Toss golden, crispy air fryer shrimp in a sweet and spicy homemade bang bang sauce to create this easy Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp! Perfect for an appetizer or even as a main dish – grab your air fryer and let’s get cooking.

The Best Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

We love using the air fryer for quick and easy recipes like this Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp because it always saves us so much time! This shrimp is perfectly crunchy with a spicy kick in every bite. We never have any leftovers when we make this recipe!

Recipe Ingredients

For this sweet and tangy shrimp recipe, you’ll need just a few ingredients. Find the exact quantities listed in the recipe card below!

Shrimp: We like to use jumbo or large shrimp that is cleaned and deveined.
Corn Starch: Corn starch is the secret to achieving the crispiest breaded shrimp.
Buttermilk and an Egg: Combining buttermilk with a beaten egg and applying the mixture to the shrimp helps the breadcrumbs stick to them while they fry.
Breadcrumbs: It’s important that you use panko breadcrumbs versus a traditional breadcrumb. Panko breadcrumbs have a drier and flakier consistency than regular breadcrumbs, and they absorb less oil when fried. Panko breadcrumbs produce a lighter and crunchier tasting fried food!
Bang Bang Sauce: An easy homemade sauce made with sweet chili sauce, mayo, sriracha, rice vinegar, and a clove of garlic!

How to Make Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

Get out that air fryer and let’s discuss how to make bang bang shrimp in it! Follow the simple steps below:

Preheat: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
Bread the Shrimp: Working in batches, coat your shrimp in cornstarch, then dip each shrimp in buttermilk, and finally toss them in the breadcrumbs.
Mist With Cooking Oil: Next, put your shrimp in the air fryer basket and lightly mist them with cooking oil. Leave space between the shrimp so it’s not overcrowded.
Cook the Shrimp: Cook your shrimp for 5 minutes. Then, turn the shrimp over and cook them for another 3-5 minutes or until the shrimp has a nice crispy texture.
Toss With the Sauce: Once the shrimp are cooked, you can toss them in the sauce to coat them. You can also lightly drizzle the sauce, or just dip your shrimp straight in it! Enjoy!

Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

Print Recipe

Air fryer bang bang shrimp are crispy, juicy, and covered in a sweet and spicy bang bang sauce that will knock your socks off! This air fryer shrimp recipe is perfect for game days and more.

Author: Julia
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Shrimp
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
¼ cup corn starch
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Cooking spray, optional
Bang Bang Sauce

Instructions

Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Working in batches, coat shrimp in cornstarch, dip each shrimp in buttermilk, then toss shrimp in bread crumbs.
Place shrimp in air fryer basket and lightly mist with cooking oil (I used avocado oil), if desired. Make sure to leave space between the shrimp and do not overcrowd the air fryer basket.
Cook shrimp for 5 minutes, then turn shrimp over and cook for 3-5 minutes more, until shrimp is cooked thru and has a crispy texture.
Once shrimp are cooked, remove from air fryer. You can toss shrimp to coat in sauce, drizzle the sauce lightly over the shrimp or you can just dip your shrimp! Enjoy!

Notes

Misting the breaded shrimp lightly with a cooking oil (like avocado oil or olive oil) will help the breading to crisp up and brown.
You can make the sauce up to a couple of days before and store it in the refrigerator for an easy dinner later in the week.
The shrimp are best served fresh and do not store well. They will get soggy, especially if the sauce is added. So only make as much as you plan to eat.