Name: Air Fried Coconut Shrimp with Boozy Pina Colada Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 lb pre-cooked shrimp; 2 tsp lime juice; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp chili powder, divided; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1 egg; 2 tsp water; 1 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes; cooking spray; 1 cup sour cream; 2 tbsp Greek yogurt; 1/3 cup cream of coconut; 1/2 cup crushed pineapple; 1 tbsp pineapple juice; 1 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp Malibu Coconut Rum; 1 tsp chili powder

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Craving a tropical twist on a classic appetizer? This Air Fried Coconut Shrimp with Boozy Pina Colada Sauce is the perfect blend of crispy, sweet, and savory with a splash of fun. Lightened up in the air fryer, this shrimp dish is paired with a creamy, boozy sauce made with Malibu Coconut Rum that’ll have you feeling like you’re on a beach getaway. Whether you’re hosting friends or treating yourself to something special, this easy recipe is a must-try. Plus, it’s a healthier option that doesn’t sacrifice flavor!

I made these Coconut Shrimp years ago when A Toasted Crumb was primarily on Instagram (What?! You don’t follow ATC on Instagram? Click here!), and I’ve been dreaming about them ever since and could hardly wait to recreate this recipe for ATC 2.0. This coconut rum infused dipping sauce is incredible and I need to put it on a million other things immediately!

What do you need to make Air-Fried Coconut Shrimp?

frozen or fresh cooked shrimp
lime juice, salt, and pepper
all-purpose flour seasoned with garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika
an egg
panko bread crumbs and coconut flakes – sweetened preferably (I’ll tell you more about this later!), but unsweetened will also be fine
cooking spray – a MUST!

What do you need to make the Boozy Pina Colada Sauce?

sour cream and Greek yogurt
cream of coconut
crushed pineapple, and a little bit of the reserved juice
Malibu Coconut Rum!
lime juice

What equipment do you need for this recipe?

Using the air fryer for this recipe is an awesome way to make this a quick and simple meal for one! My husband isn’t coconut obsessed like me, so I usually just fire him up some shrimp on the grill while I take over the air fryer.

Using a hand (or stick) blender is so convenient for whipping up this sauce. You could easily use a food processor or standard blender for this as well. You just want to blend it a little at least to help break up that crushed pineapple a little more than if you had just whisked the sauce together.

Can you use a a regular frying method for this recipe?

Absolutely! I like to make use of the air-fryer because it’s convenient, clean, and a little lighter than the traditional frying method. But you could absolutely pan fry these shrimp! (I don’t recommend deep frying, simply because the heat would be much harder to control and the coconut flake may soak up too much oil this way.)

If you prefer the traditional frying method, drop about 1/4 cup of oil (vegetable or canola) into a cast iron pan and fry the prepared shrimp for 90 seconds or so on either side, just until the coconut flake is nice and golden and crispy!

Do I need to use sweetened coconut flakes, or can I use unsweetened?

I prefer sweetened coconut flakes for this recipe because the sugar in the coconut caramelizes when the shrimp air-fry and helps create this gorgeous crispy, golden brown coating to completely encapsulate the shrimp! But unsweetened coconut will work just fine as well, just make sure that you get a really good coating of coconut and bread crumbs on the shrimp and be gentle when laying them down into the air fryer.

Some will say the smaller the coconut flakes the better for coco shrimp. I don’t have that same philosophy. I like to use the larger flaked coconut from Bob’s Red Mill because I enjoy the texture. But feel free to use the standard thin shred sweetened coconut that you find in the baking section if you want a more traditional coconut shrimp texture over the more natural, rough cut version.

Prepare the Air-Fried Coconut Shrimp:

Refer to the recipe card for more precise measurements.

Prepare a dredging station by with 3 stations:

1st station: the four seasoned with garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika
2nd station: whisked egg (if you need to add a tsp of water to it to help thin it out a bit, go for it!
3rd station: panko breadcrumbs and coconut, seasoned with a little bit of chili powder (Just a sprinkle! This is mostly for color.)

Then begin breading all of your shrimp by squeezing a little fresh lime over the shrimp and sprinkling lightly with salt and pepper, then give them a toss.

Dip the shrimp in flour first, then into the egg, and finally into the panko and coconut flake mixture. Give it a really nice coating of breadcrumbs and coconut by pressing firmly into the crumbs.

Spray the base of your air-fryer with cooking spray (don’t miss this step!) and place the shrimp down into the basket.

Cook in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400°.

After 10 minutes, open the air fryer, spray them lightly with cooking spray and give them a flip.

Cook once again at 400°, but this time for just 4 or 5 extra minutes. This just helps get them to that gorgeous golden brown!

Watch this simple tutorial for making the shrimp!

Preparing the Boozy Pina Colada Sauce:

While your shrimp are cooking, watch this simple video tutorial on preparing the Boozy Pina Colada sauce that I made for TikTok for my Sauce series. (Follow ATC on TikTok for fun little mini series like these!)

This sauce is simple, throw all of the ingredients into a bowl and blend.

Note: This sauce is alcoholic (the alcohol is not cooked out), please do not let any little hands grab hold of this sauce!

What to serve with Air-Fried Coconut Shrimp?

Pair these tasty shrimp with some sweet potato fries or one of these recipes from the blog!

‘I hope you love this Air Fried Coconut Shrimp with Boozy Pina Colada Sauce recipe! If you try it, tag @atoastedcrumb on all socials!