Can you air fry onions? Absolutely! Make yourself some air fryer onions with this easy air fryer recipe. Learn how long to air fry onions, how to saute onions in air fryer, how to make air fryer caramelized onions, air fryer crispy onions, and more! You can leave air fried onions soft or get them crispy and golden brown, it’s up to you.
We’re keeping things simple today with some directions on how to air fry onion slices. I’ll give you the time and temp to make whatever sort of onions you like best.
These are air fried onions no batter, perfect for air fryer onions and peppers or use them as fried onions for biryani. I have a bunch of other ideas for these onion strings below! You are going to love how versatile these are.
But first, I want to answer the most important thing, are air fried onions good? If you like onions, you will like these.
And if you don’t like onions, why are you making an onion recipe in the first place? Haha
Seriously, even if you don’t like onions, remember that you can make air fryer french fried onions with this recipe. They’re like a healthy version of those crunchy onions that go on green bean casseroles. They’re so super tasty they tend to be a hit even if you don’t like other onions.
I hope I’ve convinced you to consider giving these air fryer fried onions a try. This is one of those recipes that gives you maximum flavor with minimal effort!
Jump to:
- ⭐ Onions in Air Fryer Benefits
- 🥘 Air Fryer Onions Ingredients
- 🔪 How to Air Fry Onions
- ️⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature
- ️🌡️ Leftovers
- 😋 What goes with air fryer onions?
- 📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
- 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- FAQs
- 👨🏾🍳 More Recipes with Onions
- 🧑🏿🍳 Other Air Fryer Veggie Recipes
- The Disclaimer…
- 📖 Recipe
⭐ Onions in Air Fryer Benefits
Why make onions in the air fryer? Here are a few reasons for you:
- Fast: You can sauté onions in the air fryer in only 12 minutes! Adding a few more minutes at a lower temp will give you a little caramelization. Caramelizing onions on the stovetop can take 45-60 minutes, so this is a huge time saver.
- Hands off: Unlike when you cook onions on the stove, you only need to stir once when making air fried onions! Your hands will be free to make other parts of the meal.
- Easy clean up: Sometimes food sticks to even non-stick skillets and seasoned cast iron. If you don’t like scrubbing pans, air frying is the way to go.
- Special diets: This simple air fryer recipe is vegan, low carb, and gluten free. Just about everyone can eat air fryer onions!
- Delicious: Did I mention how tasty these are? I could seriously eat these onions right off the air fryer tray.
🥘 Air Fryer Onions Ingredients
To make onions in an air fryer, you need the following ingredients:
- One sweet onion (8 ounces/227 grams)
- One tablespoon avocado oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
- Salt (I prefer smoked salt)
I’m keeping it simple with just salt for seasoning. However, mix things up with whatever seasonings you prefer. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and Everything Bagel seasoning are some ideas to get you started.
The one thing I’d avoid is seasoning blends with added sugar. Sugar will alter the cooking time of your onions, making them easier to burn.
Speaking of cooking time, the amount of onions you use in this recipe is important. Using less onions will lead to a faster cooking time. You can use yellow onions or white onions, but I recommend sweet onions, as they caramelize the best.
You’ll also want to have a good knife, a bowl, and an air fryer for this recipe. I use a 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven.
The Ninja Foodi, Philips, Nuwave, Pampered Chef, Actifry, Instant Pot Vortex, Cosori, Breville, and other air fryers can air fry onions. Cooking times may need to be adjusted depending on the air fryer you use. Keep a close eye on the food whenever you try a new air fryer recipe for great results every time!
🔪 How to Air Fry Onions
We need to begin by slicing an onion. To slice onions, first cut off the blossom end and the stem end. Make a shallow cut in the onion from end to end and peel it.
Cut the onion 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. As we sweat the onions, they’re going to shrink down, so no worries that they’re overlapping.
If you have an air fryer oven, you should put the tray in the middle of the air fryer. Now it’s time to learn how to cook down onions!
️⏲️ Cooking Time and Temperature
How long to cook onions in the air fryer? What temperature to air fry onions? Air fry onions for a total of 12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177C). 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 300F (149C) and air fry 5-10 minutes more. After 10 minutes, my caramelized onions were just starting to get crispy. You could make crispy onions by making the air frying time a little longer.
Note that these aren’t just like the onions caramelized on the stove. The onions get crispy faster with the rapidly moving dry heat of the air fryer. Air frying isn’t the best method when you want to cook something over a long period and have it stay moist.
️🌡️ Leftovers
Air fryer onions keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Note that leftover crispy onions may get soggy, so just make what you need.
😋 What goes with air fryer onions?
Air fryer onions make delicious burger toppings and so much more! Here are a few of my favorite foods that go with onions:
- Frozen Pierogies in Air Fryer
- Frozen Burgers in Air Fryer
- Keto Big Mac Salad Bowl
- Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
- Easy Shrimp Fajita Bowls
📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of air fryer onions has 49 calories, 3.8 grams net carbs, and 0.5 grams protein. Nutrition information is for ¼ of the recipe.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
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!
FAQs
Did you know I have a really delish air fryer onion rings recipe right on this site? Get my recipe here: air fryer frozen onion rings. (They happen to be keto and gluten free as well!)
I haven't tried it, but this air fryer blooming onion recipe from Stay Snatched looks amazing. If you have an extra sweet onion around, you may want to make it next!
Though you can technically make air fryer onions without oil, they don’t tend to turn out well. The oil helps keep the onion from drying out too early and burning. Oil-free onions that are half burnt and half raw aren’t on anyone’s menu.
I’ve seen recipes claiming you can cook a whole onion in the air fryer. However, some say the onion won’t get soft. Unless you’re cooking whole pearl onions, I’d stick to air frying chopped onions or sliced onions.
Air fryer crispy fried onions should not be left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. These onions have not had moisture removed as thoroughly as the ones from the store. This means they’re more likely to go bad if not refrigerated.
You can make air fryer dehydrated onions using the lowest temperature setting on your air fryer. Though they’ll take less time than using a food dehydrator, you’ll need to stir the onions far more often. Also, the air fryer can only dehydrate a very small batch of onions at a time.
👨🏾🍳 More Recipes with Onions
What are some other ways to use onions? Here are a few more recipes using onions for you:
- Air Fryer Italian Sausage and Peppers with Onions
- Smoked Mac and Cheese with Gouda and Caramelized Onions
- Instant Pot Italian Sausage Soup
🧑🏿🍳 Other Air Fryer Veggie Recipes
Looking for more veggie recipes to make in an air fryer? Why not try these:
- Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
- Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks
- Butternut Squash Zig Zags in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Baby Carrots
- Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
Psst... don’t miss my entire collection of Air Fryer Recipes!
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Onions (Sauté, Crispy, or Caramelized!)
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.
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