Air Fryer Onion Rings
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Create crispy, flavorful onion rings that are healthier than frying, with this simple recipe for Air Fryer Onion Rings! Thick, sweet onions are dipped in buttermilk and breadcrumbs to create the perfect crispy coating for these homemade onion rings. They’re the perfect side dish to pair with burgers, or a great appetizer for game day!
Table of contents
In high school, I worked at the local Sonic in my hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma. If you were late, or got in trouble, you had to batter onion rings in the back of the kitchen. True story! I was a pretty good employee, but one time, I got the onion ring duty and sat in the back hand breading onion rings for hours.
Luckily, it taught me how to perfectly bread onion rings and now I’m using that technique to make a healthier version of my favorite burger side dish. While fries and tots are delicious, if there’s an option to add onion rings on the side of a burger, I’m doing it every time!
My first time making onion rings in the air fryer I was so pleasantly surprised at how crispy they were and how they tasted just as good as the fried version! Seriously, the air fryer continues to amaze me all the time. If you have an air fryer and you’ve yet to try cooking onion rings in there, this is your sign to do it!
Ingredients
- Sweet onion – vidalia onions or walla walla onions are both great options when making onion rings.
- All purpose flour – to bread the onion rings.
- Cornstarch – adding a little cornstarch to the flour helps the flour stick to the onions and it will make the onion rings extra crispy.
- Seasoned salt + garlic powder – to season the onion ring batter.
- Eggs – combined with buttermilk, this makes the liquid used to coat the onions before dipping them in the flour and bread crumbs.
- Buttermilk – the thicker texture of buttermilk means that it will coat the onions better than traditional milk. It also adds more flavor than plain milk due to the light acidity in the buttermilk.
- Panko breadcrumbs – for the crispiest texture on the outside of the onion rings, I recommend using panko breadcrumbs. If you don’t want to use breadcrumbs, you can double up on the flour and dip the onions in the flour twice.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Peel and cut the onion into ½ inch slices, then separate them into rings.
- Make a breading station. Combine flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Whisk buttermilk and eggs together in another shallow bowl, and combine breadcrumbs and seasoned salt in a third shallow bowl.
- Batter the onion rings. Place each onion ring in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, then back into the egg mixture, and finally into the panko breadcrumbs. Gently press on all sides of the onion to make sure it’s fully coated in the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all of the onions are breaded.
- Preheat an air fryer to 350°F. Once heated, place the onion rings in the air fryer basket, with space around each onion ring for the air to move. It’s okay to put some smaller onion rings in the middle of the larger onion rings, as pictured above. As long as there is still room between each of the onion rings. Spray the onion rings with cooking oil spray.
- Air fry the onion rings for 12-15 minutes, or until crispy on the outside. I do not recommend flipping the onion rings during the cooking time, as you risk knocking the breading off of the onion rings when using tongs to flip them.
Recipe tips
- If cooking the onion rings in multiple batches, place the cooked onion rings on a wire rack while cooking the rest of the onion rings in the air fryer. This will keep them crispy. When all of the onion rings are cooked, you can place them all back in the air fryer (overlapping is fine at this time) and cook for 1-2 minutes to heat them up before serving.
- When breading the onion rings, always use one hand for the wet ingredients and one hand for the dry ingredients. This will prevent clumping, keep your hands from becoming coated in the breading, and it will help keep the breading ingredients separated. My Dad taught me this trick growing up, making his famous Captain Crunch Fried Chicken together.
- To make gluten free air fryer onion rings, replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend, or rice flour. Use gluten-free panko bread crumbs, instead of traditional panko.
- You can try other seasonings besides the seasoned salt to add different flavors to the onion rings. Use Ranch Seasoning or Fry Seasoning, or add spice to the onion rings with my famous Chicken Wing Seasoning or Cajun Seasoning.
How to make them in the oven
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make this recipe in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. If your oven has a convection setting, I recommend using that.
Place the battered onion rings on a wire rack, on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
Storage and reheating
This recipe makes approximately 18 onion rings. Store battered, uncooked onion rings in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can cook the frozen onion rings directly from frozen in the air fryer by adding 2 minutes to the cooking time. So the onion rings will need to cook for 14-17 minutes at 350°F.
Store cooked onion ring leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat them in the air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes to keep them crispy.
Tools for this recipe
What to serve them with
These onion rings are a great appetizer or snack, served with dipping sauces like ketchup, bbq sauce, ranch dressing, chipotle sauce, or burger sauce.
They’re also great as a side dish with any of these delicious main dishes.
More air fryer recipes
Fire up your air fryer and try all of these delicious recipes!
Air Fryer Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion, like vidalia or walla walla (approximately 1.25 pounds)
- ⅔ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Peel and cut the onion into ½ inch slices and separate the slices into rings.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt and garlic powder in a shallow bowl.
- Whisk eggs and buttermilk together in another shallow bowl.
- Place panko bread crumbs in another shallow bowl and season with 1 teaspoon seasoned salt.
- Dip each onion ring into the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, back into the egg mixture, then in the panko bread crumbs. Gently press on all sides of the onion to make sure it’s fully coated in the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all of the onions are breaded.
- Preheat an air fryer to 350°F.
- Place the onion rings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, spray with cooking spray. You'll probably have to do this in 2-3 batches. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until crisp on the outside. Remove from the air fryer and serve.
Notes
- I do not recommend flipping the onion rings during the cooking time, as you risk knocking the breading off of the onion rings when using tongs to flip them.
- It’s okay to put some smaller onion rings in the middle of the larger onion rings in the air fryer basket, as long as there is still room between each of the onion rings.
- If cooking the onion rings in multiple batches, place the cooked onion rings on a wire rack while cooking the rest of the onion rings in the air fryer. This will keep them crispy. When all of the onion rings are cooked, you can place them all back in the air fryer (overlapping is fine at this time) and cook for 1-2 minutes to heat them up before serving.
- When breading the onion rings, always use one hand for the wet ingredients and one hand for the dry ingredients. This will prevent clumping, keep your hands from becoming coated in the breading, and it will help keep the breading ingredients separated.
- If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make this recipe in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. If your oven has a convection setting, I recommend using that. Place the battered onion rings on a wire rack, on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
- This recipe makes approximately 18 onion rings. Store battered, uncooked onion rings in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can cook the frozen onion rings directly from frozen in the air fryer by adding 2 minutes to the cooking time. So the onion rings will need to cook for 14-17 minutes at 350°F.
- Store cooked onion ring leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat them in the air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes to keep them crispy.
Nutrition Facts
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