How To Make Onion Rings Homemade
Overview of How To Make Onion Rings Homemade
This is the long time Southern way of how to make onion rings homemade. It includes a time-tested buttermilk batter for onion rings recipe. And it’s seasonings can’t be beat. This is part of our Vegetable Sides Recipes Category.
Onion Rings Recipe Batter
The best onion rings recipe has to have this special, homemade onion rings batter. Using buttermilk and egg, it’s the base of the batter for homemade onion rings. It can be lumpy or not; doesn’t matter. But, it can’t be too thin.
How thick to make the batter for homemade onion rings
So, if you’ve ended up with it being too thin, just add a bit more flour to tighten it up. The batter will drip off of the coated onion ring but not too fast. When you look at the onion ring, if you see no onion and you see all batter, it’s probably a bit too thick. On the same token, if you see all onion, it’s probably too thin. Just look for that happy middle. To be safe, it’s better to make it too thick than too thin.
Seasoning for Onion Rings
There are seasonings in onion rings batter, believe it or not. While you can leave them out, it would taste more classic but still have good texture due to the batter itself. For that extra surprising flavor, you actually add in onion powder to the batter. That’s right. When an onion becomes fried, it loses some of its onion taste. Also, the crispy coating of the onion ring has no onion taste to speak of. So, if you happened to have a moderate or thick batter, your outer breading will now taste full of flavor, instead of like a fried bread.
Also, take note of the optional seasonings of garlic and black pepper. These are not classic but more for a gourmet added flavor, if you choose to venture with that. I recommend you don’t add those in on your first use of this recipe, until you’re sure you want to venture further. I reserve using those optional seasonings for when I’m cooking a hearty main course such as a ribeye steak, for example.
Onion Rings Recipe Fried
You can cook this onion rings recipe fried in a thin layer of oil in a frying pan or skillet. You can also deep fry it if you usually go that route. I’ve used an air fryer but it’s been messy and the results are inconsistent; it generally only worked when they’re frozen first and then sprayed with a light oil coating. As we’re about speedy, easy, and tasty, the air fryer or baking cooking method on this recipe is not recommended.
Why does the batter separate from the onion rings during frying?
This is possibly due to one of 2 reasons.
- There is a very thin membrane on each ring. During frying, it shrinks more than the onion itself. So, the batter coating of the membrane will pull away during the shrinkage process.
- The onion rings were too wet for the batter to adhere very well. Some people will cut the raw onion rings and soak them in water for various valid reasons (to reduce tears, to reduce its sulfur content, etc.). Then, they might drain the onions and put them directly into the batter, which won’t stick very well. While you can still follow the soaking in water method (not used in the recipe), you’ll need to plan ahead and dry them out a bit before they go into the batter. The recipe uses a method of loosely covering the onion rings (not tight) to allow them to dry after the immediate cutting. This offers an almost near immediate usage.
The Onion Rings with Sauce
You can make any kind of a dipping sauce you want but I’ve enjoyed a number of them that are in either fast food or Australian style. Our own fantastic tasting onion rings dipping sauce recipe is just below.
Complimentary Main Course Ideas for Onion Rings as a Side Dish
Nutritional Values of Homemade Onion Rings
The nutritional values are shown in the <Print Recipe> option. Read more about onions from the National Onions Association (USA).
Conclusion
You can make these onion rings as a side for loads of food items. They’ll go great when you make chili dogs. And, in case you need it, here’s how to peel an onion properly.
How To Make Onion Rings Homemade
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Ingredients
- ½ cup oil adjust as needed for frying pan (or use an existing deep fryer)
Main Ingredient
- 3 medium sweet onions yellow or white
Onion Ring BATTER Ingredients
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow corn meal
- 1½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1⅓ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup water as needed (or more) if batter is too thick
- 1 large egg
Optional Batter Seasoning Ingredients
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Peel onions and slice thick (about ⅓ to ½-inch). Optionally, remove the inner thin membrane of each ring.3 medium sweet onions
- Push out rings from the onion thick slices and set aside. Cover with paper towel (not sealed in plastic or lid).
- Mix the batter ingredients together in a bowl.⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup yellow corn meal, 1½ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, 1⅓ cup buttermilk, 1 large egg, ⅓ cup water
- Add in optional batter seasoning ingredients, if desired, and mix well. Put all the onion rings into the batter and gently mix them up to coat.½ tsp Garlic Powder, ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- Heat the frying pan with the small layer of frying oil (about ⅛-¼ inch deep) to about medium high.½ cup oil
- After oil is hot, place each battered ring into the pan until it's a little less than full.
- About 30-45 seconds after insertion, slightly move each ring to ensure they're not sticking to the pan. When slightly browned on bottom, turn over. Repeat slightly moving each turned ring to ensure they're not sticking. Turn over again if needed to ensure they've browned reasonably well.
- As each piece is done, place into a paper towel lined serving bowl.
- Can serve with an onion ring dipping sauce.
