Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (2024)

By: Author Janessa

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Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (1)

You are going to LOVE my air fryer onion rings recipe!They are a great appetizer or perfect side dish. They are one of my favorite restaurant side dishes and I love to fix them on game day.

And, thanks to the air fryer, you can now make them at home! It’s so satisfying to be able to make your own homemade onion rings!

We’ve had an air fryer for a while now and I LOVE this thing! Before buying the air fryer we had a traditional oil fryer for deep-fried food. The deep fryer made food taste great but it was a pain to clean and it made the entire house smell like a McDonald’s.

The air fryer, on the other hand,still makes food taste great but with the added bonus of not stinking up the whole house. The air fryer basket and unit itself are so easy to clean too. I love that there is so much less mess with an air fryer. Win-win!

The other day we made this homemade air fryer onion rings recipe and they turned out pretty tasty, so now I’m sharing it with you! This extra crispy onion rings recipe is pretty easy but takes a few minutes to prepare the ingredients and to cut the onion. It’s well worth the work, though! Enjoy!

Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (2)

Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 1 tspof paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt (divided in half)
  • 1/2 cup of buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • cooking spray

Directions

You’ll need three bowls for this recipe. In the first small bowl combine 1/2 cup of flour, 1 tspof paprika, and 1/2 tsp of salt, and stir.

Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (3)

In the second medium bowl mix 1/4 cup of the flour/paprika/salt mixture from the first bowl with 1/2 cup of buttermilk and the egg for the egg wash. Stir well.

Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (4)

Finally, in the third bowl combine 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir gently until the oil evenly coats the panko breadcrumbs.

Cut the yellow onion into 1/2 inch thick slices and separateinto individual rings. Taking each ring, dredge them into the flour mixture, then dip them in the buttermilk mixture making sure they’re fully coated, and then dredge them in the panko mixture.

Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (6)

Place your coated rings into your air fryer in a single layer, being sure that the crispy coating doesn’t touch. You may find that you can only fry four or so at a time. Sometimes I’m able to fit the smaller rings inside of the bigger rings.

Fry at 380 degrees for 10 minutes until they are golden brown. You can spray with cooking spray midway through the frying process if necessary.

Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (7)
Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (8)

That’s it! You’re ready to enjoy your crispy air fryer onion rings! Don’t forget to print the recipe card of save it to a board of your favorite air fryer recipes on Pinterest. It’s a tasty snack you’ll want to make again and again.

Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (9)

Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe

Orin Solem

An easy air fryer onion ring recipe.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 20 -40 onion rings, depending on onion size

Calories 216 kcal

Equipment

  • XL Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • 1 tsp of salt divided in half
  • 1/2 cup of buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 cup of panko bread crumbs
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • You’ll need three bowls for this recipe. In the first bowl combine 1/2 cup of flour, 1 tspof paprika, and 1/2 tsp of salt and stir.

  • In the second bowl mix 1/4 cup of the flour/paprika/salt mixture from the first bowl with 1/2 cup of buttermilk and the egg. Stir well.

  • Finally, in the third bowl combine 1 cup of panko bread crumbs with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir gently until the oil evenly coats the panko breadcrumbs.

  • Cut the yellow onion into 1/2 inch thick slices and separateinto individual rings. Taking each ring, dredge them into the flour mixture, then dip them in the buttermilk egg mixture making sure they’re fully coated, and then dredge them in the breadcrumb mixture.

  • Place your coated rings into your air fryer, being sure they don’t touch. You may find that you can only fry four or so at a time. Fry at 380 degrees for 10 minutes. You can spray with cooking spray midway through the frying process if necessary.

Video

Notes

We like using yellow onions for this recipe but you could definitely use red onions, sweet onions (vidalia onion) or white onions as well if you prefer.

We have an air fryer with a tray now instead of just an air fryer basket which makes it easier to cook lots of rings in a single layer at once. If you plan to cook things like onion rings, french fries, and chicken fingers using an air fryer often, it might be worthwhile for you to get an air fryer of this style. I have both types and use each of them a lot.

If you love the flavor of garlic, try adding 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the dry mixture bowl.

Pair these onion rings with your favorite dipping sauce.

If you don't have panko you can substitute regular breadcrumbs, but I do feel like panko is the best for giving you a nice crispy onion ring.

Keyword air fryer, air fryer onion rings recipe, onion rings

Related Posts

Looking for other great air fryerrecipes? If you love these crunchy onion rings, you’ll also enjoy ourAir Fryer Hushpuppies recipeand ourAir Fryer Sugar Doughnut recipe! They are both great recipes and easy recipes too.

These air fryer onion rings pair great with salmon patties and skillet green beans. Yum!

Make sure you clean the air fryer regularly for the best flavor, best results, and longevity of your small appliance.

Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (10)
Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to crisp up onion rings in air fryer? ›

Using an Air Fryer to Reheat Onion Rings
  1. Optional: Spray your air fryer basket with a bit of oil.
  2. Place your onion rings in the basket.
  3. Set your temperature to 350.
  4. Cook them for about 5 minutes.
  5. Remove the fried onion rings when the outside of the rings are crispy and brown.

How do you make crispy batter in an air fryer? ›

An equal amount of all-purpose flour and cornstarch provides both structure and crunch to the batter. Cornstarch is a go-to ingredient for many fried foods (think crispy chicken wings), and using it to bolster the crisping power of flour resulted in a thinner, crispier, and sturdier (yet still delicate) breading.

Why are my onion rings not crispy? ›

Don't skip the frying thermometer though—it's important to make sure you're frying at the right temperature so your onion rings come out crispy, crunchy, and delicious. If the oil isn't hot enough, your onion rings can turn out soggy; too hot, and the oil can start to smoke.

How do you keep onion rings from getting soggy? ›

Keep the fried onion rings warm on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while you fry the rest of the rings. Keep the onion rings separate from each other. Don't pile them on top of each other, or they will get soggy.

Why does my air fryer not crisp? ›

Why is my food not crispy in an air fryer? If your food is not crispy when coming out of an air fryer, you may not have patted it dry before putting it in to cook. Meat or proteins, or foods you may have washed, will fry better without the added moisture.

Can I use parchment paper in air fryer? ›

Parchment paper can handle the heat inside your air fryer - up to 428°F (220°C). To get the best results, add the parchment paper to the air fryer basket at the same time as you add your ingredients. This prevents the paper from lifting up and coming into contact with the heating element while cooking.

Can you put raw batter in an air fryer? ›

Recipes that use a wet batter, including fried chicken, will end up being very messy if cooked in an air fryer. This is because there won't be enough hot oil to set the batter, and it will likely drip everywhere rather than forming a crunchy coating.

Can you use flour batter in air fryer? ›

Flour — All-purpose flour or bread flour is perfect for fried chicken as it gives the chicken a golden-brown coating after being air-fried. It is also neutral in flavor, so it doesn't compete with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika added to it.

Is it better to air fry wet batter or dry batter? ›

The major issue is the liquid components of wet batter may not stick to the food that's being air-fried as they would when deep frying. The larger volume of oil keeps wet batter in place while it cooks, while a lower volume of oil won't be able to handle the task.

Why do you soak onions for onion rings? ›

Soaking onions in water for 15-20 minutes helps to neutralize the flavors of the onion and lessen the “bite”. It also brings out a sweet flavor and makes them a bit crunchier.

Why do you soak onion rings? ›

Soaking the onions helps dilute their sulfur content, taking away that pungent, raw bite and leaving you with a pleasant, milder onion that still has some snap to it. Cuisine At Home also recommends maintaining ultimate crispiness by double-dipping the onions in buttermilk and seasoned flour.

Can you make soggy fries crispy again in air fryer? ›

Using an air fryer is an excellent and easy way to give your fries that fresh-from-the-fryer crunch. Simply set your air fryer to 350 degrees, then place your leftover fries in a single layer in the fryer basket. Heat them for three to five minutes or until they reach your desired crispiness.

Does air fry make it crispy? ›

The air fryer does a great job of making food crispy because of the convection function, Pixley said. This feature allows hot air to surround the food, cooking it more evenly and quickly.

Why are my crispy onions soggy? ›

The first is to make sure that you aren't overcrowding the pan when frying the onion. A second reason would be that the oil is too low in temperature which results in soggy onions. Also, make sure to drain the fried rings on a paper towel to soak up any residual oil and then onto a plate.

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