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These delicious Homemade Onion Rings have been deemed THE BEST by everyone that has tried them! Dipped in a perfectly seasoned batter, they are incredibly tasty, super crunchy, and we can’t get enough of them!
Easy Homemade Onion Rings
Best appetizer ever, anyone? There are definitely a lot of great options out there, but it’s hard to find one that beats these classic Homemade Onion Rings. They’re perfectly seasoned, totally crispy, and you’re going to want to eat them right out of the fryer/pan!
The best part about these onion rings is that they’re SO easy to make! With just 4 main ingredients and a couple of seasonings, you can have an appetizer on the table that the whole family will love. Trust me, these will be the most worthwhile 20 minutes of your day – so let’s get to work!
What is Onion Ring Batter Made Of?
What will you need to make these crispy onion rings reality? Here’s the short list of batter ingredients!
- Flour: You’ll need about 1 cup of all-purpose flour.
- Seasoning: Use salt, fresh ground pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning.
- Milk: 1% or 2% milk should work just fine.
What Kind of Onion to Use
You can use pretty much whatever kind of onion you like. I tend to use white or yellow onions because they fry well. When they are in season, Vidalia onions provide a sweeter taste if you want to try them out!
How to Cut the Onions
If you’re wondering what the best way to cut an onion is, here’s a quick tutorial. Start by removing the peel and cutting off the stem. Next, carefully cut a small slice off of one side of the onion so that it won’t roll away when you’re cutting the rings. Finally, place the onion on the flat side you created, and cut slices that are about ½ inch in width for your rings!
How to Make Onion Rings from Scratch
You’re not going to believe how simple it is to make these golden-brown onion rings. The only problem you might have is convincing yourself not to make them every day after you taste how delicious they are!
- Ready a Plate: Line a plate with paper towel and set aside.
- Heat the Oil: Heat canola oil in a large frying pan or saucepan.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning; whisk to combine. Place milk in a small bowl.
- Dip Onion Rings: Start by dipping Onion Rings in flour-mixture then in milk, and back into flour-mixture.
- Fry Onion Rings: Carefully drop about 6 onion rings at a time in hot oil. Cook for 3 minutes; flip and continue to cook for 1 more minute, or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove Onion Rings from oil and transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Serve and Enjoy: Serve with Ketchup and/or Ranch Dressing.
Tips for Crispy Onion Rings
Is your mouth watering yet? I know mine is. Here are some tips to help you achieve the best looking – and tasting – results!
- Canola Oil Substitute: If you don’t have any canola oil, don’t sweat it! You can also use vegetable oil for frying. But, don’t use olive oil, or any other oil that does not have a high smoke point.
- Don’t Crowd the Fryer: Make sure the rings have enough room to get crispy! Take your time with frying each batch.
- For Extra Crispiness: For the crispiest homemade onion rings, add a little bit of baking powder to the batter. This will also help the batter stick to the onion.
- Add Some Heat: Sometimes a little heat is a great addition to your onion rings! Feel free to throw a bit of paprika into the batter if that sounds like something you might like.
Serving Suggestions
Now that you have a pile of these gorgeous onion rings, what should you serve with them? I’ve got a couple of suggestions!
- As a Topping: Crunchy onion rings make the best topping for a burger or a salad. Try them on an Easy Black Bean Burger!
- With Seafood: If you’re a fan of salmon, try them alongside Maple Teriyaki Salmon.
- With Your Favorite Meat: Anything from Smothered Pork Chops to Grilled Chicken goes well with onion rings!
How to Store and Reheat Homemade Onion Rings
- Onion rings are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. To reheat, pop them in the oven again until they’re nice and crispy!
Can I Freeze Onion Rings?
- Sure you can! Put them in an airtight container and freeze them for up to 12 months (I doubt you’ll need that long, though!).
Not sure if this fits into your dinner plans, but why not!? Cut up the onion, drench it in some batter, fry it for a few minutes and TaDa! Easy Peasy.
ENJOY!
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Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 2 cups canola oil,, or vegetable oil
- 2 large yellow onions, , sliced into 1/2-inch slices and separated into rings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour,, (I've used Gluten Free Flour and that works great, too!)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- fresh ground pepper,, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.
- Heat canola oil in a large frying pan or saucepan.
- In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning; whisk to combine.
- Place milk in a small bowl.
- Start by dipping Onion Rings in flour-mixture then in milk, and back into flour-mixture.
- Carefully drop several onion rings at a time in hot oil. DO NOT crowd the pan. Cook the rings in batches.
- Cook for 3 minutes; flip and continue to cook for 1 more minute, or until golden brown.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove Onion Rings from oil and transfer to the paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Serve with Ketchup, Ranch Dressing, Honey Mustard, or any other favorite condiment.
Notes
- Nutritional Information was calculated without the entire 2 cups of oil. Oil was measured before and after cooking, and there was about 1/4 cup oil on the onion rings after cooking. Most of the oil stayed behind, in the pan.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
More Appetizer Recipes to Try
Be sure to check out some other easy appetizer recipes!
- Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges
- Maple Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Maryland-Style Crab Cakes
RECIPE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON Oct 8, 2014, and updated on Feb 4, 2021.
Perfect! The only thing is mine came out kinda salty. I don’t eat too much salt so that could be it. My 4 daughters LOVED them and was happy daddy wasn’t home to eat them all lol
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Old bay? Is there a substitute we dont have it here
How hot should the oil be heated?
Hi Helen!
Heat oil to 375 degrees fahrenheit and try not to crowd the pan… do the onion rings in batches.
The directions say “milk-mixture”. What else is in the milk?
Hi Shawn!
That’s a typo – it’s just milk. 🙂