Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

Air Fryer Bang Bang Panko Breaded Fried Shrimp is the best, quick and easy, healthy, air-fried seafood recipe with bread crumbs, sweet chili and Sriracha dipping sauce. This post will outline how to fry shrimp in the air fryer. You can even try frozen or grilled shrimp!  Looking to cut the carbs, prepare this dish with no breading.

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This post was originally published in September 2017 and has since been updated.

Hello Air Fryer BANG BANG Fried Shrimp recipe! Can you tell that I am excited? I am definitely not trying to hide it. I first had bang bang shrimp years ago at Bonefish Grill Restaraunt. I have not been to the restaurant in ages. At the time the shrimp was their most popular appetizer. This still may be the case, I am not sure. 

After whipping up my Air Fryer 3 Ingredient Catfish I couldn’t wait to test out seafood again in the Air Fryer.

The idea for this recipe came to me because I have already prepared chicken and fish in the Air Fryer. I had to add shrimp! Plus, shrimp is very rich in protein. One serving of shrimp for this recipe is about 40 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat, thanks to air frying. Can you believe that?

Can shrimp be cooked in the air fryer? Absolutely!

What Type of Shrimp to Use

Shrimp can be found at the grocery store in a few different ways. There is raw, pre-cooked, raw and frozen, deveined, tails on, tails off, etc.

I never use pre-cooked shrimp. There is an obvious difference in taste due to the lack of quality. The shrimp is cooked and then frozen and you have to cook it/warm it up again. This usually overcooks the shrimp. Raw shrimp only takes minutes to make, just buy it raw.

Always look for deveined, that’s my preference. The black vein that runs along the back of the shrimp is the digestive intestinal tract. Is this shrimp poop, yes.

You can buy it with the vein and remove it using a sharp paring knife to make a slit along the back and lift out the vein with the tip of the knife.

Buy large shrimp. No one likes those baby shrimp and they are harder to fry.

How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp

Place the frozen shrimp in a large bowl of cold water. The shrimp will thaw within minutes and will be ready to peel.

How to Make Air Fryer Shrimp

1. Create a cooking station with all-purpose flour, egg whites, and panko breadcrumbs. Dip each of the shrimp in the flour, egg whites, and then the panko breadcrumbs.
2. Place the shrimp in the air fryer and spray with cooking oil.
3. Air fry.

How Long Does it Take to Cook Raw Shrimp?

Raw shrimp doesn’t take long to cook in the air fryer. I recommend frying for 8 minutes. Monitor and adjust to your liking.

Air Fryer Temperature

I like to fry the shrimp at 400 degrees.

How Long to Cook Frozen Shrimp

Frozen shrimp in air fryer is pretty easy! For raw, frozen shrimp, cook the shrimp for 10 minutes on 360 degrees. And then another 5 minutes on 400 degrees or until crisp. Add seasoning once the shrimp is no longer frozen, but before it becomes crisp.

For frozen breaded shrimp, cook the shrimp 16 minutes on 330 degrees.

How to Fry Shrimp with No Breading

Simply omit the panko breadcrumbs in this recipe. The cook time will remain the same.

Recipe Tips

• Find the biggest shrimp/prawns that you can! Big shrimp is a major win for this recipe.
• Bang bang shrimp is a recipe that includes crispy fried shrimp that is usually tossed in a spicy, sweet chili sauce. Instead of tossing the shrimp in the sauce, I decided to create a separate dipping sauce. This will ensure the shrimp remains crunchy for as long as possible.
• I also added plain, non-fat Greek yogurt to the dipping sauce to substitute. Greek yogurt also provides an additional boost of protein.
• If you don’t have panko breadcrumbs on hand, standard breadcrumbs will work just fine. 

Pair this shrimp with Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes, Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken, or Air Fryer Asparagus.

Air Fryer Seafood Recipes

Air Fryer Fish Sticks
Air Fryer Salmon
Air Fryer Shrimp Po Boys
Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Shrimp Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Fish Sandwich
Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp
Shrimp Parmesan (Parmigiana)

More Air Fryer Recipes:
Air Fryer Homemade Pop Tarts
Air Fryer Southern Style Pork Chops
Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Breaded Fried Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Parmesan Truffle Oil Fries
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Truffle Aioli
Air Fryer Sriracha Honey Bourbon Fried Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Apple Cinnamon Dessert Empanadas
Air Fryer Beef Taco Fried Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Brats
Sweet Chili Chicken Wings