Crispy, Homemade Air Fryer Onion Rings
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.
Servings 4
Calories 305kcal
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 3g