What's better than an air fryer shrimp no breading recipe? How about one that shows you how to make gloriously-flavorful Cajun-style shrimp in your air fryer in under 15-minutes?! Dinner tonight will be a whole lot of simple and a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
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Cajun Shrimp Air Fryer
Does dinner seriously get any easier than cooking shrimp? When you defrost a bag of pre-peeled and already deveined shrimp, the hard part is already done for you! And you know you have a winner recipe when you're husband instantly asks for it again soon. Doubling this recipe so your family doesn't fight over 1 lb of shrimp is highly advised. 😉
The cajun air fryer shrimp no breading recipe was inspired by our trip to New Orleans last year, our only souvenir was a container of locally made cajun seasoning and we are putting it to good use with this shrimp air fryer recipe.
Cajun air fryer shrimp (no breading) is an easy dinner option that is seriously versatile. Serve your air fried shrimp as the main course alongside your favorite rice dishes or add your cajun-flavored shrimp to cauliflower rice, grits, pasta, or zucchini noodles. Either way, this perfectly-spiced shrimp is going to be the star of your dinner.
Why You'll Love This!
- This delicious air fryer shrimp no breading recipe is ready in as little as 15-minutes meaning you can put a flavorful dinner on the table in no time!
- Impress your guests with a shrimp air fryer recipe that tastes restaurant quality yet it super simple and easy to prepare.
- While we love the spice that Cajun seasoning gives, you can easily swap the seasoning if you prefer and still have a low-carb cajun shrimp air fryer dinner.
- No breading means you can enjoy this Cajun shrimp dish, even if you are following a low-carb, keto, paleo, or gluten-free lifestyles, as well as Whole30!
If you're looking for even more air fryer shrimp recipes, be sure to try our air fryer frozen shrimp with a garlic butter sauce!
Ingredient Notes
The key to this super simple air fryer shrimp no breading recipe is the use of defrosted frozen shrimp. With the hard work of peeling and deveining done for you, you are free to focus on creating a cajun shrimp air fryer meal that tastes 5-star, without the effort.
- shrimp - raw, peeled, and deveined
- olive oil
- garlic cloves
- sea salt
- cajun seasoning
Variations
- cajun seasoning - you can also use a variety of seafood seasoning including Old Bay in place of the cajun like we did with our air fryer shrimp with Old Bay recipe.
Equipment
An Air Fryer- A 5.8L Cosori air fryer was used for this recipe.
Diet Adaptions
- Whole30- be sure your cajun seasoning is compliant with Whole30.
- Paleo - check the label to verify your seasoning is compliant with your paleo lifestyle.
- Keto- some storebought seasonings use added sugars so always read labels, as long as you use a sugar-free Cajun seasoning this is a keto air fryer shrimp recipe too.
Step by Step Instructions
Creating a delicious seafood dinner has never been this easy! With the air fryer, and using frozen shrimp, we are simply going to preheat and season, air fry, and flip.
Air Fryer Shrimp Temperature
If you are using whole shrimp, you will need to devein and peel them prior to cooking. The tail can either be left on or removed.
If you defrosted frozen shrimp for the recipe, blot the excess moisture with paper towels before seasoning.
Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes. Most air fryers will do this for you, but if yours does not you can simply turn your air fryer on for 5 minutes before cooking.
While the air fryer is preheating, add the shrimp to a medium-sized mixing bowl and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle the minced garlic, sea salt, and cajun season on top and stir to combine.
Air Fryer Shrimp No Breading Cooking Time
Cook the shrimp for about 4 minutes in the air fryer, or until they just turn pink.
Shake the basket or turn the shrimp after the first 2 minutes of cook time.
Air fryer models do vary slightly, so keep an eye on your shrimp during the second half of cooking, removing them as soon as the meat JUST turns pink. We found that the 4-minute mark was perfect for medium-large shrimp pieces.
Recipe Tips
- To cook your air fryer shrimp no breading recipe in under 15-minutes, you will need to purchase frozen shrimp that is already peeled and deveined.
- Feel free to add additional cajun seasoning for a super-spicy treat.
- Shaking the basket, or flipping the shrimp, will help them to cook evenly and in the allotted time.
- For super tender air fryer shrimp, keep an eye on them during the last 3-4 minutes of cooking and remove them as soon as they turn pink.
- Our cajun seasoning does not have salt in it (hence why we add it). If your cajun season is already salted you may want to omit the sea salt.
Common Questions
This cajun air fryer shrimp no breading recipe pairs perfectly with coleslaw, cornbread, and Instant Pot collard greens.
Cooked shrimp are delicate, so any leftovers you may have will only keep for 1-2 days when stored in a covered container.
Believe it or not, it's not that hard to peel and devein shrimp. If you need some help, check out this super simple YouTube video.
To air fry frozen shrimp, preheat an air fryer to 400 F. Season the shrimp from frozen and cook for a total of 10-11 minutes, flipping after halfway through cooking. A lot of water will be in the bottom of the air fryer after cooking, so air frying frozen shrimp works best in a basket style air fryer.
More Air Fryer Dinners
Are you looking for some additional air fryer dinner ideas?
- Air fryer frozen shrimp
- Frozen burgers in air fryer
- Air fryer chicken tenders (no breading)
- Air fryer steak tips
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Cajun Air Fryer Shrimp (No Breading)
Cook healthy and flavorful cajun shrimp in an air fryer without breading or bread crumbs in just 10 minutes from start to finish! Serve the healthy air fried shrimp as a main dish or over cauliflower rice, grits, pasta, or zucchini noodles.
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw, medium-large size shrimp
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoon cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Devein and peel the shrimp if needed, the tail can either be left off or on. If you defrosted frozen shrimp for the recipe, blot the excess moisture with paper towels.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes.
- In a medium-sized bowl mix the raw shrimp and oil. Sprinkle with the minced garlic, sea salt, and cajun seasoning until combined and well coated.
- Cook the shrimp for about 4 minutes in the air fryer, or until they just turn pink. Shake the basket or turn the shrimp after the first 2 minutes of cook time. Your air fryer could take a little less or a little more time, you want to cook the shrimp until the meat JUST turns pink.
Notes
Purchasing shrimp that already comes peeled and de-veined is a huge time saver! We purchased a bag of frozen shrimp this way and defrosted it, the recipe takes just 10 mins if you don't have to peel and devein.
Making the recipe with the tail on or tail off is just fine, it won't change the air fryer shrimp cooking time.
Feel free to quick up the spice and add even more cajun seasoning!
The brand of cajun seasoning we used did NOT have salt in it, which is why salt is a separate ingredient in this recipe. if the brand you purchase does have salt, cut back or eliminate the salt completely.
Don't have cajun seasoning? Old Bay seasoning or another seafood seasoning will work as a substitute.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 42Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 3mgSodium 2753mgCarbohydrates 2gNet Carbohydrates 1gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 1g
LaRissa says
I just started using my air fryer and I love your recipe ideas. Thanks