4 ingredient Frozen Shrimp in an Air Fryer with butter and garlic perfectly cooked in under 15 minutes with almost no effort. These frozen shrimps without shells cooked in the air fryer are sweet and spicy and have a great texture. Serve these low-carb keto shrimp near sauce, a salad, or noodles, or eat them as is. They will cook perfectly every time straight from the freezer. No thawing is needed.
I always have a few frozen bags of shrimp in the fridge. They are so versatile that you can every time to cook something quick and delicious with them. What can be easier than just 4 ingredients, 5 minutes of preparation putting them into the air fryer and waiting for 10 minutes?
I was super surprised and impressed when I made the frozen shrimp for the first time in the air fryer. They have a crisp and caramelized exterior and they are very tender and juicy inside.
After you try this recipe once, you will cook it more often than you think. Why? Because you can make them so quickly and the end result is fabulous.
🍤 What Shrimp I Used for This Recipe?
I used frozen uncooked shrimp without shells of the size of 16-20, which means that you will find 16-20 pieces of shrimp in a pound. You can use also cooked shrimp for this recipe, but you will need to change the time to 6 minutes instead of 10.
🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- You don’t need to defrost the shrimp which means that you can make this recipe quick and spontaneous. You can just pull them out from the fridge, to make a butter marinade, or if you want to cook them even faster, just pull them in the air fryer and cook them as is.
- You can use any different mixes of spices that you like, and you will get different flavors every time.
🤔 How to Scale the Recipe Up and Down?
This is a simple recipe, so you can increase or decrease the ingredients proportionally. If you need to cook a larger amount of shrimp, consider cooking them in a few batches to not overcrowd the air fryer basket.
🥘 Ingredients Needed for This Recipe?
- 1 lb of Frozen shrimp. I used 16/20 size. Which means that they are 16-20 shrimps per pound.
- 2 tablespoons of ghee butter.
- 2 Garlic Cloves.
- ⅛ teaspoon of Chili Flakes.
- ¼ teaspoon of Salt.
- Chopped Parsley for decoration.
🥦 Ingredients Swap?
- Frozen Shrimps. You could replace the frozen shrimp with fresh shrimp, just keep in mind that the cooking time will be 6 minutes instead of 10.
- Ghee Butter. You can replace the ghee butter with simple butter or olive oil.
- Chili Flakes. You can replace it with fresh chili peppers, or omit it altogether if you don’t prefer spicy food.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves. You can replace it with granulated dried garlic.
- Chopped Parsley. You can avoid it, and replace it with dried oregano, fresh basil, or other aromatic herbs that you prefer to eat with seafood.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
These Air fryer Shrimps will go very well with the following:
- Air Fryer Spicy Broccoli
- Spicy Nando Rice
- Marinara Sauce
- Risotto Zafferano
- Pumpkin Risotto
- Potato Wedges With Dill Sauce
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Roasted Vegetables
As you can see, the air fryer shrimps are very versatile and you can serve them near a lot of dishes.
⏱️ For How Long to Cook the Shrimps?
The time may differ from the shrimp sizes and if they are cooked or raw:
- If the shrimp on the package are marked as uncooked, you will need to cook them in the air fryer for about 10 minutes,
- If they are marked as cooked, then you will need only 6 minutes to cook them in the air fryer.
Quick Note: Take into consideration that not all air fryers heat and cook in the same way. Because of that, be with an eye on the shrimps, check them in the last minutes, and if needed adjust the timing. Personally, for this recipe, I used Cosori Air Fryer 5.8QT.
👩🍳 Directions
Melt the ghee butter in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stove.
Quick Note: We are melting the butter because the spices will open better in hot butter.
Meanwhile, take the shrimp out of the freezer and rinse a little with water at room temperature. After the butter has melted, put the chopped garlic and spices in it and mix well the composition. Pour the obtained sauce over the shrimp.
Quick Note: Melted butter in contact with frozen shrimp will harden instantly. That’s why you should try to mix them as quickly as possible and cover as much of the shrimp as possible.
Put the shrimp in the air fryer pan. Arrange them in a single layer to bake them evenly. Also, if you have any butter with spices leftovers from the previous step, you can put them over the shrimps in the air fryer basket.
In the preheated air fryer, cook the shrimp at 370°F (185°C) for 10 minutes.
Quick note: As the heating mode may differ from one air fryer manufacturer to another, please check the shrimps from time to time and if needed adjust the time accordingly with your air fryer. For this recipe, I used the Cosori Air Fryer 5.8QT.
After that, serve the shrimp on the plate, and optionally, you can sprinkle them with finely chopped parsley over them.
Our frozen shrimp in the air fryer are ready to be served!
Quick Note: If you want a more intense garlic taste, sprinkle the shrimp with the butter sauce from the air fryer tray that drained during the cooking. If you are on a low-fat diet, skip this step.
🏆 Tips for Success? How to Make It Better?
- Remember that shrimps may vary in size, they may come raw, pre-cooked, or coated, so pay attention to that and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- By sprinkling the shrimp with oil or butter you will get more uniform frying, you will avoid them dry and the taste will become more intense.
- Don’t overlap the shrimp in the air fryer basket. Spread them evenly and leave some space between them, to allow the hot air to circulate and cook the shrimp evenly on all sides. If you need a larger quantity, consider cooking them in a few batches to obtain the best results.
♻️ Storage and Heating:
How Long Do the Shrimps Last in the Fridge?
Considering that we are talking about seafood, the storage time is very short. I will advise you to eat them immediately after cooking, or if have any leftovers, keep them in the fridge for no more than one day.
How to Heat the Air Fryer Shrimps?
You can heat the air fryer shrimp for a minute in the microwave, or for 2 minutes in a preheated air fryer, at 400°F (200°C).
🤔 Answering Your Questions:
Can I Use Fresh Shrimp Instead of Frozen?
Yes, you can use fresh shrimp instead of frozen. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly as fresh shrimp will cook faster.
Can I Use a Different Seasoning Instead of Butter and Garlic?
Yes, you can use any seasoning of your choice. You can try Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, or even a simple salt and pepper seasoning.
Do I Need to Thaw the Frozen Shrimp Before Cooking in the Air Fryer?
No, you don’t need to thaw the frozen shrimp before cooking in the air fryer. Simply place the frozen shrimp in the air fryer basket and cook them as directed in the recipe.
Can I Make This Recipe in a Traditional Oven Instead of an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can make this recipe in a traditional oven. Simply preheat the oven to 400°F, place the shrimp on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through and crispy.
📋 Recipe Card:
4-Ingredient Air Fryer Shrimp (from frozen)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 pieces Shrimp Frozen (Size 16-20)
- 2 tablespoons Ghee Butter
- 2 pieces Garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon Chili Pepper Flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Chopped Parsley For Decoration.
Instructions
- Melt the ghee butter and mix the spices that you decided to use.2 tablespoons Ghee Butter, 2 pieces Garlic, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ⅛ teaspoon Chili Pepper Flakes
- Rinse the shrimp under running water at room temperature.20 pieces Shrimp
- Pour over the shrimp, the butter with spices.
- Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket and cook them for 10 minutes at 370°F (185°C)
- The shrimp are ready to be served.Chopped Parsley
Quick Note
I highly recommend reading the entire recipe to find more tips and notes about this recipe. Read Full Recipe ⇑
Notes
- Recipe timing is based on a preheated air fryer.
- The melted ghee butter in contact with frozen cold shrimp will harden immediately. This is normal, but do not omit the step of melting the butter and mixing the spices in it. Because, when we put the spices in the hot butter, the flavor of the spices will open better.
- If you do not follow a diet with low amounts of fat, after serving the shrimp on the plate, you can sprinkle them with the remaining butter sauce from the basket of the air fryer. This will give them an extra taste of garlic.
Shannon
Wow! This one looks so good! I’m going to make it tonight!
Faeza
Delicious, quick, and easy. My boyfriend loved it!
Clair
I love this recipe! It was delicious, I will definitely make this again!
Jasmine
Just finished eating those shrimps. They turned out perfect. I mean PERFECT!
Rachel
Is this recipe for frozen cooked shrimp? Thank you!
Victoria
Hi Rachel,
In this recipe I used frozen uncooked shrimp without shells. You can use also cooked shrimp for this recipe, but you will need to shorten the time to about 5-6 minutes instead of 10.
Aldona McNamee
I haven’t made this recipe yet so unfortunately I can’t leave a review but reading the recipe I do believe family members will enjoy it. However, I have a question. Can regular unsalted butter be used for this recipe instead of Ghee? I do see ghee in the grocery store but with only 2 of us I wouldn’t need that size container of it and it may not be used for much of anything else and would just be wasted. I hope you can help with my question. Thanks
Victoria
Hi Aldona,
Thank you for your question. If you plan to use the ghee butter only for this recipe, then yes, you can easily replace the ghee butter with regular butter, but you will lose that nutty flavor of the ghee. Personally, I use ghee butter as a healthier alternative to regular butter or oil in a lot of dishes like fried eggs, pancakes, etc.