Battered Air Fryer Onion Rings Recipe (Healthy Vegan Comfort Food!)

A little over a month ago, I shared an everyday recipe for Plain Old Tots from Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer by Kathy Hester. Well Kathy has offered up another recipe, and it’s a perfect one for football season. Turn on the game and enjoy these Battered Air Fryer Onion Rings guilt free!

Kathy new the Tots and Onion Rings were essentials that you would love, but Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer isn’t just about side dishes.

You can see the chapters on this post, and here is a sampling of the other recipes you will find in this healthy cookbook:

Ranch Dressing (pictured here with the Air Fryer Onion Rings)
Cauliflower Chorizo
Cheesy Hot Sauce Collard Chips
Bow Tie Pasta Chips
Cajun French Fry Po’ Boy with Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Weeknight Calzones
Air-Fried Pupusas
Southern Air-Fried Hush Puppies
Quick and Easy Tofu Breakfast Sandwiches
Date-Caramel Pecan Rolls
Small Batch Brownies
Mini Apple Fritters

All in all, there are 75 comfort food recipes, including these Battered Vegan Air Fryer Onion Rings …

Special Diet Notes: Battered Air Fryer Onion Rings

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

Battered Onion Rings for Your Air Fryer

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

I bet delicious, crunchy onion rings were first on your list to make once you bought your air fryer. They are easy to make and they get lots of crunch from the panko breadcrumbs.

Author: Kathy Hester

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

1 cup (113 g) whole wheat flour (*use brown rice flour)
2 tbsp (14 g) organic cornstarch or tapioca starch
1 tsp (2 g) salt
½ tsp granulated garlic
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
¼ tsp paprika
1⁄8 tsp ground black pepper
¾ cup (177 ml) vegan beer or nondairy milk
¼ cup (59 ml) aquafaba (page 22)
1 cup (62 g) panko breadcrumbs (*gluten-free)
1 large sweet onion (150 g), sliced
¼-inch (6-mm) thick and separated into rings
Spray oil (**optional)

Instructions

Mix the flour, starch, salt, garlic, cayenne if using, paprika and black pepper in a medium-size mixing bowl. Once combined well, add the beer and aquafaba and mix again. Add the breadcrumbs to a flat pan.
Dip a few onion rings into the batter, let the excess drain off, then press in the breadcrumbs. Layer into your air fryer basket. Repeat until your air fryer basket is about half full, alternating layers so only a couple of edges overlap.
You can add some water to your batter if it starts to thicken too much.
Spray with oil, if desired. Cook at 330°F (166°C) for 5 minutes, then cook at 370°F (188°C) for 5 minutes more, or until brown and crispy. Repeat until all the onion rings are cooked.

Notes

Note: You can use a piece of perforated parchment paper under the onion rings to make cleanup easier and prevent sticking.

*gluten-free option
**soy-free, no oil added option

This sample recipe is reprinted with permissions from Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer: 75 Incredible Comfort Food Recipes with Half the Calories by Kathy Hester.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 400 Fat: 2.6g Carbohydrates: 87g Sodium: 1270mg Fiber: 10g Protein: 12g