Learn how to make onion rings in the air fryer! It’s a quick and easy way to make crispy onion rings with less oil and less mess than deep-frying. They are great as an appetizer, side dish, or snack with your favorite dipping sauce on the side.
I love onion rings, but I don’t love all of the oil you need to deep-fry them. It’s a pain and makes a mess, not to mention deep frying is pretty unhealthy.
So, for a long time, they were a special treat we might order at a restaurant, but then we got an air fryer. Now we can make them at home whenever we want without the hassle of deep-frying or all the oil.
Knowing how to make onion rings in an air fryer is a great way to make this favorite snack without a big mess to clean up or cooking oil to worry about throwing out. I love it because it just means I can have them more often!
Table of Contents
Best Onions for Onion Rings
For air fryer onion rings, I like to use a large yellow onion, but you can also use a white one or sweet onions. To prep it, all you do is remove the root end, peel it, and then cut it into rings that are the same thickness.
Beer Batter
I think the best batter is one made with beer. It gives it a lot of flavor, but the carbonation also helps create a light and airy breading.
You can use various beers to make the batter so choose the one you like to drink. I like to use a lager because the flavor and color are lighter.
To make it easy to bread the rings, you will need two shallow bowls or pie plates and these ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Beer
- Breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder
- Egg
- Cooking spray
How to Bread Onion Rings
Step 1: Combine flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt in one dish. Coat all of the onion rings with the breading and set them aside.
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Step 2: Add the beer and eggs to the dish and stir to combine. Dip the rings, so they are fully coated, and then set them on a baking rack over a sheet pan so the excess coating can drip off.
Step 3: In the other dish, combine the rest of the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge the rings in the mixture, so they are coated. Gently shake them to remove excess breading.
How to Cook Onion Rings in Air Fryer
Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Spray the basket with cooking spray.
Place the breaded rings in a single layer in the basket. Don’t stack or overlap them – they won’t be crispy on all sides if you do this. If they won’t all fit, cook them in batches.
Lightly coat the tops of the rings with cooking spray. This will help them crisp up, so they are nice and golden when done.
Cook them for two to four minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time.
Recipe Tips
For the best results, try and slice your onions evenly. You will have big ones and small ones, so ensuring they are approximately the same thickness will ensure they cook evenly.
If you are making a lot of onion rings, be sure to cook them in batches. To keep them warm, turn the oven to 200°F and place the cooked ones on a baking sheet. Put them in the oven while you make the rest of the batch.
Serve your hot and crispy onion rings with a dipping sauce on the side. Ketchup, Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and mustard are always good.
We make air fryer onion rings as a side dish for dinners, snacks for game-days, and appetizers for parties. They’re so crispy and just as good as deep-fried ones but so much easier to make, not to mention a little healthier! I hope you give them a try.
More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion cut into rings
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup beer
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Get two shallow bowls (we use pie plates). In the first one combine flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt. Dredge the onion rings through the mixture and set aside. Add the beer and egg and stir together using a whisk. Dredge the onion rings in the mixture making sure it is fully coated. Set on a wire rack that is over a cookie sheet and let the excess mixture drain. In the second pie plate combine the breadcrumbs, pepper and garlic salt. Dredge the onion rings in the breadcrumb mixture covering them fully. Shake excess off and set aside.
- Heat the air fryer to 400° F and place the rings in the air fryer basket that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Do not overlap. Spray the top of the onion rings with cooking spray to help with browning. Cook for 2-4 minutes per side flipping once.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Recipe Nutrition
Air Fryer Onion Rings make a great appetizer, side dish or snack with your favorite dipping sauce. I love making these in the air fryer because they are quick, use less oil and much less mess than deep frying.