Cheese and onion rice paper chips are made by sandwiching grated cheese and onion granules between two soaked rice paper sheets, cutting into small squares, and air frying at 200°C for 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Because the cheese melts inside the sheets rather than sitting on top, every piece has proper crunch with pockets of melted cheese running through, not just a dusting. The whole batch comes to around 224 kcal and is ready in well under 15 minutes.
Salt and vinegar versus cheese and onion is a genuinely serious debate in my house, and I will die on the cheese and onion hill. When I posted my Salt and Vinegar Rice Paper Chips, a few of you asked for a cheese and onion version, so here it is, and I think it might genuinely be the better one.
This isn’t a light dusting of seasoning either. The cheese goes inside the rice paper, sandwiched between two sheets before it goes anywhere near the air fryer, so it melts as the chips crisp up rather than just sitting on the surface. What you get is:
- Proper crunch, no chewy patches, once you know the one trick to spacing them
- Real melted cheese in every bite, not just a seasoning dusting
- Five ingredients and five minutes in the air fryer, done
Key Ingredients
Rice paper (bánh tráng): the base of the whole chip, two sheets pressed together trap the filling and crisp up thin and shatter-crisp rather than chewy once they hit the air fryer.
Cheese, cheddar or mozzarella: cheddar gives a sharper, more “crisps” flavour, while mozzarella melts stringier and milder, either grates finely enough to spread in a thin, even layer.
Onion granules: carry the cheese and onion flavour without adding the moisture fresh onion would, which matters when you’re trying to keep the chips crisp rather than soggy.
Olive oil spray: a light coating is what actually gets you a crisp rather than a leathery finish — skip it and the chips dry out instead of crisping.
Salt: added right before the air fryer, after the cheese goes in, so it doesn’t draw moisture out of the rice paper while it’s soaking.
A Coaching Note
The single biggest difference between a proper crisp and a chewy, sad square is spacing: lay the cut squares in a single layer with room between each one, not touching. Overlap them even slightly and the pieces steam each other instead of crisping, it’s the one step genuinely worth being fussy about.
If you like the sound of these, my Rice Paper Pizza Bagels use the same air-fryer-and-rice-paper trick for a heartier snack, and you’ll find plenty more in my healthy snack recipes.
Cheese and Onion Rice Paper Chips (Air Fryer, Gluten-Free)
A genuinely crunchy cheese and onion crisp alternative made from just five ingredients: rice paper, real melted cheese, and onion granules, air-fried until golden in 5 minutes. The cheese goes inside the sheets rather than on top, so every piece has pockets of melted cheese running through it.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Fill a wide, shallow bowl with cold water. Submerge one rice paper sheet at a time for 10-15 seconds until just pliable — flexible, but not fully soft. Remove and lay flat on a clean, dry surface.
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Scatter the grated cheese evenly over the rice paper sheet, followed by the onion granules.
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Submerge the second rice paper sheet and lay it on top of the first, pressing gently all over — especially at the edges — so the two sheets seal together around the cheese.
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Using a pizza cutter or scissors, cut the sandwiched rice paper into small squares, roughly 2x2cm, for even cooking.
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Arrange the squares in a single layer in the air fryer basket or on the tray, making sure none of the pieces overlap or touch — this is the most important step for a proper crisp rather than a chewy chip. Spray lightly with olive oil and season with salt.
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Air fry at 200°C (392°F) for 5 minutes, checking halfway through to separate any pieces that have stuck together. They're ready when golden, light and crisp all the way through.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1 ServingCalories:224kcalTotal Fat:14.9gSaturated Fat: 7.1gSodium:830mgTotal Carbohydrate:14.4gDietary Fiber: 0.4gSugars: 0.3gProtein:7.9g
Note
- Press the two soaked rice paper sheets together firmly, especially at the edges, so the cheese stays sealed in rather than leaking out during cooking.
- Give the squares space in the basket, this is the single most important step for a proper crisp rather than a chewy chip.
- For a vegan version, swap the cheese for nutritional yeast and onion granules, see the flavour variations in the Salt and Vinegar Rice Paper Chips post.
- Contains dairy (cheese). Rice paper, onion granules, salt and olive oil are naturally gluten-free — check your cheese brand's label if you need a certified gluten-free product.
- Cheddar gives a sharper, more “crisps-like” flavour; mozzarella melts stringier and milder. Either works well.
