Air Fryer Onion Rings
These keto air fryer onion rings are crispy and delicious despite having no breadcrumbs! Sliced onions are oated in a mixture of almond flour, flaxseed and seasonings then cooked in your air fryer or Ninja Foodi. A great snack or appetizer for paleo and Whole30 lifestyles.
The air fryer doesn’t technically fry anything because it doesn’t submerge anything in scalding hot oil. However, due to it’s hot air circulation, it makes food crispy much like a deep-fryer would (but with a LOT less oil).
I love making these onion rings just as much as I love eating these onion rings. They are great as an appetizer dipped in homemade ketchup or habanero ranch and as a crunchy topping for keto French Onion Soup and salads. No breadcrumbs and no gluten! What’s not to love?
🧅 Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe for onion rings is unique because it uses no breadcrumbs! You’ll simply coat them in a mix of almond flour and flaxseed along with some simple spices.
- Yellow Onions – are sweeter than white onions and the best for making onion rings.
- Eggs – coat the onions giving the breading something to stick to.
- Almond Flour – is a great replacement for breadcrumbs, especially if you’re eating fewer carbohydrates.
- Ground Flax Seed – is a fiber-rich food that I love adding to breading for the added texture and added nutrients.
- Paprika – adds subtle heat to the breading mixture.
- Garlic Powder – adds savory flavor to the breading mixture.
- Salt – rounds out the flavors of the rest of the ingredients.
- Ground Black Pepper – adds just a little more spice, perfecting the flavor of these onion rings.
- Spray Olive or Avocado Oil – helps achieve a golden brown color and a crunchy texture on the outer layer.
👩🍳 How To Air Fry Onion Rings
1️⃣ First thing first, prep the air fryer basket by spraying it with olive or avocado oil and preheating the air fryer to 400 degrees.
2️⃣ Now you’ll need two medium-size bowls. In the first bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. In the second bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk well.
3️⃣ Next, carefully slice the peeled onion into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Pull apart each round. You can either save the smaller rounds for something else or cook them right along with the larger ones.
4️⃣ Dunk each onion ring into the egg wash, shaking off any excess and then gently press into flour mixture. Place each coated ring onto a clean plate until you have enough for a full basket. Repeat until all onion rings are dredged and coated.
5️⃣ Now spray your breaded onion rings with oil spray to ensure they get golden brown and crispy.
6️⃣ Using tongs, place rings in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Avoid overcrowding as the rings will not get crispy. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches.
7️⃣ Cook each batch for 5 to 7 minutes, flip using tongs and cook for another 5 minutes. The breading burns quickly so keep checking them.
8️⃣ Keto air fryer onion rings are best served immediately while hot.
Oven-Baked Onion Rings with No Breadcrumbs
Keto onion rings can just as easily be made in the oven. Simply place breaded onion rings on a baking sheet in a 400 degree preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Keep an eye on them as the breading may burn quickly. To get them even crispier, place them on a greased wire rack above a baking sheet. The hot air can then reach all sides of the onion ring (much like how an air fryer works). This eliminates the need to flip them.
📃 Recipe Tips
Divide the dry coating mixture into 2 bowls. As the egg wash dampens the dry mixture, it becomes clumpy and hard to work with. When that happens, simply move on to the second bowl of fresh dry ingredients.
Having trouble getting the coating to stick? It happens. Try chilling the coated rings in the freezer for 10 minutes.
If using the smaller rings, place them in the center of the larger rings when air frying to save room.
These onion rings are best served immediately out of the air fryer. They tend to get soggy the longer they sit. Keep that in mind when planning your meal.
Rings can be re-crisped in the air fryer. 3 to 4 minutes at 350 degrees should work although I can not guarantee they will be 100% as crispy the second time around.
🔀 Variations
For nut-free onion rings, omit the almond flour and use all flax. However, flax burns quickly, so you’ll need to lower the heat and cook for less time.
Try replacing the flaxseed with keto-friendly crushed pork rinds for added flavor and texture.
If carbs and gluten are of no concern, you can absolutely use regular breadcrumbs but avoid Panko. A very fine breadcrumb will adhere better to the onion.
Instead of paprika use whatever warming spices you prefer, like chipotle chili powder or cayenne.
🧊 Storing, Freezing & Reheating
Storing: Cooled air fryer onion rings can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Reheating: Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees and reheat rings for 3 to 4 minutes. I can’t promise they’ll be just as crispy, but they’ll still taste great.
Freezing: Once cooled, flash freeze cooked onion rings on a baking sheet and then pop them into an airtight baggie and back into the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating from frozen: Place frozen onion rings in preheated 400 degree air fryer and cook until onion is heated through and the outer-layer is browned and crisp.
Do not reheat thawed or frozen keto air fryer onion rings in the microwave (unless you like them soggy).
❓ FAQ
Onions aren’t an inherently low carb food, but when eaten in moderation they can easily be incorporated into a keto meal plan.
Yes! If you find yourself with a bag of frozen onion rings, an air fryer can cook them perfectly in nearly half the time. Generally, you would place the frozen rings in an even layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 400 for 20 minutes, giving the basket a good shake a few times in the process.
While this recipe was developed with no breadcrumbs, you can absolutely use breadcrumbs in place of almond flour and flax seed. However, the onion rings will no longer be keto nor gluten free.
No, it’s not necessary for making air fryer onion rings as you want as much hot air circulating around them as possible. It’s also hazardous as the fan in some air fryers is powerful enough to suck the foil right up into it.
For foods that cook quickly, I like to preheat my air fryer to make sure everything is cooked evenly and on time. Homemade onion rings do require the air fryer to be preheated for best results.
Check out my ultimate air fryer guide!
More Keto Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large Yellow Onion
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup Almond Flour
- ¼ cup Ground Flax Seed
- ¼ tsp Paprika
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- Spray Olive or Avocado Oil
Instructions
- Spray avocado or olive oil spray on the bottom of your air fryer basket and preheat to 400 degrees.
- Take out 2 bowls. In one crack and scramble both eggs.
- In the other, add almond flour, flax seed and spices and whisk together until fully combined.
- Peel your onion and cut into rings that are about 1/2 inch thick and pull apart each ring. Discard the inside smaller rings or use them for something else. These could be made into onion rings if you don’t mind the shape.
- Dip each onion ring into egg coating it evenly and then press into flour mixture making sure it is all evenly coated. Place each ring onto a plate until you have a basket full before putting into air fryer.
- Repeat above step until all onion rings are dredged and coated.
- Next, spray your breaded onion rings with a light coat of olive oil or avocado oil spray to ensure they get a nice crispy brown color.
- Using tongs, place in a single layer into air fryer basket. Do not over crowd the basket. Onion rings may need to be cooked in several batches.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes and flip to cook another 5 minutes. Keep checking on them as they can burn quickly.
- Once onion rings are cooked, serve immediately.
