Air Fryer Scallops (Easy Air Fried Method With Butter Sauce)

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Tasty air fryer scallops are fried to the perfect temperature and served with tasty butter sauce packed with herbs, lemon and garlic. Use sea scallops for this recipe like I did, or try bay scallops. Let’s air fry ‘em…

HEY THERE — Don’t forget I post quick, easy air fryer recipes on Instagram. Join me at @sipbitego.

Table of Contents

Why cooking scallops in air fryers is genius…

Cook scallops with less oil. You just need to lightly spray them for this dish.
Once I show you how to cook scallops in an air fryer, it will be easy to make this recipe time and time again for pasta dishes, topping risotto, and making seafood salads on the fly.
Newer home chefs: see my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).

Drizzling butter sauce on Air Fryer Scallops Recipe

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make scallops with the air fryer method.

For air frying scallops

Sea scallops (about (1 oz each, or 2-3” diameter)
Kosher or sea salt
Pepper
Cooking spray (or brush olive oil on scallops)

For the tasty butter sauce

Butter
Garlic
Capers
White wine (dry)
Lemon wedges
Parsley

Air Fryer Scallop Recipe with sea scallops and a lemon garlic butter sauce

A note on how air fried scallops look…

Okay, real talk here, especially since people said my air fryer chicken breast recipe didn’t look browned like they’re used to (although it was completely cooked). Loved all the instagram comments on that one (chicken recipes have never been such a hot topic!)

When you cook scallops in an air fryer, they will cook thoroughly and become perfectly tender, just like you’d want. But the outside isn’t going to be really browned. They’ll be whiter than pan seared scallops.

That’s because when you pan sear scallops at a very high heat on the stove (at least 450 degrees F), the high heat mixed with butter or olive oil browns them. The difference is that in the air fryer scallops cook at 400 degrees F, which is the highest temperature most air fryer models go to.

Check out my guide to the difference between air fryer method and others in this article about convection oven vs air fryer.

Air Fryer Cooked Scallops served with a butter caper sauce

How to cook scallops in air fryer

Now I’ll walk you through this easy recipe…

Infographic demonstrating how to air fry scallops

Quick look at recipe steps

Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees and prep / season scallops.
Add scallops to air fryer basked and air fry for 5 minutes.
Flip and air fry 3-5 minutes, until they reach 120 degrees F internally.
Make the butter sauce on the stove. Drizzle on scallops and enjoy.

Detailed recipe guide

Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Clean and dry scallops by patting them with a paper towel.
Season the scallops. Season scallops all over with salt and pepper.
Prep scallops to air fry them. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Add seasoned scallops to the air fryer basket, with space between them. It’s important to arrange scallops so they aren’t touching so they air flows around them. Spray scallops lightly with cooking spray.
Air fry scallops at 400 degrees F in a preheated machine for 5 minutes. Take the temperature of the scallops with an internal read thermometer to see how close they are at this point to 120 degrees F (they shouldn’t be done, but may be close depending on your air fryer machine).
Flip sea scallops and air fry them for another 3-5 minutes, or until they reach the internal temperature of 120 degrees F. Cooking times will vary depending on your air fryer model and size of the scallops.
Make the butter sauce for scallops. While the scallops air fry, make the butter sauce. You can melt the butter in the microwave and add the ingredients to it, stir to combine. Or, my preferred method (to roast the garlic a little) is to make it on the stove. To do this, add the butter, garlic, and capers to a small skillet on the stove on medium heat. Stir for about 2 minutes, until butter melts and ingredients become fragrant (but before garlic turns brown). Add wine, and squeeze 1-2 wedges of lemon juice into the mixture. Turn off the heat of the burner and stir for 1 minute until well combined.
Plate air fried scallops with a drizzle of butter sauce and a little extra salt and pepper if desired.

Drizzling butter sauce for Air Fryer Scallops dish

FAQs

What’s the difference between bay scallops and sea scallops?

Sea scallops, like the ones used in this recipe are larger and round, like a marshmallow. Bay scallops are much smaller, like the size of mini meatballs, and will cook much faster in the air fryer.

Can you air fry frozen scallops?

Yes, you can pop frozen scallops in the air fryer, and add on a few minutes until they’re cooked to the safe scallops done temperature. But my preference is to let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight (on a plate or bowl,, in case the bag leaks). Then pat them dry and air fry them.

Air fried seafood dish with scallops and butter sauce

What you need to air fry food

Air Fryer Machine: In Sip Bite Go recipe tutorials, you’ll see the higher end model, the Philips Airfryer XXL Digital. Other popular air fryers include the Ninja Foodi, NuWave, and Black & Decker.
Air Fryer Accessories: Save time with reusable air fryer basket liners and this bundle of air fryer accessories.

Easy air fryer recipes

Meat thermometer recommendations

Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.

On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.

It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.

How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

Are you a foodie, too?

Hey home chefs, hope your seafood cravings are all answered with this new air fryer scallops recipe. There are other similar seafood air fryer recipes to try, like bacon wrapped scallops, frozen scallops, and breaded scallops. More to come soon here on Sip Bite Go!

If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.

Air Fryer Scallops

Why cooking scallops in air fryers is genius…