Cooking Frozen Shrimp In Air Fryer

Frozen shrimp in the air fryer is so easy to make! It doesn't require any thawing, and cooks up so quickly in the air fryer. You can use it to top salads, tacos, or just enjoy on its own.

Making air fryer frozen shrimp has become one of my favorite things to do. First of all, it's easy. There is no thawing time required. And cooking frozen shrimp in the air fryer is really quick. Quicker than cooking it in a skillet. And it cooks through perfectly so it's juicy and delicious.

This "recipe" only needs one ingredient! Frozen shrimp. There's no need for any oil or cooking spray when cooking the shrimp in the air fryer. Of course, you can add seasonings and such depending on what you're wanting, but if you're just looking for clean, juicy shrimp, all you need is the shrimp!

Instructions:

No need to preheat your air fryer! Simply place however much shrimp you want in the air fryer basket in a single layer.

Set your air fryer on 400 degrees F for 10 minutes if cooking raw, frozen shrimp. Cook for 7-10 minutes, shaking halfway through! Depending on your air fryer, you may actually flip with a spatula or tongs instead of shaking.

(I know it's weird to say shake halfway through if you don't know how long you'll be cooking the shrimp for. If it's your first time testing it out, shake around 3 minutes, then check for doneness around 7 minutes, then every minute or so after until shrimp are cooked).

Cooking times:

How long do you cook frozen shrimp in the air fryer? It will depend on a couple of factors:

Is your shrimp frozen cooked shrimp or frozen raw shrimp?
How big are your shrimp?
What air fryer you have (different air fryers will cook slightly differently) - so check on your shrimp often to see if it's cooked yet.

Frozen shrimp cooking times guide:

Frozen raw shrimp (small) - 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway
Frozen raw shrimp (large) - 400 degrees F for 9-10 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway
Frozen cooked shrimp (small) - 400 degrees F for 3-5 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway
Frozen cooked shrimp (large) - 400 degrees F for 5-6 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway

Recipe ideas:

While air fryer frozen shrimp are delicious as is, here are some ideas on how to season/serve them!

A squeeze of lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper, and dried or fresh parsley
Used in a shrimp scampi
Seasoned with cumin or chili and lime juice
Served in a soup like this lemon orzo soup
Used in shrimp tacos
Served with a cocktail sauce
Used on top of a salad
On top of an Instant Pot lemon risotto
Served with orzo and capers

cooked shrimp on a plate with a lemon half

Like this recipe? Try these!

Air fryer kale chips
Air fryer pizza rolls
Air fryer caramelized bananas
Air fryer teriyaki salmon

cooked air fryer frozen shrimp

Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp

Frozen shrimp in the air fryer is so easy to make! It doesn't require any thawing, and cooks up so quickly in the air fryer. You can use it to top salads, tacos, or just enjoy on its own.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Seafood

Cuisine American

Air Fryer

10 frozen raw shrimp
½ lemon optional
dried parsley optional
salt optional
pepper optional

Add your frozen shrimp in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Place the basket back in the air fryer.
Set the temperature for 400 degrees F and the timer for 10 minutes. Pull the air fryer basket out at 3 minutes and shake/flip the shrimp. Return the basket to the air fryer and cook for another 4-7 minutes, checking after the 4 additional minutes to see if the shrimp are cooked yet.
If the shrimp are not cooked, return the basket to the air fryer and continue cooking, checking frequently, until shrimp are cooked through and juicy.
Top with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt pepper, and parsley. Or season however you like!

Even though I've listed the recipe for 10 shrimp, you can cook as many shrimp as you want! Just make sure they are in a single layer in your air fryer so air can move all around them.

Cooking times will vary depending on size of shrimp and if you're cooking raw or precooked frozen shrimp. Recipe is for small raw frozen shrimp. Here are guidelines for cooking:

Frozen raw shrimp (small) - 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway
Frozen raw shrimp (large) - 400 degrees F for 9-10 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway
Frozen cooked shrimp (small) - 400 degrees F for 3-5 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway
Frozen cooked shrimp (large) - 400 degrees F for 5-6 minutes, shaking/flipping halfway

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