Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce

This Healthy Coconut Shrimp Recipe can easily be made in the Air Fryer or in the Oven and it’s DELISH with some homemade Sweet Chili Sauce.   It’s easily gluten free and perfect for the 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers! This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with. 

Guys. This shrimp. 

It’s like a warm island vacation, except you are probably just standing at your kitchen island, inhaling it because it’s too good to wait for a proper plate.

So more like a Kitchen Island Vacation, which, truthfully, is the closest I have been to a vacation in awhile.  Anyone have a fun spring break planned?  I don’t. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anyway.

Back in the day, I used to buy Trader Joe’s Frozen Coconut Shrimp and Sweet Chili Sauce on the reg.  And I probably still would occasionally if we weren’t gluten-free.  But it turns out, it’s really easy to make a healthier, gluten-free coconut shrimp at home!

And once I nailed a homemade Sweet Chili sauce that is actually LOW in sugar, I knew it was time to get a recipe on the blog STAT!

How to Prepare Coconut Shrimp

It’s really easy to prepare coconut shrimp!  First you want to make the breading – I used unsweetened shredded coconut, gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, and I added a little raw sugar for sweetness.  Combine these ingredients and a pinch of salt in a bowl.

Place the gluten-free or whole wheat flour in a small bowl. Whisk an egg and an egg white in another bowl.

Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

How to Cook Coconut Shrimp in the Oven

If you don’t have an Air Fryer, you can cook this Healthy Coconut Shrimp in the Oven!

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lay the prepared shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with cooking spray; bake in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 6-7 minutes or until cooked though. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.

How to make Coconut Shrimp in an Air Fryer

I am OBSESSED with how easy it is to cook coconut shrimp in my Air Fryer!  It’s so quick and it cooks up perfectly crunchy!

Preheat air fryer to 375°F.

Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and spray the prepared shrimp, as well.  Cook the shrimp, in batches, 4 minutes on one side, turn cook 2 minutes (6 min total). Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Serve with dipping sauce.

WHICH AIRFRYER SHOULD I BUY?

I have this Phillips Airfryer and I do love the way it cooks, but now that I own one, I my advice is to look at both the quart size of the actual cooking basket and the reviews on all the air fryers in your budget and see which one has the largest cooking capacity.  A small cooking basket (like I have) would be difficult if you are cooking for a larger family.

Here are some of my Readers’ favorite Airfryers:

Power Air Fryer XL AF-530-5.3 5.3 QT Deluxe – This popular air fryer is larger at over 5 quarts, but this brand actually has a six quart version, as well!

Philips HD9630/98 Avance XXL Twin Turbostar Airfryer (3lb/4qt) – Like mine, but larger.

NuWave Brio 6 Quart Digital Air Fryer – Black with NuWave Brio Air Fryer 3 Piece Gourmet Accessory Kit – 6 Quart – I love the accessories this one comes with.  And this brand has a 10 quart!!!

GoWISE USA GW22731 1700-Watt 8-in-1 Digital 50 Recipes for Your Air Fryer Book, 5.8-QT– This is an awesome price point for a nice sized air fryer!

Ninja Foodi TenderCrisp Multi-Cooker and Fryer All-in-One (OP305) – This is the kitchen appliance of my dreams!  It’s BOTH a pressure cooker and also an air fryer (among other things!).  If I didn’t have three instant pots and two air fryers, I would totally get one.

Is Coconut Shrimp Healthy?

Most coconut shrimp, especially those you would get at a restaurant, are unfortunately not very healthy even if they are delicious. First, they are usually deep fried in unhealthy oils. Also, they are probably breaded with white flour and sweetened coconut.  And don’t even get me started on the dipping sauces full of high fructose corn syrup!

This Healthy Coconut Shrimp recipe is totally different!  First, it’s breaded using gluten-free or whole wheat flour and panko.  And the shredded coconut is all natural and unsweetened – I added a small amount of raw sugar for taste, but this is a controlled amount and can also be omitted.

Plus, we are oven baking our healthy coconut shrimp or making them in an air fryer!  Yay!

Are Coconut Shrimp Gluten-free?

Not always, but this IS a Gluten-Free Coconut Shrimp Recipe!  Coconut is naturally gluten-free, and I used gluten-free panko, as well as gluten-free all purpose flour.  You can replace these ingredients with whole wheat if you are not gluten free.

What are the Portion Fix Container Counts for this Coconut Shrimp?  What about the Weight Watchers Freestyle Points?

I’m glad you asked!  This 21 Day Fix Coconut Shrimp recipe is 1 Red, 1 Orange, 1/4 Yellow per serving.  And the Weight Watchers FS Points is 8 per serving, which includes the dipping sauce!

Check out the easy this Healthy Coconut Shrimp recipe is with this video!

Here’s the Printable 21 Day Fix Coconut Shrimp Recipe

Healthy Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce – Gluten-free | Air Fryer | Oven

★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews

• Author: Nancylynn
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 6 minutes
• Total Time: 11 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Seafood
• Method: Air Fryer | Oven
• Cuisine: Asian

Print Recipe

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Description

This Healthy Coconut Shrimp Recipe can easily be made in the Air Fryer or in the Oven and it’s DELISH with some homemade Sweet Chili Sauce.   It’s easily gluten free and perfect for the 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Coconut Shrimp 

1 lb large shrimp 18-20 count (I like tail on for presentation, but tail off works ok!)

½ cup gluten free or whole wheat panko if not GF

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

4 tsp raw sugar (optional but gives the coconut a sweeter taste)

pinch of salt

2 T gluten free flour or whole wheat flour if not GF

1 egg and 1 egg white

salt

cooking oil spray

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 T minced or grated ginger

5 T white wine vinegar

2 T plus 2 tsp maple syrup or honey (or I love to do half and half)

2 T coconut aminos

¼–½ tsp chili paste (sambal oelek)

1 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch (or sub GF flour)

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Instructions

Sweet Chili Sauce:

Place all the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sauce begins to bubble and just begins to thicken (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and cool – it will continue to thicken.  I like to serve it cold from the fridge!

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp:

Preheat air fryer to 375°F.

Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Place the flour in a small bowl. Whisk egg in another bowl.

Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and spray the shrimp, as well.  Cook the shrimp, in batches, 4 minutes on one side, turn cook 2 minutes (6 min total). Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Serve with dipping sauce.

Oven Coconut Shrimp:  

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Place the flour in a small bowl. Whisk egg in another bowl.

Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

Lay shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with cooking spray; bake in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 6-7 minutes or until cooked though. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.

Notes

Makes 4 servings

21 Day Fix: 1 RED, 1 ORANGE, 1/4 YELLOW (per serving)

WW: Green – 9 points, Blue – 8 points, Purple – 8 points (per serving) [Calculated using gluten free panko, gluten free flour, and arrowroot]   *If not using sauce, can subtract 3 points from each plan.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 pound (4-5 shrimp) 2 T dipping sauce

Keywords: healthy air fryer recipes, air fryer recipes, coconut shrimp, 21 day fix recipes, gluten free air fryer, weight watchers freestyle points