Air Fryer Onion Rings
Thick sweet onion rings soaked in buttermilk and coated in a seasoned panko crust, air fried until crunchy and golden with a tangy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 4. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 1 large sweet onion, like Vidalia
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- cooking spray
Dipping sauce
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp prepared horseradish
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Steps
Step 1: Slice the onion into 1/2-inch rounds and separate them into rings. Save the tiny centers for another use.
Step 2: Soak the rings in buttermilk 15 minutes.
Step 3: Whisk the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt and cayenne in one shallow dish. Lift the onions out of the buttermilk and whisk the egg into the leftover buttermilk in that bowl. Put the panko in a third dish.
Step 4: Dredge each ring in the seasoned flour, dip it in the egg and buttermilk mixture, then press into the panko.
Step 5: Spray the air fryer basket. Arrange the rings in a single layer (small rings can sit inside big ones) and spray the tops well.
Step 6: Air fry at 380°F for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway and spraying again, until deep golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining rings.
Step 7: Stir the dipping sauce ingredients and serve with the hot rings.
Swaps
- Onion: Yellow onions have a stronger bite; sweet onions are milder.
- Coating: Crushed cornflakes or a mix of panko and crushed pork rinds.
- Dip: Ranch or barbecue sauce.
Tips
- Use the biggest outer rings; tiny inner rings are tricky to coat.
- Work in batches and keep cooked rings warm in a 200°F oven.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Onion rings are the side dish that makes ordering fries feel like settling. They’re crunchy, they’re sweet, and they’re basically a vegetable if you squint really hard and don’t ask questions.
A sweet onion is the right pick because it has a mild, sugary flavor that gets even sweeter as it cooks, instead of turning sharp. Soaking the rings in buttermilk softens their bite a little and gives the breading something to stick to. The flour layer dries the surface, the egg acts as glue, and panko builds a big, craggy crust that crisps up in the dry heat.
Like everything breaded in an air fryer, a light spray of oil is key for a golden finish. Without it, panko stays pale. With it, you get rings that crunch loud enough to interrupt a conversation. That’s the goal.
HAM out.
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