Air Fryer Fried Shrimp

Overhead view of a bowl of cocktail sauce on a plate with fried shrimp.

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This Air Fryer Fried Shrimp recipe uses Old Bay, garlic powder, and Italian breadcrumbs for a delicious appetizer with bold flavor and golden crunch.

Prep Time15

Cook Time16

Total Time31

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $5.36 recipe / $2.68 serving

Servings: servings (~11 shrimp per person)

Calories: 490kcal

Author: Melissa Nolan

Equipment

Air Fryer
4 Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour 60g, $0.16
1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning $0.35
1 tsp garlic powder $0.06
1 tsp dried parsley $0.05
½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.08
1 egg beaten, $0.33*
1 Tbsp water $0.00
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs 30g, $0.33**
cooking spray $0.01
10 oz. frozen shrimp large, thawed, (31-40 per lb., 283g) $3.99***

Instructions

Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Grab 4 medium bowls or shallow dishes. In the first bowl, combine the flour, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, dried parsley, and pepper. In the second bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 Tbsp of water. In the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs. The last bowl will be for placing the breaded shrimp.
Toss the thawed shrimp in the flour, coating all sides, then dip in the egg mixture to completely cover. Lastly, press the shrimp into breadcrumbs on both sides. Work in batches if needed, and place breaded shrimp in the final bowl until ready to air fry.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Arrange the breaded shrimp in a single layer. You will have to work in batches. Spray with nonstick spray and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Using tongs, carefully flip and spray the shrimp again, then cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Remove the fried shrimp and repeat the process until all the shrimp are done.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*The amount of egg wash was perfect for the number of shrimp I had. If you get more shrimp or larger shrimp, you may need more.

**Instead of Italian breadcrumbs, you can use regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs.

***I used frozen large peeled and deveined shrimp (31-40 per lb, with about 20-22 shrimp total in a 10 oz bag), which I thawed myself. Fresh shrimp will also work. You can thaw the shrimp in a few ways. I like to place them in the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight. You can also run them under cold water for about 10 minutes. Never thaw them on the countertop, in the microwave, or under hot water.

Nutrition

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