Air Fryer Onions are the best accompaniment to any sausage sizzle and you won't even have to turn the BBQ on! Quick and easy, air fried onions are the perfect side dish!
Recipes like our Air Fryer Portobello Mushrooms, Air Fryer Roasted Red Peppers and Air Fryer Stuffed Jalapenos are veggies that sing in the Air Fryer!
Air Fryer Roast Chicken with Air Fryer Corn on the Cob or Chips and gravy is a family favorite!
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Recipe highlights
This is a quick and easy side dish that won't heat up the whole house!
Taking less time than ever to prepare in the Air Fryer, these onions look, taste and smell exactly like their equivalent BBQ'ed counterparts.
In Australia a simple piece of bread, cooked sausage, slightly greasy charred onions and your favorite sauce is a complete meal!
These onions are simply cooked in the air fryer with no batter, breading or seasoning.
They sing on their own and you will be getting a front row seat to the performance (Air Fryer Sausages the support act).
Ingredients
The ingredients needed for the recipe are easy - onions and spray oil (optional), but recommended for that BBQ style onion taste!
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- onions (I recommend standard white onions). We simply need to peel the skins and slice using the method set out below.
- spray oil (optional) It is not essential for you to use olive oil when air frying onions. I do recommend it however, if you are wanting to get similar results to sautéed onions.
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe
We start by lightly slicing the onions, you will need a knife and chopping board.
- Slice onions and remove skins (Photo 1)
- Add to Air Fryer basket or lined tray (Photo 2)
- Spray raw onion with a little cooking oil (Photo 3)
- Cook the onions for 8 mins, then pull the basket out, use tongs to stir and move about a bit, then return the basket and cook for a further 7 mins (Photo 4)
The sliced onions will shrink down massively when they are cooking.
So this is an air fryer recipe that is ok to pile up a little and not need to lay in one flat layer.
The goal is to get the onions to the exact same slippery, stringy, cooked point of deliciousness that we would on a BBQ or hot plate.
As you can see, the onions are crispy, brown and delicious!
These ones are good to show the point I am making how the onions will 'shrink down' as they cook, so don't worry if they are piled a little high initially.
I know you knew it would appear again...my Herbed Yogurt Sauce is shown in the photos throughout the post as it elevates the sausage and onion combo and reduces that 'too sweet' sauce taste.
You guys know I like to get a little saucy with you, haha!
If quick and easy air fried food is your favorite to make, you might like to try Air Fryer Honey BBQ Chicken Wings or Air Fryer Pita Chips which pair well with a homemade dip!
Frequently asked questions
Are onions good in an Air Fryer?
Air fried onions are delicious!
They cook extremely quickly and look and taste like BBQ'ed fried onions.
For variety you can trying onion rings, a blooming onion, fried onions or sausages and onions!
Can you saute in an Air Fryer?
When using the air fryer to cook onions, you can use a flat silicon utensil to move the onions around a bit during the cooking process.
This is very similar to how you can saute foods, the main different being, sautéing on the stove is usually done using a fry pan and when using the air fryer, the olive oil is sprayed directly onto the food and not sitting underneath it frying the foods.
Air Fried onions look, taste and smell just like sautéed onions from the stove top!
How long do onion rings take in an Air Fryer?
It takes approximately 20 mins to cook onion rings (from frozen) in the Air Fryer.
You can refer to my Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings recipe if you want to cook store bought breaded onion rings. They are so easy and make a great side dish!
Expert tips
This is what I have learnt that will help you master the recipe from the 1st time and every following time:
- Cut each end off the onion (stem and stalk), then peel prior to slicing
- You can pull the basket out by the handle to check the onions after about 5 mins cook time
- There are so many sizes and types of Air Fryers that some will cook faster or slower depending on the model, the 1st time you make the recipe, check the onions along the way to see how they are cooking!
Related recipes
If you love air fried foods, then check out the following recipes from my Air Fryer recipes collection:
- Easy Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Sausages
- Quick Air Fryer Mini Hot Dogs
- Air Fryer Stuffed Jalapenos
- Air Fryer Mini Corn Dogs
- Fun Air Fryer Sausage Rolls
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Easy Air Fryer Pita Chips
- Air Fryer Honey BBQ Chicken Wings
- Simple Air Fryer Cheese on Toast (too easy!!)
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Adrianne x
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Onions
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 large white onions Note 1
- spray olive oil
Instructions
- Turn the air fryer on to 180°C/350 F (allow 5 mins to preheat if your model requires it)
- Use a knife and chopping board to slice the onions into rounds. Peel the skin off the outside and separate the rings.
- Add sliced onions to Air Fryer basket or lined tray. Spray with cooking oil (optional, but recommended)
- Cook onions for 8 mins, stir (Note 2), the cook for a further 7 mins
Notes
- Note 1 For a 7 litre Air Fryer, you can use between 1 to 4 onions at the same time. More and it is best to work in batches.
- Note 2 Just like cooking on the stove top, when cooking in the Air Fryer you can 'stir' the ingredients. Simply pull the Air Fryer basket handle towards you (Air Fryer will shut off), use a silicon based utensil to stir the onions around then push the basket back in again using the handle. Or if using a tray style Air Fryer, push the tray back in and continue cooking.
Nutrition
Published June 2021, updated January 2022 with more tips!
simon says
This looks simple, thanks.
Adrianne says
No worries Simon, thanks for your comment.