This Air Fryer Blooming Onion Recipe is a deliciously simple appetizer. You will love how easy it is to make without the mess of the deep fryer!
 Air Fryer Blooming Onion REcipe:
My family loves a good crispy Blooming Onion, but the deep-fried version is SO unhealthy! I decided to make this healthier alternative with a horseradish based sauce! This is the perfect appetizer for get-togethers, game days, or when you are craving a crunchy treat.
Making this recipe may seem like an intimidating task, but I promise this air fryer blooming onion recipe is so simple! I’ve included step-by-step instructions below with pictures to guide you. You’ll find the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- onion- For this recipe, you will need a large sweet Vidalia onion.
- all-purpose flour- You can’t make a crispy batter without flour.
- paprika and cayenne pepper- These spices will add a slight kick to the batter.
- ground cumin, dried thyme, and oregano- They add an earthy flavor to the batter.
- eggs, water, and milk- This helps the flour adhere to the onion, and leaves the onion golden when it is finished.
- cooking oil- You will need to spray this on your onion so that it gets crispy in the air fryer.
Sauce
- mayo- Acts as a stabilizer to keep the sauce combined.
- sour cream- Adds a tangy flavor to the horseradish sauce.
- ketchup- Provides a little sweetness to counteract the spice of the horseradish, and gives the sauce its signature color.
- horseradish- Makes the sauce slightly spicy, while adding a distinct tasty flavor.
- paprika, salt, garlic powder, and dried oregano- These spices take it over the top!
How to cook an Air Fried Blooming Onion:
Step 1:Â Combine mayo, sour cream, ketchup, horseradish, and spices into a bowl, and place in the refrigerator.
Step 2:Â Gather the rest of the ingredients. Begin to slice the onion to make it into a bloom. Start by cutting 1/2 inch from the top of the onion, then peel the outer skin from the onion. The top of the onion resembles a stem, while the bottom has small brown roots sprouting out of it.
Next, place the onion cut-side down.
Step 3: Starting about 1/2 inch from the root, make a downward cut through to the cutting board. Make sure that you don’t cut too close to the top of the onion because the onion will end up falling apart when you are breading it. Repeat to make 4 evenly spaced cuts around the onion.
Step 4: Make 3 additional cuts between each section until you have 16 evenly spaced cuts. If cutting the onion into a bloom seems a little too tricky, you can also purchase a blooming onion cutter.
Step 5: Turn the onion over and allow it to rest for 5 minutes so that the petals begin to relax.
Step 6:Â Allow the onion petals to relax so that they begin to spread out a bit to make it easier to add the flour and spices.
Step 7: Combine the flour and spices in a bowl.
Step 8:Â In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and water. Transfer the onion into a new bowl, cut-side up, and pour the flour mixture over the top. Use a large spoon coat the onion with the flour mixture, especially between the onion petals. Turn the onion over and pat off the excess flour. Reserve the flour. You will need it later.
Make sure there are no large clumps of flour left on the onion because this will lead to parts of the onion being doughy and undercooked.
Step 9:Put the onion into the egg mixture and coat evenly. Remove and let the excess drip off, and the onion back into the flour, and coat evenly. LIGHTLY cover the onion in flour, the more batter, the longer it will take to cook, and the doughier it will taste! Then, preheat the air fryer to 350 F for 10 minutes, while the air fryer is heating place the onion into the fridge.
Step 11:Â Remove the onion from the fridge and spray generously with cooking oil, like olive or vegetable. Place the onion on an aluminum foil sling and place it in the air fryer basket for 25 minutes. Spray the onion 2-3 times as it cooks so that it turns golden brown.
Remove the onion from the air fryer add salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!
What is an Air fryer?
An air fryer is a miniature convection oven that uses a fan to circulate hot air around the food. By doing this, it creates a crisp coating and cooks the food more quickly than a large oven.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
First, using an air fryer is very simple and convenient. It cooks foods very quickly, and adds a delicious crunch! Plus, your house won’t smell like frying oil even though your food will taste like it’s been deep-fried.
How to Store an Air Fryer Blooming Onion & Horseradish Sauce?
A blooming onion can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days, but it will break down quickly, so it is best to eat it as soon as possible. To reheat, you can put it back into the air fryer at 350 F until it gets crispy or in the oven.
The horseradish sauce needs to be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days.
 Variations to This Recipe:
- onion petals- Instead of cutting the onion into the shape of a bloom, cut it into sticks and follow the recipe card for breading and cooking instructions.
- seasonings- You could make a cajun blooming onion by using cajun spices, or you could add crushed red pepper to make it spicy.
More Air fried Appetizers:
Air Fryer Blooming Onion REcipe:
Air Fryer Blooming Onion Recipe
Ingredients
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
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon garlic powder
- â…› teaspoon dried oregano
- Black pepper to taste
- Cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
blooming onion sauce
- Combine all the sauce ingredients into a bowl, then cover and place into the refrigerator.
blooming onion
- Slice the onion to make it bloom. Start by cutting off 1/2 inch from the top of the onion, then peel the outer skin from the onion.
- Place the onion cut-side down. Starting about 1/2 inch from the root, make a downward cut all the way through to the cutting board. Repeat to make four evenly spaced cuts around the onion.
- Turn the onion over and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the petals to relax. Prior to breading, use your fingers to gently separate the outer pieces.
- Make 3 additional cuts between each section until you have 16 evenly spaced cuts.
- Whisk the flour, paprika, cayenne, cumin, thyme, and oregano in a large bowl. In a medium deep bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and 1 cup water.
- Place the onion in a clean bowl, cut-side up, and pour the flour mixture on top. Using a large spoon to coat the onion with the flour mixture, especially between the onion petals. Turn the onion over and pat off the excess flour. Reserve the bowl of flour.
- Transfer the onion into the egg mixture and coat evenly. Remove and let the excess drip off, then transfer back into the reserved flour mixture and repeat the flouring process.
- Place the onion into the refrigerator.
- Preheat the air fryer for 10 minutes to 350ºF.
- Remove the onion from the refrigerator and spray generously with cooking oil (vegetable or olive).
- After making a sling from a sheet of aluminum foil, transfer the onion cut side up into the fryer basket.
- Set the timer for 25 minutes and cook. Spray the onion with the cooking oil 2-3 times as you cook it fully.
- Remove onion using the aluminum foil sling and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with the dip.
- Enjoy!
