture coating all sides. Set aside while you do the remaining shrimp. We like to set them on a cooling rack, but this isn’t required.
4. Lightly spray your basket with avocado oil spray. Place your shrimp in one layer in your air fryer basket. Do them in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding and stacking. Spray the tops lightly with avocado oil spray.
5. Cook in the air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes.
6. Open basket, flip your shrimp over, spray lightly with avocado oil spray again and cook an additional 3 minutes.
7. Remove from the basket and enjoy!

How long should we air fry popcorn shrimp?

When cooking from raw, you’ll want to air fry popcorn shrimp for 8 minutes.

Tips and tricks

• You will need an air fryer for this recipe. While it can be made in the oven, you won’t get the same crispy results. We have This air fryer. It’s much better than our previous one. We find that air fryers with a square basket (vs a round one) fit more and make it much more useful.
• We like to use the lower sodium version of Old Bay in order to lower the salt. You don’t have to use the lower sodium, it’s what we personally prefer.

Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp FAQs

Is frozen popcorn shrimp in air fryer possible?

Yes, you can air fry frozen popcorn shrimp. If you want to make air fried shrimp in advance, prep completely and freeze on a baking sheet.

When you’re ready to air fry them, remove them from the freezer and place in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes. You’ll need to keep a close eye not to overcook them.

Storing and Reheating Air Fried Popcorn Shrimp

Any leftover air fried popcorn shrimp should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

To reheat air fried popcorn shrimp, we recommend using the air fryer set to 350° for 4 minutes.

Alterations for picky eaters

• You can swap the Old Bay seasoning for another seasoning they prefer. The flavor isn’t too strong, but if there’s a seasoning they like, we'd opt for that!
• Serve them with fries and ketchup! Think about the way they’d enjoy any other crispy, fried item. Serve it up the same way.

Alterations to lower the calories or WW points

There aren’t many ways to alter them and it isn’t too bad to begin with. Shrimp is naturally high in protein, but low in calories and WW points. Be careful about your dipping sauces!

What goes with popcorn shrimp?

If you’re serving popcorn shrimp as a main course, it pairs well with roasted vegetables. Some of our favorites are:

• Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
• Oven Roasted Garlic Brown Sugar Carrots
• Oven Baked Broccoli