Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp

This air fryer Cajun shrimp cooks in garlic butter and Cajun seasoning for tender shrimp with a buttery, boldly seasoned sauce. I make it straight from frozen with no thawing required, but fresh or thawed shrimp work too.

Cajun shrimp in the air fryer is an easy protein to build dinner around. Spoon it over cauliflower cheese grits, serve it with lemon orzo pasta, or use it to make my air fryer surf and turf with steak.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Just three main ingredients: Shrimp, Cajun seasoning, and garlic butter do most of the work.
• No thawing needed: You can cook the shrimp straight from frozen.
• Plenty of flavor: The shrimp cook right in the seasoned garlic butter.
• Easy to build dinner around: Serve them as your main protein with grits, rice, pasta, or vegetables.

Ingredients Needed

• Raw shrimp: I use peeled and deveined extra-jumbo shrimp. I tested this recipe with frozen shrimp cooked without thawing, but fresh or thawed shrimp work too and cook faster.
• Cajun seasoning: My homemade Cajun seasoning adds smoky, savory flavor with a little heat. Store-bought blends work too, but they can be saltier.
• Garlic herb butter: I use my Garlic Herb Butter. It melts around the shrimp as they cook and creates the buttery Cajun sauce. I usually make a full batch of that recipe then use it to make these cajun shrimp as well as to serve on top of my Air Fryer Steak.
• Optional for serving: Lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

How to Make Cajun Shrimp in the Air Fryer

Add the shrimp

Place the frozen shrimp in the air fryer cooking pot or an air-fryer-safe pan and spread them out as evenly as possible.

Add the seasoning and butter

Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning over the shrimp, then add the garlic butter on top. There’s no need to melt it first.

Air fry and toss

Air fry at 400°F for 5 minutes. Once the butter has melted, stir well so the partially cooked shrimp get coated in the Cajun garlic butter.

Finish cooking

Air fry for another 5–6 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Give everything one final toss before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Use a solid-bottom pan or cooking pot: This keeps the garlic butter around the shrimp instead of letting it drip through the air fryer basket.
• Adjust store-bought Cajun seasoning: Packaged blends vary in salt and heat, so start with less if you aren’t using my homemade version.
• Watch the shrimp size: The timing is for extra-jumbo frozen shrimp. Smaller shrimp may finish sooner.
• Using fresh or thawed shrimp: They can cook in about half the time of frozen shrimp, so start checking them around the 5-minute mark.
• Stir halfway through: This helps the shrimp cook evenly and distributes the seasoning once the butter melts.
• Use the sauce: Spoon the seasoned butter left in the pan over whatever you serve with the shrimp.

What to Serve With Cajun Shrimp

This shrimp works well as the main protein for several different meals. If you want to turn this same Cajun shrimp into an all-in-one meal with vegetables, make my air fryer frozen Cajun shrimp and broccoli. Otherwise, use the shrimp as the starting point for one of these dinners:

• Shrimp and grits: Spoon the shrimp and some of the Cajun garlic butter over cheesy grits, then add a green vegetable on the side.
• Lemon orzo dinner: Serve the shrimp with lemon orzo and asparagus, green beans, or another simple vegetable.
• Rice bowl: Start with plain jasmine or long-grain white rice, or add more flavor with garlic butter rice or cilantro lime rice. Cilantro lime cauliflower rice is another option.
• Spaghetti squash bowl: Spoon the shrimp and some of the sauce over air fryer spaghetti squash.
• Cajun shrimp Alfredo: Use the cooked shrimp in my Cajun shrimp Alfredo instead of preparing another batch of shrimp. Add them to the pasta and sauce at the end.

Easy Variations

• Lemon garlic butter: Swap the garlic herb butter for my lemon garlic butter sauce when you want a brighter, more lemony finish.
• Cajun garlic butter: Use my Cajun garlic butter sauce for an even bolder Cajun flavor.
• More heat: Add a little cayenne if you want spicier Cajun shrimp.

Storage & Reheating

• Store: Refrigerate leftover shrimp in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Warm gently until just heated through so the shrimp stay tender.
• Use leftovers: Add them to rice bowls, pasta, or salads.

FAQs

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