These Air Fryer Crispy Shallots are super simple and store wonderfully in your pantry. They make perfect toppings for virtually any meal and it avoids deep frying.
I planned to make a dish that required several shallots, but I decided to make something else instead which left me a bag of shallots. Stick around for one the tastiest toppings you can make using your Air Fryer. Whether you choose to top a juicy steak, a crunchy salad or a big ol’ Air Fryer Beer Brat, these are going to take every recipe to the next level with minimal effort.
🍽️ Why This Works
Frugal | I hate waste. Seriously, if I have to throw away veggies at the end of the week, it is really upsetting. So, this is a great way to air fry, store and reuse shallots.
Easy | So, I always thought that making crispy shallots was a huge level of effort! I envisioned chefs stirring them in a deep fryer until they became perfectly browned. Nope – Not here! Add them to the air fryer and let it do its thing!
🧅 Ingredients
I love recipes that don’t require a ton of ingredients.
Shallots: This is the star of the show. Thinly sliced with a mandolin, or carefully cut thin with a sharp kitchen knife, the mild flavor accentuates in the air fryer.
Spray Avocado Oil: You just need a VERY light spray to help them get started. It is best if you spray the bowl of the slices and then mix them up by hand. Feel free to substitute spray olive oil.
📝 Instructions
Step One: Peel and cut the shallots. I highly recommend using a mandolin as it guarantees that each slice is the same thickness. That ensures that each of them will be done at the same time.
Step Two: Preheat the air fryer to 250 degrees. When it is up to temperature, set the timer for 10 minutes and place a sheet of the cut shallots on the tray or in the basket.
Step Three: At the end of the 10 minutes, stir them on the tray and cook for another 10 minutes. Repeat for the third time. The shallots should be a nice, golden brown after 30 minutes.
Note: Each air fryer is different. I used the top tray in my front-loading one and it took 30 minutes. Adjust your time as necessary.
Step Four: Remove them from the tray and let them cool completely. They will crisp up.
❗ Expert Tips
Do not use much spray oil. These take just an extremely light spray. If you use more, they will turn out a bit greasy and soggy.
Don’t overcrowd the tray or the basket. These are so small and thin that it won’t cause major issues, but you don’t want to impede the airflow. If you think you overfilled it, just remove some and finish this in batches. No biggie!
Sprinkle the freshly cut shallots with a pinch of sea salt. I wrote the recipe without doing that, but sprinkle a little on a few. The sweet shallot flavor works insanely good with a little salt.
Store these in an airtight container in your pantry.
Sprinkle on top of your favorite burger, steak or even a nice, healthy salad to provide an intensely flavorful crunch!
If you see any purple left after you are done, please eat these the same day and don’t try to store them in the pantry. The fact that there is still purple says they they didn’t crisp up 100% which means there is still fluid left in there and it could spoil and become rancid. Look at the first picture of this blog post and you can see there is a little purple in the bigger pieces, don’t put them in an air tight container. Either eat them the same day or cook them longer.
Recipe FAQ
These definitely have a mild, sweet onion flavor, but the air fryer adds a light toasted flavor that complements is extremely well.
Top your favorite burger or steak, use it as a salad topping, or drop some in your favorite soup.
In a sealed container, store 1-3 weeks. Watch them to make sure you have a good container that doesn’t leak. If there is any air getting into the container, you can store them for just a day or two.
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Air Fryer Shallots
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Shallots peeled and sliced thin
- Avocado Oil spray
- Salt pinch to taste
Instructions
- Cut the ends off of the shallots and peel the papery skin. I sliced the shallots in half first, as it made the peeling much easier.
- Use a mandolin or sharp knife to make thin, uniform slices from the shallots. The mandolin is perfect for this, but a sharp knife works if you are careful. The key is to make sure they are sliced uniformly thin.
- Spray the sliced very lightly with avocado oil. You don't need much at all.
- Lay the slices on the air fryer tray or basket. Set the air fryer to 250 degrees for 10 minute intervals. Mine were toasty brown at the end of 30 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container in your panty.
Notes
Nutrition
Is that 250 farenheit?
Yes! Let me change that so it’s clear! Thank you, Claudia for pointing that out. Cheers!
These are good and super easy in the air fryer. Thank you for the great recipe!
Awesome! We love them on salads and burgers!!