Crispy onion rings make an amazing side dish – but are onion rings keto?
When looking at carbs in onion rings in a Red Robin onion ring tower (171 carbs total), plus the onion rings calories (1,890 calories for only 13 rings – yikes) – the answer is no! Also, traditional onion rings are fried in vegetable oil. All added up, this makes fried onion rings a no-no on a keto diet.
Since I don’t want to be all gloom and doom, allow me to share some good news. When you make homemade keto onion rings, you can enjoy healthy onion rings without worrying about the massive amount of carbs and calories in fried onion rings.
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Are Onion Rings Healthy?
Even though regular rings start with a vegetable as the base, most pre packaged versions contain bad-for-you ingredients, like soybean oil and canola oil. Plus, a traditional onion ring recipe is made from bread crumbs and regular all purpose flour – which makes even homemade baked onion rings a less than stellar choice.
When you make keto air fryer onion rings with a crust made from almond flour and spices – now you’re onto something.
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Low Carb Homemade Onion Rings Ingredients
The star of this low carb recipe is a large sweet onion, cut into onion slices. You’ll also need heavy whipping cream and an egg to mix together for the egg wash.
This air fryer onion rings recipe has a crispy crust made up of almond flour and spices. The spices used for air fryer onion strings include paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and onion powder.
If you have an almond flour allergy, you can substitute another low carb flour like coconut flour. Either way, this air fryer onion rings no breadcrumbs recipe makes delicious air fryer onions.
While that’s everything you need for an onion rings air fryer recipe, you can easily turn this gluten free onion rings air fryer recipe into pan fried onion rings by frying them in coconut oil.
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How to Make Onion Rings in an Air Fryer
First, let’s talk about the prep work involved in making thin onion rings in air fryer.
How to cut onion rings:
Start by peeling the onion. Next, slice the onions into 1/2 inch thin strips.
To accomplish this, first chop off the ends. Then hold the onion on the roundest part and carefully cut onion rings. Using a sharp knife makes this part easy. Check out the video below for how to cut an onion into rings for a visual.
Then set the sliced onions aside.
Prepare the Egg Wash and Onion Ring Batter:
Next, beat the heavy cream and egg together in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Then, add the almond flour and spices into a mixing bowl. Use a fork to stir the flour mixture together until it is well combined.
Once mixed, spread the onion ring mix onto a cookie sheet and flatten it into a thin layer with your hands.
Set Up Onion Dipping Station:
Once everything is prepped, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Then line the air fryer basked with perforated parchment paper.
Prepare your dipping station by lining up the sliced onions, egg wash, onion ring batter, and lined air fryer basket. Keep a paper towel nearby since this next part gets messy.
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How to Air Fry Onion Rings
Once everything is prepped and lined up, start by using one hand to dip the sliced onions into the beaten egg mixture. Dip the cut onion rings one at a time, and start with the largest onions first. Be sure to fully coat each onion slice with the egg mixture.
Once coated, shake the onion to release any excess egg. Then dip the egg soaked onion into the flattened almond flour spice mix. It’s important that the flour mix is very flat, as it will start to get clumpy if too many rings are dipped into the same spot.
After coating both sides of the onion, add the dipped onions in a single layer into the lined air fryer basket. Repeat with the remaining onions until the air fryer basket is full.
While you don’t want to double up the onion strings in the air fryer basket, you can place smaller onion rings inside the larger rings as long as they’re not touching.
How Long to Air Fry Onion Rings?
Thin onion rings don’t take long to cook in a preheated air fryer.
These homemade onion rings in air fryer only take between 6-8 minutes to turn golden brown. For best results, be sure to keep a close eye on your air fryer so your batch doesn’t burn. Cooking time may vary with different air fryer models.
If you have a smaller air fryer, you’ll likely need to cook these air fryer onion strings in two batches. You can quickly reheat onion rings in a toaster oven if the first batch gets cold.
Keto Onion Rings FAQ:
While carbs in onion rings vary, typical onion rings nutrition facts show each large ring has around 14 grams of carbs. This low carb version has around 7 net carbs per serving.
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Typical onion rings from a restaurant have around 140 – 190 calories per large ring. A full serving of low carb onion rings with an almond flour spice mix have 99 calories.
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While a large onion contains 14 total carbs, you can still eat onions as part of a keto lifestyle since most people don’t eat an entire onion in one sitting. Keeping track of your macros can help you determine if crispy keto onion rings can fit into your daily carb allotment.
How long to cook onion rings in air fryer will vary, depending on the recipe and the air fryer used. This recipe should take 6-8 minutes for the onion strings to turn golden brown.
While there are many recipes you can follow, this keto air fryer onion rings recipe is my favorite. I even prefer these to the real thing.
Even though this easy recipe is flavorful enough on its own, there are many onion ring sauce recipes that are delicious with these rings. Onion ring dipping sauce is a great addition when you need to find delicious ways to add more healthy fats into your keto plan.
The Keto Onion Ring Recipe Wrap Up
The best part of a ketogenic diet is you can reach your weight loss goals with delicious low carb appetizers, like keto onion rings.
Looking for even more delicious keto side dishes? Both creamy garlic green beans and coconut cauliflower rice are family favorites. Since getting enough nutrients in important on keto, veggie dishes like these make great keto sides.
Save this recipe to Pinterest. Please share the healthy fat love on social media too.
Keep scrolling for the recipe card and nutrition information.
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Are Onion Rings Keto | Keto Onion Rings
More Low Carb Diet Sides from Eating Fat is the New Skinny:
Keto Mac and Cheese
Garlic Cauliflower Rice
Roasted Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower
PrintKeto Air Fryer Onion Rings
A flavorful keto onion rings recipe that cooks in an air fryer in less than 8 minutes. Indulge in homemade onion rings and lose weight too! The crispy crust is made from almond flour and spices, which make these onion rings the perfect low carb treat.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 6 - 8 mins
- Total Time: 18 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Keto / Low Carb Side Dish
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Keto / Low Carb
- Diet: Diabetic
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Β½ teaspoon salt
- Β½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Prep Work:
- Slice a large onion into thin onion rings (around 1/2 inch thick).
- Then mix the almond flour and spices in a small bowl. Pour it onto a baking sheet and flatten it into a thin layer with your hands.
- Next, beat the egg together with the heavy cream to form the egg wash.
- Line the air fryer basket with perforated parchment paper.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.Β
Dip and Air Fry:
- Line up the sliced onions, flattened almond flour, egg mixture and lined air fryer basket.
- Start by dipping one onion slice into the egg wash. Shake the excess egg off and then dip it into the almond flour mix. Be sure to coat both sides thoroughly.
- Once both sides are coated, add into the air fryer basket.
- After all onions have been dipped, air fry until golden brown. This should take between 6-8 minutes for thin onion rings.
Notes
- If you have a smaller air fryer, you will need to cook these in two batches. You can quickly reheat onion rings inΒ a toaster oven if your first batch gets cold.
- Try not to let the dipped onion rings touch. Start dipping large onions first, and then fit the smaller dipped onions into the larger rings.
- Cook air fryer onion rings in a single layer.
- Keep an eye on the onion rings so they don’t burn. All air fryers are different, so your air fryer onion rings may take more or less time to cook.
- Substitute coconut flour for almond flour if an allergy exists.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Recipe Serves 4
- Calories: 99.5
- Sugar: 4.9
- Sodium: 305.1
- Fat: 5.6
- Saturated Fat: .4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 11
- Fiber: 2.8
- Protein: 3.4
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: Keto onion rings, are onion rings keto, keto air fryer onion rings
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Easy air fryer onion rings that are perfectly keto legal!
★★★★★