Cody Casey
Blooming onions are a fun appetiser that resemble a flower. They can be cooked in an air fryer and served with a dip. To make a blooming onion, you'll need to preheat your air fryer to around 300-375°F, prepare your onion, and then air fry it for 20-25 minutes. You can also make a dip to serve with the onion by combining mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, ketchup, paprika, salt, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Preheat air fryer to | 300F-375F |
| Preheat time | 10 minutes |
| Onion preparation | Remove papery skin, cut off 1-inch from the top, remove 1-inch diameter core from the middle, leaving the root end intact |
| Onion cooking time | 20-25 minutes |
| Onion cooking temperature | 300F-350F |
| Onion cooking oil | Vegetable or olive oil |
| Onion seasoning | Salt and pepper |
| Onion dip | Mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, ketchup, paprika, salt, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper |
What You'll Learn
Preheat the air fryer to 300-375ºF
Preheating your air fryer is an important step in cooking a blooming onion. You should preheat your air fryer to between 300-375ºF. Set your air fryer to 300F or 350F and preheat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the onion from the refrigerator and spray generously with cooking oil. You can use vegetable or olive oil. This will help to give your onion that "deep fried" flavour and texture. It's important to make sure that all the flour mixture is soaked in the cooking oil. You can also check in between the petals and spray any other flour spots you see.
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Prepare the onion
To prepare the onion, start by preheating your air fryer to 300°F to 375°F. Remove the onion from the refrigerator and cut off about 1 inch from the top, getting rid of the papery skin. Using an apple corer or paring knife, remove a 1-inch-diameter core from the middle of the onion, leaving the very bottom of the root end intact. You can then separate the petals by plunging the onion into boiling water for a minute and then into ice water. To get that "deep-fried" flavour and texture, spray the onion generously with cooking oil (vegetable or olive oil). Be sure to soak all the flour mixture with cooking oil that you can see, checking in between the petals and spraying any other flour spots.
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Make the dip
To make the dip, stir together mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, ketchup, paprika, salt, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a small bowl. You can adjust the quantities of each ingredient to suit your taste, but a good starting point is two parts mayonnaise to one part horseradish sauce and ketchup. Add a pinch of paprika, salt, oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to taste. Stir well to combine, and chill the dip until your blooming onion is ready.
This dip is the perfect accompaniment to your blooming onion, adding a creamy, spicy kick. The paprika and cayenne pepper give it a subtle heat, while the horseradish and black pepper add a sharp, tangy flavour. The ketchup and mayonnaise provide a creamy, slightly sweet base that brings all the flavours together.
If you like your dip with a bit more of a kick, you can add extra cayenne pepper or even some crushed garlic. For a milder version, simply reduce the amount of cayenne and black pepper. You could also add some fresh herbs, such as chopped chives or parsley, for a brighter, more summery flavour.
The dip can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, covered, for up to three days. This makes it a great option for preparing in advance if you're planning to serve a blooming onion as a fun, impressive appetiser. Simply take it out of the fridge when your onion is ready, give it a quick stir, and serve.
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Air fry the onion
Once you've prepared your onion, it's time to cook it. Preheat your air fryer to 300-375°F (190°C). Place the onion bloom in the air fryer basket, cut side up, on a piece of foil. Spray the onion generously with cooking oil (vegetable or olive oil) and be sure to soak all the flour mixture you can see. You can also check in between the petals and wet any other flour spots you see. Don't skimp on the cooking oil—this is necessary to get the onion to crisp up and give it that "deep-fried" flavour and texture. Set the timer for 20-25 minutes and cook, spraying the onion with cooking oil 2-3 times as you go.
When the timer goes off, your onion should be crispy and golden brown. Remove the onion from the air fryer using the aluminium foil and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the dip you prepared earlier.
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Serve
Once your blooming onion is cooked, you can serve it as a shared appetizer with a dip. You can make a dip by stirring together mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, ketchup, paprika, salt, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. You can also garnish the onion with additional paprika. If you have any leftover dip, it will keep in the fridge for up to three days.
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Frequently asked questions
Preheat your air fryer to 300-375ºF. Remove the onion from the refrigerator and spray generously with cooking oil. Place the onion cut side up in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 20-25 minutes, spraying the onion with cooking oil 2-3 times as it cooks.
Slice 1 inch off the top of the onion and remove the papery skin. Remove a 1-inch-diameter core from the middle of the onion, leaving the very bottom of the root end intact. To help keep the onion petals separate, you can plunge the onion into boiling water for 1 minute and then into ice water.
You can serve a blooming onion with a dipping sauce. To make this, stir together mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, ketchup, paprika, salt, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
The dipping sauce will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
