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Home » Air Fryer Recipes » Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp

Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp

Last Updated on December 11, 2021 by Bintu. 8 Comments

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Post may contain affiliate links. For more information, check my disclosure

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top down view of shrimp with garlic butter sauce

Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp is so easy to make. It’s a simple and succulent meal, plus using frozen shrimp means you’ll have dinner done in a snap! 

Recipe Costs => $4.15 / $1.38 per serving. Suitable for Keto, Low Carb, and Gluten Free diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

garlic butter shrimp on a plate with chopped herbs

When I am looking for a simple weeknight recipe, I always go for shrimp. Shrimp is light, low carb, and the garlic butter sauce on this shrimp is super flavorful. Plus, this Air Fryer Shrimp cooks up so quickly, it’s almost like not cooking at all. 

Garlic butter shrimp is super versatile. It is delicious enough to serve alone as an easy appetizer, or you can add pasta or grits and roasted veggies to make it a complete meal. And you can easily swap out the additional seasonings to fit your family’s tastes. 

Table of Contents

  • Easy Shrimp Recipe
  • Why Make This Recipe
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How To Make Shrimp in Air Fryer
  • Tips For Success
  • Delicious Variations
  • Budget-Friendly Tips 
  • Make Ahead And Storage
  • FAQs
  • More Recipes You Might like
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Tools Needed
  • Weight Watchers Points
  • Get The Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
  • Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp

Easy Shrimp Recipe

Using frozen shrimp makes this recipe affordable too. Since you don’t have to thaw the shrimp in advance, this is the perfect meal for busy nights when you forget to plan in advance. 

close up view of the completed air fryer shrimp recipe

Why Make This Recipe

  • Succulent – Garlic butter shrimp is incredibly flavorful. 
  • Simple – This dish has only 5 ingredients and cooks in under 10 minutes.
  • Versatile – Serve as an appetizer or as a complete meal. 
  • Dietary – Suitable for gluten-free, low carb, and keto diets.
the ingredients needed for making this garlic butter shrimp air fryer recipe

Ingredient Notes

  • Shrimp – Look for large, frozen, raw shrimp.
  • Butter – Melt the butter.
  • Garlic – Freshly grated garlic will have more taste than jarred garlic. 
  • Parsley – Fresh parsley is preferred, but you can substitute 2 teaspoons of dried parsley. 
  • Cajun seasoning – Optional, but adds loads of flavor. See the variations below for other seasoning suggestions. 

How To Make Shrimp in Air Fryer

Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1. Combine melted butter and garlic and set it aside. 
  2. Add the shrimp to the air fryer basket in a single layer. 
  3. Air fry at 325F / 170C for 5 minutes. 
  4. Remove the basket and brush shrimp with a bit of the garlic butter, then cook for 3 more minutes. 
  5. Remove the shrimp, toss with the remaining garlic butter, and garnish with parsley and cajun seasoning before serving.
image collage showing the steps for making aier fryer garlic butter shrimp

Tips For Success

  • Use frozen, raw shrimp for this recipe. There is no need to defrost the shrimp. 
  • Peeled and deveined frozen shrimp means you can just pop the finished shrimp in your mouth. Tail on shrimp is fine. 
  • If using extra-large or jumbo shrimp, you may need to increase the cooking time by a minute or two. 
  • If desired, you can flip the shrimp halfway through cooking, but it’s not necessary. 
  • Shrimp will be firm, pink, and no longer translucent when done. 
air fryer cheat sheet

Delicious Variations

  • Use ghee instead of butter – If you can’t tolerate dairy, ghee is an excellent alternative to butter that is dairy-free but still has all the flavor of butter. 
  • Swap the Cajun seasoning – Cajun seasoning adds a nice spicy flavor, but you could also use salt and pepper, garlic powder, Mediterranean seasoning, lemon pepper, or your favorite seasoning blend. 
  • Add citrus – A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice will brighten these shrimp. 
  • Add parmesan – Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to cooked shrimp for a little extra saltiness and flavor. 
Air Fryer shrimp with Garlic butter on a plate with a fork taking some

Budget-Friendly Tips 

  • Buy Local Shrimp – Wild caught, local shrimp will be the most economical. If you don’t live near the ocean, choose shrimp from the closest locale.
  • Be Flexible on Size – Shrimp prices can vary based on the size, so be flexible if cost is a concern.
  • Serve As An Appetizer – When serving as a meal, you will want more shrimp. Serve as an appetizer, and you can get away with serving fewer per person. 
  • Make It A Meal – Serve the shrimp over pasta, grits, or rice and add a steamed or roasted vegetable to make it a full meal. 

Make Ahead And Storage

  • Prep Ahead – If desired, you can thaw the shrimp and marinate them in butter and seasoning for up to an hour before cooking. If you cook thawed shrimp, you will need to adjust your cooking time. 
  • Store – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
  • Freeze – Freeze any leftovers in an airtight container.
  • Reheat – in the air fryer or a pan on the stove. Microwaving will make the shrimp mushy. 
Some Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp on a plate with a fork picking up one shrimp

FAQs

Can I Make This With Fresh Shrimp?

If you have access to fresh shrimp, it is a wonderful choice. You will want to shorten the cooking time slightly.

How Do I Make Shrimp More Flavorful?

Season shrimp with salt and pepper before adding it to the air fryer.

Can I Double This Air Fryer Shrimp Recipe?

You can easily double or triple this recipe. However, do not crowd the air fryer basket. You may need to cook the shrimp in batches.

More Recipes You Might like

  • Garlic Butter Chicken.

Serving Suggestions

  • Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice.
  • Instant Pot Coconut Rice.
  • Noodle Stir Fry.

Tools Needed

  • Air Fryer.
  • Accessories.
the completed air fryer garlic butter shrimp garnished with lemon slices

Weight Watchers Points

There are 7 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

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Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu

Get The Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe

Air fryer shrimp with garlic butter on a plate

Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp

Cook frozen shrimp in under 10 minutes in your air fryer.
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate Save RecipeSaved!
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 3
Calories: 223kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy | Budget Delicious
Cost: $4.15 / $1.38 per serving

Equipment

cosori air fryer
Air Fryer Cosori
measuring cups and spoons
Cups And Spoons

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb (225g) large frozen raw shrimp peeled and deveined ($3.30)
  • ¼ cup (57g) butter melted ($0.40)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic finely grated ($0.10)
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley ($0.30)
  • Cajun seasoning optional and to taste ($0.05)

Instructions

  • Preheat Air Fryer to 325F / 170C.
  • Mix the melted butter and minced garlic and set it aside.
  • Place shrimp in a single layer inside the air fryer basket and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the basket from the air fryer and brush little bit of garlic butter onto the shrimp.
  • Air fry for 2 more minutes. I used large shrimp, and at this point, my shrimp was pink and done. If you are using jumbo shrimp, you may need to add an additional 1-2 minutes.
  • Remove cooked shrimp from the air fryer and place in a bowl. Toss with the additional garlic butter, then place on a plate. Garnish with parsley and cajun seasoning (if desired) before serving.

Notes

  • Use frozen, raw shrimp for this recipe. There is no need to defrost the shrimp. 
  • Look for shrimp that’s already been peeled and deveined, and you can just pop the finished shrimp in your mouth. Tail on shrimp is fine. 
  • If using extra-large or jumbo shrimp, you may need to increase the cooking time by a minute or two. 
  • If desired, you can flip the shrimp halfway through cooking, but it’s not necessary. 
  • Shrimp will be firm, pink, and no longer translucent when done.
  • Store – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • There are 7 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 256mg | Sodium: 800mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 697IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 2mg
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Comments

  1. Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter

    April 23, 2021 at 9:19 am

    5 stars
    I love dinner in a snap ideas and this is just perfect! Great recipe for the summer BBQ table too! xx

    Reply
  2. Allyssa

    April 23, 2021 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    this shrimp fryer recipe is very delicious! Thanks a lot for sharing this, it is very easy! will make it again!

    Reply
  3. Katherine

    April 23, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    5 stars
    Got to love a tasty 10-minute dinner! This is a great one to have for busy weeknights.

    Reply
  4. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

    April 23, 2021 at 12:33 pm

    5 stars
    So tasty and quick for weeknights. This is a favourite for me.

    Reply
  5. Jill

    April 23, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    5 stars
    That plate of shrimp with the lemon slices is so inviting! Air fryer for the win!

    Reply
  6. gregory anderson

    July 31, 2021 at 2:49 am

    5 stars
    I made this tonight in my airfryer oven, so I didn’t have to flip it. Thanks for the recipes you provide although I do have to adapt them. Btw, ghee is lactose free, but is made from butter so it isn’t “dairy-free”. Just saying.
    Thanks again! I’ve subscribed already, and trust your recipes even for those that aren’t for airfryers.

    Reply
  7. Sue Jenkins

    December 10, 2021 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    My shrimp are not frozen because I had to peel off shells so maybe less time you think? Thank you

    Reply
  8. Amy S

    January 14, 2022 at 4:39 pm

    5 stars
    I’m super weird about cooking shrimp and this was not only super easy but it came out delicious! My husband’s eyes grew wide and said “this needs to go on THE LIST.” Thank you for helping me get over my weird “fear” with this simple recipe.

    Reply

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Hi am Bintu and glad to meet you. You will find delicious easy recipes on a budget. Includes easy chicken recipes, easy Instant Pot recipes, easy Air Fryer recipes with simple ingredients loved by the whole family. Let's dig deeper →

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