Cooking Frozen Onion Rings In Air Fryer

Onion rings on a plate

You won't believe how crispy these Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings get, without all the extra oil they'd soak up in the deep fryer. You can now make perfectly crispy onion rings in the air fryer, quickly and easily.

Whether you have kids who like to snack, you're hosting a party and need quick and delicious party food ideas, or just enjoy crispy onion rings, you're in for a treat.

These are really one of the easiest snacks to make because you can buy them frozen in a bag and store them in the freezer until you're ready to cook them. You can make the whole bag at once in the air fryer (depending on the size of your basket) or just pop a few in at a time.

Why Use an Air Fryer

With an air fryer, you place the food in a fryer-style basket and hot air rapidly circulates all around the food, making the food crisp—much like deep-frying, but without the oil. Compared to deep-frying, using an air fryer can reduce the amount of fat, calories, and potentially harmful compounds in your food.

If you don't have an air fryer yet, check out these options to find one that fits your needs.
See reviews and prices for air fryers on Amazon.
Click to find more recipes to make in your Air Fryer.
Learn how to make fun things in the air fryer, like potato wedges, pork belly bites, and chicken wings.

How to Make Onion Rings in the Air Fryer

This recipe is specifically for making frozen onion rings that you purchased at the store. You can use any type of store-bought frozen onion rings. They all cook in about the same amount of time in the air fryer.

Place as many onion rings as you want to cook in the air fryer basket. It's okay if they overlap.

Frozen onion rings in the air fryer basket

Start by pre-heating the air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). This will help the onion rings get super crispy. Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket or use air fryer parchment paper to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the basket.

Cook for 8 minutes, turning the onion rings halfway through cooking to ensure they get evenly browned and crispy. If after 8 minutes, they aren't as dark and crispy as you like, continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes.

Cooked onion rings in the air fryer basket

That is all that there is to it. They come out perfect every time.

What About Homemade Onion Rings?

I've tried to make my own homemade onion rings by dredging them in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. While they do turn out okay, it seems that the breading doesn't stay on well and they aren't as good as I want them to be.

Usually, onion rings are breaded with a wet batter then tossed directly into the hot oil in a deep fryer. You can't mimic that in an air fryer, so if you do want to make your own onion rings, you'll have to go the dredging route.

Slice the onion and break apart the rings
Dust each ring with flour.
Dip the rings in egg.
Dip the rings in breadcrumbs.

Place the onion rings on the basket or racks and cook at 375°F for 10 minutes. Then after 6 minutes of cooking, flip them over so they brown evenly.

Cooked onions can add flavor to many things. Try these Air Fryer Onions as a topping on brats or burgers.

What Oil & Oil Sprayer is Best for the Air Fryer?

The biggest issue most air fryer lovers face is finding the right oil and oil sprayer to use on food cooked in the air fryer. A fine mist of oil will help the entire piece of food crisp evenly, so it's very important.

My personal preference is to use canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil. I use both a refillable spray bottle like the Evo one pictured below and non-propellant extra virgin olive oil, which has not harmful aerosols or chemicals.

Dips to Serve With Onion Rings

The perennial favorite dipping sauce for onion rings is ketchup, of course, but there are lots of other great choices to mix things up a bit. Try serving your onion rings with:

Ranch dressing
Honey mustard
Fry sauce (ketchup, mayonnaise, and relish)

Once you see how easy it is to make these air fryer frozen onion rings, you'll want to keep a bag of them in the freezer at all times, so you can crisp some up on a whim.

What Brand Onion Rings to Try

Some of our favorite brands are

Trader Joe's Beer Battered Vidalia Sweet Onion Rings
Brew City Beer Battered Onion Rings
Ore Ida Gourmet Onion Rings
Red Robin Crispy Onion Rings

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Onion rings on a plate

Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings

Cook Time 8 mins

Total Time 8 mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 200 kcal

Air Fryer

1 bag of your favorite frozen onion rings
Cooking oil spray

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F | 200°C.
Spray the basket of your air fryer with oil.
Add onion rings to the air fryer basket or tray (how many you can fit depends on the capacity of your air fryer). Spray the onion rings with a bit of oil.
Cook for 8 minutes, flipping the onion rings halfway through. Add additional time if you prefer your onion rings crispier.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

All air fryers have different wattage and may cook at different rates. You may need to adjust the time or temp for the best results.

Calories: 200 kcal Carbohydrates: 25 g Protein: 3 g Fat: 11 g Saturated Fat: 2.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g Sodium: 440 mg Potassium: 90 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 2 g Calcium: 10 mg

Keyword Air Fryer, Frozen

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