Description
This Air Fryer Blooming Onion recipe transforms a large sweet onion into a crispy, flavorful appetizer that’s perfectly seasoned and air-fried to golden perfection. Using a combination of spices and a double-dredging technique, it’s a healthier alternative to traditional deep-fried versions, making it lighter but equally delicious with a satisfying crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Blooming Onion
- 1 large sweet onion
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil in a spray bottle (vegetable oil recommended)
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Slice the onion: Cut off ½ inch from the top of the onion and peel the outer skin carefully to prepare it for blooming.
- Make initial cuts: Place the onion cut-side down on the cutting board. Starting ½ inch from the root, make a downward cut all the way to the cutting board.
- Create petals: Make three additional cuts evenly spaced around the onion creating four sections, then add three more cuts between each section for a total of 16 petals.
- Allow petals to relax: Turn onion over and let it sit for 5 minutes so the petals open slightly and relax.
- Separate petals: Gently use fingers to carefully separate the outer pieces of the onion to help it bloom further.
- Prepare dry coating: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, dried thyme, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Prepare wet mixture: In a separate medium deep bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and water together until smooth.
- First flour coating: Place onion cut-side up in a clean bowl, pour the flour mixture over it, and use a large spoon to generously coat the onion, especially between petals. Turn onion over and gently pat off excess flour. Save remaining flour mixture for later.
- Egg wash: Transfer the coated onion into the wet egg mixture and ensure it is evenly coated. Let excess drip off.
- Second flour coating: Return the onion to the reserved flour mixture and coat lightly again, tapping off extra flour gently to ensure even coverage.
- Chill the onion: Place the coated onion in the refrigerator to set while you preheat the air fryer.
- Preheat air fryer: Heat the air fryer to 350ºF (175ºC) for 10 minutes.
- Oil the onion: Remove the onion from the refrigerator and spray generously with vegetable oil from the spray bottle, ensuring all visible flour spots are covered.
- Prepare air fryer basket: Make a sling using aluminum foil to make it easy to lift the onion after cooking, and place the onion cut-side up in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry the onion: Cook for 25 minutes, spraying the onion 2-3 times with oil during cooking to help it crisp up evenly. Spray any areas with visible flour spots as well.
- Finish and season: Carefully lift out the blooming onion using the foil sling. Season immediately with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Serve hot with your favorite blooming onion dip for the perfect appetizer experience.
Notes
- Make sure to spray the onion generously with oil to achieve a crispy texture since this recipe uses air frying instead of deep frying.
- Using a large sweet onion works best for blooming to get sizable petals.
- Double coating with flour and egg wash helps the breading stick better and create a crunchy exterior.
- You can customize the spices in the flour mixture to suit your taste, adjusting cayenne for heat level.
- Allow the onion petals to separate gently to prevent breaking the petals before cooking.
- The aluminum foil sling makes it easy to remove the onion from the air fryer without damaging its shape.
- Serve immediately for the best crispy texture; leftovers can lose crunchiness.
