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Best Air Fryer Onions Recipe

Air fryer onions are the bomb! To top on hamburgers, caramelized, serve as a side dish or add meat and make fajitas for dinner. Perfectly tender with a wallop of flavor. If you loved making air fryer frozen onion rings this is a game changer too.

Sliced onions are shown cooking in an air fryer basket, partially browned and in the process of caramelizing. The air fryer is open to display the air fryer onions inside.

Ready for some of the most amazing air fryer onions around? Here they are!! The great burger topping with a wallop of flavor. One of our favorite easy air fryer recipes here on The Typical Mom blog.

Air Fry Onion

I mean this is probably the cheapest recipe ever, and adds the most flavor at the same time. Use any type you want from yellow to white or even red. They are the best burger topping ever you can actually make sweeter similar to our caramelized onions.

I mean what don’t I use these babies for? Always in my fridge to dice or slice and give every recipe not only added flavor but texture too. Air fry longer for more tender and char or just a bit to soften slightly, up to you. Give them a whirl and let us know what you think.

If you love easy air fryer recipes too, here are some resources to start with:

  • My Favorite Air Fryer is a Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
  • You can find more easy air fryer recipes here, we have Ninja Foodi recipes as well; bookmark them both!
  • If you are active on Facebook we have a page specifically for sharing easy air fryer recipes.
    • This is the best air fryer cookbook. It’s important to know and remember how to preheat air fryer for best results.

  • Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
    • It has temp. and times for making the best frozen foods for air fryer too.
  • Then join our Facebook page below where you can share and find more ideas you’ll love.
A close-up photo of a hand pulling out the basket of an open air fryer on a light-colored surface. The interior of the air fryer basket is empty and features a mesh design, perfect for cooking your favorite dishes like bang bang shrimp. The edge of the air fryer has a latch mechanism for securing the basket.

Air Fryer Onion Recipe

I thought the idea was so simple and didn’t even share the instructions the first few times I made them. Then I thought others might appreciate the temp and time it took so they could try these themselves. So, here ya’ go!

Similar to sautéed onions but a lot less work, they soften up just as nicely. I fiddled around with the seasonings a bit until I got it just right. They were so good my husband and I ate them right out of the bowl!

I will say straight up that I am not really an onion lover but oh my goodness I couldn’t keep my hands off these. You could use whichever type you like, I prefer yellow or white personally.

Three yellow onions are placed in front of an air fryer, showcasing its sleek design with a digital control panel. To the left, a colorful floral-patterned cloth adds a touch of charm to the scene.

Ninja Foodi Onions

Note that the thicker the strips or onion slices are the less they will soften. The thinner they are the softer and browner they will get in a shorter amount of time. Thicker seems better in our opinion as they do shrink a bit.

You can see here how large we made them. Then you’ll want to pick each large piece up and separate them so each piece can get coated with olive oil and seasonings.

  • Throw these into a bowl and get the rest of your items out.
  • Preheating your air fryer is always a good idea too. 5 minutes will do the trick.
Slices of white onion on a cutting board next to a knife, ready to be transformed into crispy air fryer onions.

Onions in Air Fryer

We used 2 medium to large onions. Of course there is a wide variety of sizes when it comes to these so the amount of olive oil will vary. Just make sure they all glisten meaning they’re coated and you’ve added enough.

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
  2. Cut the onion into strips, the thinner the softer they’ll become.
  3. Put onions in a bowl and pour olive oil on top. Sprinkle on all seasonings and stir together. Onions should be shiny with oil, if you add more you may need a bit more oil.
  4. Pour them into your air fryer basket and shut. Cook at 400 degrees F for 15 min. total, flipping them every 5 minutes.

If you have 2 rather large ones you may need to add more than advised below in my recipe card. And there are a bunch of varieties, red will take a bit longer since they are firmer in nature.

What types of onions to use?

Yellow are the most common, they’re often referred to as all-purpose onions. You can bake, smoke, saute, or dice them up and add them to things like meatloaf. I choose these most often too myself.

How many varieties of onions are there in the world?

There are known to be 600-920 species which is a lot!! The most commonly found at the store would be yellow, white onions, and red. The last being the sweetest and great in chicken salad.

How do you saute onions?

Of course you can do so on the stovetop in a pan but now you can air fry onions! We will show you how to do that here in no time at all.

How do you slice an onion?

If you cut the ends off the outside part you want to discard will come off easily. Once removed, slice the onion in half. Then put the flat end down on the cutting board and slice vertically into strips.
A white onion is cut into quarters on a cutting board, with a large kitchen knife positioned next to the onion pieces, ready for air fryer onions preparation.

A bowl filled with raw sliced onions is shown with text above that reads, "Air fryer onions: Crispy and delicious!

Air Fryer Yellow Onions

You can see here below what I mean by glistening in the bowl. It also helps the seasonings to stick well, and the oil allows them to soften nicely. They’ll brown a bit on the ends and the longer you cook them the browner they’ll get.

Flip every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes cooking time total and beyond that it is up to you. This timing was perfection when we were making sauteed onions for our hamburgers though.

  • These are not coated with anything like a blooming onion or onion rings are.
  • They are naked essentially and meant to be a side dish or topping.

If you want to make the crispy crunchy kind, follow our crispy French fried onions recipe. Those are lightly battered so you will get more of an onion ring texture of sorts.

A close-up image of sliced onions in a white bowl, seasoned with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper after being perfectly crisped in the air fryer.

Caramelized Onions Air Fryer

Once you have your onion with oil on top add whatever seasons you like. Garlic powder is a great add in too. I’ve used Old Bay at times because it’s my go to choice and that’s yummy. This is what we used this time when it was a real hit:

  • Onions
  • Garlic salt
  • Olive oil
  • Onion powder
  • Pepper

For a quick hamburger topping this is great to throw together. You can make a huge batch if you have a lot of people over in no time. Keep drawer closed so they stay warm until ready to serve.

What would you use air fryer onion for or with? Our favorite is atop burgers but or when making air fryer fajitas. There are so many other ideas out there though.

A close-up of air fryer onions inside a basket. The text at the top reads "Air Fryer onions that rock!" The onions are lightly browned and look ready to eat.

Ready for more onion recipes? If you haven’t made air fryer frozen onion rings yet they come out amazing! Way crispier than in the oven you don’t even need to spritz them to get that deep fried crunch. Pair with ranch and fry sauce for dipping sauces, they’re a fun snack.

A close-up photo of golden-brown onion rings inside an air fryer basket. The text at the top reads, "Frozen Onion Rings in an air fryer." Some crumbs are visible at the bottom of the basket, showcasing perfectly crispy air fryer onions.

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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉

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air-fryer-onions
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5 from 2 votes

Air Fryer Onions

Air fryer onions are the bomb! To top on hamburgers, serve as a side dish or add meat and make fajitas for dinner. Perfectly tender with a wallop of flavor.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword air fryer, ninja foodi, onions
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 35kcal
Author The Typical Mom

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2-3 onions sliced
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

  • Slice onions. The thinner they are the more tender they will become.
  • Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
  • Put onions in a bowl and pour olive oil on top. Sprinkle on all seasonings and stir together. Onions should be shiny with oil, if you add more you may need a bit more oil.
  • Pour them into your air fryer basket and shut. Cook at 400 degrees F for 15 min. total, flipping them every 5 minutes or until they are as tender/browned as you'd like.

Video

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Onions
Amount Per Serving (2 oz)
Calories 35 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 437mg19%
Potassium 40mg1%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 6mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




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Patricia

Tuesday 1st of August 2023

Delicious. I never thought of doing onions in the air fryer.

Christina Cherneskey

Friday 1st of October 2021

Okay. I made these onions and added them to a chilli recipe. Oh. My. God. I tossed in some garlic (I couldn't help myself) and then put all of it into the partially cooked chilli and let it all simmer. I'll never eat out again. Thanks for this! 💕

The Typical Mom

Monday 4th of October 2021

So glad!!

Gina

Tuesday 29th of June 2021

Can these air fryer onions be made ahead of time for steak sandwiches and then just warmed up in the frying pan with the starks?

The Typical Mom

Tuesday 29th of June 2021

Earlier in the day, probably. Texture will be a bit different as they sit, cool down, and then reheat.

Gina

Tuesday 29th of June 2021

@Gina, steaks not starks

Kim

Tuesday 13th of April 2021

Can’t wait to try these! Do you think I could add (or do alone) mushrooms? And if so would I cook for the same time and temp? My kid loves mushroom Turkey burgers!

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