Keto air fryer coconut shrimp are such a treat — they're crispy, coconutty, and yummy when served with a sweet chili sauce. They're an easy-to-make dinner, appetizer or game day snack!
The light and crispy coconut coating on these keto coconut shrimp make them one of the best out there. And when these crispy coconut shrimp are dipped in a spicy-sweet chili sauce, they're absolutely delicious.
We went through many iterations to produce a flavorful and crispy coating. In doing so, we eliminated coconut flour and simply used a combination of crushed pork rinds and shredded coconut for the exterior. We also cooked them in an air fryer to get a golden, crispy coating.
There are just a few easy steps to making these keto coconut shrimp. Plus, they need only 10 minutes in the air fryer before they're done. An easy dinner or appetizer!
Key Ingredients
A few notes on key ingredients:
- Medium- or large-size raw shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail-on): We prefer medium to large shrimp since we love the ratio of crispy coating to shrimp. That said, you can use a larger shrimp if preferred.
- Paprika: Paprika is added to the shrimp prior to dipping in egg wash to give the shrimp added flavor.
- Garlic powder: Garlic powder is also added to the shrimp prior to dipping in egg wash to enhance the flavor.
- Pork rinds: Pork rinds are a perfect keto substitute for panko crumbs and offer a crispier texture than almond or coconut flour. You'll pulse the pork rinds to a panko-like consistency in a food processor.
- Unsweetened coconut, finely shredded: You can use unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes. You'll pulse the coconut to a panko-like consistency in a food processor.
How To Make
Step 1: Pre-heat air fryer to 380 degrees F. Generously spray the air-fryer basket with coconut or avocado oil. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl, combine shrimp with paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
Step 2: In a food processor, pulse pork rinds to a panko-like consistency and measure one cup of pulsed pork rinds. Pulse the cup of pork rinds with unsweetened coconut flakes until coconut flakes are broken down to a fine consistency.
Step 3: In a medium-size bowl, whisk together eggs. In another medium-size bowl, add the pulsed pork rinds and coconut.
Step 4: Dip the seasoned shrimp in the egg mixture and shake off any excess egg. Then, cover the shrimp in the coconut and pork rind mixture. Place the coated shrimp in the air-fryer basket and continue the process until shrimp line the bottom of the air-fryer basket. The shrimp should not touch one another and should be laid in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches.
Step 5: Lightly spray the shrimp with oil before baking. Air fry for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the coating is golden brown. Serve immediately with sweet chili dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauces
Coconut shrimp is usually paired with a sweet chili sauce, which is delicious. The sweet chili sauce is easy to make and can be made while the shrimp cooks in the air fryer. You can adjust the level of heat in the sauce as desired. You could also consider keto cocktail sauce as an alternative dipping sauce.
Recipe FAQ
Most coconut shrimp recipes are made with panko crumbs, which will make them much higher in carbs than a lower-carb or keto version that uses a low-carb coating. At Red Lobster, the Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp is roughly 85 grams of net carbs for the full plate (number of servings unknown). Our low-carb and keto coconut shrimp have only 3.1 grams of net carbs per serving.
Coconut shrimp is usually paired with sweet chili dipping sauce. It goes well with most appetizers, salads and veggie side dishes.
Absolutely! A pound of shrimp is less than 1 gram in carbs. Plus, it's high in protein and low in calories. It's contains a number of vitamins and minerals and is good source of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
Related Recipes
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Recipe
Keto Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium-size raw shrimp (peeled, deveined and tail-on), thawed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½` teaspoon salt and ground pepper
- 1 cup 4505 Meats Chili & Salt Pork Rinds, finely crushed
- ⅔ cup finely shredded coconut
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Get started: Pre-heat air fryer to 380 degrees F. Generously spray the air-fryer basket with coconut or avocado oil.
- Prepare dipping bowls: Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl, combine shrimp with paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly mixed. In a food processor, pulse pork rinds to a panko-like consistency and measure one cup of pulsed pork rinds. Pulse the cup of pork rinds with unsweetened coconut flakes until coconut flakes are broken down to a fine consistency.
- Dip the shrimp: Dip the seasoned shrimp in the egg mixture and shake off any excess egg. Then, cover the shrimp in the coconut and pork rind mixture. Place the coated shrimp in the air-fryer basket and continue the process until shrimp line the bottom of the air-fryer basket. The shrimp should not touch one another and should be laid in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches.
- Air fry and serve: Lightly spray the shrimp with oil before baking. Air fry for about 10 to 12 minutes, until coating is golden brown. Serve immediately with keto sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- Not all the egg, pork rinds, and coconut will be used in the recipe. Nutrition estimate based on measuring the amount of these ingredients that were actually used in the final dish but these amount used could be highly variable depending your preparation technique.
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