Air Fryer frozen onion rings are a quick and easy side dish or appetizer. Cooking frozen onion rings in the air fryer is much quicker and the onion rings turn out much crispier than baking them in the oven. Air fried frozen onion rings are also healthier than those cooked in a deep fryer.
I’m a huge fan of onion rings but I don’t have the patience to make homemade onion rings. This is where frozen onion rings have come to the rescue. I occasionally deep-fry onion rings, but I generally prefer to bake them in the oven.
Since I purchased my air fryer I’ve discovered that air fryer onion rings are better than baked ones because they result in even more crispy onion rings.
Onion rings make for a great appetizer or they can be served as a side dish for hot dogs and hamburgers. I think they turn out even better than fast-food restaurant onion rings.
I’ve been busy trying out different foods in the air fryer and I’ve found that the air fryer is excellent for reheating frozen foods.
In addition to these delicious onion rings, other great side dishes to try are my air fryer french fries, sweet potato fries, or steak fries.
For kid-friendly snacks, you may like some of my other air fryer frozen foods including air fryer frozen taquitos, air fryer tater tots, or dino nuggets.
If you’re looking for healthier sides, I also have air fryer recipes for brussel sprouts and cauliflower. And finally, one of my favorite main courses in the air fryer is pork chops!
Tips for Success
For this recipe, I recommend that you preheat the air fryer. My Cosori has a preheat button that allows me to preheat the air fryer before putting in the food.
I do cook many frozen foods at 400 degrees F but I like to use a lower temperature for these onion rings because I’ve found that cooking them at high temperature results in an overcooked exterior and undercooked interior.
Keep the air fryer onion rings frozen until you’re ready to cook them.
Don’t fill the air fryer basket too high because the onions may not cook through. I find that I can fit half a bag of onion rings at a time in my air fryer without crowding the onion rings.
I have a few different sizes of air fryers and find that some of them can fit more than others.
If you have one of those smaller air fryers, you may need to air fry the onion rings in a few batches. You can reheat the prior batches for 1-2 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit if they cool down too much.
Every air fryer will vary. The first time you make frozen onion rings in the air fryer, monitor and check on them 2 minutes before the cooking time is up. Adjust the recipe as needed in the future.
FAQS
I’ve done it with and without oil. The air fried onions come out crispy even without oil but you can spray a little oil (olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil) on the onion rings and the bottom of the basket to make the onion rings even more crispy.
Keep the onion rings as close to a single layer as you can, in order to get crispy onion rings. There can be a bit of overlap.
Cook them for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, shaking them halfway through. Check on them about 10 minutes in, and take them out if you feel that they’re done.
Yes, you can use the same timing and temperature to air fry frozen onion rings using the Instant Pot air fryer lid, Duo Crisp or Pro Crisp.
Nathan’s is my favorite brand of onion rings. I find they are the best frozen onion rings for the air fryer. My next favorite brand is Alexia onion rings. Other popular brands are Red Robin, and Ore Ida onion rings.
This recipe was tested using a basket air fryer (Cosori) and Instant Pot air fryer (Duo Crisp).
If the onion rings aren’t crisp enough, shake them up and air fry them for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Store leftover onion rings in an airtight container. Reheating onion rings in the air fryer is easy. Air fry them for 2 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You may need to spray them with a little bit of oil if you find that they’re not getting crisp enough.
How to make frozen onion rings in air fryer
- Keep onion rings frozen until ready to use
- Preheat air fryer
- Place onion rings in the air fryer basket
- Air fry onion rings
- Turn or shake them halfway through
- Transfer onion rings to a serving platter
- Serve these delicious onion rings with your favorite sauce
See recipe details below on how to air fryer frozen onion rings
Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1/2 bag onion rings or as many as will fit in a row *
Instructions
Air Fryer Instructions
- Place the empty air fryer basket in the air fryer and preheat at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes. **
- Add the frozen onion rings to the air fryer basket, without overcrowding.
- Air fry for 12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, turning them over with tongs or shaking the basket at the 6 minute mark.
- Transfer the onion rings to a serving platter and serve with ketchup, fry sauce, barbecue sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- * Nathan’s onion rings were used in this recipe. However, the same timings can be used for different brands. Nutrition information is for Nathan’s onion rings.
- Don’t thaw the frozen onion rings before air frying.
- Every air fryer will vary. The first time you make this recipe, monitor the onion rings and adjust the air frying time as needed.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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