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.
And I am sure there are many dishes in other different cuisines that use fried onions which I am not aware of. If you know such dishes, please share them with us in the comment section below.
Here I am sharing with you how to prepare crispy fried onions in an air fryer. A perfect healthy alternative to deep-fried onions that you can use in your favorite dish without the guilt.
Let's get started!
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.
How to use fried onions?
There are many ways you can use these crispy golden strings of onion. Here are some ways to think of using them...
- Add these crispy onions into salads, soups or top it onto homemade pizza or veggie flatbread for added flavors.
- Use them in making your favorite Indian chicken biryani or vegetable biryani. It is one of the most important ingredients in biryani dishes.
- You can even use it for making curries like chicken tikka masala, lentil curry, palak paneer, etc. Just use fried onion and skip the step of sautéing the onion in the recipe. It will save some time if you have pre-made fried onion.
Helpful Tips!
- If you are using a red onion, you may get dark brown fried onions in the end. Yellow onions result in a golden brown color after frying.
- Cut onion slices as even as possible. Or else you may get uneven color and texture after frying them. A mandolin slicer is a perfect tool for getting even slices. This will also speed up the cutting process.
- Drizzle the oil before separating the onion rings from the slices. It will help to distribute the oil evenly.
FAQs:
How to store fried crispy onions?
Let the onion strings cool down completely before storing. Then place them in an air-tight container and store them in the refrigerator.
How long to store?
I have successfully used these fried onions for up to one week if stored in an air-tight container and in the refrigerator.
MORE AWESOME AIR FRYER RECIPES
- Air Fryern Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
- Air Fryer BBQ Flavored Chicken Wings
- Zucchini And Corn Fritters
- Easy Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Homemade French Fries
📖 Recipe
Air Fried Crispy Onion
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Equipment
- Mandolin Slicer
Ingredients
- 2 medium to large yellow onions (or around 1 lb)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Instructions
- Peel and cut onion into thin round slices.
- Drizzle oil over the slices and then gently separate the rings.
- 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.
- 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
- You may use either red or yellow onion. However, note that the red onion would result in a darker color of the fried onion.
- 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
Marsha says
This recipe looks so good. I'm going to try this recipe with red onions. I love the flavor of red onions.
Amanda says
Delicious! These are fantastic as a crunchy add-on to rice bowls and add a delightful taste and texture to hot dogs and hamburgers too! A sprinkle on top of casseroles is quite nice too!
Etta Gover says
How do you store these/how long do they last?
You can store them in an air-tight container in a refrigerator for a week.
Richard E Lorenz says
If you have a vacuum sealer, these can be stored for several weeks.
nunu says
I also use this for biriyani, but I do it in a convection oven. It works, but generally takes longer than the stated times, probably because stirring every 5 minutes reduces the temps a lot. You just have to be patient until it reaches the desired crispiness.
Erene says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I can now make my favourite Austrian dish Wiener Zwiebelrostbraten (fried beef and onions in gravy) and need to be topped with crispy fried onions. This will be so much easier and healthier.
nunu says
I made these in a convection oven on a roasting rack It's really good!
Terrie says
Love this recipe as it’s not only less oily but perfectly safe for those of us Celiac’s.
Store brands contain wheat and the GF brands taste terrible. I can control the ingredients and crispness and know I’m safe in eating them. Thank you.
Delores says
Interesting temps and times instead of "full power".🤪 I used them for revisions to the old green bean casserole (which I do not like). I steamed fresh green beans to almost done, then sauteed the trio (onions, celery, butter), tossed in the usual mushroom soup, but sparingly into a baking dish. Fixed the onions as above, but stopped before max crispy since I placed them, along with a few Panko crumbs on top of mixture to go into a 375°F oven until nice and bubbly, and further browned onions (ca. 20 min for our small dish for 4). The combo of these lovely, non-greasy onions and fresh green beans (courtesy of Costco) turned an old dish I never really liked into something fresh and delicious. Maybe it was not as crunchy as the first bite of the old canned onion rings, but this time no greasy aftertaste. Thank you for the creative timing involved in the recipe. Very clever!🤗
Also, thanks to all for other suggested uses. They are on my list.
Parker says
Perfect! I've avoided them because of the fat but I just got an air fryer. I love love love onions like this. I put them on a burger. I use them on green beans with dried cranberries and crispy prosciutto. They're good on tuna sandwiches, nachos, cod, rice and mashed potatoes. THANKS!
Ehsan says
Thanks for sharing this air fried onion recipe. I used it for making chicken biryani. This is much better than store-bought ones that are very oily.