These Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings are the hands down the BEST we have ever eaten.
Homemade onion rings are so good, especially when you make them in an air fryer. Less oil does not mean less crispy. You can even make them spicy too.
Let’s face it, all that deep-fried food is not the greatest for your health. Make onion rings from scratch without a deep fryer.
I happen to love fries and had to find another way to make them so that I could enjoy them more than a few times a year. Crispy Spicy Fries happen a lot around here now. The perfect side to ANYTHING.
Looking for a great appetizer or main dish? Fish cakes in the air fryer work well for both.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for these air fried onion rings can be found at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients For Air Fryer Onion Rings
These easy onion rings turn out crispy, delicious and are fun to make. Get the kids involved if you like (maybe not the slicing part). Once you have onions sliced and separated into rings, the rest is like an assembly line.
I promise you will not miss the deep-fried variety again. You will need:
- onions
- eggs
- flour
- panko breadcrumbs
- seasoning
These onion rings are made with no buttermilk.
Best Onions To Use
Honestly, I don’t think there is a right or wrong onion (except for just yellow cooking onions).
- Spanish
- Sweet White
- Vidalia
- Red (the variety used in this recipe)
My pickled onions are made with red onions too. Experiment and see which onion variety you like best. They will all turn out delicious and super crispy.
Have you ever tried Caramelized Onion Jam? This bourbon flavoured condiment is perfect for burgers and more.
And talking about delicious recipes, this Homemade Onion Gravy is the BEST gravy from scratch hands-down. Any steak would love to be topped with this rich sauce.
How To Coat Onion Rings
You will have 3 different bowls to dip and coat in. One for eggs, one for flour and one for breadcrumbs. There really isn’t an onion ring batter. More like layers of coating.
I seasoned each of the bowls with Frank’s seasoning. We love our food on the spicy side. Feel free to omit this if you prefer, add more if you like, or use something else altogether.
Now here comes the fun (and a bit messy) part, ALL the dipping! This process involves several dipped and coated layers, but trust me, it is so worth the effort.
For each onion ring you will:
- dip in egg mixture
- then flour mixture
- back in egg mixture
- again in flour
- one more egg dip
- then in breadcrumbs
After all the dipping and coating, place your battered onion rings on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
NO, you cannot skip this step (just in case you were wondering).
This is our favourite air fryer onion ring recipe. The only way we will eat them now.
Recipe Tips
- Can you cook frozen onion rings in the air fryer? YES! In fact, these are cooked from frozen. Once they are all coated, you place them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (but up to 1 week).
- How long does it take to air fry onion rings? That will depend on your particular air fryer. This recipe was cooked at 375ºF for 10-12 minutes.
- Be sure the cut your onion into THICK slices, and separate the rings before coating.
- Spray the onions rings with some cooking spray before placing them in the air fryer. This will help give them a nice brown colour as they cook.
- The smaller rings will cook faster, so you may want to remove those before the rest are done so they don’t burn.
- I love using *(affiliate) panko breadcrumbs in recipes. This is the key to ultimate crispiness. Regular breadcrumbs work, but not as well.
- You can use any kind of seasoning you like for this onion ring recipe. I used *(affiliate) Frank’s Seasoning since we like our food on the spicy side. You can try Italian, Greek, or Jerk seasonings. There is no wrong way to make these tasty and delicious.
- Can you reheat onion rings? YES, these reheat beautifully. Use a lower temperature like 325-350ºF for about 5 minutes (or until they are hot enough for you).
There are lots of different brands of air fryers on the market. For this recipe, I used the *(affiliate) Breville Smart Oven Air.
This oven has a large mesh basket that slides into the oven. This makes it very easy to cook a lot of food at once.
Perfect for large cuts of meat like steaks and pork chops. Great for chicken wings andy Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks too.
You can also use this as a regular oven, toaster oven, pizza oven, proof bread, bake cookies and more. BONUS, it works as a dehydrator too. The perfect little oven for many uses.
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If you love this recipe, you might like to have a look at these other air fryer recipes from some of my blogger friends:
Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe
Ingredients
- 13 ounce red onion (I very large onion)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 eggs
- 2 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Frank’s Seasoning (optional)
Instructions
For the ONION RINGS:
- Peel and cut the onion crosswise into thick slices (approx. ¾ inch thickness), then separate the slices into rings.
- Get 3 shallow bowls.
- Place the flour in one bowl, the beaten eggs in another bowl, and the breadcrumbs in the last bowl.
- Divide Frank’s seasoning evenly between the bowls, and mix to combine.
To COAT:
- For EACH ring dip and coat in this order:Egg mixtureFlour mixtureEgg mixture (this is the second time in egg)Flour mixture (this is the second time in flour)Egg mixture (this is the third time in egg)Finally, in the breadcrumbs (press to coat nicely)
- Place ALL the coated onion rings on a metal baking sheet, and put in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. **NOTE** You can actually do this up to a week in advance.
To AIR FRY:
- Preheat your air fryer to 375º F.
- Remove onion rings from the freezer.
- Place the onion rings in a single layer in your air fryer container. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Fry for approximately 10-12 minutes (turning over at the halfway point).
- Onion rings are ready when they are tender, golden brown and crispy.
- ENJOY!
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this very helpful onion rings recipe! It tasted really good and super easy to make! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
So glad you enjoyed these air fryer onion rings. We love them too.
Allyssa
This is really easy to make and tasted really delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We love these air-fried onion rings too.
Annie Lam
Can you stack the frozen onion rings in the basket when ‘frying’?
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
No, for best results keep them in a single layer.
Jan
When you freeze the onion rings for future use, can they be stacked and placed in a freezer bag or do they need to remain on a cookie sheet…covered I assume. Thanks!!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I would freeze them on a cookie sheet first, then transfer the frozen onion rings to a bag.
Natalie
My son loves fried onions. This is definitely something I must make for him. It’s so much healthier than standard frying. Thanks!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, these are much healthier than deep fried onion rings. Have them ready in the freezer to pop in the air fryer.
Kari Alana
Gloria you are making me want and need an air fryer so much. That means this will be my go. To side with steaks and I can even use a GF flour! LOVE that you used red onions.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I know exactly what you mean. I didn’t think I needed an air fryer either. You will love it.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
I love onion rings so much and yours look fab! Thanks for the tips!!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
You are welcome. Hope you give these onion rings a try.
Jo
Those onion rings looks so amazingly delicious. Crispy goodness! And all healthy… just wow
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I love it when you can make junk food healthier….so you can enjoy it more often.
LaKita
Making onion rings in the air fryer is the absolute best way to make them! Your version looks so crispy and delicious!!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
These onion rings are super crispy. Hope you give them a try.
Aditi Bahl
Saved for my next “Try new snacks -low fat ” list. Trying these today. Looks delicious.Thanks
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy these super crispy onion rings.
Jacqueline Debono
I love onion rings but hate the deep frying involved when making them. I’m really happy to discover that they can be made in the air fryer. I didn’t know! Can’t wait to try these!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Have these ready and waiting in the freezer. Pop the into the air fryer when you crave them, or for the perfect side dish.
Sues
I love a good onion ring and these ones look sooo crispy and delicious! Definitely worth getting the air fryer out for!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
These are super crispy. So much healthier than deep fried. Hope you give this version a try.
Sharon
I love using my air fryer and these air fryer onion rings are the perfect side dish for burgers. Crispy and delicious.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
These air fried onion rings are the best. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.