This easy Air Fryer Shrimp is topped with a delectable garlic herb butter sauce and ready in just minutes! Fresh or frozen shrimp cooked to perfection in the air fryer and drizzled with a buttery, savory, garlic sauce is just the thing for an amazing appetizer or to top off an incredible meal. Don’t forget the splash of fresh lemon juice!
Love easy seafood recipes? Try Shrimp Foil Packets, Baked Salmon In Foil or this amazing Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas recipe!
Shrimp and seafood are staples around here, but sometimes you just don’t want to put in the work. With this easy Air Fryer Shrimp recipe, you get all the flavor in just a few simple steps. No waiting for the oven to preheat, no greasy deep fryers, no grills that take forever. Just pop your favorite shrimp in the air fryer, whip up a decadent and deceptively easy garlic butter sauce, drizzle, and enjoy! Perfect for parties or just an easy weeknight dinner.
We love to serve this easy dinner option with some rice or egg noodles and a side of veggies or a simple salad. It’s a simple, delicious dinner that the whole family loves. Air fryer shrimp recipes are on repeat in our house!
More Air Fryer Recipes
Using your air fryer more and more like we are? Here are a few more recipes to try out:
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
- Air Fryer Pickles
- Lemon Pepper Wings – Baked or Air Fried!
- Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Air Fryer Donuts – Biscuit Donuts
- Perfect Bacon Every Time Air Fryer Bacon
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Parmesan
Ingredients Needed
The buttery garlic sauce really makes this easy Air Fryer Shrimp recipe stand out! As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need:
For the Shrimp:
- large shrimp – You’ll need about one pound, peeled, deveined, and with the tails on or off.
- olive oil – This oil will add a touch of light flavor without taking away from the rest of the flavor profile.
- kosher salt and black pepper – A touch to taste.
- garlic powder and onion powder – To provide a base seasoning before coating in the sauce.
For the Garlic Sauce:
- butter – Unsalted is recommended.
- garlic – Two cloves, minced.
- lemon juice – Fresh squeezed is best.
- garlic powder – For additional flavor.
- kosher salt – Just a pinch.
- red pepper flakes – These are optional but add a nice kick to the sauce.
- parsley – Freshly chopped.
Use a zester or garlic press to get finely minced garlic.
How to Cook Shrimp in Air Fryer
Air Fryer Shrimp dripping in garlic sauce couldn’t be easier! Family and friends will be requesting this dish weekly!
For the Shrimp:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
- Place the shrimp in a large bowl or plastic ziploc bag. Next, add the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Use tongs (or your hands) to toss the shrimp in the bowl to fully coat the shrimp. Or simply seal the bag and shake to coat until all shrimp are evenly seasoned.
- Before adding in the shrimp, spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray. Next, place shrimp in air fryer in a single layer. Depending on how large the shrimp or how many you’ve decided to make, you may need to air fry the shrimp in batches.
- Finally, air fry for 6 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through. The shrimp should be pink, slightly curled, and opaque. Repeat with any remaining shrimp until all shrimp are cooked.
For the Garlic Sauce:
While the shrimp are cooking, you’ll prepare the garlic butter sauce.
- Start by melting the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Next, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley.
- Finally, serve shrimp with the garlic sauce drizzled on top and enjoy!
FAQs for Air Fryer Shrimp
How long will the Air Fryer Shrimp in Garlic Sauce stay fresh? This dish is best eaten right after it’s made. However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge to retain the best flavor.
Can frozen shrimp be used in the air fryer? Yes, you can use frozen shrimp in this recipe however, make sure they are deveined and do not have shells. You’ll need to add about 2 to 3 extra minutes of cook time to account for them being frozen. In addition, the seasoning also won’t stick to the frozen shrimp so you may want to sprinkle the salt and pepper and garlic and onion powder on the shrimp after they’ve cooked.
Can the shrimp be coated in the garlic sauce prior to cooking? While you can go ahead and toss the shrimp in the garlic sauce before placing in the air fryer, it does make for a messier cleanup later. I recommend cooking the shrimp separately and drizzling with the garlic sauce afterwards to save yourself the trouble. The flavors will pair just as well as if they had been cooked together.
Tips and Variations
- Depending on how large your shrimp are, you may need to adjust the cooking time in your air fryer.
- Coat your shrimp in panko before cooking for more of a fried shrimp texture.
- Mixing honey into the garlic sauce gives a sweet flavor that pairs well with the savory and spicy if using the red pepper flakes.
- A quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the shrimp before serving for an extra burst of flavor.
- A touch of Parmesan is a great garnish as well!
More Shrimp Recipes to Enjoy
Don’t skimp on the shrimp! Here are some more delicious shrimp recipes to try out:
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- 20 Minute Pesto Shrimp
- Shrimp Foil Packets
- Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwich
- Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil
How To Make Air Fryer Shrimp
Air Fryer Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled, deveined, tails on or off (26- 30 count)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
For the garlic sauce:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Place the shrimp in a large bowl or plastic ziploc bag. Pour in the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Use tongs to toss the shrimp in the bowl to fully coat the shrimp or simply seal the bag and shake to coat.1 pound large shrimp, 2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray. Place the shrimp into the air fryer in a single layer (You may need to air fry the shrimp in batches).
- Air fry for 6 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through. The shrimp should be pink, slightly curled, and opaque. Repeat with the remaining shrimp until all shrimp are cooked.
Garlic Sauce
- While the shrimp are cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring continuously.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 cloves garlic
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes (if using), and parsley.2 teaspoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- Serve shrimp with garlic sauce drizzled on top.
Roberta Machado says
I noticed your air fried shrimp nutrition says 1 gm of protein per serving. That doesn’t sound right.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Wow! Thanks for catching that Roberta! I think it calculated for 1 shrimp vs 1 pound lol. Have a great week!