20-Minute Bang Bang Shrimp Air Fryer – Air fried jumbo shrimp is tossed in a crispy breading to make this easy 20-minute recipe. Finished with a homemade bang bang sauce, this is a great appetizer or main protein that’s impossible to resist!
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I love using my air fryer for quick recipes like shrimp patties and chicken wings because it always saves me so much time. Quick, easy, and crunchy, this Bang Bang Shrimp is no different! Shrimp always cooks quickly no matter the method, so frying it in the air fryer means it’s going to be ready to eat in a flash!
This flavorful and spicy easy shrimp recipe is crisped up perfectly before being covered in a creamy homemade bang bang sauce. Each bite has plenty of crunch and just enough spice to give it a much-needed kick. Serve it as a fun appetizer on game day or as a main dish with an Avocado Side Salad or Easy Fried Rice.
What is Bang Bang Shrimp?
Bang bang shrimp was made popular at the Bonefish Grill restaurant in the US. It’s a crispy fried shrimp appetizer that’s coated in a creamy and spicy sauce made from Thai chilis. Since the Thai chilis give your whole mouth a “bang” from the heat, the sauce was aptly named bang bang sauce!
Traditionally served as an appetizer, bang bang shrimp can also be served over rice, pasta, or even a bed of greens. This recipe is even better made at home from scratch!
Bang Bang Shrimp Ingredients
The ingredients in bang bang shrimp are fairly simple. The shrimp is coated in a panko and cornstarch breading to give it a crunch and dipped in a homemade bang bang sauce. Everything you need to make air fryer shrimp at home can easily be found at any major grocery store:
- Jumbo shrimp
- Buttermilk
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Cornstarch
- Mayonnaise
- Sriracha sauce
- Sweet chili sauce
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp in the Air Fryer?
Step 1: Preheat your air fryer and spray a bit of cooking oil on the bottom of the basket.
Step 2: Make the sauce by whisking the mayo, sriracha, and chili sauce together until fully combined. Set aside.
Step 3: Coat the shrimp by dredging it in cornstarch first, then buttermilk, and finish in the Panko breadcrumbs. This is easier when you work in batches.
Step 4: Place the breaded shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 5 minutes.
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp in a Skillet
Step 1: Make the bang bang sauce and coat the shrimp in breadcrumbs as instructed.
Step 2: Preheat a nonstick skillet with some oil on medium/high heat.
Step 3: When the oil is hot, cook the coated shrimp in the skillet for a few minutes on each side. Plate the cooked shrimp and add a drizzle of the bang bang sauce on top.
Serving Suggestions
My bang bang shrimp air fryer recipe is the perfect party or game day snack. Serve a batch next to more fun party snacks like Air Fryer French Fries and Spinach Artichoke Dip with veggies. You could even replace the shrimp and make this recipe with chicken for a more hearty appetizer.
Make it a main dish and use the bang bang shrimp in Homemade Sushi for a fun and crunchy twist or add it as a topping on Shrimp Avocado Salad with quinoa.
More Air Fryer Recipes to Try
If you love making this easy shrimp recipe in your air fryer, you’ll want to give these extra crunchy air fryer recipes a try as well:
Bang Bang Shrimp Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Bang Bang Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce or less or more to taste
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
Bang Bang Shrimp Batter
- 1-2 lb jumbo shrimp shell off and deveined
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup cornstarch *NOT FLOUR
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs more if needed
- 1 teaspoon parsley or cilantro finely chopped, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil for brushing air fryer pan and shrimp
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add sauce ingredietns and whisk until everything is combined. Set aside.Next, preheat AIR FRYER (this is the one I have and love using!) to 400F. Grease air fryer pan with a little bit of oil of your choice, I like to use avocado oil.
- Working in batches, coat shrimp in cornstarch, after dip it in buttermilk and finally toss shrimp in bread crumbs.
- Add shrimp to the air fryer pan (make sure shrimp is not touching each other), then cover and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip shrimp on the other side and brush or spray a little bit of oil on the top, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked thru and has crispy texture.
- Drizzle bang bang sauce over the shrimp and garnish it with greens of your choice like parsley or cilantro. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Q. Do YOU like this Air Fryer Recipe?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Thank YOU for YOUR Comment, Share & Recipe Review!
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I’m new to cooking seafood and using an airfryer. You said you used raw jumbo shrimp. So is the shrimp frozen or thawed? Thanks for the clarification.
It is thawed. Raw thawed shrimp.
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Looking forward to making this tonight. Never used a chili sauce before. Is there a brand you recommend?
I usually use whatever I can find in the store 🙂 hope this helps!
I can’t give this one enough stars! The recipe is so easy and SO delicious. I ran out of panko breadcrumbs halfway through breading my shrimp and had to use regular breadcrumbs, both came out so well! Will definitely stay in our dinner rotation!
Thank you so much, Ellie, for an amazing recipe review! I appreciate it!
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What does it mean to cover ?
Cover the lid from the air fryer. My air frier has a lid!
Can I use a different type of milk beside buttermilk?
Hi Shelby! You can use regular milk mixed with lemon juice (homemade buttermilk)… hope this helps.
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Do I have to use Jumbo Shrimp?
Not at all, you can use any size raw shrimp. 😀
Can you use cooked shrimp? That’s what I have at home.
I would not recommend it, cause they will taste rubbery for being cooked twice. Hope this helps!
What does it mean to cover shrimp before cooking. Does that mean with foil
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I’m not a fan of shrimp (it’s a texture thing), but the rest of my family LOVES it. I got an air fryer for Christmas and thought this would be a perfect recipe to try out on them. I used extra large instead of jumbo shrimp and they loved it!! They were ranting and raving about the sauce. I’ll definitely make it again for them.
Thank you, Alexa! I am glad your family enjoyed this recipe!
Can you use frozen shrimp or must it be thawed?
I haven’t never used a frozen shrimp to make bang bang shrimp, it works great with thawed shrimp!
Did you use uncooked shrimp or precooked shrimp ?
Hi Shaiyna! I used raw – uncooked shrimp!
What is the batter Made for 1 pound or 2 pounds of shrimp since it said one-two pounds of shrimp?
Hi Jo, I used this batter for 2 lbs.
Are the nutrition facts for 1 serving or 4? Seems high for one serving
Hi Katie! Its for 1 serving. I use a program that calculates all of the nutrition facts when you add all of the ingredients, thats what it gave me for 1 serving.
This was fantastic!! Pain in the but coating shrimp but so worth the effort. The sauce was great too and we also added just a touch more sriracha for a little more of a kick. Loved this and will definitely make again!
So happy you will make it again, Gina! Thank you for rating and reviewing this recipe, you are the best!
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Hello, i was wondering if i could use a dairy free milk instead of butter milk with this recipe? This sounds delicious (:
Hi Megan, that’s a great questions, I never tried using dairy free milk instead of buttermilk, but if I had to try it I would use dairy free milk and 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice. Hope this helps!
Soooooo want to try this recipe. I have. NF Grill. Do you think I could cook it in that.
Thanks, Janet
Hi Janet! I haven’t made them in NF Grill, but if you cook them on the grill please let me know how they turns out.
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I have the Instant Pot Vortex 7-in-1. When you say “cover” the shrimp, are you referring to foil?
No! My air fryer has a lid that opens up and closes, I was referring to cover the air fryer or close the air fryer. Sorry about this little confusion.
What temperature did you set the ninja air fryer to?
I did 400F.
What does it mean to cover shrimp before cooking. Does that mean with foil
What I meant is cover the air fryer… my air fryer has a lid… I will update this:)