These air fried panko shrimp with spicy mayo are crispy and delicious. Air frying these shrimp eliminates the need for heavy oil and lightens this recipe up a ton. These air-fried panko shrimp were a tasty and healthy lunch or dinner. They came with a zesty spicy mayo dipping sauce. To make them taste like your favorite poke bowl, put them in a bowl with rice, greens, avocado, and cucumbers.
Crispy panko shrimp straight from the air fryer is a quick and easy weeknight meal or appetizer that tastes like you spent all day cooking. The light and crunchy panko coating gets ultra crispy in the hot circulating air resulting in shrimp with a deliciously crispy crust without needing to deep fry. But figuring out exactly how long to cook panko shrimp in the air fryer can be tricky. Undercook them and the coating won’t get fully crispy, but overcook them and you’ll end up with rubbery overdone shrimp.
Through plenty of trial and error in my own kitchen, I’ve dialed in the ideal cooking time and temperature to yield perfectly cooked panko shrimp every time. Here’s everything you need to know about how long to air fry panko shrimp to crisp golden perfection.
Factors That Affect Air Fryer Panko Shrimp Cook Time
Several key factors impact exactly how long panko shrimp needs to cook in the air fryer. including
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Shrimp size – The cooking time can vary quite a bit depending on if you’re using large, jumbo, or colossal shrimp. Larger shrimp need more time.
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Thickness of coating – The more generously you coat the shrimp, the longer they will need to cook through
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Air fryer wattage – Lower-wattage models heat up slower than higher-wattage air fryers, so adjust time accordingly.
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Quantity of shrimp – Cooking a big batch takes longer than a smaller amount since overcrowding reduces air circulation.
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Desired level of crispiness – The longer you fry, the crispier the coating will get. Adjust time to your preferred texture.
How Long to Air Fry Regular Peeled Shrimp
For medium peeled shrimp (31-35 count per pound), the ideal air fry time is:
- 6-8 minutes at 380°F for lightly breaded shrimp
- 7-9 minutes at 380°F for a moderate coating
- 8-10 minutes at 380°F for a thicker coating
Always cook peeled shrimp in a single layer, flipping halfway for even cooking.
How Long to Air Fry Large Panko Shrimp
For large shrimp (16-20 or 21-25 count per pound), cook for:
- 8-10 minutes at 380°F for a light coating
- 10-12 minutes at 380°F for a medium coating
- 12-14 minutes at 380°F for extra crispy results
Jumbo and colossal shrimp may need a couple minutes longer.
How Long to Air Fry Frozen Panko Shrimp
For best results, always thaw frozen shrimp before coating and frying. But if you’re in a pinch, add 1-2 minutes to the cook times for fresh shrimp. Cook frozen shrimp in smaller batches to prevent sticking.
Pro Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Panko Shrimp
Follow these tips for flawlessly crispy air fried shrimp every time:
- Pat shrimp very dry before coating to help the panko stick.
- Use a binder like egg or cornstarch to help the coating adhere.
- Press the panko onto the shrimp to maximize crisping.
- Don’t overcrowd the shrimp in the basket.
- Spray shrimp with oil before air frying for extra crispness.
- Flip shrimp over halfway during cooking to evenly brown.
- Check for doneness early to avoid overcooking.
- Let air fried shrimp rest 1 minute before serving.
The ideal internal temperature for cooked shrimp is 140°F. If you occasionally break one open to check, you’ll quickly get a feel for when they’re perfectly done.
Deliciously Crispy Panko Shrimp Straight From the Air Fryer
With the right cooking time and a well-coated crust, you can easily achieve the same crispy panko texture as deep fried shrimp with barely any oil. Just be sure to account for the size of your shrimp, thickness of coating, and capacity of your air fryer.
Once you’ve dialed in the ideal frying time through trial and error, you’ll be able to enjoy restaurant-quality shrimp any night of the week with hardly any effort. Air fryer panko shrimp truly is a weeknight hero!
So preheat your air fryer, coat those shrimp, and get ready to enjoy the crispiest, crunchiest, most irresistible shrimp your family has ever tasted. Trust me, this simple air fryer recipe is about to become a regular menu staple. Enjoy!
How to make air fried panko shrimp with spicy mayo
To start this recipe, you need to clean and devein your shrimp (and thaw them if they were frozen). Make sure you are using raw shrimp for this recipe. Either fresh or frozen will work perfectly here.
If you have never cleaned shrimp before, don’t worry: it’s so easy. It’s not the most exciting part of this recipe, but it’s definitely not difficult. Here is a quick video on how to clean shrimp. You can also ask the fishmonger to clean them for you if you are buying fresh shrimp.
If you are buying frozen shrimp, you most likely will have to peel and devein the shrimp. It can be a bit tedious, but it’s very easy to do, I promise. Otherwise, if you are buying fresh shrimp, you can ask the fishmonger to clean the shrimp for you.
This recipe calls for 1 lb of shrimp, and the size of the shrimp really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t really matter which kind I used—I just used the biggest one I could find in my freezer at the time.
Set up your dredging station with a bowl for the egg whites and a bowl for the panko to begin making this recipe.
Season the panko with the ginger and garlic powder. After you’ve cleaned and dried the shrimp, put it in the corn starch, then the egg whites, and finally the panko.
Put some cooking spray in the air fryer basket, then add the shrimp. Spray the basket again with more cooking spray. Air fry the shrimp at 400F for about 15 minutes (flipping halfway and spraying again).
To make the spicy mayo, simply combine the mayo, sriracha and lime juice together in a small bowl. Drizzle it over each portion of the cooked shrimp.
What will I need to make air fried shrimp with spicy mayo?
These are the things you will need to make the air-fried panko shrimp and spicy mayo from this recipe:
- shrimp
- corn starch
- panko breadcrumbs (plain)
- egg whites
- garlic powder
- ground ginger
- sesame seeds (for garnish)
- chopped scallions (for garnish)
- light mayo
- sriracha
- lime juice
To build a bowl like the one shown, you will also need:
- cooked rice
- avocado
- Persian cucumbers
- sesame oil
- mixed greens
- rice wine vinegar
- soy sauce
CRUNCHY Air Fryer Shrimp (100% as Delicious as Fried Shrimp!)
How to air Fry Panko shrimp?
To make the air fried panko shrimp you will need: Follow this recipe to make the perfect airfryer panko shrimp: Start by preheating the air fryer to 400F (200C). Then, place the shrimp in a bowl, add the seasonings, and mix well. Add the flour, panko crumbs, and egg whites to three different bowls.
Can one cook broccoli in an air fryer?
Yes, you can cook broccoli in the air fryer like any other vegetable. You can add a little salt, garlic powder and pepper to enhance the flavor.
How to cook shrimp in air fryer?
Add the flour, panko crumbs, and egg whites to three different small bowls. Dip the shrimp in the flour (coat it evenly), then lightly dab in the egg whites, and finally coat it with panko bread crumbs. Spray the shrimp with cooking oil. And now for the easy part. Place the coated shrimp in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 4-5 minutes.
How do you cook fried shrimp in panko?
Place egg whites in a bowl and whisk until frothy. Place panko in a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel. Working in batches, dip shrimp into egg white, followed by panko, coating both sides.