Healthier, crispy panko shrimp. Lightly battered and made in the air fryer or skillet. Ready in under 20 minutes. The perfect crispy meal.

Why Make This Panko Shrimp

This panko shrimp is so easy to whip up. It requires minimal ingredients and you’d never know they weren’t deep fried!

I make them in the air fryer for the ultimate even crispy layer, but I have skillet instructions as well so if you don’t have an air fryer NO PROBLEM I have you covered.

This shrimp is great on it’s own dipped in tartar sauce or served over Lemon Kale Caesar. You can also serve it as an appetizer, you just can’t go wrong with this one. YUM.

If you love crispy shrimp, try my Mongolian Shrimp as well. It’s a perfect meal for shrimp lovers and my Cajun Shrimp & Sausage Pasta will bring the heat and flavor!

Ingredients Needed

Shrimp. Raw, cleaned and tailed shrimp is what I always use. Please use a high quality shrimp of choice.

Seasoning. Black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried dill, dried basil.

Panko Breadcrumbs. Large, flaky breadcrumbs that don’t pack together when coating food so food stays crispier longer. You can find these in the breadcrumb aisle!

All Purpose Flour. This is to help crisp up the shrimp.

All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card below. 

Recipe Variations

All Purpose Flour. You can use corn starch, arrow root powder or gluten free all purpose flour.

Oil. Use Avocado oil or vegetable oil if making this in the skillet. Otherwise, if making in the air fryer, just a spray oil is perfect.

Eggs. Milk will also work but they won’t fluff/crispy as much.

Steps To Make This Recipe

Step One. Clean and prepare shrimp, pat the shrimp nice and dry with paper towel. Add shrimp to a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic, onion powder, basil, dill. Pour into the shrimp bowl and mix well.

Step Two. Slowly add in flour. Mix shrimp and keep adding the flour until shrimp is evenly coated without too many clumps. Shrimp sizes vary so the flour amount can vary slightly.

Step Three. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add Panko to a separate bowl or plate. Shake excess flour off shrimp and dredge into egg mixture. Shake the excess egg off and roll the shrimp around in panko. Make sure it’s heavily coated for extra crispy goodness.

Step Four. Add shrimp to the air fryer (if using. Skillet instructions are below). Spritz the shrimp with oil and cook on 350º for 7-8 minutes. Let the shrimp cool for one minute and serve over salad or with tartar sauce.

If cooking in the skillet, add 1/4 cup oil to a skillet. Heat oil on medium/high heat. Add the shrimp to the heated oil. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Be sure the crisp is nice and browned. Add the shrimp to a paper toweled lined plate to cool and enjoy.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe Tips

Don’t overcook the shrimp! The shrimp can get rubbery if overcooked or if you try cooking it before it’s fully thawed.

If you need to cook these in the skillet, don’t use too much oil, the panko soaks up a lot of oil and if too much oil is used it can get slightly soggy.

Recipe Pairings

These crispy panko shrimp are a delight. You can top my Lemon Kale Caesar or Asian Cabbage Salad with the crunchy morsels or serve with a side of Spicy Cucumber Salad or Mediterranean Black Bean Salad.

Other Shrimp Recipes To Try

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