One of the things I always order whenever I get Thai food from my favourite Toronto spot is the fried shrimp. They make a delicious dish called Kung Tawt Garlic Shrimp and I love them for that. It's served alongside a spicy Thai chili sauce and I can't decide what I like better, the shrimp or the sauce. I wanted to make my own version of it at home. And so, this air fryer coconut shrimp was born! Served alongside a spicy Thai sweet chili sauce, it's the perfect appetizer to snack on. The best part is that this is made in your air fryer, so you don't need to use tons of oil to enjoy this comfort food classic.

These crispy air fryer coconut shrimp are a favourite appetizer over here. The crunchy and crispy exterior of panko and shredded coconut is love at first bite. If you have doubts about how crispy these can get without frying, rest assured, your air fryer can do it. And the best part (besides no frying) is that you only need a handful of ingredients and about 30 minutes (total!)

Ingredients  

Shrimp

You'll need 1lb 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.

Eggs

You'll need two large eggs for these crispy coconut shrimp. This helps the coating stick to the shrimp.

All purpose flour/GF all purpose flour

Feel free to use regular all purpose flour or a gluten free all purpose flour if needed.

I like Bob's Red Mill 1-1 GF all purpose flour.

Panko/GF panko

I love the texture and crunch from panko and highly recommend using this in addition to the coconut for that crispy coating. If you need these to be gluten-free, use a gluten-free panko mix.

Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

For the delicious coconut taste, you'll need some shredded unsweetened coconut. I really love the coconut flavour, so I use more coconut than panko.

How to Make Coconut Shrimp in the Air Fryer

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

Get your breading station ready

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

Preheat your air fryer

Now, preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees. Preheating it makes sure that your shrimp all cook evenly and quickly.

Coat your shrimp

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/coconut mixture.

Press the panko/coconut 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.

Time to Air Fry

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

Set your timer for 6 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.

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 coconut 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! Just don't eat them ;)

Use larger shrimp: I recommend using large shrimp for this recipe as they taste the best for this type of recipe.

Pat your 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 coconut shrimp will last in your fridge (cooked) for up to three days.

Reheating: to reheat cooked air fried coconut shrimp, simply place in your oven to heat through. I'd recommend heating around 375 degrees for about eight to ten minutes, flipping halfway through.

What to serve with it: I love serving these air fryer coconut shrimp with a spicy Thai sweet chili sauce. I have a homemade version, which you can find over here. You can of course use a bottled version of your own favourite Thai sweet chili sauce.

More fish recipes:

Paleo fish tacos with cod
Slow roasted salmon with citrus and fennel
Spicy tuna sushi pizza
Thai shrimp stir fry with basil & eggplant
Smoked salmon dip
Healthy salmon burgers with wasabi aioli
Spring roll in a bowl with shrimp and peanut sauce

More Air Fryer Recipes:

Air fryer calamari
Air Fryer Mexican Inspired Chicken Wings

Which Air Fryer Do I Use and Recommend

I've tried three different air fryers over the years, and my most recent is also my favourite.

It's the Wonder Oven from Our Place. I absolutely love it and highly recommend it, for several reasons.

• 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.
• Compact size: I love how small and mighty it is. It won't take up much room on your countertops, something that was so important to me living in a condo with limited countertop space.

The only drawbacks I've noticed while using this is the timer function. It's not digital and can be hard to be precise when using it. So I prefer to just use the timer on my oven or microwave when using it to be sure it's exact. The knob also has to be turned off manually by turning it rather than having an on/off switch.

But honestly, other than those missing features, it's such a great appliance and I do recommend it.

You can check out Our Place Wonder Oven here!

If you make these air fryer coconut shrimp, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to tag me on Instagram, and/or leave a comment, rating or review below.

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