Name: Crispy Onion Rings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 large sweet onions ((Vidalia or Walla Walla)); 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup cold water; 2 large eggs (lightly beaten); Vegetable oil (for frying); Fry sauce (for serving)

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This homemade Crispy Onion Rings recipe makes delicious restaurant-quality onion rings perfect for your game day spread or burger night meal!

What goes better with a juicy cheeseburger than French fries? Crispy Onion Rings, of course! And all you need are a couple of sweet onions dipped in a batter of seasoned flour and eggs, and fried up into a platter full of golden perfection! Serve these with a creamy fry sauce and watch them disappear!

crispy onion rings piled on a wooden board next to a bowl of ketchup with recipe name at the bottom

The Best Recipe for Homemade Onion Rings

Homemade onion rings should be simple, tasty, and have a sweet, satisfying, crispy crunch. This recipe succeeds at both! The best onion rings are also versatile. They’re delicious as an appetizer for a hungry crowd, a side dish for almost any hand-held entree, or even as a garnish on this Big Daddy Double Cheeseburger!

Other Recipes to Serve with Crispy Onion Rings

Sweet, creamy, tangy, and unique, Fry Sauce is the bomb with onion rings, French fries, fried pickles, or any meaty sandwich. IT’S SO GOOD!
The Crispy Air Fryer Blooming Onion recipe is an excellent alternative if there’s no time to fry individual onion rings!

Ingredients

Onion: All that’s needed for a big plateful of onion rings are two sweet onions (I like Spanish onions!)

Batter: Dip your raw onion slices in a batter of all-purpose flour, baking powder, eggs, water, and a little seasoned salt. It’s that simple!

Oil: A vegetable oil like Canola Oil has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor and is ideal for frying onion rings. Peanut and coconut are good fry oils if you prefer a more organic oil.

How to Make Crispy Onion Rings

STEP ONE: Start by slicing the tops off the onions and peeling off the dry skin layer. Cut the onions into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices, separate the rings, and toss the centerpieces.

bowl of sweet onions that have been cut into slices and separated into rings

STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, seasoned salt, and baking powder. Once mixed, add in the eggs and water and mix the batter until smooth.

onion ring batter ingredients in a mixing bowl

STEP THREE: Now, in a large, deep pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 F. Use a cooking thermometer to monitor the temperature. When the oil is hot, dip each onion slice in the batter, coating fully, then dripping off the excess.

onion rings being dipped into a bowl of batter

STEP THREE: Drop the battered slices into the oil. Don’t overlap the rings. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes per side until golden. Use tongs or a spider strainer to remove and place the cooked rings on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all the onions are used. Serve hot, and be amazed!

onion rings frying in a pot of oil until golden brown

Tips for Success

Please keep your fingers clean using a fork to pick up the raw onion rings and dip them in the batter!
Hoping for a good beer-batter onion ring recipe? Swap the cup of water for a cup of your favorite beer – a red lager works great!
Keep a warm baking sheet in a 200-degree F oven while frying onion rings. After they have drained on a paper towel, add the cooked onion rings to the warm baking sheet to keep them crispy while you finish the rest of the batch.

close up of onion rings in a basket with a ramekin of ketchup

What’s the Key to Crispy Onion Rings?

The key to that satisfying crunch in a perfect onion ring is the temperature of the oil. It should be 375 F. Always use a thermometer to ensure the best results. If the oil is too hot, it can smoke and burn the batter. The onion rings can turn out soggy if it is not hot enough.

onion rings on a plate next to a cheeseburger and ramekin of ketchup

What Kind of Onions Work Best for Homemade Onion Rings?

For onion rings, the sweeter and milder the onion, the better. Spanish onions are an ideal choice, as are sweet onions. (Small onions and red onions aren’t good options.) If you don’t have sweet onions, almost any full-size onions can work if you slice them and soak the slices in milk for 20 minutes. This neutralizes the sharpness and makes them better suited for tasty onion rings!

onion ring being dipped into a small bowl of ketchup

Other Recipes for Burger & Hot Dog Nights!

*This post was originally posted on 03/13/2020.