Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos with Mango Corn Salsa and Avocado Crema
Keep it simple with these air fryer shrimp tacos. This easy recipe has flavorful, juicy shrimp, homemade mango salsa and an avocado crema that’s both healthy and delicious.
Shrimp is my go-to when I need something quick and easy. It’s low in fat and calories, cooks in no time and there’s so much you can do with it. These shrimp tacos are one of my family’s favorite meals. I set out everyone’s favorite toppings and let them go to town. Even my little picky eaters ask for seconds!
The cottage cheese avocado crema is inspired by sour cream but more flavorful and nutritious. It goes with everything and because it’s made with cottage cheese, gives you a little boost of protein. For more shrimp recipes, try boom boom shrimp, creamy Cajun shrimp, coconut shrimp curry or blackened shrimp alfredo.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Simple dinner, perfect for busy weeknights.
- 20 grams of protein and 4g of fat per taco.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See recipe card below for full ingredients list and instructions for air-fried shrimp tacos.
- Shrimp: fresh shrimp is always the best but if going frozen, I suggest Waterfront Bistro. Choose a peeled and deveined shrimp or do that part yourself. You can also turn these into fish tacos by using your favorite white fish.
- Taco Seasoning: you can use my homemade taco seasoning or buy one of the packets.
- Tortillas: corn tortillas or flour tortillas. I used Carb Counter snack-size tortillas.
- Corn: use fresh corn on the cob or BBQ’d corn for extra flavor. You can also use canned fire-roasted.
- Fresh Mango: or frozen chunks.
- Tomato
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Avocados
- Cottage Cheese: I used low-fat cottage cheese. You can use full-fat for a richer flavor but with the richness of the avocados, it really doesn’t need it. You can also use plain Greek yogurt. I suggest a low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt for a creamy consistency as non-fat yogurt tends to be watery.
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Milk: any type of milk to help the consistency.
Variations
- To make these spicy shrimp tacos, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the shrimp seasoning.
- Add hot sauce to the avocado crema to make a spicy sauce.
- Try oven baked chicken tacos for a version with ground chicken taco meat.
Dietary Modifications
- These are gluten-free, as is.
- The shrimp and salsa are dairy-free, as is. The avocado crema has a cottage cheese and milk base so will need to be omitted or use a dairy-free alternative to cottage cheese and milk.
How to make this air fryer shrimp taco recipe:
Step 1: make salsa
For the salsa: add the corn, mango, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro to a bowl (image 1). Mix to combine (image 2) and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Step 2: make the avocado crema
For the crema: Add the avocado, cottage cheese, lime juice, cilantro, salt and garlic to a high speed blender (image 3). Blend for 5 minutes, and add 1 Tbsp. of milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency (image 4). Let it set in the fridge until ready to serve.
Step 3: prep shrimp and air fry
Preheat the air fryer while you prep your shrimp. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, cumin, chili powder and salt (image 5). Add to the shrimp (image 6) and mix well so the shrimp is evenly coated. Add the shrimp in a single layer to the air fryer and cook (image 7) at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-6 minutes until they’re pink and no longer translucent (image 8). Flip the shrimp halfway through.
Step 4: brown tortillas and assemble tacos
Over a open flame on the stove sear the tortillas and top with shredded cabbage, shrimp, mango corn salsa (65g) and 1 tbsp. (19g) Avocado crema (image 9).
Expert Tip!
To ripen an avocado overnight, put it in a brown paper bag with an apple or a banana. The gas produced will help speed up the ripening process.
Recipe FAQs
Add your favorite taco toppings! Air fry shrimp go well with sour cream or Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of lime juice, black beans, or purple cabbage. Add your favorite spicy sauce for some heat or with mango corn salsa for some sweetness.
Store any leftover shrimp in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three days.
When cooking, always buy raw shrimp, whether fresh or frozen. Cooked shrimp will dry out way too fast.
The freshest option is fresh raw shrimp. You can usually purchase this at the seafood counter at your local grocery store. However!! Raw seafood counter shrimp is usually previously frozen, so you can save a few bucks buying shrimp in the frozen aisle. I love the brand Waterfront Bistro.
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can always bake your seasoned shrimp in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-6 minutes or pan-sear until cooked through. Always ensure the shrimp is cooked to 145 degrees.
Check out some of our other easy dinners!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos
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Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp, tails off and deveined
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 6 snack size flour tortillas Carb Counter
- shredded cabbage
Mango Corn Salsa
- 1/2 a container of canned corn 150g
- 1 small mango chopped, 140g
- 2 small vine tomatoes chopped, 200g
- 1/2 red onion finely sliced, 100g
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt
Avocado Crema
- 2 avocados 183g
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese 110g
- 4 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2-3 Tbsp. milk (any kind) to thin out
Instructions
Mango Corn Salsa
- Add the corn, mango, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro to a bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Avocado Crema
- Add the avocado, cottage cheese, lime juice, cilantro, salt and garlic to a high speed blender. Blend for 5 minutes, and add 1 Tbsp. of milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Let it set in the fridge until ready to serve.
Shrimp and Tacos
- Preheat the air fryer while you prep your shrimp. If you’re using frozen shrimp add them to a large bowl and fill with room temperature water to defrost, swap out the water if needed and let them sit until fully defrosted. If not already done, remove the tails and devein the shrimp. Pat dry and add to a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, cumin, chili powder and salt and add to the shrimp. Mix well so the shrimp is evenly coated.
- Add the shrimp in a single layer to the air fryer and cook at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-6 minutes until they're pink and no longer translucent. Flip the shrimp halfway through.
- Over a open flame on the stove sear the tortillas and top with shredded cabbage, shrimp, mango corn salsa (65g) and 1 Tbsp. (19g) avocado crema.
Notes
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- Use raw shrimp not pre-cooked. Pre-cooked will get too tough.
- Add your favorite taco additions like jalapenos and hot sauce for added heat.
These tacos were amazing! Every layer was filled with flavor! That avocado crema could be a dip on its own. It was even better the next day! Another winner!
The flavor on these is my favorite too and they’re so easy to make! Happy you agree 🙂
These were amazing! I stuck to the recipe but added hot honey to the shrimp at the end. 100% making these again!
These are easy and delicious! The salsa is yum!
My whole family LOVED these tacos! I usually don’t care for the texture/taste of reheated leftover shrimp but air frying them for the recipe gave the shrimp the perfect texture for reheating the next day to toss into a salad. The mango salsa was so good. Another ohsnapmacros favorite!
Woo hoo!! Success! Thank you