You will love making this bloomin onion air fryer recipe because it very easy to make, and the air fryer gives it crispy perfection. This fun appetizer satisfies all your salty cravings without deep frying.
Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner, this recipe will become one of the most popular appetizers in your home! If you are looking for more delicious onion recipes, you will love these Fried Ravioli or Air Fryer Onion Rings.
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This dish is also one of our favorite 4th of July recipes to make.
Ingredients:
Ingredient for blooming onion, seasonings, breadcrumbs, onion, flour, on a white marble board
Onion-Sweet onion or yellow onion
All Purpose Flour
Paprika
Italian Seasoning-like McCormick
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder – You can use a teaspoon cayenne pepper instead for a spicier kick
Water
Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
How to Make Bloomin’ Onion:
Because the onion will be very hot, to easily remove the hot onion from the air fryer basket, use a piece of aluminum foil to make an aluminum foil sling for easy lifting.
Remove the outer skin of the onion and cut off the top, placing the cut side facing down.Slicing off the top of an onion on a wooden cutting board
Slice onion, leaving a small uncut circle in the center. Make 8-10 evenly spaced slices from top to bottom of the entire onion, and through all of the layers, leaving the center connected and root intact to the onion petals. Make additional cuts if necessary.Sliced onion on a wooden cutting board with petals
Place onion in ice cold water and let it sit for about an hour to soften the onion petals to help them separate to coat.Sliced onion soaking in cold water
In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the spices. Add one cup of water to the dry ingredients, stirring until it forms into a batter. Add one tablespoon of water or extra flour if necessary.Glass bowl with flour and seasoning mixed into a batter
Drain onion from the water, patting dry with a paper towel if needed. Open the onion slices, spreading them as much as possible without tearing the center. Then, place onion in a deep bowl, and dip onion or spoon the batter over the onion, making sure to coat onion sections evenly.Bloomed onion in a glass bowl with a spoon drizzling batter over
Shake of excess drip and place in a separate clean bowl. Then, to coat outer layer with breading, sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the onion to coat it thoroughly. Spoon spreading breadcrumbs over battered onion in a glass bowl
For an extra onion crisp, lightly spritz the onion petals with cooking oil spray, and then air fry at 380ºF for 15-18 minutes until golden brown color with a crispy coating.Golden battered and coated bloomed open sliced onion in the air fryer basket
I make this dish in my Cosori 5.8 qt. air fryer. Depending on your air fryer oven, size and wattages, cooking time may need to be adjusted 1-2 minutes.
Golden crispy bloomed onion in the air fryer basket after being cooked
FAQ’s:
How long can I store this Air Fryer Blooming Onion in the refrigerator?
What kind of onion works best for this recipe?
What kind of dipping sauce pairs well with this recipe?
Golden crispy onion petals on a white plate
MORE AIR FRYER APPETIZER RECIPES:
Cheeseburger Bombs
Mozzarella Balls
Bagel Bites
Pasta Chips
Tortilla Chips
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Golden crispy sliced onion with air fryer in background
4.68 from 64 votes
Servings: 4
Air Fryer Blooming Onion
By Becky
This Air Fryer Blooming Onion Recipe is a perfectly crispy appetizer for game days, parties, or any other occasion!
Prep:
10minutes mins
Cook:
18minutes mins
Soaking Time:
1hour hr
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Equipment
1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
1x
2x
3x
▢1 large onion, sweet or yellow
▢1 cup all purpose flour
▢1 tablespoon paprika
▢1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
▢1 tespoon kosher salt
▢1 teapoon garlic powder
▢1 teaspoon chili powder, for spicier kick, use cayenne pepper
▢1 cup water
▢1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
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Instructions
Because the onion will be very hot, to easily remove the hot onion from the air fryer basket, use a piece of aluminum foil to make an aluminum foil sling for easy lifting.
Remove the outer skin of the onion and cut off the top, placing the cut side facing down.
Using a cutting board and a sharp knife, slice from the middle of the onion, leaving a small uncut circle in the center. Make 8-10 evenly spaced slices from top to bottom of the entire onion, and through all of the layers, leaving the center connected and root intact to the onion petals.
Place onion in ice cold water and let it sit for about 1-2 hours to soften the onion petals to help them separate to coat.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the spices. Add one cup of water to the dry ingredients, stirring until it forms into a batter. Add one tablespoon of water or extra flour if necessary.
Drain onion from the water, patting dry with a paper towel if needed. Open the onion slices, spreading them as much as possible without tearing the center.
Place onion in a deep bowl, and dip onion or spoon the batter over the onion, making sure to coat onion sections evenly. Shake of excess batter, and then coat the onion with breadcrumbs.
Spray your Air Fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray or line the basket with parchment paper. Place the coated onion cut-side down, in Air Fryer basket.
To help your blooming onion crisp, lightly spritz the onion petals with cooking oil spray, and air fry at 380ºF for 18-20 minutes until golden brown color with a crispy coating.
Nutrition
Calories: 248kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 0.3mg, Sodium: 511mg, Potassium: 181mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 288IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Becky Abbott
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4.68 from 64 votes (63 ratings without comment)
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6 Comments
Sue Thorley
October 24, 2025 at 6:41 pm
Hi I would absolutely love to try this blooming onion.
My question is and please forgive me if it’s a silly one.
Recipe states to put onion in airfryer cut side down. Does that mean upside down where the base is facing up?
Looking forward to understanding this so I can make as soon as possible. 😊
Reply
Jen Gamble
October 24, 2025 at 7:53 pm
Hey there! Great question. So the cut side, is the side where you started making the cuts in the onion. You will place that down, so that as the onion is cooking it is opening like a flower. Hopefully that makes sense. So if you start cutting on the top of your onion, that is the part that will do down first on the air fryer basket. Hopefully that helps! 🙂
Reply
Diana Blom
August 29, 2022 at 2:32 am
How to make sauce please
Reply
Rebecca
August 29, 2022 at 10:40 am
I don’t make the sauce from scratch. Sorry.
Reply
Aeil
March 17, 2023 at 11:53 am
5 starsThe easiest blooming onion
It didn’t burn they delicious
Awesome sour cream as
Dipping sauce
????????⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️????
Thank you for sharing
Rebecca your awesome
Blogger
????✌️
Reply
Rebecca
March 21, 2023 at 10:08 am
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
Reply
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Welcome to Air Frying Foodie! I’m Jen, and I have been an online content creator for over 13 years. I am a certified nutritionist and cookbook author, and have been featured in the New York Times, MSN, MOM.com, Parade, and more. Here you will find over 600 recipes to choose from.
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