Are you Team French Fries or Team Onion Rings? I’m a homemade french fries girl myself, but Paul will take onion rings over any kind of fries and I always steal a few of his because I love them too. Onion rings are a splurge for us. It’s not an everyday kind of food, but when we are having friends over and grilling burgers, I’ll whip up a batch of extra crispy onion rings and have them breaded and waiting in the fridge so all I have to do is quickly fry them when we are getting ready to eat. We like extra crunchy onion rings made with Panko breadcrumbs best over beer battered onion rings. Both are delicious, but sometimes the battered onion rings seem too limp and soggy compared to the shatteringly crisp golden exterior of this easy onion ring recipe that can be made with just a handful of staple ingredients.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Onions – I recommend sweet onions, yellow onions, or white onions for making onion rings. The larger, the better, in our opinion. If you can get your hands on them, Walla Walla onions are especially good for making onion rings. Buttermilk – This is my favorite soaking option for helping the seasoning and breadcrumbs stick to the onion rings, but you can swap it out for a couple beaten eggs instead if you prefer. Flour – Some regular all-purpose flour gets mixed with spices and helps add a major flavor quotient to these onion rings that diner or burger joints are sometimes lacking. Spices – In addition to your typical salt & pepper, we like to add a little garlic powder and smoked paprika for some kick. A little cayenne pepper can be nice too if you don’t have smoked paprika on hand. Cornstarch – A secret ingredient that helps the fried onion rings stay nice and crispy even after they have been fried for a little bit. Breadcrumbs – You want to look for Panko bread crumbs, which are a crispy Japanese-style breadcrumb that is much crunchier than traditional plain breadcrumbs.
How to Make Homemade Onion Rings
Tips for Success
Use the right tools. An instant digital thermometer or candy thermometer (affiliate link) to monitor the oil temperature is invaluable in achieving perfectly crisp, golden onion rings. So is a wire spatula for removing the onion rings once they are done. Don’t slice the onions too thick. If they onions are too thick, they tend to slip right out of the breading when you bite into an onion ring. Also, the texture isn’t as good when the onions are sliced too thick compared to when they are sliced thin. Nobody wants slimy onions sliding out of their onion rings, right? Taste and adjust seasoning. You might want to sprinkle a little garlic salt or season salt over the finished onion rings if you want them to have even more flavor.
What to Serve With Onion Rings
Obviously burgers come to mind when thinking about what to eat with onion rings, and I’ve got some amazing burgers and burger tips for you! But here are some of our other favorite dishes to enjoy when we make onion rings.
Homemade Runzas (aka Bierocks) Classic Reuben Sandwich Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Pretzel Dogs Huli Huli Chicken Crispy Chicken Sandwich Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
How to Store Onion Rings
Like most fried foods, onion rings really are much better when serving hot and fresh. However, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and reheat in the air fryer, which actually does a pretty good job of crispy them up again so they taste almost as good as new. I would air fry the onion rings for around 5-6 minutes at 370°F until they are hot through and crisp on the outside again.
More Perfect Appetizer Recipes
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers Slow Cooker Little Smokies in Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce Grape Jelly Meatballs Grilled Mexican Street Corn
Homemade French Fries
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Fried Pickles
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