Old Fashioned Amish Onion Patties Recipe
Looking for a tasty new side dish to make? These Amish Onion Patties are simple, frugal, and delicious when paired with your favorite meal!
Old Fashioned Amish Onion Patties Recipe
Our time living in Amish country was an interesting experience for our family. I would definitely say that we learned a lot! Of course, one of the things that can’t be missed in an area like that is the cooking and all of the delicious from-scratch recipes.
Our family likes to have simple side dishes to go with our meals. Things that can be made quickly without many ingredients or time. These Amish Onion Patties are a basic staple recipe that I thought you would enjoy. Think onion rings without all the battering and work…they are tasty!
Ingredients in Amish Onion Patties
- Onions. Sweet onions (like yellow onions) work best for this recipe.
- Half and Half. While half and half is what this recipe traditionally calls for, it could be replaced with buttermilk, whole milk, or a milk alternative.
- All Purpose Flour. Just regular flour is all we need here, although all purpose gluten free flour will work as well. See my note below on gluten free.
- Cornmeal. I buy my cornmeal in bulk. You can get it from Azure.
- Cornstarch. Another kind of starch would work here as well for a binder. Arrowroot, potato starch, or tapioca are good options.
- Sugar. Only a little is needed to boost the flavor. You could leave it out if you wanted to.
- Salt and Black Pepper.
- Oil. This is for frying so you will need a good neutral vegetable oil. Lard or tallow work well as does avocado or coconut oil.
How Do You Make the Onion Patties Crispy?
Make sure that the onion patties cook for a long enough time in the oil and that the oil is hot enough. When you remove them from the oil, dry them on paper towel to remove any excess oil so they don’t get soggy right away.
Leftover onion patties can get crispy again if you put them in the air fryer or toaster oven to warm them back up.
How Do You Store Leftover Onion Patties?
Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. They can be re-warmed using the instructions above. It’s possible that you could make and freeze the Amish Onion Patties for later as long as you had a way to re-crisp them when you brought them back out.
What to Serve with Amish Onion Patties
Onion Patties are a neutral side dish that can be served with most of your favorite main dishes. Here are some ideas:
- How to Make Make Ahead Meatballs
- Old Fashioned Meatloaf Recipe
- Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf
- Crock Pot BBQ Meatballs
- Chicken and Cheese Queso Recipe
- Cheesy Chicken Crescents Freezer Meal Recipe
You may also want something to dip the Onion Patties in. For that, I’d recommend:
- Homemade Ketchup with Fresh Tomatoes
- Easy Homemade Salsa Recipe
- Simple Hot Sauce Recipe
- The Best Marinara Sauce Recipe From Scratch
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
Instructions for Making Amish Onion Fritters
Mix together the onions, half and half, flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, sugar and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl until well combined and there are no lumps. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes to thicken a bit. It should be a fairly thick batter.
Heat a layer of oil in the bottom of a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. I use a Lodge 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet with a Splatter Screen.
Drop batter by the tablespoon into the heated skillet, and fry evenly on both sides for 3-4 minutes total time until golden brown. You may need to pat them down to flatten as they are cooking.
Drain on a paper towel-lined plate or on a cooling rack before serving.
Need to print this recipe for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below!

Amish Onion Patties
Ingredients
- 2 Large onions chopped
- 1 cup Half and Half
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- ¼ cup Cornmeal
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Instructions
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Mix together the onions, half and half, flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, sugar and salt and pepper to taste in a mixing bowl until well combined. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes to allow it to thicken a bit.
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Heat a layer of oil in the bottom of a skillet over medium high heat.
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Drop the batter by the tablespoon into the heated skillet, and fry evenly on both sides until golden brown.
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Drain on a paper towel lined plate before serving.
Gluten Free Amish Onion Patties
To make this recipe gluten free, be sure to use a gluten-free all-purpose flour in place of the flour. You may also want to add an egg as an extra binder into the batter for frying.
Dairy Free Amish Onion Patties
These fritters can also be made dairy free if you replace the half and half with a dairy free alternative. You don’t need to use a dairy free half and half, just a dairy free milk substitute will work.
More Amish Recipes
- Amish Honey Puffed Corn Recipe
- Amish Chicken Casserole Recipe
- Amish Oatmeal Pie Recipe
- Amish Cinnamon Rolls or Caramel Rolls Recipe
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Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to the 100-acre farm and ministry on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
This Amish Onion Patties Recipe was originally posted on Little House Living in February 2023.
Ohhhh those look so good. Reminds me of the potato Latkes I make for Passover. Thank you for the recipe.
I love your website and all your recipes!
You are lovely! God bless and keep up the wonderful work you are doing!! Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️🫶🏻 Linda Irwin from Calgary, Alta. Canada ❤️