Easy Onion Rings Recipe – Vegan & Gluten Free Options
The tastiest, most amazing Easy Onion Rings Recipe. Plus it can be made vegan & gluten free!
One of those guilty pleasures of live is a delicious batch of onion rings. I used to be scared to make my own, but since I have discovered this Easy Onion Ring Recipe all bets are off. These onion rings are crispy, simple to make, and oh so tasty! The added bonus is the recipe is vegan and easily adapted to be gluten free too! That just means that more of your family and friends can enjoy this incredible side dish with you!
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Supplies
Nothing fancy needed to make these onion rings. You will need a pot or 2 inch deep skillet for frying them in. A deep fryer could be used instead, but it isn’t necessary.
You will also need
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- Medium or Large sweet onion
- sharp knife
- flour (gluten free or regular)
- Fizzy Water (unflavored) or beer
- chili powder
- pepper
- paprika
- seasoned salt
How to
In a medium bowl add the flour and seasonings; stir. Then, grab a can of sparkling water or a beer; something with some fizz. I honestly always just grab a lemon or plain sparkling water. I have never noticed the lemon flavor transfer to the onion rings.
Pour the water or beer into the flour while stirring. You are looking for a thick pancake batter consistency. This is going to be the batter for your onion rings.
Slice your onions about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Honestly how thick your onion rings are is a personal preference. There isn’t a wrong way. Heat the oil in your fryer to 350 – 375 (See more frying tips below).
Dip each onion ring into the batter with a fork. Coat is and allow the excess to drip off. Once coated drop it into the hot oil of the fryer.
Each onion ring should fry between 2 -3 minute until golden brown. You can fit several in a pot or skillet to fry at once. Just try not to overcrowd your pan.
Remove when golden brown and crispy and place on a paper towel covered plate to drain. Salt lightly while hot and serve.
Frying Tips
A couple tips to help your frying go smoothly.
- You only need about 2 inches of oil in your pot, skillet, or fryer.
- Make sure the oil is at 350 – 375 degrees before you drop in your first onion ring.
- Adding the onion rings will drop the temp of the oil, so don’t over crowd.
- Onion Rings fry fast! Takes only about 2 -3 minutes for them to be brown and crispy.
- Have tongs or a fork to pull out your onion rings quickly. One of these cooking spiders is perfect.
Onion Ring Sauce
Every onion ring needs a good sauce to dip them in. I love this Copycat Outback Bloomin Onion Sauce. Not only is it easy to make, but there is a vegan version too if you need it. Plus, you can make it a day or two ahead and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy it! Get the recipe here.
Gluten Free
To make these Gluten Free Onion Rings all you have to do is replace the flour with your favorite gluten free flour blend. I used King Arthur Gluten Free Flour (personal preference), but any brand would work.
Also, if you choose to use beer instead of sparkling water you will need a gluten free beer.
Vegan
Yes, you read that right. I had no idea how hard it was to find a good vegan onion ring until I was trying to for a family member! This recipe is written vegan. No substitutions need to be made. There is also a vegan version of the dipping sauce recipe too!
FAQ
People see that these can be made gluten free or vegan and they automatically think that they could be better. That is so far from the truth! These are some of the best onion rings I have ever eaten hands down.
Yes! These have a beer type batter and they are super crispy and delicious.
TOTALLY! The seasoning in the batter is totally customizable. Switch it up with a little extra spice, or some onion powder for an extra kick.
Because these are beer battered they can not. However, if you accidentally make too many, they are amazing reheated in the air fryer.
Technically no, however they do taste the best with a sweet onion like a vidalia.
Easy Onion Rings Recipe
Equipment
- cooking thermometer
- knife
Ingredients
- 1 onion large, sweet
- 2 cups flour or gluten free flour mix
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 1/2 cups sparkling water or light beer
Instructions
- Heat oil in skillet or deep fryer to 350 – 375 degrees
- In a medium bowl mix flour and spices. Pour in the sparkling water or beer until a batter forms. You want it the consistency of a thick pancake batter.
- Slice your onion into rings. Typically between 1/2 – 1 inch thick dependign on preference. Seperate the individual rings.
- Dip each ring into the batter, shaking off any excess. Then drop the ring into the hot oil.
- Allow each ring to fry for 2 -3 minutes or until golden brown. You can fry several rings at once, just try not to over crowd your pan.
- Once the rings are cooked use a fork or tongs to remove from the hot oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to rest.
- Lightly salt while warm and serve with dipping sauce
Gluten Free
- Use a gluten free flour and a gluten free beer or sparkling water.
Is it possible to make this ahead of time and freeze it and then deep fry when you want some??
Hi Ashley. The only way would be to make these and fry them but just a little under done. Allow them to cool. Then freeze. You could them put them in the oven or air fryer to heat and enjoy. I haven’t tried this myself but it should work just like store bought frozen onion rings.
These are excellent !!!!
I doubled the recipe what a crowd pleaser
For the life of me, I cannot get the batter to stick, what am I doing wrong? ðŸ˜
Hard to tell without seeing what is happening. I haven’t had a problem with that at all. It could be too thick? You could try adding a little more liquid (sparkling water/beer) and see if it helps.