Crispy, Homemade Air Fryer Onion Rings is a quick and easy recipe prepared with a seasoned buttermilk batter, a Vidalia onion, and breadcrumbs. These fried rings are crunchy, kid-friendly, and are best served with a Bloomin’ Onion dipping sauce. Cook time for frozen onions rings is included. If you are looking for a recipe with no breadcrumbs, swap for pork rinds and substitute flour for almond flour.
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The air fryer is a great device to enjoy all of my favorite down-home fried favorites without all of the guilt. These onion rings will pair great with my Air Fryer Cheeseburgers and Air Fryer Homemade French Fries.
This is also a recipe you can tailor to your dietary needs. How many carbs are in onion rings will depend on how you choose to prepare them. I have plenty of tips below!
What Type of Onion to Use
I recommend you use a Vidalia onion. You can use white or yellow onions to make onion rings. White onions usually have a sharper taste than yellow onions. I recommend you use an onion on the sweeter side.
I also search for the largest onion I can find. If you frequent a farmer’s market, this may come in handy. You can read more about How to Make Onion Rings here.
How to Cook Onion Rings in the Air Fryer
- Slice the onion into thick 1/2 inch round rings. Remove the stem.
- Set up a cooking station with flour, an egg, buttermilk, and seasonings in one bowl. Place Panko breadcrumbs in another.
- Dip the onions into the buttermilk and flour mixture and then the breadcrumbs. Place them on a plate.
- Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Place the onion rings in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry.
Cook Time/How Long to Cook
I like to cook the rings for 10-12 minutes. Cook them until they are crunchy and golden brown.
Air Fryer Temperature
370 degrees is perfect for me. 400 degrees will sometimes cause the breading to burn in spots.
How to Keep the Breading Intact
Can you do a batter in an air fryer? Absolutely! It’s no secret that buttermilk works well in a dish like this. Try my Air Fryer Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings, you will love them!
My real secret is to freeze the onion rings for a few minutes. As you bread the onion rings you will notice they are STICKY. It’s really easy for the breading to come off even as you are handling them.
Freezing them for a small moment will keep it intact and help prevent it from coming off on the air fryer basket.
How to Cook Frozen Onion Rings
How long to cook frozen onion rings doesn’t vary much from homemade ones. Cook the onion rings for 14-15 minutes on 400 degrees.
How to Reheat
I store leftover rings in a sealable bag in the fridge. I reheat the onion rings in the air fryer on 370 degrees for 3-4 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Keep a moist kitchen towel nearby to wipe your hands while breading. They will get sticky!
- The buttermilk and flour batter will be very thick. This is normal. The thick batter will help produce thick and crunchy onion rings.
- You can make your own buttermilk using 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon. Read more about How to Make Buttermilk here.
- You may have leftover batter after breading the onion rings. The serving sizes suggested reflect the amounts used for a 12oz onion. The servings required in the recipe may vary depending on the size of your onion.
- Cook in batches. Believe me this will save you time and frustration. If you stack the onion rings, they will sometimes stick to each other and will require a longer cook time. If you want gorgeous rings, make them in batches if you have a smaller air fryer.
- You can use normal breadcrumbs instead of panko if you wish. Seasoned breadcrumbs will also work.
- If you want to cut the carbs in this recipe you can substitute breadcrumbs for crushed pork rinds and use almond flour in place of all-purpose flour.
Make it a meal with Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, Air Fryer Frozen Burgers, Air Fryer Fried Chicken, or throw in some veggies with Air Fryer Asparagus and Air Fryer Broccoli.
More Air Fryer Appetizer Recipes
Air Fryer French Fries
Air Fryer Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Air Fryer Potato Chips
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
Air Fryer Southwestern Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Pizza
Air Fryer Tater Tots
Air Fryer Potato Skins
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Air Fryer Ravioli
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
Crispy, Homemade Air Fryer Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large vidalia onion (peeled) Mine weighed 12oz.
- 1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste The breading will be very bland without salt. Be sure to season.
- cooking oil spray I use olive.
Optional Dipping Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 1/2 -2 tablespoons ketchup I use unsweetened and 2 tablespoons
- 1-2 tablespoons creamy horseradish If you are a fan of horseradish, you may enjoy 2 tablespoons. Start with 1 taste, repeatedly and adjust as necessary.
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil.
- Cut the stems off both sides of the onion. Cut the onion into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Onions are very wobbly. Be careful while slicing and use a mandolin if necessary. Try to stabilize the onion before you slice.
- Add the flour to a bowl large enough to dredge the onions. Season the flour with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Add the buttermilk and egg to the seasoned flour. Beat and stir to combine.
- Add the panko breadcrumbs to a separate bowl large enough to dredge the onions.
- Dredge the sliced onions in the flour buttermilk mixture and then the panko breadcrumbs. Keep a moist kitchen towel handy for you hands. They will get sticky.
- Place the onion rings on a plate. After breading the onions, freeze the onion rings for 15 minutes. This is an optional step, but highly recommended. It helps keep the breading intact.
- Place the onions in the air fryer. Do not stack them. Cook in batches if needed.
- Spray with cooking oil.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes on 370 degrees. I found that my onion rings did not need a flip. Check in on yours to determine both sides are golden brown and crisp. Flip if necessary.
Optional dipping Sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir.
Video
Notes
Air Fryer Onion Rings Tips
- Keep a moist kitchen towel nearby to wipe your hands while breading. They will get sticky!
- The buttermilk and flour batter will be very thick. This is normal. The thick batter will help produce thick and crunchy onion rings.
- You can make your own buttermilk using 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon. Read more about How to Make Buttermilk here.
- You may have leftover batter after breading the onion rings. The serving sizes suggested reflect the amounts used for a 12oz onion. The servings required in the recipe may vary depending on the size of your onion.
- Cook in batches. Believe me this will save you time and frustration. If you stack the onion rings, they will sometimes stick to each other and will require a longer cook time. If you want gorgeous rings, make them in batches if you have a smaller air fryer.
- You can use normal breadcrumbs instead of panko if you wish. Seasoned breadcrumbs will also work.
- If you want to cut the carbs in this recipe you can substitute breadcrumbs for crushed pork rinds and use almond flour in place of all-purpose flour.
Tami Jones
Friday 22nd of September 2023
These sound wonderful. Do you think they could be made to the freezing stage then placed in a ziplock to cook a few at a time as needed? Thanks.
staysnatched
Tuesday 3rd of October 2023
Probably. I haven't tried it.
Arlene
Monday 22nd of August 2022
We loved these crunchy, tasty onion rings! The recipe is concise and super easy to follow. My suggestion is to use small amounts of panko and add more as it gets used up. I found the panko to clump up from the batter, then it wouldn't adhere to the onions. I had to throw out half the panko.
staysnatched
Monday 22nd of August 2022
I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Julie
Saturday 19th of February 2022
I recently got an air fryer and have been having a ball experimenting. I've tried several homemade onion rings recipes, which just didn't cut it. Your recipe hit it out of the park...yay! Not only does the freezer trick help with the coating, but I believe the batter lends to a more tender onion on the inside (as they should be!) Thanks!
staysnatched
Sunday 27th of February 2022
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them.
Lee Ann Guynn
Thursday 6th of January 2022
I've attempted to make air fried onion rings several times. This is the ONLY recipe that works! They come out perfect every time. Hubby and I fight over who gets the last one!
staysnatched
Thursday 6th of January 2022
haha I love that! I'm so glad you enjoy them.
Lois
Sunday 5th of September 2021
These were soooo good. Quick tip: I used chop sticks to coat the onions then put them in the pants crumbs and used a single one to pull it out. This worked wonderful.
staysnatched
Monday 6th of September 2021
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!