Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Piña Colada Dipping Sauce

Easy, Delicious Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp!

Have you had the Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp with piña colada sauce at Red Lobster? I love it! This air fryer recipe is close enough and easy enough that I don’t feel like I have to go to Red Lobster to enjoy tasty coconut shrimp anymore. And the homemade piña colada sauce copycat is delicious too!

Air fryer coconut shrimp is great as a main dish, appetizer, side dish, and on a salad! It only takes about 8 minutes to cook. No need to deep fry in oil, just a light spray of avocado oil is the only oil I use in my air fryer!

How to Make Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Patting the shrimp dry with a paper towel before seasoning helps the seasoning to stick better. I use jumbo shrimp with tails on – about 20 shrimp in 1 pound.

Preparing the shrimp for the air fryer involves dredging the shrimp in flour, then dipping in lightly beaten eggs, then coating in a mixture of panko and coconut. Panko makes a nice, crispy breading!

(This whisk is perfect for lightly beating a couple eggs!)

I like to add some salt and pepper to the flour (and a pinch of salt to the eggs) for a nice little touch of flavor. (My favorite salt.)

Should I use unsweetened coconut or sweetened coconut?

If you want the shrimp to be more sweet, use sweetened coconut. This may be an especially nice option if you are not planning to use a sweet dipping sauce. Otherwise, use unsweetened coconut. Both options work well, it just depends on personal preference.

Keep the shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket for best results. If your air fryer is smaller, work in batches. I can (barely) fit 20 jumbo shrimp in a single layer in my Cosori 5.8QT air fryer. Prefect!

I tried a few different copycat recipes for the piña colada sauce and decided that I like this one from Food.com best for simplicity and flavor. Sweet, creamy, fresh pineapple/coconut flavor!

Piña Colada Dipping Sauce Recipe

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup canned cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez)
• 2 tablespoons crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

That’s it! Just 4 simple ingredients to make 1 cup of this delicious copycat piña colada sauce. There is one tip that you must know though: Do not over mix. Don’t use a whisk or electric mixer. Gently stir the mixture by hand – if the sour cream starts to break down from mixing too much, the sauce will be too thin.

Sweet Chili Mayo Dipping Sauce

If you don’t prefer a sweet piña colada dipping sauce, go with something like a Thai sweet chili sauce for dipping. For a sweet chili mayo dipping sauce: mix 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce, and 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce.

Check out more of our favorite air fryer recipes!

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Piña Colada Dipping Sauce

Air fryer coconut shrimp is easy and delicious! Especially with this copycat piña colada dipping sauce. Give it a try!

4.84 / 5 ( 6 Reviews )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes minutes

Serves: 5

Adjust Servings: 5

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

Coconut Shrimp

• 1 pound raw jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined, tails-on
• salt and pepper
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• ⅓ cup panko
• ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut

Piña Colada Dipping Sauce

• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup canned cream of coconut like Coco Lopez
• 2 tablespoons crushed pineapple drained
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Pat shrimp dry with paper towels, then lightly season with salt and pepper.
• In a shallow bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a second bowl, add a pinch of salt to the lightly beaten eggs. In a third shallow bowl, mix together panko and coconut.
• Coat each shrimp in flour mixture, gently shaking off excess. Then dip into the eggs and let excess drip off. Dredge in the coconut/panko mixture and gently press to coat. Transfer to a large plate or platter until all shrimp are coated.
• Preheat air fryer to 380˚F/193˚C. Spray basket with oil spray. Place shrimp in single layer in the basket, then lightly spray shrimp with oil spray. Cook for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Flip halfway through cooking time and lightly spray other side with oil.
• Serve shrimp warm with dipping sauce, if desired.
• For piña colada sauce: Gently stir ingredients together by hand. Do not overmix. If the sour cream starts to break down from mixing too much, the sauce will be too thin.

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 795mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g