Cripsy Homemade Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe

Skip the deep fryer for this lighter alternative – homemade air fryer onion rings! This simple air fryer recipe is a healthier way to enjoy fried onion rings at home, as a perfect side dish, appetiser or light meal idea with your favourite dipping sauce.

This crispy homemade air fryer onion ring recipe is so quick and easy to make and just as good as your favourite restaurant.

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There is no denying that I love my air fryer and coming up with new ways to recreate favourite recipes using it.

The crazy thing is, I never intended to buy one of our own.

My parents left theirs here when they moved, so we started out just using it to cook pre-made products, such as chicken nuggets… #fussykids but it soon progressed into a whole new world of yummy recipe possibilities.

Plus it’s always a bonus when you can make healthier versions of your favourite foods at home!

These pair great with crispy coconut prawns (and the sweet and sour dipping sauce included with the recipe), lemon garlic prawns, air fryer sweet potato fries or salt and pepper calamari if you want a variety of air fryer snacks to enjoy together.

How To Make Air Fryer Onion Rings

Making your own homemade onion rings in the air fryer is simple to do.

It can be a little messy, but it does not take long to make a batch of light, crispy air fryer onion rings to enjoy at home or with family and friends.

One of my favourite things about this recipe is that it uses such simple ingredients or ingredients that are easily substituted and still end up with a delicious easy recipe.

Let’s check out the ingredients for making crispy air fryer onion rings:

• 1 large onion – As for the type of onion, I usually just use brown onions, however, you may want to choose sweet onions. Go for a large one so you can get nice big crunchy onion rings.
• 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 cup of buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten

TIP: For extra flavour, add garlic powder chilli powder, or cayenne pepper into your flour mix in the first bowl.

You will need three bowls for making your homemade onion rings.

Any standard mixing bowls will work, however, shallow medium-sized bowls will make it easier to roll your in raw onion rings through the different mixtures.

• In a shallow dish or bowl, combine the flour with the paprika seasoning.
• Add half of your dry mixture to a second bowl and combine with buttermilk and egg.
• In a third bowl, add panko breadcrumbs and salt and combine well.
• Dip your raw onion rings first in the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk mixture. Then roll well in the panko mixture to give them a thick crumb coating.
• Add to air fryer in a single layer to ensure each of your onion rings comes out nice and crispy!

TIP: Allow your onion rings to rest for a few minutes on a sheet of paper towel after air frying to allow any excess oil to absorb into the paper.

The printable recipe card with a FULL ingredients list and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

TIP: If you have a small air fryer basket, cook your onion rings in smaller batches so they are not overlapping. This is how you will get that perfect golden brown, crispy texture on each of your onion rings.

What is Buttermilk?

This recipe uses buttermilk rather than standard full cream milk. Buttermilk involves curdled proteins, creating a thicker consistency than standard milk, but not as thick as cream.

It is also lower in fat than both regular milk and cream.

If you do not have buttermilk, you can try these substitutions for buttermilk instead.

Tips for getting crispy onion rings

Crunchy, crispy onion rings are perfection! And the air fryer does a great job of achieving this texture.

However, if you want to add a little extra crunch to your onion rings and ensure a golden brown finish, try spraying a little cooking oil onto them halfway through cooking.

This will help crisp them up and turn them golden brown!

Add a light spray of cooking spray to the base of your air fryer basket before adding your onion rings or add a layer of baking paper to the bottom of your air fryer tray first.

Otherwise, you will have a bit of a mess to clean up after you are done.

This will also prevent your onion rings from sticking to the air fryer and pulling away that delicious crispy coating!

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below or a rating and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram. I would love to see!

How To Reheat Onion Rings

If you accidentally air fry too many homemade onion rings to eat in one sitting (what a terrible shame… is there really such thing as too many onion rings?), you may be wondering if you can save them for later.

If so, make sure to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until reheating.

They won’t be the same crispy onion rings straight out of the air fryer. You could microwave them, but this will leave them soft and a bit soggy.

TIP: To avoid your reheated onion rings getting soggy with oil, use a wire rack on a tray to elevate them. This will allow the oil to drip onto the tray below, rather than reabsorb into your onion rings and it will help restore them to their crispy glory!

This air fried onion rings recipe is perfect for sharing! The onions are coated in a light and crispy batter that will make them irresistible. Serve them as an appetizer or side dish at your next party, and watch them disappear!

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Check out these easy air fryer recipes for beginners if you are a new air fryer owner or are ready to try some new inspiration in the kitchen! And tips for creating a family meal plan!