Air Fryer Crispy Onions

Follow this super easy recipe to prepare air fryer crispy onions at home. There is no need to deep fry onions in a ton of oil to get the crispy caramelized taste and texture. A healthy alternative to deep-fried onions to use in different dishes like Indian biryanis, curries, soups, or salads.

I love the taste and texture of fried onions to add to different dishes. Especially in Indian cuisines, such as chicken biryani or vegetable biryani, caramelized onions are a must-have ingredient to get the classic deliciousness in the rice dish. Not only biryanis but curries like lamb korma curry (mutton korma) is incomplete without it.

What you will need?

• Onion – I use thinly sliced onion for making these fried onions
• Cooking oil – some cooking oil to coat the onion lightly

How to cut onion for making crispy onions in Air Fryer?

Peel a large onion, trim one end and leave the other end to hold. Then using a mandolin, slice the onion on its largest setting (it’s 3mm in my slicer). Mandolin helps cut the onion into even round slices, which helps in even cooking in the air fryer. Gently separate the rings before adding them to the air fryer.

You can also use a sharp knife to slice the onion. Make sure to cut the slices as even as possible.

How to prepare Air Fryer crispy onions?

Preheat the air fryer to 300F (if the preheat option is available in your AF). Coat the onion rings with some oil and place them in the air fryer basket. Initially fry the onion at 300F for 10 min, then reduce the temperature to 240F and continue frying them until crispy and well done. Keep stirring the onion every 5 min of cooking. For even heating, texture, and color it is necessary to shake the onion at regular intervals.

Air Fryer Crispy Onions

Print Recipe

Air Fried Crispy Onion – Make crispy fried onions in an air fryer with just a hint of oil. No need to deep fry them to get the crispy caramelized texture and flavors.

• Author: Julia
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 1 1x
• Category: Condiments
• Cuisine: Indian Inspired

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 medium to large yellow onions (or around 1 lb)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Instructions

1. Peel and cut onion into thin round slices.
2. Drizzle oil over the slices and then gently separate the rings.
3. Place the onion rings in the air fryer basket. Fry them initially at 300F for 10 min. Gently mix the rings at a 5 min interval.
4. Now lower the temperature down to 240F and continue heating the rings. After every 5 min gently mix the rings. It will take 15-18 min @240F to get the desired color and texture.

Notes

1. You may use either red or yellow onion. However, note that the red onion would result in a darker color of the fried onion.
2. Cooking times may vary depending on the quantity of the onion in the air fryer. The time stated above is for ~1 lb onion. If you have a slightly larger batch, simply keep frying and checking every 5 min interval at 240F till you get the desired color and texture