Air Fryer Blooming Onion

Stages of cooking

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1. Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
   
2. Whisk together milk and egg in a bowl until combined. In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, oregano, thyme, and cumin.
   
3. Slice 1 inch off the top of the onion and remove papery skin. Remove a 1-inch-diameter core from the middle of the onion, using an apple corer or paring knife, leaving the very bottom of the root end intact. Use a large sharp knife to slice about three-fourths of the way down center of the onion; turn onion 90 degrees and slice again. Keep slicing each section in half until you have 16 sections, being careful not to cut through the bottom of the onion. Spread sections apart.
   
4. Dip onion into milk mixture and then into flour mixture to coat, separating the petals and sprinkling flour mixture between them. Dip onion into milk mixture again, then into flour mixture to coat once more. Coat onion with cooking spray.
   
5. Arrange onion in the air fryer basket. Cook until crispy, 20 to 25 minutes.
   
6. Stir together mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, ketchup, paprika, salt, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a small bowl. Chill until blooming onion is ready.
   
7. Serve blooming onion with dipping sauce and garnish with additional paprika. Cook's Note: To help keep onion petals separate, you can plunge onion into boiling water for 1 minute and then into ice water. Leftover dipping sauce keeps, covered, up to 3 days in the refrigerator.