These air fryer shrimp tacos are fresh and flavorful! With crispy shrimp, creamy avocado, and delicious toppings they make for a simple and tasty recipe perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This air fryer shrimp tacos recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. Cooking shrimp is easy and requires minimal cooking time. You'll have these air-fried shrimp tacos to your dinner table in no time!
- This easy recipe is a great way to mix up your taco night. We think it is one of the best shrimp tacos. We hope it becomes one of your favorite meals for taco Tuesday too!
- Using the air fryer makes the perfect shrimp! One of the best things is that you can get crispy shrimp with the air fryer in a matter of minutes.
- We love that these air fryer tacos use simple ingredients that you likely have on hand.
Ingredient Notes
Quick pickled onions
- Red onion - thinly sliced!
- Apple cider vinegar
- Water
- Sugar
- Salt
For the shrimp
- Shrimp - we have found the best way to get tasty shrimp is to use raw shrimp in this recipe. We find that using cooked shrimp can more easily result in overcooked, tough shrimp. You can use fresh shrimp or frozen shrimp. We typically use large shrimp. You can usually find them at any local grocery store.
- Olive oil
- Spices - you will need paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and cumin to make your own taco seasoning.
Avocado crema
- Avocado
- Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Lime juice
- Salt to taste
For assembling the tacos
- Shredded cabbage - both green and purple cabbage/red cabbage will work here. If you can't find plain shredded cabbage you can also use a coleslaw mix. Fresh cabbage will yield the best results!
- Jalapeño - we prefer to remove the seeds and dice the jalapeño. However, if you prefer more heat you can cut thin slices with the seeds still intact.
- Cilantro
- Corn tortillas - we love using corn tortillas for these tacos, but feel free to swap it for flour tortillas if you like them better. Corn tortillas are also gluten-free if that is something you need to be aware of, and there are other grain-free tortilla options out there such as the Siete brand.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Knife and cutting board
- 2 medium bowls (one for pickling the onions, one for seasoning the shrimp)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Small bowl
- Air fryer* (or nonstick pan—see FAQs)
- Food processor* or blender or bowl and fork
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Cut the red onion into thin slices and place in a medium bowl or tupperware container. Measure out and add the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and salt and pour it over the sliced onions. Mix until well combined.
Let them sit while you continue to make the rest of the recipe, stirring every 5-10 minutes to ensure all onions are coated in the pickling solution.
If using frozen shrimp, begin by thawing the shrimp in a medium bowl. Once the shrimp are thawed, pat them dry with a paper towel. Toss the shrimp with the olive oil.
In a small bowl, measure out the paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Sprinkle the spices over the raw shrimp and gently mix until the shrimp are evenly coated in the spices.
Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray or oil. Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes, pull out the air fryer basket and toss, then cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the internal temperature of the shrimp meets 145 degrees F. The total cooking time will depend on the size of the shrimp. Shrimp cook quickly, so keep an eye on them so they don't overcook!
Place the avocado, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and lime into the bowl of a food processor or into a blender. Pulse until all ingredients are combined and smooth. You can also mash the avocado with a fork in a bowl and mix in the other ingredients until well combined. Salt to taste.
If you do not have pre-shredded cabbage, chop your cabbage into fine shreds. Remove the seeds from the jalapeño and dice. Chop the cilantro.
Warm tortillas using your preferred method (stovetop, microwave, etc.).
Place some of the avocado crema down the center of the corn tortilla. Top with about 4 pieces of shrimp, shredded cabbage, cilantro, diced jalapeño, and pickled onions. Enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- While we love the flavors and textures of the toppings provided in this recipe, feel free to swap things out with any of your other favorite toppings! If you're looking to make spicy shrimp tacos try adding hot sauce or hot salsa. Our corn mango salsa and guacamole would also be a great option. If you're looking to add a tropical twist, a pineapple salsa would also be a great addition.
- These tacos are great served with black beans and rice.
- This air fry shrimp would also be tasty as lettuce wraps.
- If you want your tortillas to be a little more charred, you can also cook them briefly over the open flame on a gas stove. If you choose to do this option, please use caution!
- Looking for other shrimp recipes? Try our honey sriracha shrimp and our lemon shrimp asparagus pasta.
FAQ
We recommend storing the leftover shrimp in an air-tight container separate from all of the toppings. The pickled onions can be stored in its pickling solution in the fridge. We recommend consuming leftovers within 2-3 days.
You can place the avocado crema in a bowl and gently press saran wrap to the surface of the avocado crema to help keep it fresh. Please note that as avocados are perishable, the avocado crema may not store well for long.
Of course! If you don't have an air fryer, simply cook the shrimp in a nonstick pan over medium heat. The cooking time will vary based on the size of your shrimp, but generally will only need a few minutes on each side.
This recipe is gluten-free. It is not vegetarian or vegan. To make this recipe dairy-free, simply use a dairy-free yogurt or sour cream in the avocado crema.
If you like these tasty air fryer shrimp tacos, check out some of our other easy taco recipes
If you make this air fryer shrimp taco recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Quick pickled onions
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the shrimp
- 1 lb raw shrimp, deveined and tail off
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
Avocado crema
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Salt to taste
For assembling the tacos
- Shredded cabbage
- Jalapeño, finely diced
- Cilantro, finely chopped
- 8 corn tortillas
Instructions
Quick pickled onions
- Cut the red onion into thin slices and place in a medium bowl or tupperware container. Measure out and add the apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sugar and pour it over the sliced onions. Mix until well combined. Let them sit while you continue to make the rest of the recipe, stirring every 5-10 minutes to ensure all onions are coated in the pickling solution.
For the shrimp
- If using frozen shrimp, begin by thawing the shrimp in a medium bowl. Once the shrimp are thawed, pat them dry with a paper towel. Toss the shrimp with the olive oil.
- In a small bowl, measure out the paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Sprinkle the spices over the raw shrimp and gently mix until the shrimp are evenly coated in the spices.
- Place the shrimp in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes, pull out the air fryer basket and toss, then cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the internal temperature of the shrimp meets 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The total cooking time will depend on the size of the shrimp.
Avocado crema
- Place the avocado, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and lime into the bowl of a food processor or into a blender. Pulse until all ingredients are combined and smooth. You can also mash the avocado with a fork in a bowl and mix in the other ingredients until well combined. Salt to taste.
For assembling the tacos
- If you do not have pre-shredded cabbage, chop your cabbage into fine shreds. Remove the seeds from the jalapeño and dice. Chop the cilantro.
- We like to warm tortillas on a pan over the stove for these tacos. Alternatively, wrap your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel. Place them in the microwave and warm them up in 20 second intervals until they are steaming hot.
- Place some of the avocado crema down the center of the corn tortilla. Top with about 4 pieces of shrimp, shredded cabbage, cilantro, diced jalapeño, and pickled onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is gluten-free. It is not vegetarian or vegan. To make this recipe dairy-free, simply use a dairy-free yogurt or sour cream in the avocado crema.
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos."
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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