These air fryer onion rings are crispy, crunchy, and fried to the perfect golden brown! These onion rings make a great appetizer for game day, get-togethers, or as a tasty snack.
Why this recipe works
You no longer have to feel guilty indulging in some of your favorite deep-fried foods thanks to the air fryer. We’ve made some classic fried appetizers much healthier this way (cue our air fryer mozzarella sticks and air fryer fried pickles) and now we present… air fryer onion rings!
Air fryer onion rings require no oil, no grease, and are easier to make than you might think. A quick coating of 5 ingredients and 10 minutes in the air fryer gets you this addictive appetizer!
RELATED: you might also like this recipe – Blooming Onion
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
ONION – In this recipe, we use yellow onion. You can use red onion or Vidalia onion as well. White onion is on the stronger side and not as sweet as the other options, however, they still make great onion rings. It really boils down to individual preference.
COATING – A simple coating that consists of buttermilk, flour, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings. You can swap the flour with almond or coconut flour, and the panko breadcrumbs with finely ground pork rinds (pork panko) for a low-carb alternative.
How to Make Air Fryer Onion Rings
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Cut the ends off of the onion to remove the skin. Slice into thick rings, about 1/4-1/2 inch in thickness. Carefully separate each ring.
- Toss in buttermilk and cover, either in a bowl or in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, refrigerated for 30-60 minutes.
- Shake off and discard excess buttermilk.
- Use three large bowls for the dredging process. One bowl for the flour, one for two eggs lightly whisked, one for panko breadcrumbs and seasoning.
- Dredge in flour, then in whisked eggs, lastly in the panko mixture. Use a fork to dip for less clean-up.
- Lay in an air fryer basket in batches, careful not to overcrowd. Spray with oil, being sure to cover any bare flour spots as best as you can.
- Air fry at 325F for 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yellow onions are among the most popular to use for onion rings due to their sweetness. Other sweet onions like Maui and Vidalia are also great options!
Onion rings pair great with ranch, garlic aioli, BBQ, southwest ranch, ketchup, honey mustard, chipotle sauce, fry sauce, and Sweet Baby Ray’s Special Sauce which tastes similar to the blooming onion dipping sauce from Outback that everyone knows and loves!
We don’t suggest a wet batter in the air fryer because the batter will drip through the grates and not stick to the onion rings the way a panko breading will. Batter is best reserved for deep frying!
This recipe can be easily be doubled. However, I recommend a new batch of dredges for each onion in clean bowls. Otherwise everything gets too sticky and doesn’t coat well. Do one onion at a time. You can soak multiple onions in one Ziploc of buttermilk.
Air fryer onion rings save you a lot of calories and time in the kitchen compared to the deep-fried method. Be careful though, these are addictive!
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion large, about 9 oz
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Things You’ll Need
- Air fryer
Before You Begin
- This recipe can be easily be doubled. However, I recommend a new batch of dredges for each onion in clean bowls. Otherwise everything gets too sticky and doesn’t coat well. Do one onion at a time. You can soak multiple onions in one Ziploc of buttermilk.
Instructions
- Cut the ends off of the onion to remove the skin. Slice into thick rings, about 1/4-1/2 inch in thickness. Carefully separate each ring.
- Toss in buttermilk and cover, either in a bowl or in a gallon sized Ziploc bag, refrigerated for 30-60 minutes.
- Shake off and discard excess buttermilk.
- Use three large bowls for the dredging process. One bowl for the flour, one for two eggs lightly whisked, one for panko breadcrumbs and seasoning.
- Dredge in flour, then in whisked eggs, lastly in the panko mixture.
- Lay in an air fryer basket in batches, careful not to overcrowd the basket. Spray with oil, being sure to cover any bare flour spots as best as you can.
- Air fry at 325F for 10 minutes.
