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I’ve made low carb onion rings in the oven before, and while the flavor is good, let’s be real… they are not as crispy as regular ones. These keto onion rings baked in an air fryer were a total game changer! They actually get SUPER CRISPY. I’m pretty sure this air fryer onion rings recipe alone is reason enough to get an air fryer. 😉
While you can use any air fryer, I made my keto onion rings recipe in my new fave, the GoWise USA Air Fryer Oven. It’s large enough to cook a big batch at once, thanks to the two racks! The interface is also easy to use, and most importantly, it makes just about anything crispy. Even low carb foods that are hard to get crispy – yay! Check out more low carb air fryer recipes I made in it, at bottom of this post.
If you prefer a blooming onion over onion rings, try this keto blooming onion recipe. You can make that in the air fryer too, if you like!
What Are Onion Rings Made Of?
Typically, onion rings are dipped in a (high carb) batter and then deep fried. This keto onion recipe is much healthier by using a low carb breading and baking them in an air fryer instead.
Are Onion Rings Keto?
No, regular onion rings are not keto. But, you can still enjoy onion rings on a keto diet by making your own! This air fryer onion rings recipe is keto friendly.
Are Fried Onion Rings Good For You?
No, regular fried onion rings are not good for you. They are often deep fried in GMO oils like canola or soybean oil, and the breading is high in carbs.
But, keto onion rings are actually good for you! The key is using a batter that is natural and low carb.
Keto Onion Rings Batter
The key to making onion rings low carb is the batter. We’ll make these keto onion rings with pork rinds and almond flour combined.
We have 3 layers to help it stick and get crispy:
- Coconut flour and sea salt – This is used for dredging, similar to how you’d use wheat flour for dredging. It helps the egg in the next step stick. The super fine texture of coconut flour is the key to getting this part to work, so I don’t recommend substituting another flour if at all possible. However, if you’re allergic to coconut, you can try arrowroot powder- just know this will add a bit of carbs.
- Beaten eggs – Like most recipes needing breading, this one needs egg to get the breading to stick.
- Pork rinds, almond flour, paprika and garlic powder – This combination creates a crispy keto onion rings coating that replaces regular breadcrumbs.
How To Make Onion Rings In The Air Fryer
I’ll walk you through step-by-step so you can see how to make onion rings in the air fryer!
Begin by arranging three bowls in order – coconut flour, beaten eggs, and pork rind/almond flour mixture. (You can see what goes into each bowl above, and the amounts are on the recipe card below.)
Dredge each onion ring in the coconut flour, dip in the egg, shake off the excess, and finally press into the pork rind “breadcrumb” mixture.
PRO TIP: Use one hand for the dry coconut flour and pork rind bowls, and the other hand for the egg bowl. This will reduce getting the dry bowls too “wet”, which can cause the breading to get clumpy and not stick.
As you bread each onion ring, place it onto a greased air fryer rack. Mine looks like this, and my air fryer oven has two of them:
PRO TIP: Don’t crowd or stack the onion rings! They need air flow to get crispy. Make sure they are in a single layer without touching, or at least minimally touching.
You should be able to fit all the onion rings on the two racks (it’s why I love my air fryer oven!), but if not, you can cook them in a smaller air fryer in batches.
Either way, you’ll want to air fry the onion rings at 400 degrees.
How Long To Air Fry Onion Rings?
This keto onion rings recipe in the air fryer takes about 16 minutes. If you’re using a larger air fryer oven with two racks, like I did, you’ll want to rotate them halfway through. In a smaller one with a single basket, just do it in two batches.
The air fryer onion rings look golden when they are done:
Can You Make Keto Onion Rings in the Oven?
Yes, you can make them in the oven. Use the same temperature, and bake just a little longer. However, they do not get as crispy as they do in the air fryer.
Can You Make Onion Rings Ahead?
You can cut the rings and bread them ahead of time. However, for best results and to keep them from getting soggy, wait until right before serving to actually bake the onion rings in the air fryer.
What To Serve With Keto Onion Rings
This keto onion rings recipe goes great with low carb dipping sauce. As for main dishes, try these to accompany your air fryer onion rings:
More Low Carb Air Fryer Recipes
More ideas for your air fryer or air fryer oven:
- Keto Low Carb Fried Chicken
- Keto Air Fryer Jicama Fries
- Zucchini Fries – I originally baked these, but they are even better in an air fryer!
- Crispy Yuca Fries – A little higher in carbs, but still healthier than potatoes. You can make these an air fryer or oven!
Tools To Make Air Fryer Onion Rings
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- GoWise USA Air Fryer Oven – This is what I used to make this keto onion rings recipe. Two racks allow me to make a bunch at once!
- GoWise USA Air Fryer – If you want a smaller air fryer, this one isn’t as big as the air fryer oven.
Keto Onion Rings Recipe
Air Fryer Keto Onion Rings Recipe
This keto air fryer onion rings recipe is SO CRISPY, with 7 ingredients! Learning how to make onion rings in the air fryer is the key to keto onion rings that are just as crispy as real ones.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Arrange 3 small, shallow bowls in a line:
* Coconut flour and sea salt, stirred together
* Eggs, beaten
* Pork rinds, almond flour, paprika, and garlic powder, stirred together
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Lightly grease 2 air fryer oven racks or an air fryer basket.
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Dredge an onion ring in coconut flour. Dip it in the egg, shake off the excess, then place in the pork rind mixture. Scoop extra pork rind mixture over it, so that it's coated on all size. Place into the air fryer rack or basket. Repeat with all the onion rings, placing them in a single layer without touching. (You may need to cook them in two batches if you don't have 2 air fryer racks.)
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Preheat the air fryer or air fryer oven to 400 degrees F for 2 to 3 minutes.
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For an air fryer oven: Place both racks into the air fryer oven. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the top layer is golden. Switch racks and bake for 8 more minutes, until the top layer is golden again.
For a regular air fryer: Only half the onion rings will fit into the basket in a single layer. Place the basket into the air fryer. Bake for 16 minutes, until golden. Remove the onion rings, arrange the next batch of uncooked rings, and repeat.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 6 onion rings, or 1/4 of entire recipe
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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62 Comments
Lorri Miller
0Delicious, better than expected. The batter wasn’t as thick as I would like, but I think I will get better at the dredging process. I had made a half recipe and more volume will help. Going in my Go To Keto recipes. Will definitely make it again and serve to guests.
Julie
0Way too dry for onion rings. Very disappointed.
JustJess
0I loved these…by far the best. Still getting used to air frying, the timing was slightly off for my brand (Vortex) but experimented with the time and it came out good after a couple of tries. Thanks for the recipe.
Ann Zapf
0Loved them
steff
0I tried this recipe as written and it did not work together. When it said ”Dredge an onion ring in coconut flour/salt” how is that possible? There is nothing to dredge…the coconut flour/salt does not stick to the onion ring. I tried the egg first, then the coconut flour/salt, it did not help much, got frustrated and gave up. I put the few onions rings in my air fryer and it came out limp/soggy . Sorry, I was so excited to try this recipe. Maybe make some adjustments to this recipe.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Steff, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. Dry dredging is a common practice for frying. A light coat of coconut flour will help the egg to adhere to the onion slices. Onions dry out as they age, so if you used an older onion, the coconut flour may not have stuck as well as it should have.
Deborah
0I am very new to the air fryer. I followed instructions exactly and they were burning at 8 minutes. Next batch I turned down to 375 for 8 min. Didn’t burn but they also were very dry and bland.
Michael Goffer
0Coconut flour didn’t stick, pork rinds got clumpy. Overall very disappointing.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Michael, I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you. Onions generally have a bit of moisture in them that will cause the coconut flour to stick. If you used an older onion (drier) then you may have needed to dip your onion rings in the egg first, then the coconut, then the eggs again, then the pork rinds. This is a messier method, but it will work if your onion is drier on the inside.
Mary C Ekroos
0Hi Maya! Thanks for this recipe, but like a few others I don’t eat pork rinds or any pork, do you think I could substitute the Whisps baked Parmesan chips, crushed for the pork rinds? Other than that I really want to try this recipe! Thanks for all you do in converting recipes!! Blessings! Mary
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Mary, Yes cheese crisps should work fine for this recipe. Enjoy!
Annemarie
0They were dry. Coating didn’t stick well
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Annemarie, I’m sorry you were disappointed with the outcome of this recipe. The first layer of coconut flour helps the egg to stick to the onions, which makes it easier to coat with pork rinds.
Roberta
0Can you make this recipe leaving out pork rinds? I don’t eat them.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Roberta, The pork rinds give these onion rings the familiar crunchy texture. If you would like to skip the pork rinds, then I suggest making your own breadcrumbs from a keto loaf of bread to use as the second coat.
Beverly
0OMG so bad. Thhrew then away. A waste of my time. First thing I haven ‘t liked in my air fryer
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Beverly, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. I have several other appetizer-style recipes that you may enjoy more on the website.
deborah harper
0What can I use in place of almond flour (nut allergy household) and the pork rinds are not readily available in New Zealand, so what could I use as a substitute? Thank you.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Deborah, The texture will be different, but you can use any neutral whey or protein powder.
Christie
0Hi! I’ve been following your recipes for some time now and I love them. I usually don’t comment because the recipes are on point. I tried this recipe with the air fryer and 16m was wayyyy too long! When I opened it up my onion rings were all black. I still ate them though, very delicious actually haha. I think next time I’ll try it with 10m and see.
Sue
0I made these and they were fantastic! I costed zucchini too and both were great!! I will be making these again! I did deep fry them but I’ll probably try the air fryer next time.
Kim
0OUTSTANDING! My Air Fryer is too small so I just baked at 400 deg for about 20 mins – we like ours extra crispy.
I used spicy port rinds so omitted the paprika. Filling and GONE!
Thank you so much for the recipe.
Lydia Prange
0Hi — I haven’t tried this recipe yet but plan to. Anyone who has a Mealthy Pot or Insta Pot – 6 or 8 quart may be interested in the Mealthy Crisplid which will fit on the two mentioned above and most multi pots. It turns your multi pot into an air fryer without having to purchase a separate appliance. Just came out this year and I love mine.
I plan to try this recipe in it soon. Just got power yesterday after 6 days with no power so no time today to try it. I’ve used pork rinds before in a coating and they work good.
Sonya Leigh
0An air fryer is a countertop version of a convection oven. The advantage of an air fryer is a shorter warming period to reach temperature and more concentrated heat because of the smaller space, thus reduced cooking time.
Laurel
0Do you think deep frying in avocado oil would work for this recipe? I had an air fryer but gave it away because I wasn’t using it.
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Laurel, I’m not sure about that, but others have had luck baking at 400 for 20 minutes. Let me know if you try it!
Karen
0I don’t have an air fryer. Would this work in a convection oven in single layer on parchment paper.
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Karen, I prefer to use the air fryer because it makes them super crispy. I haven’t made it in a convection oven. Let me know if you try it and how they turn out.
Sherri Ann McCabe
0The sounds wonderful and I want to try it, but I’m a vegan can you give me any suggestions? Thank you Sherri
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sherri, Sorry, I have not yet come up with a way to make these vegan.
Dana
0I am loving your recipes and can’t wait to try them! I detest pork rinds…I know many recipes use them for breading. Do you taste the pork rinds? I’m hoping they don’t! I pre-ordered your book and can’t wait till October to get your honey mustard recipe!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dana, I don’t find the flavor that prominent once the spices and other flours get mixed in. However, you can substitute more almond flour instead if you want to omit the pork rinds altogether–just keep in mind they won’t get as crispy.
Larry
0Hey, I tried making these and had, issues with the almond flour would not stick, to the onion, it kept coming off, any info on why this might be happening would be greatly appreciated
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Larry, perhaps your pork rinds weren’t crushed finely enough? The coating always sticks for me.
Rozelyn DeSagun
0I’ve been looking for a gluten free recipe for onion rings. It’s great that I can use my favorite air fryer too for this. Loved it!
Trisa Blask
0I made them and did everything like it says and the pork rind mixture didn’t stick
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Trisa, Sorry you had issues with them. I’ve made them a few times and it always sticks. It’s hard to say what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you or hearing more details. Did you crush the pork rinds super fine? Did you use two hands so that the pork rind mixture didn’t get wet/clumpy from too much egg in it? Did you modify any steps or ingredients?
Ariana
0Hi Maya, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe over the weekend. I know it isn’t quite as healthy, but how do you think these onion rings would do in the deep fryer? Also, do you think this batter would be good for chicken tenders? Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ariana, I don’t think the batter would hold up in a deep fryer, but let me know how it goes if you try it. It does work great for chicken tenders, just not deep fried.
Hanan
0Any substitutes for the pork rinds? I don’t eat pork.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Hanan, You can use only almond flour, but it doesn’t crisp up as much as the pork rinds.
Tabitha
0Hi, Is there a substitute for the pork rinds? I cannot eat pork because of another health issue. 🙁
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tabitha, You could try all almond flour, but they don’t turn out as crispy.
Sarah
0Great idea using pork rind “crumbs” for the breading! I really enjoyed this recipe, thank you!
Sally Humeniuk
0I love the use of coconut flour here. These look perfectly crispy and were just right for my family. Thanks for the recipe!
Tayler Ross
0This is seriously the BEST onion ring recipe ever! Thanks for sharing!
Mary Bostow
0I have always been afraid of making onion rings and I do love them. You convinced me to give them a try. These were super crispy and I loved them.
Shivani Raja
0I just love how you’ve photographed these! And they are so perfectly golden too 🙂
Emily
0Great recipe! I just bought an air fryer and so I’m using it on everything. I’m going to try your jicama fries next. Thanks!
Leslie
0I love onion rings. It is so hard to find a good keto recipe. These look incredibly crunchy. Time to break out my air fryer!
Lorelei
0This didn’t work out so hot for me. It was difficult to get the pork rinds into small enough pieces.
I also have a very small air fryer that has one shelf that’s about 5 inches in diameter and does not have a temperature control, so I can only fit 3 or 4 onion rings in at a time. With the cooking time it takes for each batch and the messy flours, I will need another method. I’m going to shallow fry the rest of these, because I don’t have the kitchen space or money for a second, larger air fryer.
It may work for you, so don’t take my experience as gospel, just as what happened with someone who has a very small air fryer.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lorelei, Sorry you had issues with them. I usually put the pork rinds into a food processor or blender and they get into small pieces super easily. I do agree it would be pretty time consuming with a very small air fryer, and like the bigger one I have. I store it in the pantry, but after having it I’d gladly put it in another room if I didn’t have the kitchen space. 🙂
Alicia
0Almond flour – is there any other wallet friendly substitute? Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Alicia, For this recipe you can grind almonds in a food processor yourself if you’d like. I don’t recommend that for baking, but for breading it works great.
Alicia
0Never thought of that! Thanks Maya!
Suzy
0I love onion rings! And this air-fryer recipe is genius!
Jenni LeBaron
0The fella is so into these! He is doing Keto and loves onions so I won major brownie points when I made them. What a great recipe!
Michelle
0Oh, my word these look amazing! And perfectly crisp! I’ve been thinking of getting an air fryer for ages, this recipe just convinced me to get one.
Melody Zomonski
0These look really great, but I don’t eat pork, so is there anything that could be used instead of that without compromising the quality?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melody, Unfortunately there isn’t something else keto friendly that gets quite as crispy, but you can do almond flour only. It’s just not as crispy as pork rinds, but still good.
Cynthia Jordan
0Can you tell me what makes your original rings Paleo? They have fewer ingredients, and the almond flour and eggs are keto
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cynthia, I’m not sure I understand the question. Both this recipe and the older one are keto and paleo friendly. I just like this one better because it gets more crispy.