Combine onions, bell peppers, and shrimp to make these delicious Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas, ready to eat in 20 minutes!
Air Fryer Fajitas are one of our go-to dinners, making it a great choice for an easy weeknight meal. There are a variety of ways to make fajitas too some of our favorites are Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas, Air Fryer Steak Fajitas, and Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas.
Which one would you choose? Each of these is wonderfully topped over warm tortillas and garnished with lime juice.
What type of shrimp should you use?
This recipe is made with medium-sized raw shrimp with the tail-off. In this recipe, a pound of shrimp will be used.
If you use cooked shrimp, take 5 minutes off the recipe’s cooking time.
The shrimp needs to be defrosted first. This can be done by placing the shrimp in a strainer and running cold water over it. This will take the ice off and lightly defrost the shrimp before placing it into the air fryer basket.
The cooking process for shrimp is very simple, but always be sure to watch closely when air frying it for the first time. All air fryers put out a different level of heat and that can make the cooking time vary.
What type of seasoning should you use for Air Fryer Fajitas?
Fajitas Seasoning or Taco Seasoning can be used to season these fajitas.
We use this Homemade Taco Seasoning on ours, it just takes about 2 tablespoons and the fajitas will be bursting with flavor. This seasoning blend is very similar to fajita seasoning and works interchangeably.
This seasoning is also gluten-free, making these easy to make gluten-free too.
Can you line the air fryer basket with aluminum foil?
If you prefer to line the air fryer basket, aluminum foil can be used; however, be sure to leave room on the sides by rolling the foil up on the sides so that hot air circulates around the food.
Also, be sure that food is on the foil to weigh it down so that it does not blow into the heating element of the air fryer.
Using foil can allow you to keep the vegetables from falling through the holes of the air fryer basket, making it easier clean up too.
Can you make shrimp fajitas in the Ninja Foodi?
Shrimp Fajitas can be made the same way in a Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker that has the Air Crisp or Air Fryer function. The instructions will remain the exact same.
How do you make Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas?
The first thing to do when making air fryer shrimp fajitas is either to line the air fryer with foil or use grapeseed oil spray to coat the air fryer basket. This will be needed throughout the cook time.
Olive Oil Spray does work well too, I’ve used it dozens and dozens of times; however, it does not have a high smoke point, so grapeseed oil spray is the preferred oil spray.
Once the basket is coated or lined, add the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, chopped large onion, and seasoning to the basket of the air fryer. This will then cook at 390 degrees F for about 10 minutes to soften the vegetables.
Next, add the raw shrimp to the basket of the air fryer and mix this up well. Continue cooking for an additional 5-10 minutes until the shrimp is fully cooked.
Serve the tender shrimp fajitas on corn tortillas or flour tortillas and then add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. They can be served with optional toppings like fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, or cauliflower rice.
How do you store leftovers?
This Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas recipe easily makes about 12 fajitas, but if you have leftovers they can be stored and reheated later.
Store the leftover shrimp fajitas in an airtight container without the tortillas. When ready to reheat they can be reheated on a microwave-safe plate for 2-3 minutes in the microwave or in the air fryer they can be reheated at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes.
Enjoy this delicious air fryer recipe on one of your busy weeknights!
Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Diced
- 1/2 Cup Sweet Onion Diced
- 2 Tbsp of Gluten-Free Fajita or Taco Seasoning
- 1 Pound Medium Raw Shrimp Tail-Off & Defrosted
- Grapeseed Oil Spray
- White Corn Tortillas or Flour Tortillas
- Lime to Garnish
Instructions
- Spray the air fryer basket with grapeseed oil spray or line it with foil.
- Add the peppers, onion, and seasoning to the basket.
- Add a coat of olive oil spray.
- Mix it all together.
- Cook at 390°F for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid and add in the shrimp.
- Spray it with additional grapeseed oil spray.
- Cook an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve on warm tortillas and garnish with squeezed lime juice or sliced limes too.
Kelly says
You mentioned that the size of the shrimp is key. I’m just curious… is that so they cook better? Or, is it so they’re more like restaurant style shrimp? Or something else? I like small, bite-size shrimp over big ones, but if it’s going to really affect how the recipe works, I don’t want to get the wrong thing. Thanks!
Kristy says
They just seem to shrink down some in size, so you don’t want to do extra small…in my opinion. I think small is fine but I’ve used some before that are too small and they just sort of turn to mush.
Melinda S says
Hi! Can I do frozen shrimp for this recipe? Thank you!
Kristy says
I would run the shrimp under cold water to get the ice off and defrost it just a bit and then cook it. It doesn’t need to be fully defrosted, just enough water to get any ice off.
DavidM says
You air-fry defrosted shrimp for 22 minutes? Isn’t that a lot?
I’m new to air fryers, and I’ll be happy to know I’m misguided, but in a pan they’re done in a few minutes. Is it because of everything else that’s in there with them?
Kristy says
I just updated this recipe because it was confusing as I read your question and read over the recipe too. I have made these both ways putting in the shrimp at the beginning and at the end, the cooking time is primarily to get the veggies cooked. The shrimp can be added in the final 10 minutes of the cooking time.