Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings
Onion rings are the perfect, flavorful, quick, healthy[ish] snack, especially when made in the air fryer. They come out just as crispy as they do when deep fried but with a fraction the oil. This has quickly become one of our all-time favorite air fryer recipes. Try it and you will see why!
Air Fried vs Actual Fried Onion Rings
The obvious difference between frying onion rings and air frying them is that regular onion rings are submersed in oil to fry. Air fryer onion rings use MUCH less oil but can get just as crispy! Regular onion rings can simply be dipped in batter and put straight into the oil, but trying to do this in an air fryer will make a big mess. For air fryer onion rings, you always need to coat them with breadcrumbs after dipping the rings in batter. This will help hold everything together and keep the batter from dripping off into your air fryer.
What I Learned Through Recipe Testing
I tested this recipe several different ways and I thought it would be fun to share the results of the different coatings:
Flour > Egg Mixture > Breadcrumbs – First I dredged the rings in flour, then dipped the onion rings in an egg mixture, then coated them in the breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs did NOT stick on very well when I did this. I had to repeat the steps 2-3 times until I got the desired coating and it was just too much work. I also used cornstarch instead of flour and got the same results. Egg Mixture > Breadcrumbs > Oil – The next one I tried, I dipped in the egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs, then I dipped the rings in oil. I had the same problem with the breadcrumbs not sticking. I will be fair and say they may have stuck on better had I used regular breadcrumbs rather than Panko bread crumbs. The breadcrumbs came off in the oil and just made a mess. When I finally got them to stick on and I air fried them, they came out too oily. Flour/Egg Batter > Breadcrumbs WINNER – With a thicker batter to begin with, the breadcrumbs stuck to the onion rings beautifully with little effort. It was less of a hassle and the onion rings came out of the air fryer perfectly crispy. This is the method used in the recipe below.
What Onions are Best for Onion Rings?
I have found that Walla Walla sweet onions and Vidalia onions are best for onion rings but any kind of sweet onion will work. Yellow onions tend to be sweeter than white or red onions so they are ideal for making onion rings.
How Long to Cook Onion Rings in the Air Fryer
Exact times for cooking will depend on your air fryer. For this recipe, in our counter-top air fryer, we air fried them at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. At this time the onion rings were perfectly golden brown. When we cooked them in our oven on “air fryer” mode, we cooked them at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. We have found that air frying in the oven takes a bit longer and higher temperature. This is probably because of the size of the oven compared to the smaller, counter-top fryer.
Ways To Serve Onion Rings
My favorite way to enjoy onion rings is by dipping them in a tasty sauce (see dipping sauce ideas below) but there are so many other ways they can be enjoyed! Eat them on their own or serve them as a side dish or as a topping on burgers or sandwiches. Chop them up and serve over your favorite salads or use instead of onion straws over green beans.
Onion Ring Dipping Sauce Ideas
“Bloomin Onion” Sauce (Mayo + Creamy horseradish + Ketchup + Paprika)Fry SauceChik-Fil-A Sauce Ranch DressingKetchupSriracha MayoHoney MustardTartar SauceBBQ SauceBuffalo Blue Cheese Sauce
More Air Fryer Recipes
Love air fryer recipes as much as we do? Here are some of our favorites:
How to Make Air Fryer Onion Rings
Air Fryer Donuts
Crispy Air Fryer French Fries
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
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