Coconut shrimp in an air fryer is possible? Yes, you can air fry anything. I’ve even made fried Oreos in my air fryer. I had a bag of uncooked shrimp in my refrigerator that I needed to cook. Since I used the shrimp to make General Tso’s Noodles & Shrimp, I told myself to come up with something different. I have been craving Outback’s coconut shrimp all week, so I figured I’d make my own healthier version.
This air fryer coconut shrimp doesn’t require 100 cups of oil or any dairy. It’s grain free, gluten free, and dairy free. This is the perfect recipe in my opinion for people who have an addiction to fried foods and want to transition into eating lighter versions of their favorites. Also, if you haven’t tried my air fryer fried chicken, you should give it a try!
Also, I want to mention that I use the Bella Air Fryer. It’s totally worth the money. It’s so easy to clean. I haven’t tried any other brands of air fryers, so I’m not aware of any other features that other air fryers have. If you have any questions about the Bella Air Fryer, feel free to ask!
In conclusion, before you make this recipe I want to mention how important it is to peel and devein your shrimp. I buy my shrimp peeled and deveined already so that I do not have to do the extra work. Please do not cook dirty shrimp. Here is a video on how to do this step.
How to make air fryer coconut shrimp:
The first thing you need to do is to prep your shrimp. If your shrimp is not already peeled and deveined, do this step first and then move on to the next steps.
The second thing you need to do is prep your bowls before beginning. This step is important because you don’t want to have to go back and get an ingredient once you start. Since you’re dealing with raw shrimp, you do not want to go back and forth in your kitchen. Stay in one station. Strategy is all you need. Haha.
In one bowl, add in your flour and seasonings. As for the seasonings used for this coconut shrimp recipe, I used cajun seasoning, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Due to the fact that I enjoy tasting the coconut and not spices when eating coconut shrimp, I decided not to over season this. While it will be delicious with extra seasoning, I didn’t want to do that. A seasoning a lot of people recommend you to use on shrimp is old bay. Can you believe I’ve never tried that spice? What kind of person has apantry with berbere and sumac but has never tried old bay? Me, that someone that doesn’t eat a lot of seafood.
In another bowl, add shredded coconut. I aim for unsweetened coconut because sweetened coconut does not taste good in savory dishes. It will taste very weird. Do not make that mistake. If you have to use sweetened coconut, then please increase your spices.
Lastly, you need a liquid to make the batter stick to the shrimp. This step is most important. I used macadamia milk instead of eggs because I do not eat eggs. This is optional, feel free to use eggs or any other milk you have.
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Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 24 oz Large Shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails removed!
- 1 cup Arrow Root Flour (or tapioca flour)
- 1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 cups Macadamia Milk (or any other nut milk)
- 1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- Avocado Oil Cooking Spray, for spraying
Instructions
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Start by “preheating” your air fryer to 375 degrees F. This step makes sure that the air fryer is hot before you begin to cook.
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Remove the tails from the peeled and deveined shrimp. Place the shrimp in a large bowl. Set aside.
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In one large bowl, add in one cup of flour with the cajun seasoning, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
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In another large bowl, add in 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut.
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In another large bowl, add in 2 cups of macadamia milk.
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Place the raw shrimp in the flour first then the milk and then the shredded coconut. You can do this step twice to make sure the shrimp is covered in the batter completely.
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Place the shrimp into the air fryer. Spray with avocado oil cooking spray. Flip once. Spray on both sides. Fry for at least 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- A serving of shrimp is 5 pieces.
- Freeze any left overs and reheat them in the oven for around 10 minutes on 375 degrees F.
- The shrimp is served with Primal Kitchen’s BBQ sauce.
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