Sautéing onions to caramelized perfection requires time and patience on the stovetop. Air Fryer Onions are just as delicious in much less time.
Making caramelized (sautéed) onions is an exercise in patience. Onions need to cook over low heat, slowly, to achieve their tender, natural sweetness. As with so many other foods, the air fryer comes to the rescue again. The onions get tender and delicious in the air fryer, without all the babysitting. These onions can be used as a burger topping, in soups and pastas, or as a simple appetizer. The onions can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
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How to sauté onions in the air fryer
Peel and thinly slice a sweet (Vidalia) onion. Toss the onions with one tablespoon of oil, one teaspoon of pure maple syrup (or granulated sugar) and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Place the onions in an air fryer safe parchment paper liner.
Air fry the onions at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Give the onions a good stir and continue to air fry the onions at 375 degrees for an additional 10 minutes, or until the onions are tender and caramelized.
Air fryers vary in how they cook, depending on the brand. My onions took 20 minutes to achieve the color you see in the photos.
Recipes using Air Fryer Onions
- Air Fryer Turkey Burgers/Animal Style (recipe coming soon)
- Baked Caramelized Onion Dip
- Goat Cheese Pasta with Caramelized Onions
- Caramelized Onion, Red Pepper and Zucchini Frittata
- Slow Cooker French Onion Meatloaf
Kitchen Tips
- I use a Philips XXL Air Fryer to test all of my recipes
- Find the air fryer parchment paper liners here
- This is the chef’s knife I use in my kitchen for chopping vegetables
- Air tight containers for storing the air fryer sautéed onions
- I prefer using a sweet onion, like Vidalia onions, for caramelizing in the air fryer
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Air Fryer Onions
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup or granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice the onion.
- Toss the onion with the vegetable oil, maple syrup (or sugar) and salt.
- Place the prepared onion into an air fryer parchment paper liner that you have lining your air fryer basket.
- Air fry the onion at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.
- Gently stir the onions and continue to air fry for an additional 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender and caramelized.
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