Here’s an easy air fryer vegetable dish. See how to sauté onions in an air fryer. This is the best air fryer onions recipe to make an easy side dish with a few ingredients. Let’s air fry…

Why sautéing onions in the air fryer is genius
- Very easy topping for tacos, turkey sandwiches, steaks, air fryer sausage sandwiches.
- Serve it as a side dish.
- They cook evenly without butter.
- They are almost impossible to burn.
- If you’re new to making sautéed onions in the air fryer see my recipe at the bottom of this post and I’ll walk you through it.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make air fried onions.
- Onions – I suggest using yellow, white or walla walla, sliced to 1” thick half moons
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- To top, if desired: cilantro and marinated red pepper
How to make air fryer onions
Now I’ll walk you through how to use the air fryer for this dish.
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Season onions. Add sliced onions to a large bowl and toss with olive oil, garlic powder and salt to combine. Coat onions evenly with oil and seasonings.
- Air fry onions. Spray air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray if desired. Add onions to air fryer basket (in a flat layer, it’s okay if they overlap). Air fry onions for 15-30 minutes, flipping with a spatula or tongs every 5 minutes, until cooked to your desired level of softness and caramelized brown color. (See recipe notes on why cooking times vary depending on air frying one onion, or more.)
- Serve onions. Transfer to a serving platter and let them cool a few minutes until they are cool enough to enjoy. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and marinated red pepper.
FAQs
You can saute any type of onion in the air fryer — red, white, or yellow. My favorite is sweet yellow or walla walla onion…. Mmm.
You can use any type of oil you prefer, I usually just use an extra virgin olive oil. A mild flavored oil like sunflower or canola will allow the onion flavor to shine, while stronger tasting oils like sesame will add a unique flavor profile.
It can be a little confusing because you probably know using an air fryer is healthier than deep frying foods and you may not be expecting to use any oil in the air fryer at all. This recipe does require oil, though, which helps soften the raw onion, instead of it burning in the air fryer. Just like in my caramelized onions recipe.
These air fryer onions are delicious with steak, chicken, or fish, and make a yummy topping for burger patties, stuffed in chicken al pastor tacos, and even on homemade pizza! Honestly, there aren’t very many foods that aren’t improved by a topping of these tasty onions.
What you need to air fry food
- Air Fryer Machine: In Sip Bite Go recipe tutorials, you’ll see the higher end model, the Philips Airfryer XXL Digital. Other popular air fryers include the Ninja Foodi, NuWave, and Black & Decker.
- Air Fryer Accessories: Save time with reusable air fryer basket liners and this bundle of air fryer accessories.
Easy air fryer recipes
- Air fryer chicken wings
- Air fryer hot dogs
- Air fryer chocolate chip cookies
- Air fryer filet mignon
- Air fryer broccoli
- Air fryer onions
- Air fryer sweet potato tots
- Air fryer acorn squash
- Air fryer chicken patties
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about cooking onions in an air fryer. Look out for new air fryer blooming onion, air fryer caramelized onions, and air fryer onion rings recipes, coming soon.
Until then, try cooking onions and peppers on the stove – it’s one of my favorite onion recipes at the moment. And if you’re looking for another interesting air fryer recipe to make with onions, see my air fryer filet mignon, served with one of my dipping sauces like this jalapeno ranch dressing. Serve these roasted air fryer baby potatoes on the side.
To get my latest and greatest recipes before they’re shared on the site, connect with me on Instagram @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Best Air Fryer Onions Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
- 3 onions yellow, white or walla walla, sliced to 1” thick half moons
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cilantro fresh chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp red pepper marinated from the jar, diced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Season onions. Add sliced onions to a large bowl and toss with olive oil, garlic powder and salt to combine. Coat onions evenly with oil and seasonings.
- Air fry onions. Spray air fryer basket with non-stick spray if desired. Add onions to air fryer basket (in a flat layer, it’s okay if they overlap). Air fry onions for 15-30 minutes, flipping with a spatula or tongs every 5 minutes, until cooked to your desired level of softness and caramelized brown color. (See recipe note on why time will vary depending on air frying one onion, or more.)
- Serve onions. Transfer to a serving platter and let them cool a few minutes until they are cool enough to enjoy. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and marinated red pepper.
Video
Notes
See the recipe video for air frying onions on Sip Bite Go’s YouTube.
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