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Air Fryer Shrimp Tempura

Air fryer shrimp tempura delivers big on crunch and can be ready in about 40 minutes with only 6 ingredients! This easy-to-follow process is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

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pile of air fried shrimp tempura

Craving something with out-of-this-world crunch that doesn’t take forever to make?

Air fryer shrimp tempura have the most satisfying texture and are even easier to make than you think!

In fact, this recipe only takes about 40 minutes, and that includes cooking the tempura shrimp in the air fryer in batches.

And you only need 6 ingredients! If you thought tempura was a complicated process, you’ll be amazed how straight-forward this recipe is.

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Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:

  • How to make the most amazing tempura battered shrimp in the air fryer
  • The easy way to flash-freeze tempura shrimp if you want to prep them ahead of time
  • Tips for making the best tempura shrimp in the air fryer
  • How to reheat leftover shrimp tempura

A lot of people assume tempura is really complicated to make or involves special ingredients.

In fact, you probably already have everything you need right in your pantry! Once you see how easy it is, you might find yourself craving homemade shrimp tempura all the time. And if you love this shrimp recipe, you’ll love our Shrimp Scampi Recipe Without Wine!.

Air Fryer I recommend: Large, easy to clean, square basket, burner on top and bottom. Click to see it.
ingredients to make air fryer shrimp tempura

How to Make Air Fryer Shrimp Tempura

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

STEP ONE: Prepare the shrimp by deveining them (if necessary) and removing the shell up to the tail. 

STEP TWO: Make 4-5 small notches on the “belly” of each shrimp and stretch them out. Pat them dry with paper towels.

mixing batter for shrimp tempura

STEP THREE: In a bowl, whisk together a ½ cup of the flour, ice-cold water, and egg whites. In a second bowl, add the remaining flour.

STEP FOUR: Place cornstarch and salt in a plastic zipper bag. Add the shrimp and toss well to coat.

STEP FIVE: Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F. Spray the inner basket generously with cooking oil spray.

coating shrimp in batter

STEP SIX: Dip the shrimp, one at a time, in the wet flour batter, then dredge them through the dry flour to lightly coat them. Place them on a clean plate or parchment-lined baking sheet. 

shrimp in air fryer basket

STEP SEVEN: Working in batches, set the shrimp in the basket in a single, uncrowded layer. Spray them well with cooking oil spray, then air fry for 7-8 minutes until lightly golden.

STEP EIGHT: Repeat until all the shrimp have been cooked.

air fried shrimp tempura in basket

How to Make Air Fryer Frozen Tempura Shrimp

  1. Prep the shrimp through step 5, then place the plate or baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour to flash-freeze. Remove the shrimp and store in a plastic zipper bag until ready to cook.
  2. When ready to cook, preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F. Spray the inner basket with cooking oil spray.
  3. Working in batches, set the frozen shrimp in the basket in a single, uncrowded layer. Spray them well with cooking oil spray, then air fry for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
  4. Repeat until all the shrimp have been cooked.
shrimp being held by chopstick

What is Shrimp Tempura?

Tempura is a Japanese method of lightly battering and deep frying foods, most often seafood or vegetables.

Believe it or not, the light and crispy coating is actually just a combination of flour, egg, and water! 

Shrimp tempura simply refers to shrimp that have been prepared with this batter and then deep-fried.

For this recipe, we’ll be using the traditional tempura batter but cooking the shrimp in the air fryer instead of deep frying.

platter with fried shrimp

Can You Make Trader Joe’s Tempura Shrimp in the Air Fryer?

You bet! Follow the same steps as you would for making frozen tempura shrimp, skipping the prep of course.

They’ll turn out gloriously crispy and golden!

Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Tempura Shrimp

  • Make sure the water you’re using in the batter is ice cold. This slows down the gluten formation process, which is what makes the batter so light and puffy.
  • It’s very important not to overcrowd the basket. You really want the hot air to be able to circulate properly to fry up the tempura batter on each shrimp.
  • While your first batch of shrimp are in the air fryer, continue battering your second batch so they’re ready to go in the air fryer as soon as the first batch is done. This is the most efficient way to cook up all your shrimp tempura!
tempura shrimp in sauce

How to Reheat Leftover Shrimp Tempura in the Air Fryer

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F.
  2. Lay the leftover tempura shrimp in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
  3. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the tempura is crispy and the shrimp are heated through.

Other Air Fryer Shrimp Recipes You’ll Love:

More Air Fryer Seafood Recipes

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pile of air fried shrimp tempura

Air Fryer Shrimp Tempura

Samantha Erb
Making air fryer shrimp tempura is easier than you think! The secret is using both a wet and dry flour mixture. And thanks to the magic of the air fryer, they get irresistibly crunchy!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Air Fryer Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 326 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh jumbo shrimp
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour divided
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 2 egg whites or 1 large egg, beaten
  • cup cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the shrimp by deveining them (if necessary) and removing the shell up to the tail. Make 4-5 small notches on the “belly” of each shrimp and stretch them out. Pat them dry with paper towels.
  • In a bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the flour, water, and egg whites. In a second bowl, add the remaining flour.
  • Place cornstarch and salt in a plastic zipper bag. Add shrimp and toss well to coat.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray the inner basket generously with cooking oil spray.
  • Dip shrimp, one at a time, in the wet flour batter, then dredge them through the dry flour to lightly coat them. Place them on a clean plate or parchment-lined baking sheet. 
  • Working in batches, set the shrimp in the basket in a single, uncrowded layer. Spray them well with cooking oil spray, then air fry for 7-8 minutes, until lightly golden.

FROM FROZEN:

  • Prep shrimp through step 5, then place the plate or baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour to flash-freeze. Remove the shrimp and store in a plastic zipper bag until ready to cook.
  • When ready to cook, preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray the inner basket with cooking oil spray.
  • Working in batches, set the frozen shrimp in the basket in a single, uncrowded layer. Spray them well with cooking oil spray, then air fry for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden.

Notes

How to reheat shrimp tempura:

1. Preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees.
2. Place shrimp in air fryer basket and cook for 3-5 minutes or until hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 326kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 32gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 239mgSodium: 1369mgFiber: 1g

This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!


samantha

About Samantha

I’ve always had a love of cooking and creating new recipes, so it only made sense to create a food blog so I could share those recipes with you. This site is designed to provide easy and flavorful recipes with as little ingredients as possible. That means you still get great flavor combinations without all that extra time and effort. Read more...

7 thoughts on “Air Fryer Shrimp Tempura”

  1. I plan to try this tomorrow. It looks delicious and easy! However…

    I think you meant to say…
    FROM FROZEN:
    Prep shrimp through step SIX… (not Step FIVE), then place the plate or baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour to flash-freeze.

    Step 5 has no batter yet. Step 6 is where they get dipped in the batter.

    Reply
5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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