Old Fashioned Crispy Homemade Onion Rings Recipe

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Do you love onion rings? Learn to make Homemade Onion Rings at home, from scratch, that are just as good (or better) than the ones you love from the restaurant!

Do you love onion rings? Learn to make Homemade Onion Rings at home, from scratch, that are just as good (or better) than the ones you love from the restaurant!

Easy Homemade Onion Rings

Hot, fresh, and crunchy onion rings are one of my favorite dishes to order in a restaurant. The combination of sweet onion slices dredged in a salty batter with the crunchy texture that comes from frying is a harmonious combination of flavors.

This recipe is for onion rings that are fried, not baked, for that perfect tender inside and crispy outside. These are so good!

I wanted to be able to duplicate the dish at home, so I asked a friend for advice. They worked in a restaurant serving this delicious treat and gave me a few tips and tricks to make perfect restaurant-quality onion rings in the comfort of my own home.

They also told me the secret of how to freeze onion rings and I’m going to share it with you today!

Onions Cut Into Slices for the Freezer

Ingredients in Homemade Onion Rings

  • Onion. Sweet onions work the best for onion rings because you won’t have as much of that tangy bite from the sulfur.
  • Milk. This is to help make your batter. You can also use a milk alternative if you are dairy-free.
  • Vinegar. This also goes in with the milk mixture. You can use white or apple cider vinegar.
  • Egg. You final ingredient in the milk mixture. This will help the dry batter to stick to your onions.
  • All Purpose Flour. This is the base for your coating. You can also use gluten-free flour if you need your onions to be gluten-free.
  • Salt, Garlic Powder, Pepper. These are our simple spices that we will use to flavor the crispy coating.
  • Oil for frying. You need a good neutral oil with a high smoke point for frying. Avocado oil is good for a healthy oil or you can use a mild oil like safflower oil or coconut oil. You can also use lard or tallow.
homemade onion rings

Step By Step Instructions For How to Make Onion Rings

Start by removing the top and bottom of the onion, and remove the skin. Thinly slice the onion into strips and separate pieces.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine milk and vinegar, then stir. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the egg.

In a shallow dish, mix flour, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.

Take onion slices and dip them into the flour mixture. This first coating of flour helps the batter adhere to the onion during frying.

Once all onion slices have been coated in flour, dip the onion slices into the milk mixture, letting excess liquid fall off, then coat again with flour mixture and set onto a plate or tray. Repeat the process until all onion slices are coated.

This is my husband’s new favorite Sunday “Football” food. I think I will be making these on an almost weekly basis.

Andrea, Little House Living reader
homemade onion rings

Freezing Onion Rings

Next, you will need to place onion slices into the freezer for 15-20 minutes to set the coating. This will help to keep the batter on the onion rings while they are being fried.

Once the onion rings are in the freezer, add one inch of oil to a deep skillet and warm over medium heat to 350 degrees.

Remove onion slices from the freezer, and fry in oil, in batches for 1-2 minutes a side, until golden brown. Remove and lay on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Homemade Mayo

Dipping Sauces to Serve With Onion Rings

Serve with Homemade Ketchup.

Or make a dip with a mix of Homemade Ranch Dressing and Homemade Salsa.

A little bit of Ranch Dressing Dry Mix could also be mixed with some Mayo for another tasty meal.

Our family likes to combine ketchup and mayo for a fry sauce.

Crispy Onion Rings are delicious when served as a side dish for burgers, but they are also a fun treat on their own. The recipe below will make enough for 4 people for a side dish.

These were really good, even my kids liked them. Thanks for a great recipe!

Katie, Little House Living reader
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More Onion Recipes & Ideas

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Homemade Onion Rings

How to make your own crispy crunchy onion rings from scratch.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword Homemade Onion Rings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Freezing Time 20 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 252 kcal
Creator Merissa

Ingredients

  • 1 sweet onion large
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 egg
  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Start by removing the top and bottom of the onion, and remove the skin. Thinly slice the onion into strips and separate pieces.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine milk and vinegar, then stir. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in egg.
  3. In a shallow dish, mix together flour, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
  4. Take onion slices and dip into flour mixture. This first coating of flour helps the batter adhere to the onion during the frying process. Once all onion slices have been coated in flour, dip the onion slices into the milk mixture, letting excess liquid fall off, then coat again with flour mixture, and set onto a plate or tray. Repeat process until all onion slices are coated.
  5. Place onion slices into the freezer for 15-20 minutes, to set the coating. This will also help to keep the batter on the onion rings while they are being fried.
  6. Once the onion rings are in the freezer, add 1″ of oil to a deep skillet and warm over medium heat, to 350 degrees.
  7. Remove onion slices from freezer, and fry in oil, in batches for 1-2 minutes a side, until golden brown. Remove and lay on paper towel-lined plate.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Onion Rings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 252 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 0.01g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 48mg16%
Sodium 628mg27%
Potassium 264mg8%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 161IU3%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 107mg11%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

How to Store Onion Rings

If you are making more onion rings than you can eat at one time, store any extras at the freezing stage (before frying). This way, you will have onion rings that are ready to go and fry up whenever you need them.

To make them after freezing them, just follow the same instructions as shown above for frying after the freezing stage.

Common Questions About Making Homemade Onion Rings

How do you get batter to stick to the onion rings?

The key is in the dredge which we make in this recipe as a combo of vinegar, milk, and egg. This will help make the crispy outside batter stick to the onion.

What do you soak onion rings before cooking?

Soaking the onions before cooking will help reduce some of the adicity in the onion so it’s not as strong when you dry it. This is especially important if you are not using a sweet onion.

What kind of onions should you use to make onion rings?

Technically you could use any kind of onion but the best choice is a sweet onion. Do not use red onions or onions that are a little firmer.

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More Appetizer Recipes

Find even more fun and from scratch Snacks and Appetizers here on Little House Living!

Have you made homemade onion rings before? What is your favorite dipping sauce for onion rings?

Me and Kady

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

This recipe for Homemade Onion Rings was originally published on Little House Living in October 2013. It has been updated as of October 2023.

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23 Comments

  1. We usually get onion rings when we go out to eat at a burger place, they are so darn good! I will have to give this recipe a try, onion rings are a favorite in my home!

  2. These were really good, even my kids liked them. The only change I made was to substitute grape seed oil for the canola oil. Thanks for a great recipe!

    1. You can also use a little bit of chicken broth. We have used that and it is so good. It is that one ingredient that you can never figure out what it is and what is missing. I would cut down on a little bit of milk also.

  3. My husband would be delighted if I made these! But I’m really surprised that you chose to use canola, aka “Canadian” oil…it’s one of the worst manufactured oils out there, it’s not even from a plant! I’d recommend using lard, tallow or coconut oil for deep frying anything — other vegetable oils can’t take high heat without burning.

  4. I cannot WAIT to try this! My fiance is fairly attached to the delicious, unhealthy, fast food. A tad bit reluctant to convert to a completely “healthy” diet if it means sacrificing grease– I mean, taste*. 😉 So I think this recipe will help spruce up our menu. Thank you, Ms. Andrea. 🙂

  5. I love the idea of making my own onion rings. I will be trying these soon! Thanks for sharing on Pintastic Pinteresting Party.

  6. Thanks for sharing your recipe @DearCreatives party! I will have to try this sometime! Hope to see you again this week. Pinned

  7. Is there a way to make these work well without the egg? We have an egg allergy in our family. I know what to su. In baked goods but I doubt soaked flax seed or mashed banana & soda paste would work well in this case. 😉

    1. You should still be able to make it without the egg but still following the other steps. The batter may not stick quite as well but it should work.