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Air Fryer Breaded Shrimp from Frozen

Breaded Shrimp from Frozen made in the Air Fryer makes a quick and crunchy appetizer that is sure to please.

Why Cook Shrimp From Frozen?

Buying shrimp frozen is great because they freeze the shrimp right on the boat, ensuring they still taste fresh when they make it to your plate. So buying them frozen, and cooking them from frozen, is often the freshest way to do it. Keep a bag of frozen shrimp on hand, and you’ve always got the start of a great meal ready to go.

My favorite way to cook them from frozen very gently cooks them in water and only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish (including boiling the water). However, today’s method uses the air fryer instead of water and adds a great breadcrumb coating.

When To Use The Air Fryer To Cook Frozen Shrimp

Using the Air Fryer makes things even faster! We recently showed you how to cook frozen shrimp in the Air Fryer without breading, which is great to cool down and use for shrimp cocktail or toss in some pasta. Today, we’re adding breading to the shrimp which makes for a great crunchy appetizer with a dipping sauce or to top a salad with.

I can fit about 12 large shrimp in my Air Fryer so it’s perfect if you just need enough for two people. If you’re cooking for more, you’ll have to do multiple batches.

You can also try my breaded frozen fish in the air fryer!

How To Bread The Frozen Shrimp

It was a little challenging finding the right method for breading frozen shrimp. Eggs didn’t work well as a coating for this, but the olive oil does a good job. Some of the breadcrumbs will fall off in the Air Fryer, but don’t worry, enough will stay on that you get a really nice crunch and flavor.

First, you’ll mix your breadcrumbs with your seasonings. Give the frozen shrimp a rinse in some water and then toss in olive oil. The olive oil may slightly freeze onto the shrimp.

Put the shrimp in the seasoned breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Carefully transfer the shrimp to the Air Fryer so you don’t lose too much coating. You can sprinkle any extra breadcrumbs on top.

Cook for 5 minutes at 400°F and you’ll have wonderfully cooked shrimp with a browned, crispy breading.

Enjoy!

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Air Fryer Breaded Shrimp from Frozen

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Air Fryer
  • Cuisine: American

DESCRIPTION

Breaded Shrimp from Frozen made in the Air Fryer makes a quick and crunchy appetizer that is sure to please.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 12 large frozen shrimp (peeled and deveined, with or without tail)
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • BBQ Sauce for serving, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
  2. In a medium bowl combine the panko, salt, and garlic powder. Set aside.
  3. Put the frozen shrimp into a separate medium bowl. Add 2 cups of water. Swish around and then drain the water off.
  4. To the shrimp, add the olive oil. Stir it all around.
  5. Transfer the shrimp to the bowl of breadcrumbs. Stir to coat. Not all the crumbs will stick.
  6. Arrange shrimp in a single non-overlapping layer in the air fryer basket. If you had extra breadcrumbs in the bowl, sprinkle those onto the shrimp and push to adhere a bit.
  7. Cook until the shrimp are opaque, pink, and cooked through, and until breadcrumbs are starting to darken, about 5 minutes.
  8. Serve with BBQ sauce for dipping, if desired.