Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make crispy batter in an air fryer? ›

To pull this off without a vat of boiling-hot oil, I decided to try a blend of flour, cornstarch, oil, and water to mimic the shell that forms when you batter and deep-fry vegetables. An equal amount of all-purpose flour and cornstarch provides both structure and crunch to the batter.

Don't skip the frying thermometer though—it's important to make sure you're frying at the right temperature so your onion rings come out crispy, crunchy, and delicious. If the oil isn't hot enough, your onion rings can turn out soggy; too hot, and the oil can start to smoke.

Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings FAQ

Reheat them the same way you cooked them, but at a lower temperature so they don't become hard. Preheat the fryer at 320°F for 3 minutes. Add the rings to the basket in a single layer. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stopping to flip them about halfway.

Why is my food not crispy in an air fryer? If your food is not crispy when coming out of an air fryer, you may not have patted it dry before putting it in to cook. Meat or proteins, or foods you may have washed, will fry better without the added moisture.

Oil not hot enough or deep enough. Onion not cut small enough. Onion has a lot of moisture in it. If it's too thick it'll soften and cook rather than crisp.

The major issue is the liquid components of wet batter may not stick to the food that's being air-fried as they would when deep frying. The larger volume of oil keeps wet batter in place while it cooks, while a lower volume of oil won't be able to handle the task.

Rice flour and cornstarch work particularly well because they fry up crispier than wheat flour. They also absorb less moisture and fat during the frying process, making the products less greasy. This is why rice flour is often used when making tempura because it produces a very thin and crispy, dry crust.

Recipes that use a wet batter, including fried chicken, will end up being very messy if cooked in an air fryer. This is because there won't be enough hot oil to set the batter, and it will likely drip everywhere rather than forming a crunchy coating.

A long soak in buttermilk in the fridge firms up the onion slices for frying and mellows their flavor.

Canola oil or Vegetable oil are the best to use for deep frying. PRO TIP: The onions should rise to the top of the oil almost immediately if the oil is at the right temperature. If it's not hot enough, the onion ring will sink (and likely stick) to the bottom and the batter will fall off.

How do you keep breading from falling off onion rings? ›

A trick for getting your breading to stick better and not fall off as much when frying is to cover the breaded onion rings with a damp paper towel for 10-15 minutes after breading while the oil heats up. This helps it get a little bit tacky and stick better so less of it falls off in the hot oil.

Nathan's frozen onion rings is my favorite brand. I find they are the best frozen onion rings for the air fryer. My next favorite brand of onion rings is Alexia onion rings. Other popular brands are Red Robin, and Ore Ida onion rings.

Onion rings are a perfect, flavorful, quick, healthy[ish] snack, especially when made in the air fryer. They come out just as crispy as they do when deep fried, but with a fraction the oil. This has quickly become one of our all-time favorite air fryer recipes.

It's tricky to do a “wet” batter in the air fryer because all of the batter just drops down to the bottom of the basket. There is no hot oil for the batter to cling to. This is why my apple fritters don't work in the air fryer. And there are some things that just can't be air fried.

You bet! The flour coating gets amazingly crispy in the air fryer, so you get that satisfying crunch without the hassle of breadcrumbs. And the meat inside stays so wonderfully juicy and tender!

An air fryer rapidly circulates heated air throughout the cooking cavity, helping to remove surface moisture from food and create a crispy exterior. Conventional, non-convection ovens use heating elements on the top and bottom of the cooking cavity, leaving the air fairly static.