It’s time to put your air fryer skills to the test and learn how to make an air fried blooming onion.  This happens to be easy to adapt to gluten-free too!

As soon as I whipped up these Gluten-Free Air Fryer Onion Rings, I knew the next recipe on my list would soon be an Air Fried Blooming Onion.  

Have you ever had a blooming onion before?  I watch with envy at the fair as my husband devours one.  The sad part for me is since I’m gluten-free, I have to avoid that blooming onion.

Now that I know how to make one at home, life is just so much better.  Can you imagine?  Maybe that’s dramatic but I am telling you this air fried blooming onion was gone in less than 5 minutes.

Not sure about an Air Fryer?  Check out this post on Everything You Need to Know about An Air Fryer too!

There are plenty of tips though to go around with this air fryer recipe.  When making an air fried blooming onion, it’s actually simple but it does take a little bit of adapting to get the feel for what works best for you.

How to make an Air Fried Blooming Onion 

I have seen many recipes on how to make blooming onions and each one is just a little bit different technique.  It’s honestly going to come down to your personal preference.  I am going to share mine with you, the key I found was a good soak in buttermilk, plus a nice brush.

First, let’s start with cutting the onion. 

Before you begin to cut it, peel it first.  I found the best way to cut this was to cut one end flat and the other end that has that root to it, just trim that off and keep it still intact.

Once you have that down, you want to slightly cut down from the root to the end that is flat to make the petals.  Once you have it cut, slowly peel back the onion.

It’s important to get the onion separated but also still keep the bottom together, slow and steady.

Once you have it fully opened, place it in a shallow bowl and cover it with buttermilk.  If the buttermilk doesn’t fully soak it all the way, flip the onion over after an hour of soaking to soak the other side.  

Once they are soaked, it’s time to coat them with the eggs.  I found it was best to do this with a good basting brush because it was easy to get into all the layers of the onion.  Remember it doesn’t all have to be perfect but lightly coated.

Once that is done, I went ahead and put the onion in the air fryer on a sheet of foil. 

After that, add in the breadcrumb mixture.  This can be sprinkled onto the onion or you can dip the onion in the mixture.

The last step is to evenly coat the onion with a dash of salt to taste and cajun seasoning.

It gives it a burst of flavor.

Then, it’s time to make an air fried blooming onion!

Why do you need to soak onion in buttermilk?

It’s best to soak the onion in buttermilk because it sets it up to have the egg and breadcrumbs stick better. It also helps eliminate some of that potent flavor to the onions.  It takes them down a few notches.

How long do you cook an Air Fried Blooming Onion?

It takes about 15 minutes to cook an air fryer blooming onion at 390 degrees.  I suggest checking it halfway through the cooking time due to all air fryers putting off a different amount of heat.

How do you make a Gluten-Free Air Fried Blooming Onion?

It’s easy to make this air fryer recipe gluten-free with a simple swap of ingredients.  I use a gluten-free all-purpose flour such as Better Batter and Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs.  That’s it!  

Now, are you ready to make the BEST Gluten-Free Air Fried Blooming Onion?

It’s time! 

Be sure to sign up for the Newsletter to get Air Fryer Recipes right to your inbox!