Y’all forget about those soggy onion rings from the fast-food joint! This recipe is about to blow your mind. We’re talkin’ homemade fried onion rings that are crispy on the outside and sweet and tender on the inside. We build flavor with a tangy buttermilk and we toss in a killer seasoned flour mix that’ll coat those onion slices to perfection. You’ll be droolin’ over this restaurant-quality recipe in no time!
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“These are the crunchiest, tastiest onion rings EVER! Everyone in my family loves the flavor. Great recipe!”
—liZA
There are two types of people in the world: French fry people and onion ring people. I happen to be the latter. And listen, I love me some fries but that’s besides the point. Onion rings just hit different period!
It was only a matter of time before I dropped the BEST fried onion rings recipe on ya! And it’s got flavor on flavor too boos. Serve these up for game days, burger weekends or just cuz and get your entire life!
The Lowdown of These Onion Rings
Cuisine Inspiration: Classic American Comfort
Primary Cooking Method: Deep-frying
Dietary Info: Can be made Vegan or Gluten-Free with some substitutions
Key Flavor: Crispy, perfectly seasoned onion-y deliciousness
Skill Level: Pretty Easy (Frying is the only part that requires some skillz)
Restaurant Worthy
Listen, once you have these rings, you won’t wanna order them at a restaurant ever again. These stay winning the competition.
Flavors On Flavors
We adding the bomb combo of tangy buttermilk along with a perfectly seasoned flour to the mix for maximum flavor. And the best part is I bet you have most of the simple ingredients needed right in the pantry already.
Crowd Pleaser
Whenever I have served up these onion rings, they have hit hard. Folks go crazy when I serve them with burgers or even as an appetizer!! You can definitely please everyone when you make a batch.
Ingredients you’ll need to make the best homemade onion rings
- Onions: These are our aromatic yet sweet star. We slice them thick like in a restaurant.
- Breading: We flavor up our base of flour with the grit of cornmeal, some seasoned salt, paprika and the spice of cayenne pepper.
- Buttermilk: This not only helps the seasoned flour stick to the onion, it also layers in a slight tanginess building more flavor.
- Vegetable Oil: This neutral-flavored oil works great for high heat situations so these rings fry up golden and crisp.
How to make onion rings
What to serve with fried onion rings
- Sauce it Up: Dip them in a delish remoulade sauce or chipotle bbq sauce.
- Burgers Galore: Try them with a bacon cheddar burger, chipotle black bean burger, or a mango jerk salmon burger.
- Appetizer Partay: Have a little apps party and make these loaded fries, sweet potato fries, fried okra, green tomatoes, oyster mushrooms and pickles!!
- Game Day Moves: They go great with other faves like pizza rolls, jerk chicken wings, and bbq meatballs.
Recipe Substitutions
- Onions: Honestly you can use whatever type of onion you like. Sweet ones like Vidalia are delish but if can’t find them, go with a classic yellow onion. I just wouldn’t grab red onions because that strong flavor will be doing way too much.
- Buttermilk: If ya ain’t got any lying around, make your own boos. Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk, wait a few minutes for it to curdle then use instead.
- Flour and Cornmeal: Y’all can grab a whole wheat flour or even a self-rising flour to make the breading lighter if you want. No cornmeal? Just use all flour.
- Oil: Basically any neutral oil like canola or peanut is all good to use. They withstand higher temps and stay stable without giving another flavor to the mix.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Gluten-Free: Just replace your flour with your fave 1:1 ratio all-purpose gluten-free alternative, and you are good to go!
- Vegan: Replace the buttermilk with a thicker vegan liquid like coconut milk or creamy oat milk. You can even thin out vegan yogurt with some water and use as well.
- Spice It Up: Adding some additional cayenne or even some hot sauce to the buttermilk can really kick things up a notch.
- Herb it Up: Adding some fresh herbs like parsley, chives or thyme can give a bomb earthy element boos.
- Cheese it Up: I love to sprinkle a little freshly grated parm into the batter for a nutty, salty note.
They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“These onion rings came out exactly as the name suggest. So crispy and delicious that they were gone the moment i served. Will be making again.”
—GUNJAN
Expert Tips and Tricks for making the best fried onion ring recipe
- Same Size. You can do it by hand or use a mandolin but just make sure they are evenly cut. This will ensure they cook up in the same amount of time.
- Dredge With Less Mess: Designate a dry hand and a wet hand when breading. Set up a small station and work slowly to avoid clumpy, messy hands boos.
- Chill Out: After you bread your rings, take a chill pill and let them set. Don’t start frying right away. Giving them 10 minutes will allow that breading to stick on so it doesn’t fall off in the frying oil.
- Right Temp: Get that oil cranked up between 365 and 375 F so they fry up crispy and don’t get soggy.
- Work in Batches! Don’t overcrowd the pot with too many rings or they’ll clump together and lower the oil temperature. Be patient y’all.
- Grab the Right Pan. I love using a dutch oven because I find the oil stays evenly heated and the rings fry up nicely. However any heavy metal bottom pot will work boos. Also remember, the wider the pot, the more rings you’ll be able to fry without overcrowding.
How to store & reheat fried onion rings
Pop any leftovers into an airtight container or toss into a ziptop storage bag. When you want to reheat, grab the air fryer because it returns them to that perfect crispy texture. Just heat to 400°F and cook for a few minutes until hot and crisp again. The oven also works. Preheat to 400°F and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until crispy and serve them up. Just don’t use the microwave boos. That ain’t it!
How long will they last in the fridge?
They last up to 3 days in the fridge.
Can I freeze this homemade onion ring recipe?
Yep you sure can boos. Place leftovers in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze for about an hour then transfer the rings to an airtight container or freezer bag. They should last up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
Use your fave like sweet, yellow or white onions but just don’t grab red onions! That strong flavor will distract too much.
Dipping each ring into the flour before dipping them into the milk helps everything stick a bit better than milk alone. Then letting those rings rest at least 10 minutes helps the breading set more before frying.
That oil probably wasn’t hot enough boos! Make sure the oil is between 365 and 375 F before frying. Also don’t overcrowd your pot with too many rings. This will drop that temp so fast your head will spin.
Y’all these crispy fried onion rings are the TRUTH! Try them, and you will see why the reviews are absolutely glowing. They are a hit either way you slice it! Get at the recipe boos.
More Southern Fried Recipes
- Fried Chicken Gizzards
- Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Fried Shrimp Recipe
- Oven Fried Catfish
Crispy Fried Onion Rings
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons seasoned salt
- 2 tablespoons yellow corn meal
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 onions sliced into ⅓-½ inch rings
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Add flour, seasoned salt, corn meal, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper to a paper bag or ziptop bag and shake to mix well.
- Dip each onion ring into seasoned flour then dip into buttermilk then back into seasoned flour coating all sides. Set each battered onion ring on a parchment covered baking sheet to rest until all onion rings are battered (about 10-15 minutes after dredging).
- While coating sets, add 3-3 ½ inches of oil to a cast iron or heavy bottom pot and heat over medium high heat. Heat oil to 365 to 375 F degrees.
- Fry the rings 4-5 at a time depending on the width of your pot making sure not to overcrowd. Fry on each side until golden brown then remove and place on paper towels to drain or add to a wire rack to drain over a paper towel lined baking sheet.
- Serve hot when done.
Notes
How to store & reheat fried onion rings
Pop any leftovers into an airtight container or toss into a ziptop storage bag. When you want to reheat, grab the air fryer because it returns them to that perfect crispy texture. Just heat to 400°F and cook for a few minutes until hot and crisp again. The oven also works. Preheat to 400°F and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until crispy and serve them up. Just don’t use the microwave boos. That ain’t it!How long will they last in the fridge?
They last up to 3 days in the fridge.Can I freeze this homemade onion ring recipe?
Yep you sure can boos. Place leftovers in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze for about an hour then transfer the rings to an airtight container or freezer bag. They should last up to 3 months.Nutrition
This post was originally published June 2015. It’s been republished with new images and content.
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you are queen of fried foods–in like…the best way possible.
I was a fry person until this past year where i have VERY strongly jumped over to the onion ring camp…I friggin LOVE ONION RINGS now! and yours look flawless!
These look unreal! I think these might convert me from one of those ‘fry’ people 😉
Glad you brought this up because I’m both type 1 and 2; however I stay away from frying because I don’t like a greasy kitchen… But I can’t stay away from this superb onion rings. Yum!
I am always intimidated by frying at home (I think it’s the splattering) but these look SO good that I’m going to have to give it a try!
My hubs is an o-ring fan. These look supremely crunchy, and I love the highly seasoned flour mixture. I love my onion rings with extra pepper. Pinned.
Onion rings all the way! Gosh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful homemade ring!! And you know when buttermilk is in the picture it’s going to be good 🙂
Oh buttermilk makes everything better!
For me the fries vs onion rings depends on who is making them. 🙂 There are certain restaurants where one wins out on the other. Your homemade version sounds delicious.
Now that is totally true! The restaurant totally makes a difference.
Mmmmmm…. I can’t decide if I’m an onion ring or fry person.. I love both sooo much! But I think if I HAD to choose, I’d go with rings! This spicy flour is making my mouthwater! You know I love spicy, so this just takes these rings over the top! They’d be so fabulous dipped in a cool Ranch dressing, eh? Occasional indulgences… oh yes!! Thank you for this, Jocelyn!
Girl sometimes you just have to indulge!!!
These look so incredibly perfect!
Thank you hon!!
I love me some fries but I’m an onion ring girl all the way. Love!
YES no wonder we are soul sisters girlfriend!