EASY Air Fryer Buffalo Shrimp (w/ Brown Sugar Sauce)

Name: Air Fryer Brown Sugar Buffalo Shrimp (Crispy)
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ½ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used jumbo) ((about 8 jumbo shrimp)); ½ cup flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 cup plain panko breadcrumbs; 2 eggs + 1 tbsp milk; 1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives; ½ cup Frank's® RedHot® Buffalo Wings Sauce; ¼ cup dark brown sugar; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

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This Air Fryer Brown Sugar Buffalo Shrimp recipe is the perfect appetizer for the Big Game! Coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs and slathered in a sweet and spicy buffalo sauce, you will be licking your fingers clean in UNDER 15 MINUTES!

If you love shrimp, you will adore my Panko Fried Butterfly Shrimp and Shrimp Tempura Boats with Sweet Chili Sauce or any of these sauces to dip into!

Air fryer buffalo shrimp on a plate with Frank's hot sauce in the background. — Serve your buffalo shrimp with blue cheese or ranch on the side!

I partnered with Instant Pot and Franks RedHot to bring you this delicious air fryer buffalo shrimp! They are the perfect Game Day appetizer everyone always goes crazy over.

What's a proper tailgate without something buffalo flavored and finger food friendly? Here I have the best of BOTH worlds.

But instead of making buffalo wings as we usually do, I decided to go a different route. Buffalo SHRIMP!

Yes. Shrimp. In my opinion, they are better than wings. That might be because I am obsessed with shrimp in any form but these are that good.

🛒 Ingredients

Shrimp- I recommend using JUMBO shrimp. They look fancier and are simply more efficient when you need to clean and peel 12 jumbos as opposed to 24 medium-sized shrimp.
Panko breadcrumbs- I love panko for this recipe. The crumbs are larger and will give a much crunchier texture to your shrimp. I used plain since the seasoned kind typically comes Italian-style which is not what we're going for.
Cooking Spray- The main benefit of using an air fryer is the ability to get crispy food while using LESS fat. You could air fry your shrimp without any oil but a little fat helps the breadcrumbs crisp up and brown nicely and a spray is the perfect way to do that.
Frank's® RedHot® Buffalo Wings Sauce- When it comes to hot sauce, Franks is America's favorite. Their pre-mixed wings sauce makes this recipe quick, easy and so delicious.

Steps for how to make buffalo shrimp in the air fryer. — Look at that crispy exterior!

📖 How To Make Air Fryer Buffalo Shrimp

Preheat your air fryer.
Clean, peel and devein your shrimp.
Dredge your shrimp in the egg, flour and breadcrumb mixture.
Add your breaded shrimp to your air fryer basket and fry.
When ready, remove the shrimp immediately to prevent from overcooking.
Then douse those bad boys with that deliciously sweet n' spicy buffalo sauce.

🌶️ Making The Brown Sugar Buffalo Sauce

This sauce was inspired by my Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. I used Frank's® RedHot® Buffalo Wings Sauce because it is already mixed and ready-to-pour!

But because I love my sweet and spicy foods, I added brown sugar to the buffalo sauce to kick it up a level. The combination is AMAZING.

All you need to do is mix together the brown sugar and hot sauce and pour!

I serve any leftover sauce on the side with my buffalo shrimp so people can make it extra saucy if they wish.

breaded air fryer shrimp being poured with Frank's buffalo sauce. — I like to add a touch more of Franks!

📌 Expert Tips

Make sure to preheat your air fryer to ensure your shrimp cooks through.
If you want super crunchy shrimp, I highly recommend panko breadcrumbs as opposed to regular breadcrumbs.
Leave the tails on your shrimp! This allows you to coat your shrimp without a mess (since you use the looks fancier and allows guests to hold onto it while dipping!
Air fry your shrimp in batches. This will ensure your shrimp brown evenly and crispy up nicely.
Spray both sides of your breaded shrimp generously with cooking spray. This helps the exterior get golden brown.
Purchase shrimp that are already peeled and deveined to speed up this recipe.

Breaded shrimp air fried and covered in buffalo sauce.

Make sure to check out these 73 Shrimp Appetizer Ideas!

👉 Air Fryer Tips

Most people over cook shrimp which results in a tough, rubbery bite. Because shrimp normally cooks very quickly, it will cook EXTRA fast in your air fryer so make sure to remove it immediately once the time is up. The internal temperature for cooked shrimp should be 145 degrees F. This will ensure you have plump, juicy shrimp.
Do not crowd your air fryer basket. This rule applies anytime we want crispy food. Allowing space in between food lets the hot air circulate around it better resulting in a crispy exterior. Working in batches is best.
Preheat your air fryer so they begin cooking right when you put them in. Do not leave the tray open for too long or it will have to reheat again.
You do not need to flip your shrimp since we are air frying our shrimp in small batches so we will skip this step.

💬 FAQ's

"Can I use frozen shrimp?"

Yes! I use frozen shrimp all the time. Just make sure to fully defrost your shrimp and pat them dry with a paper towel.

"Can I make these in advance?"

Yes. I recommend air frying your shrimp for 5 minutes. Then when you're ready to serve, pop them back in the air fryer for the last 3 minutes or so until they finish cooking and crisping up.

"Can I freeze buffalo shrimp?"

I don't recommend freezing them. The texture will be lost when they thaw.

"Can I use cooked shrimp?"

No! You will end up with dry, rubbery shrimp.