Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings
This easy method for Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings shows you how to get a perfectly crispy onion ring, straight from frozen using your air fryer or Ninja Foodi. Makes the perfect side dish or pairing with burgers and hot dogs in just 15 minutes or less!
There’s nothing like a perfectly crispy onion ring. As I get older, I enjoy them more than French fries which is saying a lot! Sometimes when I get a soggy onion ring it makes me sad, but the solution is right in your kitchen.
Using the air fryer to make frozen onion rings is one of the best ways to get a crispy onion ring without the use of any excess oil in 10 minutes or less. They make the perfect pairing to Air Fryer Sweet Potato fries or as a topping to beef burgers or turkey burgers which can be air fried, too!
Shouldn’t I just use the directions on the packaging?
Since the air fryer is a small convection oven, it uses dry heat to circulate air around the food making it cook fast. Since onion rings are delicate in nature, this means that the time and temperature may need to be adjusted and will be different from what’s on the package instructions.
Why Make Frozen Onion Rings In The Air Fryer?
There’s less to clean up. Using your air fryer to make onion rings means that you won’t need to break out the oil or the deep fryer. In fact, you won’t even need to break out a sheet pan for this recipe!
Beautifully crispy texture. The texture of air-fried onion rings is unmatched. Without any excess oil to drown them, the onion stays perfectly tender on the inside and has a great crunch on the outside.
They cook in half the time. Even though they are frozen, the air fryer makes them cook in half the time it would in the oven or even a deep fryer. This is because the dry heat circulates all around the onion ring cooking all the surfaces at once.
No babysitting. While the onion rings are cooking, you can do other things in the kitchen as you won’t be needing to watch the onion rings to make sure they burn. A great time saver!
🧅Ingredients You’ll Need
Frozen Onion Rings – You’ll need a bag of your favorite frozen already breaded onion rings to use this method. You can find frozen onion rings in most grocery stores. They come in regular breading or even beer-battered. Either one is a great option. My favorite frozen onion rings come from Aldi because they are inexpensive and have a great texture when air fried.
You can also use GreatValue brand (Walmart), Nathan’s, Alexia, Ore-Ida, Trader Joe’s brand or even the great tasting ones from Red Robin.
Air Fryer or Ninja Foodi – You can make frozen foods in any air fryer you choose. There are so many different brands out there these days. My tried and true is always the Ninja Foodi. I like using the multi-purpose cooker as well as the Ninja Foodi grill to do all my air frying because these machines are of great quality and easy to clean
📋 How To Make Air Fryer Onion Rings
1️⃣ Preheat your air fryer to 375F and set the cooking time for 15 minutes. You may not need to use all of this cooking time.
2️⃣ Remove the frozen onion rings from the bag and place in a single layer at the bottom of the air fryer basket. It’s ok if they overlap a tiny bit, but not too much as you want to make sure they don’t steam or become soggy. If you have an air fryer with a small basket, you may have to cook in batches.
3️⃣ Cook for 5-8 minutes then flip. Depending on if they are smaller in size, they may be finished cooking. If not, cook for 2-3 minute intervals until they are golden brown and crispy.
4️⃣ Remove the cooked onion rings from the air fryer with tongs and serve hot with your favorite side dishes or dipping sauces.
⏲ Best Time & Temperature For Air Frying Frozen Onion Rings
The amount of time it takes to air fry frozen onion rings depends on the size and thickness of them. The typical sized onion ring needs about 8-12 minutes to cook at a temperature 375F. Always check regularly within the last 5 minutes of cooking to ensure they don’t burn or overcook as every air fryer is different!
- ¼ inch thick – 7-8 minutes at 375F
- ½ inch thick – 8-12 minutes at 375
- Homemade Onion Rings -10-15 minutes at 375F
Homemade Onion Rings with No Breadcrumbs
Making your own onion rings from scratch is also an option. I like making homemade onion rings that are paleo, Whole30, and keto without no breadcrumbs using a mixture of seasoned almond flour and cooking in my air fryer. Check out my recipe for Healthy Air Fryer Onion Rings.
Storing, Freezing & Reheating
Storing: Air fried onion rings are best served immediately after cooking. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Freezing: Since the onion rings were already frozen once, the texture will not be the same after freezing a second time therefore freezing is not recommended.
Reheating: The best way to reheat an air fried onion ring is to place them back in the air fryer and cook at 325F for 5-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy.
This depends on the type of onion ring and how thick it is. Most onion rings will cook straight from frozen in 10 minutes or less.
Nope! The beauty of air frying is that no excess oil is needed to make a deliciously crispy onion ring because of the dry circulating heat.
This depends on your own healthy lifestyle. No matter what you follow, onion rings cooked in the air fryer will be much healthier than ones that are deep-fried in oil.
For frozen foods such as delicate onion rings, I like to preheat my air fryer. Once the dry heat starts circulating the moisture evaporates immediately whereas if there is no preheating, the air fryer may steam the onion rings making them too soggy.
I like to put the foil UNDER the basket to catch any excess oil or grease that comes off the sausage. This eliminates the need to clean the entire air fryer and you’ll just use the basket. If the foil is in a position where it can become loose, it may get sucked into the heating element when the air circulates so be sure it’s weighed down properly.
More Frozen Foods Cooked In The Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Frozen Brussels Sprouts
- Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
- Air Fryer Frozen Asparagus
- Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Legs
- Air Fryer Frozen Tater Tots
- Air Fryer Frozen Pierogies
- Air Fryer Frozen Burgers
- Air Fryer Frozen Sausage Patties
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Frozen Soft Pretzels
- Air Fryer Frozen Biscuits
Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings
Equipment
- Air Fryer or Ninja Foodi
Ingredients
- 1 bag Onion Rings frozen
Instructions
- Remove the frozen onion rings from the bag and place in a single layer at the bottom of the air fryer basket. It’s ok if they overlap a tiny bit, but not too much as you want to make sure they don’t steam or become soggy. If you have an air fryer with a small basket, you may have to cook in batches.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375F.
- Remove the cooked onion rings from the air fryer with tongs and serve hot with your favorite side dishes or dipping sauces.
Notes
Best Time & Temperature for Air Frying Onion Rings
The amount of time it takes to air fry frozen onion rings depends on the size and thickness of them. The typical sized onion ring needs about 8-12 minutes to cook at a temperature 375F. Always check regularly within the last 5 minutes of cooking to ensure they don’t burn or overcook as every air fryer is different!- ¼ inch thick – 7-8 minutes at 375F
- ½ inch thick – 8-12 minutes at 375
- Homemade Onion Rings -10-15 minutes at 375F
