Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp

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This Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp is made without thawing and is ready in 10 minutes. This dish is seasoned with smoked paprika and garlic and is perfect for easy weeknight dinners.

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What Type of Shrimp to Use

For taste, wild-caught shrimp are generally considered to be the best option as they have a more flavorful and firmer texture compared to farm-raised shrimp. Wild-caught shrimp are shrimp that are caught in their natural habitat in the ocean or other bodies of water, as opposed to being farmed or raised in captivity.

Farm-raised shrimp are raised in captivity on a shrimp farm. These farms can be located in ponds or in tanks on land. The shrimp are typically fed a diet of fishmeal, soy, and other ingredients, and are sometimes given antibiotics or other chemicals to prevent disease. Those chemicals are then passed into the food you eat.

I prefer wild-caught and since this dish is cooked while frozen peeled and deveined shrimp will work best.

How to Prepare

If you purchase shrimp with the shells intact you may want to remove those first. This is optional and is not required. It just makes it easier to cook the dish from frozen.

You will also need to consider whether or not the shrimp are already deveined. If you purchased deveined shrimp, you’re likely fine! If your shrimp haven’t been deveined you may want to remove this.

I would do this when the shrimp is purchased and before you freeze it.

How to Make Frozen Shrimp in the Air Fryer

Full detailed instructions are below in the recipe card.

1. Add the frozen shrimp to the air fryer.
2. Air fry.
3. Open the air fryer and season the shrimp.
4. Air fry until the shrimp is cooked through.

Air Fryer Temperature

400 degrees.

Cook Time and How Long to Cook

Frozen cook doesn’t require that much time to cook vs fresh shrimp. You may be surprised! The shrimp will need to cook for 8-10 minutes. Every air fryer will cook at varying speeds. During your first experience, get to know what works for your air fryer by constantly checking in and monitoring the results.

Will the Shrimp Drip Water?

It may depend on the air fryer brand and model you use, my shrimp do not drip water while cooking. I also ensure there isn’t a ton of packed ice on the shrimp. If you have shrimp that is packed in ice you may notice water dripping into the bottom of the air fryer.

Keep a watchful eye and drain the water as you check in on the shrimp if necessary.

Is it Safe to Cook Frozen Shrimp?

Shrimp are safe to cook from frozen. It’s often easier to cook them while frozen because they tend to hold their shape better.

Marinating and Spices

When using frozen shrimp, you can’t marinate the shrimp. I love to do this occasionally for added flavor. Keep in mind that won’t work here. You won’t be able to get spices and salt to adhere to the shrimp until you have air-fried it for a few minutes and they defrost a bit.

More Shrimp Recipes

Seafood Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Crab
Shrimp Egg Rolls
Shrimp Noodle Soup
Seafood Lasagna