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!
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Air Fryer Green Bean Fries
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Twists
- Air Fryer Jalapeno Fries
- Air Fryer Crab Cakes
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Air Fryer Onion Rings
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 yellow onion large, about 9 oz
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Things You’ll Need
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.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Edward says
This was fantastic! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Dennis Connor Sr says
I hate when recipes start off with a BS time for prep 20min and cook time 10min and then by the third step your marinating in the refrigerator 30-60
Min. Not sure where you learned math but 30-60
Min maranating does not make prep time 10min nor total time 20min. COME ON REALLY??? Try being honest with your recipes
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Dennis. That’s definitely a mistake on our editorial teams’ part. However, we weren’t being dishonest. Just a human error. I have corrected the recipe times.
Carol says
Has anyone used regular milk instead of the buttermilk?
Amy B. says
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
Amanda Formaro says
The consistency of the two are different. You can make your own buttermilk -> 1 cup buttermilk = 1 Tablespoon white vinegar + enough milk to measure 1 cup
Marilyn says
Thank you for sharing this recipe , I am going to be making this.
Holly says
Always looking for a good onion rings recipe. This one hit it out of the park, so freaking good!! Love!
Kathy Harris says
I’m a total nut for onion rings and these are DELICIOUS!!!!!! LOVE
Gayle Brown says
The recipe is very easy to use and produces great onion rings. Love
Mindy Fitch says
So yummy! LOVE!♥️🍉🥗
Susan Wood says
Love – these are fabulous. I have made them twice now. Crunchy, scrumptious treats.
B. B. says
Crispy. Love.
Monica Player says
Omg the best ones yet! I’m always lookin for a great onion ring recipe and I believe this one is it. LOVE
Denny Krcek says
So easy to make in the air fryer. Love it.
Donna M Miller says
Easy to make /Very good .LOVE!
Gigi Wakem says
I tried the air fryer onion rings last night and they were a huge hit with the kids!! Thanks LOVE!
Matej @ CookWeWill says
Hello Amanda :)
So how do these airfried rings compare to standard deep fried ones? So far I’m having “mixed” results with an airfryer, some things turn out great (french-fries, wings…) some not so much :) I didn’t try onion rings yet so now I’m tempted to do so, is it worth it?
Amanda Formaro says
Absolutely worth it. Same crunch, virtually no grease!
Bob says
Really good.