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+ servings
A large white bowl filled to the brim with golden, crispy popcorn shrimp cooked in the air fryer, with a lemon wedge to garnish and ramekins of dipping sauce surrounding.

Popcorn Shrimp in the Air Fryer

Crispy, golden popcorn shrimp, cooked perfectly right in the air fryer. Serve with our easy homemade tartar sauce or your dipping sauce of choice.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes
Total: 21 minutes
Yield:4 servings

Equipment

  • air fryer
  • neutral spray oil safe for air fryers
  • Small bowl optional, for tartar sauce
  • small whisk optional, for tartar sauce

Ingredients

For the Popcorn Shrimp

  • 1 18-ounce box frozen popcorn shrimp

For the Tartar Sauce (Optional)

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup diced dill pickles
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon capers chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit.
  • When air fryer is preheated, remove basket and lightly spray with neutral spray oil. Pour frozen popcorn shrimp into air fryer and spread out into one even layer.
  • Return basket to air fryer. Cook 3 minutes, then pause air fryer and remove basket. Shake basket to toss and flip popcorn shrimp, then return basket to air fryer and cook 3 minutes more.
  • Optional: While shrimp is cooking, add mayonnaise, pickles, lemon juice, capers, dill, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to small bowl. Whisk well until all ingredients are combined to create tartar sauce.
    Easy homemade tartar sauce for popcorn shrimp in the air fryer.
  • After 6 minutes total cook time, check doneness of popcorn shrimp. For extra crispy breading, shake basket again, then return basket to air fryer and cook shrimp 1 to 2 minutes more.
    Frozen popcorn shrimp in the air fryer basket, cooked until golden and crispy.
  • When satisfied with doneness of shrimp, remove basket and carefully transfer shrimp to serving bowl or plate. Serve immediately with tartar sauce or other dipping sauce of choice.

Notes

  • This method works for any brand and any type of popcorn shrimp. If your air fryer is smaller, you may need to cook the shrimp in multiple batches to ensure everything cooks throughly evenly and completely.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving | Calories: 345kcal | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 840mg | Potassium: 195mg | Total Carbs: 33g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 31g | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe By:Sam Guarnieri