Air Fryer Buffalo Shrimp Recipe |No Breading|

This Air Fryer Buffalo Shrimp recipe is ready in minutes! Tossed with a spicy buffalo sauce, try it served with a side of blue cheese dressing for a quick air fryer appetizer.

Juicy air fryer buffalo shrimp is crisp on the outside without any breading! Using just three simple ingredients and ready in under 15 minutes, this is the perfect appetizer for game night or any time you want to up your appetizer.

Air fryer shrimp is easy to make and so tasty! The air fryer cooks the shrimp quickly and evenly, giving you a delicious crunch outside while keeping a juicy middle. Cooked in spicy buffalo sauce, each mouthful is a treat.

This buffalo shrimp recipe doesn’t use any oil, so it’s lower in fat than many other recipes. Plus, it’s so simple that you can throw it together even on nights when you have a million other things to do and still impress.

Ingredients you’ll need to make buffalo shrimp.

• Large raw shrimp (peeled and deveined): When shopping for your buffalo shrimp recipe, ensure that the shrimp’s flesh is firm and there aren’t any ‘off’ odors. Either fresh or frozen shrimp is fine; however, you will need to thaw it before getting started if you use frozen shrimp. Take a look at the recipe tips for the right way to peel and devein shrimp with no fuss.
• Garlic powder.
• Buffalo-style hot sauce. You can make homemade buffalo hot sauce by combining melted butter (or a dairy-free alternative) and hot sauce. Or, if you don’t like buffalo sauce, you can make our Air Fryer Shrimp With Garlic Lemon Butter 

Tools used to make the recipe.

• Air fryer
• Paring knife (if you’re using fresh shrimp)
• Mixing Bowl

How to make buffalo shrimp in air fryer

First, preheat the air fryer to 350ºF for 4 minutes. Next, In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, garlic powder, and ½ cup of buffalo sauce until the shrimp are well coated.

Place the shrimp in the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer and cook to 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.

Finally, transfer the shrimp to a large bowl; add the remaining buffalo sauce; mix until coated. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe tip

Peeling and deveining shrimp: If you’ve opted for fresh shrimp and are unsure how to peel it, don’t worry! Peeling and deveining shrimp is super easy.

1. Begin by pulling off the head and legs. You can do this using your hands. 
2. Next, remove the shell. Take hold of it at the head end, and pull. You can keep shrimp shells in the freezer for fish stock later on if you like.
3. Now, remove the vein. If you can’t see the vein, skip this part - the vein isn’t harmful, but it can leave a gritty mouthful in the shrimp. Use the paring knife to cut down the back of the shrimp. Your cut should be around ¼ inches deep. 
4. Finally, using either your fingers or the tip of the knife, pull out the vein and discard it.

How long to cook buffalo shrimp in air fryer

If your air fryer is preheated to 350°F, it will take between 8-10 minutes to cook air-fried shrimp.

You can tell when your shrimp is done by paying attention to the color. Perfectly cooked shrimp is opaque and pink, and it will curl a little but remain firm. If your shrimp turns white or gray, it’s probably overcooked.

Always ensure that shrimp is piping hot all the way through before serving.

What to serve with buffalo shrimp

Buffalo fried shrimp is the perfect choice if you’re hosting a gathering with a few small plate options, like a games night or buffet-style meal. 

Try serving it alongside other small plate classics like this cheesy air fryer eggplant parmesan. Another favorite is air fryer breaded chicken tenders with your favorite dipping sauce, or salty and delicious bacon wrapped scallops. Finally, you could try this air fryer brie cheese bread bowl if you want to impress your guests!

How to store leftover shrimp

If you store it properly in an airtight container, leftover fried buffalo shrimp will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. 

If you want to keep it for even longer, you can freeze it. Wrap portions of shrimp up in aluminum foil or put them in freezer bags before freezing, and they will keep in the freezer for three months.

How to reheat shrimp

This spicy buffalo shrimp recipe works just as well reheated as fresh, so don’t worry if you have leftovers!

• In the air fryer: Preheat to 300°F, then spray the basket with a bit of oil or line with parchment paper. Lay your shrimp in the basket in a single layer and heat for around 2 minutes on each side. If you heat them from frozen, they will need 4-5 minutes. 
• In a frying pan: Put the pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Pour a small amount of oil into the pan, let it warm up, and spread to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, ensuring you flip them. If heating from frozen, you need to defrost.
• In the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the shrimp on a rack on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. If heating from frozen, you will need to defrost first.

Always ensure that shrimp is piping hot all the way through before serving.

FAQ's

How do you know if your shrimp is cooked?

As shrimp cooks, it changes color, and that’s what you need to pay attention to so you can tell when it’s cooked.

Your air fryer buffalo shrimp will turn an opaque pinky/orange color when cooked, and the texture will become more firm. 

It isn’t easy to see whether shrimp is cooked in the middle, as you can’t see the middle! One way to get around this is to take one shrimp out of the batch and cut it into it to see if it is cooked in the middle. 

If you’ve removed the vein, you can also keep an eye on the slit you made when you removed it. When the flesh in that slice turns from transparent to opaque at the thickest part of the shrimp (the head end), that tells you the shrimp is cooked.

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