Name: Air Fryer Onion Rings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour, (divided); 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 eggs; 1 sweet onion; olive oil spray, (for cooking); spicy mayo, (for dipping)

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Ditch the deep fryer! These Air Fryer Onion Rings are extra crispy, easy to make, and the perfect snack or appetizer!

This Air Fryer Onion Ring Recipe will give you the most delicious appetizer or game day snack with half the calories! They are perfectly seasoned, dipped in egg, covered in panko breadcrumbs, and cooked to crispy-perfection in the air fryer!

air fryer onion rings on a plate with sauce

Looking for more game day snacks? Check out my Air Fryer Zucchini Chips and Air Fryer Pickles! If you need a whole menu of snacks, check out my favorite Game Day Recipes!

Easy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe

We love appetizers and game day snacks in this house! Truthfully, we also love appetizers for dinner too!

If you are anything like us, you are going to love this delicious extra crispy Air Fryer Onion Ring Recipe.

These Air Fried Onion Rings are truly the best. They are packed with flavor and super easy to make. Compared to deep fried onion rings, this recipe will save you on: oil, time, clean up, calories, and more!

If you’ve never made your favorite bar snack at home, you really have got to give it a try. I love recreating all my favorite game day snacks from the bar at home with healthier ingredients.

Homemade Onion Rings are simple to make and tastes like they are hot out of a restaurant kitchen.

hand dipping an air fryer onion ring in sauce

Air Fryer Onion Ring Ingredients

Onions: To make the best air fryer onion rings, I recommend using a sweet onion for this recipe! You can use red onions too if that’s what you have on hand.

Dry ingredients: All purpose flour (or almond flour), panko bread crumbs, and baking powder.

Herbs and spices: paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt.

Eggs: eggs act as the perfect binder to hold everything together.

For cooking: when using an air fryer you will need just a spritz of olive oil cooking spray for cooking.

*For a detailed list of ingredients and measurements, please reference the recipe card down below.

How to make Air Fryer Onion Rings

1. Prepare the ingredients. Divide the flour into two bowls. In one of the flour bowls, add the panko, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and baking powder. Toss with a fork to mix. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs.

2. Prepare the onion rings. Slice the ends off the onion. Then cut the onion into 1/2 inch slices and separate the onion rings.

Dredge the onion slices in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and then into the panko flour mixture. Freeze for 5-10 minutes to help the breading stick. I usually stick a plate in the freezer and add them as they are ready to save time.

3. Air fry the onion rings. Preheat the air fryer to 375° F. Place the onion rings in the air fryer in a single layer with some space in between.

Spritz both sides with olive oil and air fry for 5-7 minutes, until golden (you don’t need to flip). You might want to work in batches depending on how many onion rings you have.

Tips for Making The Best Air Fryer Onion Rings

Make sure you use panko breadcrumbs! Panko makes the onion rings extra crispy and super delicious. You can substitute with regular breadcrumbs if necessary, but I highly recommend panko crumbs because it makes them crispier!
If the onion rings appear dry while cooking, you can spritz them again.
Breading onion rings can get messy, I use a different fork in each bowl to keep things clean. You can also divide the panko mixture into two bowls and toss the first one when it gets clumpy/sticky.
Keep an eye on your onion rings, because cook time can vary per air fryer (just like the oven).
Don’t substitute a white onion for a sweet onion, they are a little too bitter.

Air Fryer Basics

New air frying? Welcome! The world of air frying is happy to have you. Trust me when I say this, once you air fry, you will never go back. It’s easy, way less oil, less calories, and a lot less clean up!

Here are some things to help you get started:

For more delicious air fryer recipes check out:

air fryer onion rings on a plate, one in sauce

Which Onions are Best for making Onion Rings?

I recommend using sweet onions to make onion rings. You can also use white and yellow onions. However, I don’t recommend white onions as much, as they are more pungent.

If you are like me and a fan of sweet onions, consider substituting with a Maui, Vidalia, or Walla Walla onion, which is in season in the Spring and Summer months; perfect for your summertime BBQs!

Can you use batter in an air fryer?

No! An air fryer is not like deep frying. You cannot put wet batter in the air fryer; it will just run off and make a mess. Freeze your onion rings with the batter on for 5-10 minutes before air frying to ensure it sticks to the onion ring.

How do you cook frozen onion rings?

If you’re making these onion rings ahead of time, and want to freeze a batch for later, you can easily air fry them right from the freezer.

After you have frozen your onion rings, preheat your air fryer to 375° F. Once the air fryer has warmed up, place the onion rings in the air fryer in a single layer with some space in between. Spritz both sides with olive oil and air fry for 5-7 minutes, until golden (you don’t need to flip).

Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings

If you have pre-made frozen air fryer onion rings (from the grocery store):

Preheat the air fryer to 350 F and place the frozen onion rings in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Air fry for 4-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until golden brown and crispy.

I think the best frozen onion rings are the Alexia brand, but you can use whatever brand you like most!

How long to air fry onion rings?

Depending on the size of the onion ring and how big and/or thick it is times may very. I recommend 5-7 minutes. However, if you feel like you need to add more time, do so in 1 minute increments.

Remember: stay close! You don’t want them to burn.

What To Dip Air Fryer Onion Rings In

My favorite dipping sauce for crunchy onion rings is this 5 Minute Spicy Mayo. Here are some other yummy dipping sauces you can make at home:

More Delicious Recipes To Try

More Air Fryer Recipes

You might be surprised at all you can make in the air fryer. From the best air fryer appetizers to delicious air fryer vegetables, here are some of my favorites:

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