Do you know the recipe for fried onion rings or have you always wondered how to make onion rings? Today we’ll prepare them together, super crunchy with a very easy recipe and you’ll see how tasty they are! Onion is always great, from onion jam to red onions in batter, not to mention the famous white onion soup, and also the onion fritters in batter or even the onion rings? For me they are the best part of mixed fried foods and in my house we always compete to see who eats the most! These battered, fried and crunchy onion rings are one of the most appreciated appetizers in the USA and around the world; often served in fast food restaurants and pubs, they are also a tasty starter and a side dish to add to the fried food table along with French fries! Today I’ll tell you how simple it is to make them at home and how easy it is to make them super crispy and light by using a pass through panko, the Japanese breadcrumbs made from sandwich bread, which absorbs little oil and makes everything golden and super crunchy, like tempura. Let’s go to the kitchen and discover together the recipe for fried onion rings, but first, as always, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make onion rings
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (for the batter (about 100 g))
- 1/2 cup water ((about 120 ml))
- 1 egg (medium)
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch turmeric powder (optional)
- 1 pinch paprika (sweet, hot or smoked)
- 2 yellow onions (large)
- 5 1/2 cups panko (about 300 g (10.6 oz) — or 500 g (about 1.1 lb) sliced sandwich bread; avoid the crustless "pan bauletto")
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (for coating (about 200 g))
Tools
- Bowls
- Pans
Steps to make fried onion rings
For this recipe I used Panko, the famous Japanese breadcrumbs. Don’t worry, you can easily make it at home and with some probability you already have the only ingredient you need in your pantry.
Let’s start with the panko. You can buy it ready-made at the supermarket or make it at home. In the latter case, you should remove the crust from sandwich bread, cut it into pieces and put it in the blender, processing for a few seconds to obtain uniform crumbs. Then spread the crumbs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick tray and bake in a fan oven at 212°F for 10 minutes. After that time the panko will be dry but still a bit soft; let it cool and it will firm up. If you want a very fine panko, blend for a few more seconds.
Prepare the batter. Place the flour in a bowl, pour in 100 ml of water and whisk until you obtain a smooth mixture. Add the egg, combine, and add the remaining water to adjust the consistency.
Season with salt and add the spices, then mix again.
Peel the onions, trim the ends and slice them into discs about 5/8 inch thick. Gently slide the onion rings apart, separating them from one another; do this carefully to avoid breaking too many.
Remove the thin membrane that lines the inside of each ring and start dipping them into the batter.
Pick them up one at a time, drain them well and coat them in flour, making sure they are well covered inside and out, then dip them back into the batter and then
into the panko. Continue until all the ingredients are used. If the batter becomes too thick (due to the flour in the rings), thin it with a little water.
Drop the onion rings into hot oil (deep fry with plenty of oil) and let them brown and cook through. Once golden and crispy, remove them and place them on paper towels or frying paper before serving. Onion rings prepared this way remain crispy and golden for a few hours, so you can make them two or three hours in advance and reheat them for a few minutes in a very hot oven before serving.
Storage
I recommend preparing only the onion rings you plan to eat, because like all fried foods they lose some crispiness after a few hours, although the panko coating holds up better than others. You can serve the onion rings with a good homemade mayonnaise.
I recommend preparing only the onion rings you plan to eat, because like all fried foods they lose some crispiness after a few hours, although the panko coating holds up better than others. You can serve the onion rings with a good homemade mayonnaise.
