Everyone’s favorite restaurant side can be made at home with our simple (and yummy!) fried onion rings recipe. With a few straightforward steps, you can pull fresh, hot, crispy homemade onion rings from the fryer to snack on, dip in a sauce, eat alongside a sandwich or even use as a burger topping.
Intimidated by deep frying at home? Our onion ring recipe walks you through frying these rings step by step. We recommend reading through the recipe a couple of times before starting. Also, check out our guide for additional tips on how to deep fry at home with confidence.
Ingredients for Onion Rings
- All-purpose flour: To create perfectly crispy breading, use all-purpose flour in the batter for this onion ring recipe.
- Egg: One egg helps adhere the batter to the fried onion rings.
- Seasoned salt: We use seasoned salt to add flavor to these crispy homemade onion rings. Seasoned salt contains salt, herbs, and spices like black pepper, dried thyme, paprika, ground mustard, ground turmeric, garlic powder and sometimes even sugar.
- Baking powder: A leavening agent like baking powder creates an airy breading once it’s deep-fried.
- Onion: Grab one large onion that doesn’t have any blemishes or bruises.
- Oil: Use an oil with a smoke point above 375°F, such as avocado, safflower, peanut, soybean, corn, sunflower or canola oil, so your fried onion rings don’t burn.
Directions
Step 1: Create the batter and separate the sliced onions
In a shallow bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, water, egg, seasoned salt and baking powder until lump-free.
Separate the cut onion slices into rings.
Step 2: Dredge the onions and heat up the oil
Using a fork or pair of chopsticks, dip the onion rings into the batter and coat them completely.
In a deep-fat fryer, heat 1 inch oil to 375°.
Editor’s Tip: The best pan for deep frying is a pot with tall sides, like a cast-iron Dutch oven. It’ll give you plenty of room for the 1 inch oil while keeping the spattering mess to a minimum. In the unlikely event of a fire, it takes just a split second to set the pot’s lid on top to starve the fire of oxygen.
Step 3: Deep fry the onion rings
Working in batches, use a pair of chopsticks, a kitchen spider or a slotted spoon to carefully lay the battered onion rings into the hot oil. Fry them until they’re golden brown, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Drain the onion rings on paper towel-lined plates, and serve the homemade onion rings immediately.
Editor’s Tip: The oil’s temp will fluctuate while deep frying. Use a clip-on thermometer to monitor the oil’s temperature. After your first batch is done, bring the oil back up to 375° before adding in your next batch. If the oil isn’t hot enough, your batter will soak up the oil and you’ll be pulling out soggy onion rings. Ack!
Recipe Variations
- Bake in the oven: If frying at home makes you nervous, you can bake these onion rings in the oven instead. Preheat the oven to 425°. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dip the onion rings into the egg, then roll the onions in the bread crumb mixture. Place the onions on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake the onion rings until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, turning once halfway through.
- Make red onion rings: Substitute a red onion for the sweet onion for a more spicy and pungent kick. Whisk a 1/4 teaspoon cayenne into the flour mixture.
- Switch the water: For a lighter, airier breading, swap in carbonated water for the water, similar to how we make this shrimp tempura recipe.
- Cut into thicker rings: If you’re into a more substantial onion ring, cut the onions into a 1/4-inch or even a 1/2-inch width. However, if you’re making onion rings to top on a burger or sandwich, keep them very thin so they’re easier to eat.
How to Store Onion Rings
Onion rings (or any foods that are deep fried) are best eaten hot and fresh. However, if you have leftovers that you want to save, allow them to cool completely to room temperature and store them in an airtight container. They can last in the fridge for up to three days.
How to Reheat Onion Rings
Reheat your homemade onion rings in the oven or air fryer set to 350°, and bake until the fried onion rings are crispy and heated through, about six minutes.
Onion Ring Tips
What are the best onions for this onion ring recipe?
The best types of onions to use for homemade onion rings are sweet onions like Vidalia, Walla Walla and Maui. They’re much milder than yellow and red onions, and even a bit sweet.
What are the best oils for frying onion rings?
The best oils for frying are avocado, safflower, peanut, soybean, corn, sunflower and canola oils. Keep in mind that avocado, peanut and sunflower have a more pronounced taste. Some people like that, others don’t. If you’re not sure, stick with one of the neutral-flavored oils.
However, if you love the taste of Five Guys’ french fries, know that they’re fried in peanut oil. You might also love them because of the secret double-fry method, which makes them one of the most calorie-laden fries in America.
What sauces should you use to dip onion rings?
Any good onion rings are served with a dipping sauce side, so try ketchup, mayonnaise (or a half and half combo of both), garlic aioli, ranch, burger sauce, copycat Chik-fil-A sauce or copycat Outback blooming onion sauce.
What should you serve with onion rings?
Besides a dipping sauce, serve these homemade crispy onion rings alongside burgers, salads, chicken tenders, Italian beef sandwiches, Reubens and hot dogs. We love them as a crunchy topping on all these foods, too, especially on pulled pork sandwiches. If you’re a green bean casserole family on Thanksgiving, use fresh fried onion rings as the topping instead of the premade stuff—they’re really a wonderful topping for almost any casserole recipe.
