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Make the best Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos with this easy and delicious recipe. A flavorful homemade lime coleslaw pairs well with the perfectly seasoned and tender shrimp.
If you’re a fan of our delicious crispy breaded Air Fryer Fish Tacos, you’re going to LOVE these shrimp tacos in the air fryer!
Ready in under 20 minutes from start to finish, this is a fast and tasty dinner you’re going to adore!
Just a quick note: this recipe uses frozen shrimp because they are almost always more affordable than fresh. You can also use raw frozen or raw fresh shrimp. See the notes in the recipe card below for an adjustment to the cooking times.
Variations
- Feel free to use bibb lettuce or romaine instead of tortillas.
- Top a Cabbage Chopped Salad or Greek Yogurt Coleslaw with the shrimp and serve it in a Baked Tortilla Bowl.
- This recipe uses a homemade seafood seasoning mix, but check out our Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning if you’re looking for a more classic taco flavoring.
- Want something with a tropical flair? Top with Mango Pico de Gallo!
- Prefer spicy flavors? Increase the cayenne pepper to 1/2 tsp or to taste.
- You can warm the tortillas in the air fryer instead of on the stove. Cook at 370F for 1 minute. Full disclosure: I think they’re much better on the stove!
What Goes With Shrimp Tacos in the Air Fryer?
I’m a sucker for a side of Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice or Instant Pot Mexican Rice with these air-fried shrimp tacos. And Katie’s Instant Pot Pinto Beans and Instant Pot Spicy Black Beans are fabulous as well.
If you like your tacos “saucy”, drizzle some Homemade Tartar Sauce, Cilantro Chimichurri, or Chipotle Southwest Sauce over the top of the shrimp.
And let us never forget pairing them with a Mojito Mocktail. YUM!
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Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You do not need to thaw the shrimp prior to cooking.
- Preheat the air fryer to make sure the shrimp start cooking right away; that will give you that perfectly grilled outside and plump and juicy insides.
- If you use frozen raw shrimp, they will need 8-10 minutes to cook.
- Fresh raw shrimp will need 7-8 minutes in the air fryer.
- Shrimp are ready when the internal temp has reached 120F using an instant-read thermometer.
- If the shrimp come with tails on, cook with the tails and then snip them off with kitchen scissors before serving.
- The easiest component to meal prep is the lime coleslaw. It can be made up to three days ahead of time and it is actually better if it’s allowed to sit in the fridge for at least a few hours. Grocery swap: buy pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix.
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Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Shrimp Tacos
- 1 lb shrimp {I used precooked and frozen. See step 4 for cooking time for other varieties}
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper {optional}
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil {plus more for basket and skillet}
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 12 street taco tortillas
Lime Cabbage Slaw
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1/4 cup cilantro {stems removed, roughly chopped}
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
Lime Coleslaw
- Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.3 cups shredded green cabbage, 1/4 cup cilantro, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Making the Shrimp Tacos
- Preheat air fryer basket for 3 minutes at 390F.
- Toss shrimp, olive oil, lime juice, and seasoning in a medium mixing bowl. It won't mix evenly because the shrimp if frozen. That's ok!1 lb shrimp, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1.5 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp lime juice
- Brush heated air fryer basket with olive oil and add the shrimp. Shake to distribute.
- Cook for 5 minutes at 390F or until shrimp are lightly grilled and pink.*Frozen raw shrimp will need 8-10 minutes to cook.*Fresh raw shrimp will need 7-8 minutes.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Brush skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil and warm tortillas one at a time until lightly toasted and pliable.12 street taco tortillas
- Fill the base of each tortilla with some of the cabbage slaw and place 4-6 shrimp per taco on the cabbage.
Notes
- You do not need to thaw the shrimp prior to cooking.
- Preheat the air fryer to make sure the shrimp start cooking right away; that will give you that perfectly grilled outside and plump and juicy insides.
- If the frozen shrimp come with tails on, cook with the tails and then snip them off with kitchen scissors before serving.
- Shrimp are ready when the internal temp has reached 120F using an instant-read thermometer.
- Leftovers are good in the fridge for two days.
- To reheat: cook shrimp at 400F for 2 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We had these for dinner last night and they were incredible. It was a late dinner, and we were a bit concerned about time, but this really was quick and SO DELCIOUS. Clean up (my part of the chores) was easy, too! This recipe is back on the calendar for the come week, and I can’t wait. We did omit the cayenne due to child who refuses anything spicy and used uncooked frozen shrimp because that’s what we had, otherwise we stuck true to recipe (the time adjustments worked great!).
Aw, so glad to hear this! I’m honored you trusted me with a fast recipe, and am happy that we both were able to deliver. 🙂
I have to follow-up on my comment below. First, I misread the recipe so my question was unnecessary. Second, this recipe was ah-mazing. So, so easy to cook the shrimp from frozen and very tasty. I am going to make this again tonight but use the shrimp in “sushi bowls” instead of tacos. Perhaps I will skip the cumin and add ginger to make it lean more Asian.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Megan!
For a more “Asian” flavor, I would also add a bit of sesame oil to the coleslaw.
We were just gifted an air fryer and it’s been great so far! We love shrimp so we’ll definitely enjoy making this later.
What a great gift! I hope you enjoy this recipe.
We were driving home from an activity and my husband said to me, I’d love to have shrimp for dinner. I knew we had to try this! We stopped by the store to grab a few ingredients. This was a huge hit here! Dead easy to make and delicious.
I love how quickly you jumped on that! I’m also now thinking of renaming the blog to “dead easy and delicious”. 😋
Why do the raw shrimp cook longer than frozen?
Do you mean the raw frozen shrimp or raw cooked shrimp?