These crispy seasoned onion rings are so easy and quick to make! Perfectly crispy and done in 20 minutes.
“I love the crunch on these! Perfect for adding to the burgers I'm making for dinner tonight too!!”
We are breading air fryer onion rings with a mix of breadcrumbs and seasonings to make them crispy, crunchy, and tasty. Dip these in ketchup, ranch dressing, or Garlic Aioli and enjoy as a snack, appetizer, or side dish.
I have a feeling that if you like onion rings, you’ll also love making Air Fryer Potato Wedges. Air Fryer Calamari is another breaded, ring-shaped food that you will enjoy.
What You’ll Need
- Yellow Onion – I like the flavor of yellow onion for onion rings, but almost any kind of onion will work in this recipe. Choose a large onion so you have more and bigger rings to work with.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour, or a gluten-free all-purpose blend can be used.
- Breadcrumbs – Plain, unseasoned breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed) are perfect in this onion ring recipe.
- Paprika– This deep red spice adds flavor and is also a wonderful color.
- Kosher Salt – A good amount of salt gives these onion rings lots of flavor.
- Onion Powder – This slightly sweet, warm seasoning will elevate the onion flavor.
- Garlic Powder – I like garlic powder in most of my air fryer breading recipes. It just makes them tastier!
- Eggs – To create a binder that will hold the breadcrumbs onto the onion rings, we’ll start with eggs.
- Buttermilk – In this recipe, buttermilk adds a tangy flavor. Substitute with milk or plant-based milk if desired.
How to Make Them
- Peel onion and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Separate slices, reserving the smaller rings for last. I set aside the centers to use in another recipe later.
- Combine flour, paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small, shallow bowl.
- In a second bowl, whisk egg and buttermilk together. Place the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
- Dip each onion ring into the egg mixture.
- Dredge onion rings through the flour mixture, one at a time.
- Place partially breaded rings on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet while you continue to dip the rest of the rings.
- Dip each ring into the egg mixture again, allowing the excess liquid to drip off, then dredge through the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere the crumbs. Return rings to the rack.
- Lightly spray rings with cooking spray. Place rings in the air fryer in a single layer, nesting the smaller ones inside the larger ones. Cook at 400F/204C for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crispy on the outside.
Serving Tips
Make Onion Rings in the air fryer a simple meal with some Air Fryer Hamburgers and a nice green salad.
Enjoy the game or a movie night with a mix of appetizers. Try making Air Fryer Potato Skins and Air Fryer Chicken Wings for a bar food experience at home.
FAQs
I enjoy regular yellow onions when I make onion rings. They have lots of onion flavor. Alternatively, a sweet onion would be a good option. Look for Vidalia or Maui onions.
To get really crispy air fryer onion rings, just follow this recipe! Making sure to add oil to the outside of the breaded rings is important, the bread crumbs won’t have that “fried” texture without it.
Feel free to substitute panko breadcrumbs in this recipe too, for extra crunch.
Yes! Cook the onion rings according to the recipe, cool them down, and freeze in an airtight container or bag. Reheat from frozen in the air fryer at 350°F for 6-10 minutes.
Battered food is generally not going to work well in the air fryer. Batter is wet and liquid, it will just drip off of your onions before it cooks.
This recipe uses a dry breading technique with layers of egg and buttermilk in between, so it’s very similar to batter, but still air fryer friendly. Truly battered onion rings are only going to work in a deep fryer situation.
Air Fryer Onion Rings
Equipment
- Cooling Rack
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 Yellow Onion large
- 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. Onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk or plain, or plant based milk
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Peel onion and cut into ½ " thick slices. Separate slices, reserving the smaller rings for last.
- Combine flour, paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small shallow bowl.
- In a second bowl, whisk egg and buttermilk. Place breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
- Dip each onion ring into the egg mixture.
- Then dredge onion through the flour mixture.
- Place on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet while you continue to dip the rest of the rings.
- Dip into the egg mixture again, allowing the excess liquid to drip off, the dredge through the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere the crumbs. Set coated rings on the cooling rack.
- Lightly spray rings with cooking spray. Place rings in the air fryer in a single layer, nesting the smaller ones inside the larger ones. Cook at 400F/204C for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crispy on the outside.
- Transfer cooked onion rings to a baking sheet and repeat with remaining rings.
Video
Notes
- Any large onion can be used. Try yellow, white, or sweet onion varieties.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfrying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
I love the crunch on these! Perfect for adding to the burgers I’m making for dinner tonight too!!
With AP flour and breadcrumbs this is NOT Gluten Free!
Hi Mark, you are correct that if you use AP flour and breadcrumbs it is not gluten free. I think you may have missed the ingredients section in the middle of the post. It tells you that you can use AP flour or gluten free AP flour. It also lists the same for bread crumbs. You will also find that if you click the links, we link to GF options in the recipe card and within the post. Are you celiac? We have celiac in our family, it is great to connect with another GF person. We have a wide variety of recipes on this site, some GF and some not. Most (except the frozen foods) can be easily modified. If you want to read recipes that are 100% gf and you dont have to worry about simple subs visit our air fryer section on vegetarianmamma.com. All the recipes there are gluten-free.