How to Make Crispy Shallots in Your Air Fryer

I use my little air fryer quite a bit, especially now that it’s getting warm and I am avoiding my oven at all costs. It’s very versatile — I can make an entire bacon-and-egg breakfast in the thing — but I depend on it for firing off last minute accoutrement and finishing touches, from crunchy capers, to roasted garlic, to crispy onions.

I have, as you have probably gathered by now, found a new food to add to the air fried accoutrement canon — air-fried shallots. They’re not my fastest air-fried recipe, but they are very hands-off, and certainly far less labour- and oil-intensive than traditionally fried shallots.

The procedure simple: Slice some shallots about 1/3 of a cm thick, toss them with a drizzle of oil, and cook them in your air fryer at 120C until they are golden and crispy. Salt them. Eat them. Repeat if you like (and you probably will).

I know that 120C may seem like a fairly low temperature, but it’s necessary, if somewhat unfortunate. Cooking the sliced alliums at a higher temp burns the rings before they have a chance to properly dehydrate, resulting in dark brown, chewy shallots, rather than golden, crispy shallots. (Of course, if you want your shallots dark and chewy, then feel free to crank up the heat.)

Air fried shallots aren’t quite like the ones you get in a canister — they’re devoid of breading and much less greasy — but they’d be equally at home atop a green bean casserole, were it the season for such. I’m not currently eating a lot of casseroles, but crispy shallots know no season. They’re fantastic on salads, on other vegetables, or on nothing at all. (I ate the pile you see at the top of this blog right off the paper towel, and I’d do it again.) To make these crispy bois, you’ll need:

• At least one shallot
• Olive oil (or vegetable oil)

Slice the shallot(s) into 1/3 cm slices, and push through the centre of the slices to break them up into individual rings. Place them in a bowl and drizzle them with just enough olive oil to coat (about 1/4 teaspoon per shallot at the most). Preheat your air fryer to 120C. When it has reached that temperature, add the shallot rings to the basket and cook them for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, open the air fryer, scoot the shallots around, and make sure nobody is clumping up in the centre or the corners. Cook for another 10 minutes, then open up the air fryer and see how things are proceeding. If your shallots aren’t as golden and crispy as you’d like them, add another 3-5 minutes. Once they’re the colour and texture that you desire, transfer them to some paper towel, season them with a couple of pinches of salt, and enjoy.