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I’m addicted to onion rings. And I’m picky about them. I’m picking about the coating. It has to be light and crunchy and it has to stick to every inch of the onion. And I’m picky about the onion. Each bite has to be ‘clean’. Nothing is worse than biting into a ring and having the entire onion want to come out at once. And of course, they have to taste great. These homemade onion rings pass my picky tests and then some. They are truly fantastic.
The Perfect Batter
There is absolutely nothing I would change about the batter for these homemade onion rings. It has the perfect consistency and flavor. Well, ok, I might change up the seasoning just a bit depending on who I’m serving them to or whatever my mood is that day. Me, I like a bit of heat, so cayenne is my go-to seasoning. But, a little smoked paprika or even a dried herb such as Italian seasoning also makes for a pleasant change.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
The batter would also be great on fish filets, making for a big plate of fish-and-rings.
For a nice twist on traditional onion rings, try my fried onion strips with dipping sauce. For something with a kick, you gotta make my spicy red onion rings and my copycat of the delicious onion rings at A&W.
Homemade Onion Rings
Ingredients
For the onion rings
- 2 large sweet onions cut into 1/2" rings, rings separated
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
For the batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne substitute Creole seasoning for something a little different
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup club soda chilled
- 1 large egg
Instructions
For the onion rings
- Place the rings into a large bowl.
- Add the flour and salt and toss to coat.
- Let sit for 15 minutes.
For the batter
- Heat 3″ of oil to 365 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
- Whisk together the batter ingredients until smooth.
- Working in batches, dip the onions into the batter and coat completely.
- Fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side, flipping once. Do not over-crowd the fryer.
- Transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with salt.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.