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Boom Boom Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

Crispy air fryer bang bang shrimp recipe is a game changer for dinner! Our out of this world homemade bang bang shrimp sauce takes these bite size seafood pieces to the next level I tell you. Lightly breaded and crunchy you can enjoy boom boom (as they call it) as is or tossed with pasta for a complete dinner.

A close-up shot of a white dish filled with air fryer bang bang shrimp, topped with a drizzle of pink sauce and garnished with chopped green herbs. A softly blurred fork and greenery are visible in the background.

Have you tried this sauce yet? It’s great on everything but on our air fryer bang bang shrimp it was out of this world! Give it a whirl and let us know which of our easy air fryer recipes are your favorites! (affiliate links present)

Bang Bang Shrimp Air Fryer

Are you wondering how to make boom boom shrimp or looking for its recipe? So we started by making Instant Pot bang bang shrimp recipe with pasta last week. Since we got the bang bang sauce down pat it was time to use it on something else. I kid you not, I couldn’t make enough of these. After each basket was done it was eaten immediately.

That one had no breading to them. Still delicious but it was missing something. We love ordering this at Panda Express which is crunchy kinda’ like popcorn shrimp but way better. That was our goal to make a great copycat version of that favorite meal.

If you love easy air fryer recipes too, here are some resources to start with:

A close-up photo of a hand pulling out the basket of an open air fryer on a light-colored surface. The interior of the air fryer basket is empty and features a mesh design, perfect for cooking your favorite dishes like bang bang shrimp. The edge of the air fryer has a latch mechanism for securing the basket.

Ninja Foodi Bang Bang Shrimp

You’re going to start with breading shrimp with breadcrumbs as you would as if they were going to be eaten “plain”. As you know, only dry coatings work with this hot air machine.

Things like tempura batter just make a huge mess and don’t come out well at all. Take our word for it since we’ve been experimenting for years. This works the best!

As for the seasonings you add into the mix, that is up to you. I mean Old Bay is one of my favorites but keeping it simple just add salt and pepper. Make a sort of assembly line so you can dip, coat, and fill your air fryer basket.

Ingredients arranged on a white surface: a small bowl of bread crumbs, black pepper, a white egg, flour, a red sauce for the bang bang shrimp, mayonnaise, salt, and a bowl of raw shrimp ready for the air fryer.

Bonefish Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe Air Fryer

You see the biggest air fryer benefit is how it can make your food seem like deep fried but without the oil. This only works if there is a bit of space in between each piece of food.

That way the VERY hot air can circulate well around everything and get even frozen shrimp in air fryer super crunchy. Now let’s move on to this homemade sauce we have here. It is super easy to throw together and a great dip for tons of things.

Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Another big tip: Never overlap your food when crisping in your Ninja Foodi or Cosori machine. It really doesn’t matter what brand you have, this is fact. If you want to make air fryer fish tacos out of these you will want it to be the perfect texture.

  • Once you’ve preheated your machine, and your breading is on you’ll lay them in a single layer.
  • Overlapping will cause them to stick together, but worse off they won’t get crispy all the way around.
A clear bowl filled with a creamy orange sauce containing red flecks, reminiscent of the perfect dip for air fryer bang bang shrimp. A transparent spoon is partially submerged in the sauce, and the background is a white surface.

Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp no Breading

This is what you’re going to need in order to get started on this bit of YUM. If you don’t want to bread the outsides at all you will just need paper towels to dry them off, seasonings, and when cooked you just toss with the sauce at the end.

  1. Defrosted shrimp with tails off, shelled, deveined
    1. or use frozen popcorn shrimp cooked, then toss with the sauce recipe below
  2. All purpose flour
  3. Salt and pepper
  4. Breadcrumbs
  5. Egg
  6. The sauce consists of
    1. mayonnaise or could use greek yogurt if you must
    2. sweet chili sauce
    3. Sriracha if you want it to be sweet and spicy too
    4. Some like a squeeze of fresh lime in it too

You will want a few shallow small bowls to coat with flour egg mixtures. I mean you can just leave them as is without the sauce but if you’ve had it at Bonefish Grill you’ll know how incredible it is.

A close-up view of a pile of raw shrimp covered in a layer of flour or breading on a white background, ready to be transformed into crispy air fryer bang bang shrimp.

How do you Fry Shrimp in an Air Fryer?

You’ll want to get your plate of bread crumbs ready first. Then you’ll add the shrimp into a baggie full of your seasoned flour and shake so they’re coated. Dunk into the egg and then the breadcrumbs.

I haven’t used Panko breadcrumbs for this one but assume it would work just as well. Cooking time is generally perfect after 6 minutes at 400 degrees.

Of course this may vary slightly depending on how large your shrimp is AND how crispy you want them to be.

A hand is dipping a flour-coated shrimp into a bowl of beaten eggs. More flour-coated shrimp are visible in the background on a plate. The scene appears to be part of preparing bang bang shrimp, likely breading or battering them before cooking in an air fryer.

We do not like shrimp cooked too long because they will be tough. When making things like our air fryer shrimp fajitas and this we tend to air on the side of them being tender. That is up to you though for sure.

Air Fryer Boom Boom Shrimp

Let’s talk about breadcrumbs for a minute now. There are many different styles out there. From Italian seasoned, to plain, seasoned, the possibilities are endless.

I mean Italian doesn’t really make sense for this now does it? Can’t do without that type then by all means do it! Typically I always have plain on hand and add what I want into the mix.

A hand is shown dipping a piece of food, possibly bang bang shrimp, into a bowl of seasoned bread crumbs. The bread crumbs appear coarse and contain various herbs. The partly coated shrimp will soon be ready for the air fryer, promising a crispy and flavorful delight.

If you are making this for a large family you will likely need to make multiple batches. You can see about how many will fit into a 5 quart machine here. Giving a bit of space in between them is necessary.

You can keep prepping them when one batch is cooking though. Just lay a piece of parchment paper down on a cookie sheet and lay them down. Then when the first one is done, you throw in another and keep going.

  • I personally have 2 air fryers and a Foodi so I could make 3 batches all at once if I wanted.
  • Usually I don’t want that many baskets to clean so I stick to one and just rotate until everything is done.

With this in mind I would say that to make everything listed in the recipe card below it may take about 20 minutes total to cook.

An air fryer basket containing twelve breaded bang bang shrimp arranged in a circular pattern. The shrimp are partially cooked, with a light golden-brown appearance. The basket has a perforated base.

Best bang bang air fryer shrimp recipe

Here are quick step by steps but there is a printable with the ingredients necessary at the bottom of this post as well. You could cook our air fryer shrimp boil and use the sauce all over all 3 of those ingredients too.

  • Thaw shrimp, rinse, lay on paper towels to remove water from outsides. Press down gently to remove all of the liquid, this will get them really nice and crunchy on the outsides.
  • Put flour and salt and pepper (and any other seasonings you might like) into a large baggie.
  • Add shrimp and toss together until outsides are coated. Lay on a plate.
  • Whisk egg in a shallow bowl and put breadcrumbs on another plate. Preheat air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
  • One at a time dip floured shrimp into the egg, allowing excess egg to drip off, then dip into breadcrumbs to coat.
  • Lay coated shrimp into air fryer basket that has been sprayed with non stick spray, do not overlap them. Very lightly spray top with olive oil spray.

Close drawer and set to 6 minutes total cook time. Check and if you want them more golden brown then spray tops with olive oil spray again. You don’t want to overcook these though.

In a bowl mix together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and Sriracha if you want some spicy heat. Some like a little squeeze of lime juice in this mix too. Serve crispy shrimp with sauce brushed on top. OH MY look at these!!

A close-up of chopsticks holding a piece of breaded and fried tofu, garnished with chopped herbs and a light sauce that gives it an almost bang bang shrimp vibe. In the background, there is a square white bowl filled with more air-fried pieces of the same delicious breaded tofu.

Frozen boom boom shrimp air fryer

What are some variations of bang bang shrimp?

1. You could mash and add some avocado to the sauce for a creamier texture
2. Make spicy bang bang shrimp with a splash of hot sauce for a bit of heat
3. Add a squeeze of orange juice or lemon juice for a citrusy flavor

How do you reheat bang bang shrimp?

1. You can reheat bang bang shrimp is in the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the shrimp are heated through.
2. Reheating bang bang shrimp in the microwave is done when you place pieces in a microwave-safe dish and heat on high for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
3. This is how to reheat bang bang shrimp in air fryer – Preheat to 400 F for 5 minutes, spray basket and lay pieces inside in a single layer. Heat for 1-2 minutes, flip over for 1 more minute.

Like I said, you can use this sauce on so many other things too so don’t throw out what you don’t use here. My kids love it as a dip for:

If you want to try this without the sauce but with a whopper of flavor in the breading itself, try our air fryer fried shrimp another night!

A close-up of a plate filled with breaded and cooked shrimp. The text at the top says, "Best Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp!" The shrimp appear crispy and golden brown.

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bang bang shrimp
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5 from 1 vote

Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

Crispy air fryer bang bang shrimp is a game changer for dinner! Out of this world sauce takes seafood to the next level I tell you.
Course Appetizer, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword air fryer, bang bang, ninja foodi, shrimp
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 272kcal
Author The Typical Mom

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Thaw shrimp, rinse, lay on paper towels to remove water from outsides.
  • Put flour and salt and pepper into a large baggie. Add shrimp and toss together until outsides are coated. Lay on a plate.
  • Whisk egg in a shallow bowl and put breadcrumbs in another. Preheat air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
  • One at a time dip floured shrimp into the egg, allow excess to drip off, then dip into breadcrumbs to coat.
  • Lay coated shrimp into air fryer basket that has been sprayed with non stick spray, do not overlap them. Very lightly spray top with olive oil spray
  • Close drawer and set to 6 minutes cook time. Check, if you want them browner spray with olive oil spray again. You don't want to overcook these though.
  • In a bowl mix together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and Sriracha if you want heat. Some like a little squeeze of lime juice in this mix too.
  • Serve crispy shrimp with sauce brushed on top.

Video

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
Amount Per Serving (2 oz)
Calories 272 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 266mg89%
Sodium 1481mg64%
Potassium 119mg3%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 57IU1%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 159mg16%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
A recipe for Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp featuring 16 oz of thawed shrimp, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, a beaten egg, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce, 1 tsp Sriracha, lime juice squeezed on top and a
A close-up of chopsticks holding a piece of breaded and fried tofu, garnished with chopped herbs and a light sauce that gives it an almost bang bang shrimp vibe. In the background, there is a square white bowl filled with more air-fried pieces of the same delicious breaded tofu.
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




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