Air fryer Shrimp Tempura

These super crispy tempura shrimp are delicious and a perfect fried shrimp appetizer that are made healthier in the air fryer.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword air fryer shrimp tempura, air fryer tempura shrimp

recipe air fryer shrimp tempura, air fryer tempura shrimp

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 8

Total Time 13

Servings

Calories 355kcal

Author Rachna Parmar

Equipment

Philips Air fryer

Ingredients

1 pound Raw peeled shrimp medium or large or 500 gm.
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 egg
½ cup chilled water
1.5 cups breadcrumbs
Salt to taste
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. pepper
Oil for spraying the basket and brushing shrimp

Instructions

Peel, devein, wash and dry your shrimp. I leave the tails on for the ease of dipping but you can take them off too. Dry them and keep aside.
Take the breadcrumbs in a shallow plate and add cayenne and salt to season them. See notes about breadcrumbs.
Preheat the air fryer at 350 F or 160 C for 4 minutes.
Beat one egg and add it to chilled water. Meanwhile add all-purpose flour with cornflour salt and pepper. Mix well.
Add the beaten egg and water to the flour mix and mix well. Don’t overdo it. You can use soda or beer in place of water for even more aeration or lighter batter.
Don’t overbeat and don’t keep this batter for long. A few lumps are fine.
Immediately dip your shrimp in this tempura batter and then into breadcrumbs so that the batter sticks. Do this for all the shrimp.
Brush air fryer basket that has been preheated. Place the shrimp in one layer. About 6-8 for medium shrimp. Don’t overcrowd.
Cook at 350 F or about 160 C for about 6-8 minutes till golden brown and done. Don’t overcook the shrimp. If using tiger shrimp or larger ones adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Enjoy with tempura sauce or even spicy mayo.

Notes

1. Use medium to large size shrimp. 2. Always make the tempura batter last. Ensure that everything is lined up when you do that. Don’t overbeat or mix too much. Keep it chilled. 3. Sifting the flour and cornstarch helps in making the batter light and airy. 4. Breadcrumbs are not regularly used in tempura recipes but using them enables air frying. 5. You can skip breadcrumbs and use the tempura batter recipe for making deep fried shrimp as well as veggies, chicken strips etc. 6. You can use homemade breadcrumbs or panko crumbs. I just use 3-4 slices of slightly stale wholewheat bread and use a blender to make the breadcrumbs. 7. This recipe is dairy free. You can make it gluten free by skipping all-purpose flour and using double the corn starch. You can also use gluten free bread crumbs. 8. The nutrition values are approximate and are generated by online calculators.

Nutrition