Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Sweet and smoky Bacon Wrapped Shrimp might be the best air fryer appetizer. Who can resist buttery shrimp and crispy bacon? Made in the air fryer, they are ready in minutes. Serve with a chipotle cocktail sauce to round out the bite!

Shrimp Appetizer

When looking for fancy foods to serve my guests I go straight to seafood. But not just any seafood, as so many people are picky about the fish they eat, but shrimp seems to please them all! Shrimp appetizers are always a hit.

What could possibly make shrimp even better? BACON, of course! Everything is better with bacon.

Just like these Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers and Bacon Crackers.

You may think that a bacon wrapped shrimp recipe is labor intensive and tricky to cook but let me assure you that this recipe is easy! Oh, and I did I mention that it only has 3 ingredients?

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Ingredients Needed

Shrimp – Make sure that your shrimp is peeled and deveined before starting, but leave the tails on as little handles. You will need about 1 pound.

Bacon – Thin cut bacon is much easier to wrap around the shrimp, tends to be more secure and ensures that the bacon and shrimp will cook fully. We will need 12 slices cut in half.

Jalapeño – Make sure your peppers are seeded. This helps to remove some of the heat, plus no one likes crunching on seeds! Wear gloves if you can.

Cocktail Sauce – With the combination of smoky chipotle peppers and sweet ketchup, this cocktail sauce makes the perfect dipping sauce for these easy bacon wrapped shrimp.

Chipotle peppers – These are smoked jalapeños canned in a sweet and tangy sauce. The flavor totally elevates a plain cocktail sauce into something fit for this delicious appetizer. And if you have any extra, slather it on a burger and thank me later.

If you are not a spicy foods fan you can skip the strips of jalapeño, but let me assure you that the air fryer and the bacon mellow out the heat.

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How to Make Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

First: Peel the shrimp, leaving the shell on the tail for easy eating! Cut the bacon in half so the slice of bacon isn’t too long. Also seed and slice the jalapeno pepper into thin slices.

Second: Wrap the piece of bacon around the shrimp and jalapeño, pulling a little tight. Feel free to secure with a toothpick if you like.

Third: Preheat the air fryer for a minute or two before you add the bacon wrapped shrimp. This sears the bacon a little and keeps them from sticking to the basket.

Be sure to have space between the shrimp so the air can circulate and crisp all sides.

Fourth: While the shrimp are air frying, mix the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and the cocktail sauce together. Set aside for dipping once all the shrimp are cooked.

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Because we are using an air fryer to cook these, we are limited on space and need to cook the shrimp in batches. This works out perfectly because they cook quickly, you are always serving hot appetizers.

You can stop cooking when everyone is full and the remaining shrimp can be stored properly in the fridge until you are ready to cook them! Always fresh, always delicious.

What is the best size shrimp?

This air fryer bacon wrapped shrimp recipe calls for 1 pound of shrimp but shrimp come in all sizes so be sure to pick the right size for your recipe.

Shrimp is classified by size, i.e. 21/25, 26/30. These numbers mean the number of shrimp in a pound. The higher the number (51/60) the smaller each individual shrimp is. 51/60 is perfect for a shrimp salad.

• 51/60 – small
• 41/50 – medium
• 36/40 – med large
• 31/35 – large
• 26/30 – extra large
• 21/25 – jumbo
• 16/20 – extra jumbo

The ones I use for this recipe are the 21/25 size and the typical serving would be 4-6 shrimp per person which is approximately 4 ounces. And I chose a medium thickness cut bacon.

The smaller the shrimp the thinner the bacon or you risk over cooking the shrimp before the bacon is crispy. If the bacon is too thin and the shrimp too large, the bacon will burn before the shrimp is cooked through.

Can I use any type of bacon?

I prefer to use the regular “cut” bacon instead of thick cut if the shrimp are smaller. See the hints section above for more detail.

Can I bake these in the oven if I don’t have an air fryer?

Yes, you can! Preheat oven to 350F. Bake them on a regular baking sheet in the shrimp in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until the bacon is cooked through. Cooking times will vary so check on them frequently!

Do I need skewers or toothpicks to hold the bacon in place?

I didn’t because I placed the shrimp in the fryer basket with the end of the bacon down or under the shrimp to keep it from unraveling.

What goes with bacon wrapped shrimp?

I usually serve these as an appetizer on game day, so any other finger-food type appetizers would work well with these bites.

Here are some suggestions: Easy Teriyaki Meatballs, Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels, Big Mac Slider Hawaiian Rolls, and Fried Mac N Cheese Bites. But I also won’t judge you if you decided to eat them as an entree.

Tapas Tips & Tricks

• Make sure you use raw shrimp with the shell on the tail. Don’t use butterflied or those cut up the back. They will dry out.
• The bigger the shrimp the thicker cut of bacon you can use.
• Sprinkle the shrimp with this fry seasoning recipe for more flavor.
• Cold bacon is easier to handle when wrapping the shrimp but slightly warmer bacon (almost room temp) can be wrapped tighter.
• Chill the bacon wrapped shrimp in the fridge before cooking in the air fryer. This helps the bacon stay wrapped and keeps it from overcooking before the shrimp is done.
• Preheat the air fryer so the bacon sears a little when you add the shrimp to the fry basket. This keeps it from sticking. If you still have the shrimp sticking, you can brush them with olive oil or spray with cooking spray.
• Serve the air fried shrimp on a warm plate or keep the cooked ones in a warm oven while you are frying subsequent batches.
• Think the sauce is too spicy or you want to add a little sweetness to it try adding maple syrup or a little brown sugar. If the chipotle sauce is too smoky or strong you can just add a small pinch of chili powder to the cocktail sauce and leave the chipotles out all together.

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This quick and easy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp recipe is perfect for a party or a weeknight dinner! Serve over rice for a full meal.

This shrimp wrapped in bacon recipe inspired by Sandra at The Foodie Affair!

Take a look at all of our Spring 2019 Freaky Friday Recipes:

• A Grande Life – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
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• Aunt Bee’s Recipes – BLT Pasta Salad
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• Hostess at Heart – Blueberry Buckle Recipe – Incredibly Easy To Make
• House of Nash Eats – Asparagus Tart
• Kylee Cooks – No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
• LeMoine Family Kitchen –  Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
• Life Currents – Blackened Shrimp Pasta
• Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Spicy Thai Basil Slaw
• Mildly Meandering –  Mediterranean Scalloped Potatoes 
• Seduction in the Kitchen – Grilled Peach Caprese Salad
• Take Two Tapas –  Spicy Bacon Wrapped Air Fryer Shrimp
• The Foodie Affair – Coconut Pie with Creamy Custard Filling
• The Speckled Palate – Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
• West Via Midwest –  Air Fryer Cherry Pies
• Who Needs a Cape? –  Slow Cooker Cheesy Taco Soup

{Originally posted on 04/26/2019 – photos and notes updated to improve reader experience 04/20/22}

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