Pesto Shrimp Cocktail In the Air Fryer
Buy our air fryer e-cookbooks today Pesto shrimp cocktail in the air fryer doesn’t get easier than this. It’s a quick and easy appetizer, pot luck dish or for lunch and dinner. Best of all, it’s a nice alternative to the traditional red cocktail sauce. Your next party will be a hit because so many people love pesto! Why not wow your friends with a different type of shrimp cocktail?
Using Pesto for Shrimp Cocktail Instead of Red Cocktail Sauce
There’s nothing wrong with red cocktail sauce, but it often tastes like a ketchup with horseradish. It’s popular, classic and beloved. But one day we had some extra pesto and starting dipping our air fried shrimp into it. Then magic happened. We were like wow, this is yummy and why not have it as our next party appetizer? Everyone loved it and didn’t seem to miss the traditional red cocktail sauce. If you still like the red sauce, here’s our recipe for traditional shrimp cocktail.
Video: Pesto Shrimp Cocktail in the Air Fryer
Homemade Pesto vs Jarred Basil Pesto?
Either will work and it just depends on how much time you have on your hands. Homemade basil pesto is always delicious but can take a little more time. But the results are always gratifying and you can customize the flavors to your liking. Store bought jarred pesto options are great too! There’s so many great brands out there. Here’s a few of our favorites.
How long does it take to air fry the shrimp?
Shrimp sizes vary so much and that will determine how long they will cook. Also, you don’t want to overcook your shrimp. So we suggest always starting at around 8 minutes first. Then check the shrimp and see if your particular size of shrimp is cooked to your liking. If not, then add another 1-2 minutes of air frying time until the shrimp is cooked enough for you. Check out our simple and quick air fryer garlic shrimp recipe.
Air Fryer Pesto Shrimp Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 g) raw shrimp , peeled de-veined,
- Vegetable oil or spray , to coat shrimp
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) garlic powder
- Salt , to taste
- Black pepper , to taste
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- Cut vegetables, crackers or cheese for serving , optional
Equipment
Instructions
- In a bowl add the shrimp, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat all of the shrimp evenly. Add shrimp to air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Air fry at 400°F for about 8-14 minutes (depending on the size of your shrimp), gently shaking and flipping halfway.
- Serve the cooked shrimp with the pesto and additional vegetables, cheese or other ingredients.
If your air fryer is preheated or if you are cooking multiple batches, you may need to reduce timing by a few minutes (unless preheating is called for in the recipe).
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Adding other ingredients to your cocktail platter
Rather than just have the bowl of pesto and air fried shrimp, you can make it more substantial by adding other ingredients. That way everyone can dip other munchies into the pesto rather than just the shrimp. Here’s a few ideas:
- cut vegetables. Raw vegetables are always great to add to an appetizer platter.
- Strips of bread, crackers, pita bread or pretzels.
- Adding pickles on the side is always great. A nice salty and crunchy bite pairs great with the pesto shrimp.
- make it more of a substantial party platter by adding cheese and charcuterie. It’ll be the ultimate party board with the best munchies ever.
- have fun with our air fryer pesto shrimp cocktail recipe
Needing more delish recipes?
- crispy bread shrimp is always a favorite for sure.
- stuffed mushrooms are amazing at parties
- what about frozen shrimp? here’s our tutorial for air frying shrimp from frozen
- hot dog bacon strips are the viral internet recipe.
- everyone needs this easy broccoli salad recipe. This is our air fryer version.
