Learn how long to air fry onions, how to saute onions in the air fryer, make air fryer caramelized onions, air fryer crispy onions, and more!
Ingredients
8 ounces onion (227 grams; I recommend using sweet onion)
1 tablespoon avocado oil
salt (I used smoked salt)
Instructions
Peel the onion, cut it in half, and then slice it into thin half-moons. You want the slices to be about ⅛-inch (0.3 cm) thick.
Put the onions in a bowl, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Spread the onions out in an air fryer basket or on an air fryer tray. If you have an air fryer oven, put the tray in the middle of the air fryer.
Air fry onions for a total of 12 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Stir the onions after 10 minutes of cooking. This will give you lightly sauteed onions.
For golden brown onions, next turn the air fryer heat down to 300°F (149°C) and air fry 5-10 minutes more. Make the air frying time a little longer for crispy onions.
Notes
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). I like to think of these as a healthier version of shoestring onions or crispy fried onions.
Normally, crispy onions contain a lot of oil and often white flour. They can end up packing a lot of calories into a tiny portion. Crunchy fried onions from the store are what is called an ultra-processed food.
This recipe is allergy-friendly because we’ve skipped the refined flour. However, like store crispy onions, most of the calories in this recipe actually come from oil. (Onions with no oil only provide 4 calories per tablespoon.)
Luckily, you don’t need to follow an oil free diet to lose weight. People sometimes forget that the white vegetables (even if cooked in a little oil) count as healthy options too. Onions, like many veggies, provide phytonutrients that may benefit your health.
Plus, onions are so flavorful! Aromatic onions are present in so many recipes because of the layer of flavor they add to foods.
If you’re having trouble including enough veggies in your diet, why not start with onions? They’re nutritious, low calorie, inexpensive, widely available, and delicious!
