Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

These crunchy, crispy air fryer bang bang shrimp are absolutely irresistible and the perfect side, appetizer or even as part of your main dish.

The spicy bang bang sauce is TOO good tossed on these shrimp. Seriously, I became so obsessed with this sauce that I had to create this Thai noodle salad with it. I love that these are made in the air fryer using way less oil and they’re ready in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

• Raw shrimp: You’ll need 1 pound of large raw shrimp. Frozen shrimp is fine, just be sure to let them fully defrost before making them. To defrost them quickly, place them in a plastic ziploc bag and let them soak in a bowl of water for about 15 minutes or so, making sure to move them around so they can all fully defrost.
• All purpose flour: feel free to use regular all purpose flour or a gluten free all purpose flour if needed.
• Egg
• Panko: I love the texture and crunch from panko. If you need these to be gluten-free, use a gluten-free panko mix.
• Avocado oil spray: I like avocado oil spray because it’s great for higher heat cooking and has a neutral taste. You can use another spray if you like, but be sure to give them a spray as this helps them get extra crispy.
• Mayonnaise: I like using avocado oil based mayonnaise for this, but any mayo will work.
• Sriracha
• Honey
• Rice vinegar

How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

This recipe for air fryer bang bang shrimp really couldn’t be any easier. Here’s what you need to do!

Set up your breading station. Start by, adding your flour and salt to one shallow bowl, the panko to another shallow bowl and then whisk your egg in the third shallow bowl.

Pat the shrimp dry with some paper towel and lightly season with a small pinch of salt.

Preheat your air fryer to 400℉. Preheating it makes sure that your shrimp all cook evenly and quickly.

Use one hand to take your shrimp and dip it in the flour first and shake off any excess flour. Then, using a different hand, dip it in the egg. Use your dry hand to then dip it in the panko mixture.

Press the panko mix into the shrimp to make sure it adheres. This is why it’s important to use one hand for dry and one hand for wet, it just keeps things clean and organized. Place the coated shrimp on a plate, while you coat the remaining shrimp.

Spray your air fryer with some avocado oil first. Then add the shrimp to the air fryer compartment. Make sure you leave some space between the shrimp so they aren’t all overlapping. Spray the shrimp with avocado oil.

Set your timer for 5 minutes, then open, and flip them over and spray them again lightly with avocado oil. Continue baking for an additional 5 to 6 minutes, until just golden brown and crunchy.

How to Make Bang Bang Sauce for your Shrimp

This bang bang sauce isn’t traditional, as it doesn’t have Thai sweet chili sauce. If you prefer to use that, you can. I don’t typically have it on hand and don’t always feel like making it myself.

You can also check out my DIY Thai sweet chili sauce over here if you’d like.

Instead, I use sriracha, honey and rice vinegar or lime juice.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sriracha, honey and rice vinegar or lime juice and set that aside.

Time to Assemble

Once all the shrimp are done cooking, place them in a large bowl and toss with the bang bang sauce.

Top with some chopped chives and enjoy immediately!

Tips

• Check on them: the beauty of an air fryer is that you can open it up at any time to check on your food. I recommend taking a peek to see how they’re cooking to avoid any burning. This goes for any recipe you’re making in an air fryer.
• Space them out: you want to ensure these air fryer bang bang shrimp get crispy, so try and space them out a bit. Don’t layer them, they should all be in one single layer.
• Keep the tails on: this makes it easier for dipping, plus it also looks better too!
• Use larger shrimp: I recommend using large shrimp for this recipe as they taste the best for this type of recipe.
• Pat the shrimp dry: this will help to ensure that your shrimp can adhere to the coating and will get them extra crispy.
• Use avocado oil spray: I like avocado oil spray because it’s great for higher heat cooking and has a neutral taste. You can use another spray if you like, but be sure to give them a spray as this helps them get extra crispy.

Notes

Storing: air fried bang bang shrimp will last in your fridge (cooked) for up to two days. You can keep the sauce separate and then reheat the shrimp for a few minutes in the air fryer to get them crispy again and toss with the sauce.

Reheating: to reheat cooked air fried shrimp, simply place in your air fryer to heat through. I’d recommend heating around 375℉ for about five minutes, flipping halfway through.

What to serve with it: I love serving these air fryer bang bang shrimp with a nice salad, or veggies.

Which Air Fryer Do I Use & Recommend

I’ve tried three different air fryers over the years and here are my top two picks.

Cosori Air Fryer

The first air fryer I use and recommend is the Cosori. Here’s what I love about it:

• So crispy: this air fryer gets food super crispy, golden and brown without a lot of oil. Which is the whole point after all!
• Responsive: the digital touch is very responsive and easy to use.
• Size: it’s large enough to fit a good amount of food in it, without taking up too much space on the counter or tucked away.
• Heats up quickly: the preheat function is fast and works quickly.
• Cooks quickly: I love how powerful this air fryer is and appreciate how quickly it can cook food.

There’s not much I dislike about this air fryer to be honest. It performs amazingly well!

Cosori 9-in-1 TurboBlaze Air Fryer 6 Qt, PFAS-Free Ceramic Coating, 90°–450°F, Precise Heating for Even Results, Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, Dry, Frozen, Proof, Reheat, Keep Warm, 120V, Dark Gray

Buy Now →

Our Place: The Wonder Oven

And the second, is the Wonder Oven from Our Place. Here’s what I love about it.

• Aesthetically pleasing: as with all Our Place products, the design is unmatched. This means you can leave it out on your countertop and don’t need to hide it away in a cluttered drawer.
• Non-toxic: the trays that come with the Wonder Oven are all non-toxic and made from stainless steel and aluminum with a toxin-free nonstick ceramic coating. This is SO hard to find with other types of air fryers and is the main reason I use it so much.
• Different cooking modes: this is not just an air fryer, it can air fry, bake, toast, roast, reheat and broil. I also love the steam function for bringing breads back to life.

Here’s what I don’t like about Our Place Wonder Oven:

Less powerful: I find the “air-fry” mode slightly less powerful than other standalone air fryers.

Hard to keep clean: the door and sheet tray have gotten quite dirty over the years and it’s hard to maintain it, even after cleaning after every use.

Stopped turning off: the older version I have has also stopped turning off, so I have to unplug it all the time. The newer version could be updated and this isn’t an issue anymore, I’m not sure?

Other Air Fryer And Chicken Recipes:

• Air fryer coconut shrimp
• Air fryer crispy calamari
• Mexican style chicken wings (air fryer)
• Air fryer chicken taquitos with salsa verde
• Air fryer jalapeño poppers

If you make these air fryer bang bang shrimp please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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