Air Fryer Onion Ring Chips
I bought my air fryer for “health reasons.” Now I make onion ring chips in it three times a week. Still counts.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions sweet Vidalia or yellow
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne optional
- Salt and pepper
- Cooking spray
Method
Prep the Onions
-
Peel and slice into rings about 3-4mm thick. Separate all the rings. Thinner = crispier. Thicker = more onion flavour with a softer centre. I aim for somewhere in between because I refuse to commit to extremes in onion thickness.
Set Up Breading Station
-
Three dishes: flour with salt and pepper, beaten eggs, panko mixed with garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and cayenne. This is the same breading method I use for schabowy and the schabowy burger — flour, egg, crumbs. Polish breading technique meets American snack food. Coat each ring in flour, dip in egg, press firmly into panko.
Air Fry
-
Preheat air fryer to 200C / 400F. Arrange in a single layer. Spray generously with cooking spray. Air fry 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown. Cook in batches. Overcrowding = steaming = soggy = sadness.
Serve Immediately
-
Sprinkle with flaky salt straight from the fryer. These lose crispness as they cool, so eat fast. In my house this has never been a problem.
Air Fryer Onion Ring Chips — Crunchier Than Deep-Fried, Zero Guilt
I bought my air fryer for “health reasons.” Now I make onion ring chips in it three times a week. Still counts.
These aren’t the thick, batter-dipped diner onion rings. These are thin, shatteringly crispy onion chips coated in seasoned panko and air-fried until golden. They’re the kind of snack that disappears off the plate before it reaches the table. My kids come running the second they hear the air fryer beep, like Pavlov’s dogs but with worse table manners. I’ve stopped trying to plate them nicely. I just dump them into a big bowl and everyone grabs.
Why the Air Fryer
Deep-frying onion rings requires a pot of hot oil, cleanup that takes longer than cooking, and the smell of fried food lingering in your house for days. The air fryer gives you crispy results with a spray of oil and zero splatter. Are they identical to deep-fried? No. Are they 90% as good with 10% of the effort? Absolutely. And the cleanup is putting the basket in the dishwasher. That’s the whole cleanup. I rest my case.
Ingredients
- • 2 large onions (sweet Vidalia or yellow)
- • 1 cup all-purpose flour
- • 2 eggs, beaten
- • 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
- • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- • Salt and pepper
- • Cooking spray
How to Make Them
Prep the Onions
Peel and slice into rings about 3-4mm thick. Separate all the rings. Thinner = crispier. Thicker = more onion flavour with a softer centre. I aim for somewhere in between because I refuse to commit to extremes in onion thickness.
Set Up Breading Station
Three dishes: flour with salt and pepper, beaten eggs, panko mixed with garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and cayenne. This is the same breading method I use for schabowy and the schabowy burger — flour, egg, crumbs. Polish breading technique meets American snack food. Coat each ring in flour, dip in egg, press firmly into panko.
Air Fry
Preheat air fryer to 200C / 400F. Arrange in a single layer. Spray generously with cooking spray. Air fry 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown. Cook in batches. Overcrowding = steaming = soggy = sadness.
Serve Immediately
Sprinkle with flaky salt straight from the fryer. These lose crispness as they cool, so eat fast. In my house this has never been a problem.
Dipping Sauces
• Chipotle aioli: Mayo + minced chipotle in adobo + lime juice. Smoky, spicy, creamy.
• Horseradish cream (the Polish way): Sour cream + prepared horseradish + lemon squeeze. Sharp heat that cuts through the richness.
• Spicy ranch: Ranch + sriracha. My kids’ favourite because it feels transgressive.
• Classic ketchup: Sometimes simple is right.
Tips for Maximum Crunch
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Use panko, not regular breadcrumbs. Panko is lighter and crunchier. The difference is dramatic.
✓ Spray with oil. A light mist helps the panko toast evenly. Without it, you get pale, soft spots.
✓ Single layer only. Overlapping rings means soggy spots. Batch it out.
✓ Press the panko firmly. Loose crumbs blow off in the circulating air. Really push them into the egg.
✓ Eat immediately. Air-fried food loses crispness faster than deep-fried. Make only what you’ll eat now.
Variations
• Parmesan crusted: Mix 1/4 cup parmesan into the panko. Salty, cheesy, incredible.
• Everything bagel seasoning: Replace the paprika/garlic with everything bagel seasoning.
• Gluten-free: GF flour and GF panko or crushed rice cereal.
• Game day platter: Make a triple batch and serve alongside the schabowy burgers and crispy oven potatoes. This is my Super Bowl spread and it gets more compliments than any team on the field.
How to Store
Honestly? Don’t. These are best made and eaten fresh. If you must store leftovers, fridge for 1-2 days and re-crisp in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 190C. Never microwave them unless you enjoy eating warm, damp breadcrumbs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these without an air fryer?
Yes. Bake on a wire rack over a baking sheet at 220C / 425F for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway. Not quite as crispy but still very good.
Why are mine not crispy?
Three reasons: too much oil, overcrowding, or not enough time. If they’re golden but soft, give them 2-3 more minutes. If they’re pale and soft, you didn’t spray enough oil and the panko couldn’t toast properly.
What onions work best?
Sweet onions (Vidalia, Walla Walla) give the mildest, sweetest result. Yellow onions are slightly sharper but still great. Red onions look gorgeous but taste stronger. All work. Use what you have.
The Air Fryer Confession
When I bought my air fryer, I told my husband it was for “making healthy versions of things.” This was technically not a lie. These onion ring chips are technically healthier than deep-fried ones. But the frequency with which I use the air fryer for crispy snacks suggests that “health” was more of a justification than a motivation. The air fryer sits on our counter permanently now, next to the coffee maker and the toaster, in the holy trinity of daily-use appliances. My husband stopped questioning it around week three when he ate an entire batch of these while watching football and didn’t have to feel guilty about a pot of oil.
The real benefit isn’t health — it’s accessibility. Deep-frying at home always felt like an event. You need oil, you need a thermometer, you need to deal with used oil afterward. The air fryer makes fried-style food a Tuesday afternoon decision instead of a Saturday project. My kids now expect crispy snacks on demand, which is a monster I created, but at least it’s a well-fed monster.
If you’re on the fence about an air fryer, these onion ring chips are the recipe that justifies the purchase. Make them once and the air fryer pays for itself in the joy-per-dollar ratio alone. Mine has been running for three years and shows no signs of slowing down. Neither do my kids’ appetites.