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Air Fryer Scallops are one of the easiest seafood recipes you can make at home! They’re ready in under 10 minutes with just a handful of simple ingredients. These scallops cook up tender and buttery with golden edges, without a hot stovetop or any fancy technique.
If you love scallops, try these bacon-wrapped scallops in the air fryer next
Quick Look At This Recipe
✨ Flavor: Buttery, garlicky, and just a little savory. Old Bay brings a subtle warmth that makes these taste like something you’d order at a seafood restaurant.
⏱️ Prep time: 5 minutes
🔥 Cook time: 8 minutes
⏲️ Total time: 13 minutes
👥 Servings: 4
🥄 Tools: Air fryer
❄️ Freezer friendly: Cooked scallops taste best fresh but can be frozen for up to one month.
👩🏻🍳 Tip: Pat them dry. Removing surface moisture before cooking is the difference between golden, tender scallops and pale, steamed ones.
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I’ll be honest, scallops used to feel like a restaurant-only kind of meal to me, something complicated and easy to get wrong at home. Then I started making them in the air fryer, and everything changed.
These days they’re my go-to for a quick weeknight dinner or a date night at home when I want something that feels special without the effort. The air fryer circulates heat evenly around each scallop, so you get that tender, buttery texture every single time!
If you are looking for more air fryer seafood recipes, you will love air-fried crab cakes, air fryer frozen fish sticks, or air fryer cod fillets.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in under 10 minutes. From the fridge to table faster than most weeknight sides.
- Foolproof results. The air fryer’s even heat means no babysitting, no guessing, and no rubbery scallops, as long as you don’t overcook them.
- Works as an appetizer or a main. Serve them on their own with lemon wedges for a starter, or pair them with a side and call it dinner.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Sea or bay scallops: Sea scallops are larger and meatier, while bay scallops are smaller and sweeter. Both work great, but if you use bay scallops, reduce the cook time by a few minutes since they’re much smaller. Whatever you buy, look for dry-packed scallops at the seafood counter. Wet-packed scallops contain added water and preservatives that dilute their flavor and prevent browning. Fresh scallops should smell slightly sweet (not fishy), look shiny and pink, and feel firm and not slimy.
- Unsalted butter: Gives the scallops a richer flavor, but you can substitute olive oil for a lighter option.
- Minced garlic: Just like in my garlic and lemon shrimp recipe, fresh minced garlic gives the best flavor here.
- Old Bay Seasoning: My go-to for seafood. Its savory, slightly spiced blend complements the natural sweetness of scallops perfectly.
For the full list of ingredients with the quantities, see the recipe card below.
Variations
- Swap the seasonings: Try Cajun seasoning for a bold, smoky heat that pairs beautifully with the buttery base, or lemon pepper for flavors that are lighter and let the natural sweetness of the scallops shine through.
- Make a quick lemon garlic butter: While the scallops cook, melt a tablespoon of butter with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of garlic. Drizzle over the scallops right before serving.
- Try it with shrimp: This same method works beautifully with large shrimp — season and air fry the same way, but reduce the cook time to 6–8 minutes. For a full garlic butter shrimp recipe, check out this air fryer garlic shrimp.
How to Cook Scallops in the Air Fryer
To get started, remove any side muscle from the fresh scallops with a sharp knife. Then rinse them under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Removing excess moisture is the key to scallops with golden edges. You also want to start preheating your air fryer to 400° F.
- Place the scallops in a medium bowl and add the butter, garlic, and seasonings. Toss together to fully coat the scallops.
- Spray the basket with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Then place the scallops in a single layer, leaving space between them, into the air fryer basket.
- Air fry the scallops at 400° F for 8-10 minutes or until scallops are tender and opaque. Scallops are cooked through when they reach an internal temperature of 120°F. Use tongs to flip them over halfway through the cooking process for even cooking. Serve with a side of sweet air fryer corn on the cob.
Expert Tips
- Remove the side muscle before cooking. The small, tough rectangular tag on the side of some scallops is the abductor muscle. It turns rubbery when cooked and should be pinched off before seasoning. It comes off easily with your fingers or a knife.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. Place the scallops in a single layer with a little space between each one. Crowding traps steam and is one of the most common reasons scallops come out soggy instead of golden.
- Check them early. Scallops cook fast, so start checking at the 6-minute mark. They’re done when opaque and slightly firm to the touch, or when an instant-read thermometer reads 120°F internally.
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days. Cooked scallops can be frozen for up to 1 month, but the texture softens after thawing, so they’re best eaten fresh.
- Reheating: Drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice or olive oil and air fry at 350°F for 2–4 minutes until warmed through. Avoid the microwave because it makes scallops rubbery.
Air Fryer Scallops Recipe FAQ’s
Rubbery scallops are almost always the result of one of two things: overcooking or too much moisture. Scallops go from perfectly tender to tough quickly, so pull them at 120°F and don’t push past 10 minutes. If they’re coming out pale and chewy rather than golden, the culprit is likely surface moisture. To avoid, make sure to pat them completely dry with a paper towel before seasoning.
Scallops are done when they turn opaque and feel slightly firm to the touch. If you want to be sure, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part should read 120°F. Start checking around the 6-minute mark since scallops cook quickly and overcooking is the fastest way to make them rubbery.
Yes, but for the best texture it’s worth taking a few minutes to thaw them first. To quickly thaw, place your frozen scallops in a bowl of cold water for 20–30 minutes. When thawed, drain them and pat thoroughly dry before adding any seasonings. If you’re cooking straight from frozen, add 3–4 minutes to the total cook time and check for doneness at 120°F; however, the texture won’t be quite as tender as fresh or thawed.
Serving Suggestions
Air fryer scallops go well with a wide array of sides like air-fried acorn squash, roasted butternut squash, or crispy eggplant.
You can’t go wrong with a surf and turf night with a juicy filet mignon in the air fryer or air-fried ribeye steak. For a full seafood dinner, pair them with some air fryer frozen shrimp.
More Air Fryer Seafood Recipes
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Air Fryer Scallops
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound sea scallops
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 small cloves
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove any side muscle from the fresh scallops with a sharp knife. Rinse them under cold water and then pat dry with a paper towel.
- Place scallops in a medium bowl, then add the butter, garlic, and seasonings. Toss together until the scallops are fully coated.
- Spray basket with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Then place the scallops in a single layer into the air fryer basket.
- Air fry the scallops 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes turning halfway through the cooking process, until scallops are tender and opaque.
Notes
- Remove the small, tough side muscle (abductor muscle) from each scallop before seasoning — it turns rubbery when cooked and pulls off easily with your fingers.
- Place scallops in a single layer with space between each one. Crowding the basket traps steam and leads to soggy rather than golden scallops.
- Start checking at 6 minutes. Scallops are done when opaque and slightly firm, or when an instant-read thermometer reads 120°F.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My 1st time cooking scallops and they turned out DELICIOUS!! I served over angel hair pasta with a light sauce. I’m def keeping this on my rotation!!