If you’re a fan of ordering a blooming onion at your favorite restaurant but want something lighter, then this homemade version made in an air fryer is perfect for you! Perfectly seasoned onion, coated in an egg mixture and then air fried to crispy perfection, it’s an appetizer that will disappear off the table fast.
Originally created at Outback Steakhouse, a traditional blooming onion is deep fried, but with an air fryer, you can get the same crispy texture with a fraction of the oil at home! Want another air fryer recipe? Try my air fryer onion ring recipe, air fryer fried chicken recipe, or air fryer potato wedges recipe.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Onion — While I use a yellow onion for this recipe, any onion would work! A white onion or sweet onion are great alternatives.
- Flour — You can use any type of flour, from all-purpose flour to gluten-free flour.
- Eggs — The eggs help the panko breadcrumbs stick to the onions. Make sure to whisk them well so you don’t have a streaky egg mixture.
- Seasoning — Be generous with your seasoning and make sure they’re not old, or the seasoning will taste stale. I use garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Sauce — I make a homemade dipping sauce for the blooming onion with mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, horseradish, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Feel free to adjust the amount of each ingredient to your liking.
How to Make Air Fryer Blooming Onion
Step 1: Cut off the top ¼” inch of the onion. Peel the outer skin and place the top side (cut side) of the onion face down.
Step 2: Carefully place the tip of the knife about ½” from the root and cut all the way through the onion, making sure not to cut through the root. Cut the onion into 8 to 12 even sections. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Set aside. Add the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and thyme in another small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
Step 3: Place the cut onion on a large plate and sprinkle the flour all over. Next, pour the egg mixture straight onto the onion using your hands to massage it in.
Step 4: Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and spice mixture all over the onion, again making sure it’s well coated. Spray with a light coat of olive oil spray.
Step 5: Place the prepared onion into the air fryer basket and cook at 380 F for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through. Toward the end of the cooking time, you might want to add one more light coat of olive oil spray to the onion to help it brown more.
Step 6: While the onion is cooking, prepare the sauce: add all of the sauce ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Enjoy the blooming onion with the sauce immediately.
Tips For This Recipe
- Make sure to open up the petals of the onion really wide so the onion crisps up entirely. If your onion is not spread out, it will be hard to get egg mixture and panko breadcrumbs into the inner areas and crisp up.
- When adding the flour, seasoning, and egg mixture to the onion, make sure to get them into the nooks and crannies of the onion.
- When slicing the onion, make sure you don’t cut the onion too close to the root, or it will fall apart.
- If you have trouble getting the onion in and out of the air fryer basket, you can shimmy a piece of long tin foil under the onion to act as a sling to help lift the onion.
- Shake off excess batter before air frying the blooming onion, as too much batter dripping off the onion will make it challenging to crisp up.
- If you are worried you won’t have enough egg mixture, you can place the cut onion into a deep bowl, so when you pour the egg mixture onto the onion, the bowl will catch the extra liquid, and you can pour it back onto the onion.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you do not finish this blooming onion recipe immediately, you can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat it, add the onion to the air fryer basket, spritz it with oil, and air fry at 400F until crisp and warm.
I do not recommend freezing an air fried blooming onion. The texture won’t be the same after freezing and thawing.
The seasoning is versatile! Try adding Old Bay seasoning, Cajun seasoning, red chili pepper flakes, or additional dried herbs.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Air Fryer Blooming Onion Recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Air Fryer Blooming Onion
Ingredients
For the Onion:
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs you can use gluten-free if you wish
- ¼ cup flour you can use gluten-free if you wish
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- olive oil spray to taste
For the Sauce:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp ketchup
- 1 tsp horseradish
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne
Instructions
- Cut off the top ¼” inch of the onion. Peel the outer skin and place the top side (cut side) of the onion faced down. Carefully, place the tip of the knife about ½” from the root and cut all the way throught the onion, making sure to not cut through the root. Cut the onion into 8 to 12 even sections.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Set aside.
- In another small mixing bowl, add the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and thyme. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Place the cut onion on a large plate and sprinkle the flour all over. Next, pour the egg mixture straight onto the onion using your hands to massage it in.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and spice mixture all over the onion, again making sure that it is coated as well as possible. Spray with a light coat of olive oil spray.
- Place the prepared onion into the air fryer basket and cook at 380 F for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through. Towards the end of the cooking time, you might want to add one more light coat of olive oil spray to the onion to help it brown more.
- While the onion is cooking, prepare the sauce: add of the sauce ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Make sure to open up the petals of the onion really wide so the onion crisps up entirely. If your onion is not spread out, it will be hard to get egg mixture and panko breadcrumbs into the inner areas and crisp up.
- When adding the flour, seasoning, and egg mixture to the onion, make sure to get them into the nooks and crannies of the onion.
- When slicing the onion, make sure you don’t cut the onion too close to the root, or it will fall apart.
- If you have trouble getting the onion in and out of the air fryer basket, you can shimmy a piece of long tin foil under the onion to act as a sling to help lift the onion.
- Shake off excess batter before air frying the blooming onion, as too much batter dripping off the onion will make it challenging to crisp up.
- If you are worried you won’t have enough egg mixture, you can place the cut onion into a deep bowl, so when you pour the egg mixture onto the onion, the bowl will catch the extra liquid, and you can pour it back onto the onion.
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