Crispy air fryer onion rings are easy to make and will have you yearning for more. Made with sweet onion rings that are dipped in seasoned flour, a tangy egg wash and panko breadcrumbs, they are crispy and wonderfully tasty.
These onion rings are air fried for a delightful crispy coating with tender onions inside. For a bonus, the air fryer cooks them quickly with no oily mess.
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If you're getting ready for game day, planning a party or just having an impromptu gathering, these homemade air fryer onion rings go great with these Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings. They are the perfect side dish for these Sweet Smoky Slow Cooker Ribs or Air Fryer Burgers.
If you want to pair these air fryer onion rings with other air fryer recipes such as these Easy Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks, Air Fryer French Fries, or some frozen air fryer chicken tenders, preheat your oven to 200 degrees F and place them on a sheet tray in the oven to keep warm until your other items are ready to eat.
The best part is that you don't need to use a deep fryer to make crunchy onion rings. Skip the deep drying and make your own homemade onion rings with much less mess.
Ingredients
Clockwise from the top:
- Sweet onions, such as a Vidalia onion or Walla Walla work best. Yellow onions and white onions do not stand up well with the batter. Red onions are too firm and not the right flavor for onion rings.
- Eggs and all purpose Flour for dredging the onion rings.
- Seasonings including paprika, garlic powder, pepper and kosher salt.
- Buttermilk adds a nice tangy flavor and helps the batter adhere to the onions.
- Panko bread crumbs for extra crunchiness.
The exact quantities of these ingredients are included in the recipe card.
How To Make Golden Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings
- Peel the onions and slice them crosswise into ½-thick slices. Then, separate the onion slices into individual rings. Use a paper towel to pat the onions rings dry and set aside.
- Combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, and kosher salt into a shallow bowl for dredging.
- Whisk the milk, vinegar, and egg along with ¼ cup of the flour mixture in a second shallow dish.
- Combine the panko breadcrumbs and the remaining salt in a third bowl.
- Arrange the bowls in an assembly line fashion on your work surface.
6. Use a fork to dredge the onion rings first in the seasoned flour, next in the egg mixture and finally in the panko mixture before placing in the air fryer basket.
7. Spray the air fryer with cooking oil spray and place onion rings in the air fryer basket in a single layer without touching each other.
8. Cook at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes, spray the onion rings with cooking spray and cook 5 more minutes until you have golden brown and crispy onion rings.
Top Tips
- Read the air fryer onion ring recipe through completely before starting.
- When air frying, the hot air circulates around the food so you don't need to turn the onion rings over during cooking.
- Depending upon your air fryer model, you may experience different cooking times. So until you have made these at least once, check their doneness more frequently.
Substitutions
- Breadcrumbs. You can use regular bread crumbs in place of the panko for your bread crumb mixture. The crust won't be as crispy, but the recipe will still work.
- Buttermilk. Substitute ½ cup milk combined with 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar for the buttermilk.
Variations
Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings: To make a large batch of onion rings to cook later, prepare the onion rings through step 6 and arrange them on a large baking sheet. Freeze them on the cookie sheet for at least 1 hour. Transfer them to a resealable bag and return them to the freezer until ready to use. Frozen onion rings may need 1 to 2 extra minutes of air frying time.
Seasonings: Add a bit of onion powder, chili powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the half cup of flour for a change in flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your air fryer onion rings with your favorite dipping sauce. My favorite sauce for dipping these is a ranch dressing or a honey mustard, but use any sauce you like.
📋 Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings
Equipment
- 3 shallow bowls
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion such as Vidalia or Maui
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-¼ teaspoons coarse kosher salt divided
- ½ cup buttermilk see tip
- 1 large egg
- 1-¼ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- In one bowl, combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, and ¾ teaspoon salt.
- In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, vinegar, and egg. Add ¼ cup of the flour mixture from step 2 and continue whisking until combined.
- In a third bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs and the remaining salt.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Working in batches, use a fork and dredge the onion rings in the flour mixture. Transfer them to the buttermilk mixture and let sit a bit. Then, dredge them in the panko mixture.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Arrange the onion rings in a single layer in the air fryer basket without touching each other.
- Air fry 6 minutes and then spray the onion rings with cooking spray. Continue cooking 5 to 9 minutes or until they are brown and crispy.
- Using tongs, carefully remove the onion rings from the air fryer and transfer to a serving plate. Continue with the remaining onion rings.
- Serve onion rings with your favorite dipping sauce.
Cooks Tips
- Breadcrumbs. You can use regular bread crumbs in place of the panko bread crumbs. The crust won't be as crispy, but the recipe will still work.
- Buttermilk. Substitute ½ cup milk combined with 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar for the buttermilk.
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