This is how I make onion rings in the oven, not the frier. They are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside without getting soggy.
Have I ever told you about my love for onion rings before? To be honest, they’re really just a vehicle for ketchup. I’ll have a little onion ring with my ketchup, please.
I’m pretty sure we all can agree that onions taste so much better when they’re battered, fried, and dunked in ketchup. I went ahead and healthified this fried favorite to make it taste even better than what you’d get with your burger at a restaurant.
I’ve often wondered why onion rings cost more than French fries, but after making these at home, I can now appreciate the work that goes into making the perfect batch!
Fried or not, there are a few things you must know ahead of time before making onion rings. Soaking the onions, applying the perfect amount of breading, some spice, and making sure they’re just crisp enough without getting soggy. Luckily, I cracked the crispy onion ring code in my kitchen yesterday and am happy to share today.
Onion rings are so easy to make a little lighter. And in true form, I’m not sacrificing any of the irresistible taste or crunchy texture in this lightened-up snack!
There are a lot of step-by-step photos for you today. I want you to make the best-ever crispy baked onion rings that you possibly can! Because this is a recipe you’ll want to make over and over again, I promise.
First, you’re going to get some large onions. I suggest some sweet onions for the best flavor. Slice them thick – about 1/2 inch thickness.
Give the rings a nice soak in low fat buttermilk. Here’s why you are soaking the onions in buttermilk: the buttermilk soak will soften your onions, making them tender inside the crispy coating. Furthermore, the buttermilk soak will allow the egg whites and all the breading to adhere easier to the onion slices.
The longer you soak the onions, the better. So yes, this recipe takes a bit of planning ahead. I soaked my onion slices overnight. Clearly this isn’t a feasible option for most, so anywhere from 4-6 hours would be ok. Just know that soaking them overnight will make them all the better.
Get your breading ready.
- Whole wheat flour (because it really sticks to the onion)
- Cornmeal (for crunch)
- Panko breadcrumbs. Not familiar with Panko? Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb traditionally used as a coating for fried or baked foods. It’s available in most major grocery stores near the stuffing.
Here’s why Panko is better than regular breadcrumbs in this recipe: Panko is made from crustless bread and is coarsely ground into airy, large flakes. Panko flakes tend to stay crispier longer than regular breadcrumbs because they don’t absorb as much grease.
You can then flavor the breading with pepper, paprika, salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder. Really, whatever seasonings you prefer. I’ll list what I used in the full recipe below with the option of any said seasonings. The Panko I used was pre-seasoned, but I made a note of that in the recipe.
Once the onion slices have soaked in buttermilk, they take a dip in beaten egg whites and then a generous dip into the breading. If you find the breading isn’t sticking, dip again into the egg whites, then into the breading.
Place in a single layer on your baking sheet and spray them with some nonstick spray, olive oil spray (which is sold in stores, though you can purchase this handy tool to make your own), or coconut oil spray (I get mine at Trader Joes). You’re doing this to really make sure the breading is soaked in.
Now they’re ready to bake. I had 2 batches because onions were enormous. Feel free to halve this recipe and only use 1 onion if you’re making them just for yourself and/or one other person.
Here is the important thing about the bake time: all ovens are different! And everyone likes a different level of crispiness. I baked my onion rings in my oven for 30 minutes, rotating and flipping once, and they were perfectly crisp! Especially after sitting out for about 10 minutes before digging in.
Just bake the onion rings until they’ve reached your desired level of brownness.
Crispy Baked Onion Rings
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside without getting soggy. You won’t even realize these onion rings are baked!
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet onions, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 quart (950ml) low fat buttermilk*
- 4 egg whites
- 2/3 cup (85g) whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (125g) ground cornmeal
- 1 cup (60g) Panko bread crumbs*
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- nonstick spray like PAM, olive oil spray, or coconut oil spray (found mine at Trader Joe’s)
Instructions
- At least 4 hours ahead of time, place the sliced onion rings into a large dish and pour buttermilk overtop. You don’t have to drown the onions, just make sure they are somewhat submerged. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. In this step, you are soaking the onions, which will tenderize them. I strongly suggest soaking them for at least 12 hours for the best taste. I soaked mine overnight.
- Once the onions have soaked, remove from the refrigerator. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites. Set aside. In a large shallow dish (I used a pie dish), mix the whole wheat flour, cornmeal, bread crumbs, and the seasonings together until combined.
- Remove each ring from the buttermilk and dip in egg whites. Immediately submerge in the bread crumb mixture, mixing around to coat the onion well. If the bread crumbs won’t adhere, dip in egg whites and then the breading again. If you find you need more breading, make more.
- Lay each breaded ring on the baking sheets in a single layer. You’ll have two batches if your onions were quite large like mine. When all the rings are breaded, spray each with nonstick spray to “seal” the breading, which will prevent the breading from staying raw and allows it to bake onto the onion rings.
- Bake each batch for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and flip each ring using tongs. Spray the other side with nonstick spray. Then bake for 15 more minutes. A note about bake time: all ovens are different! And everyone likes a different level of crispiness. I baked my onion rings in my oven for 30 minutes, rotating and flipping once, and they were perfectly brown and crisp. Just bake the rings until they reach your desired level of brownness.
- Allow the onion rings to sit out for 10 minutes before digging in. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Begin the night before by soaking your onions overnight in step 1. You can freeze baked onion rings for up to 2-3 months. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls
- Buttermilk: Real buttermilk is best, but you can make your own DIY sour milk if needed. Measure 1/4 cup of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice in a quart-size measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 quart. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb traditionally used as a coating for fried or baked foods. It’s available in most major grocery stores near the stuffing. Panko is heavily preferred opposed to regular bread crumbs because they tend to stay crispier longer. You may buy seasoned or unseasoned and then add more/less seasonings to your breading if preferred.
- Seasoning: You can flavor the breading with the seasonings listed or use more/less pepper, paprika, and salt. The recipe is written as if my breading was not seasoned. Some other seasonings to try? Lemon pepper and/or garlic powder. Whatever seasonings you prefer.
Keywords: crispy baked onion rings
I’m going to make them tomorrow but I was wondering if I can fry them instead of baking them. My family liked the fatty stuff bc it seems to taste better.
Hi Pattie! This recipe is written to be baked. We would search for a recipe specifically for frying if that’s what you prefer. Enjoy!
Crohn’s disease here. What would you use as a substitute for cornmeal ? Cannot eat anything corn.
Hi. This recipe sounds amazing. I just happened to have some extra egg white. My question is, what can I use instead of cornmeal? Would rice flour work just fine?
Thx for all the great recipes
Hi Angie, we haven’t tested any substitutes for cornmeal but let us know if you give something a try!
Can the onions soak 48 hours?
★★★★★
That should be just fine, Barb. Hope you love them!
Great recipe! I did a gluten and dairy free version and used rice milk instead. I substituted chick pea crumbs (I found them at whole foods in the baking section but I know you can make your own). AMAZING!! And guilt free. Will definitely make these again!
Please let me know if I can make these with almond milk? My grandson would love to try them but has a serious dairy allergy.
You sure can.
I just made these tonight with some turkey sandwiches for dinner! The onion rings are so light but crispy, which makes them oh-so addictive. Especially when paired with some fry sauce 😉 It takes a bit of prep but this will be my go-to recipe for onion rings from now on. Thanks for a great recipe, Sally!
YUM! I cannot look at this post without drooling 😉
You are amazing Sally!!!
Is there anything i can use instead of oil to spray on them before baking? I don’t have any spray oil 🙁 Thanks!
A drizzle of olive oil works!
Do you use egg whites for health reasons or because it’s inportant for the recipe? (could I use whole eggs?)
I find the egg whites help make the onion rings slightly more crisp (yolks give off a ton of moisture)– but you can use whole eggs if you’d like.
Sally i have to say that this recipe rocked my world!!! i made them and suddenly i figured out that i needed to make tons of onions ring! they blown away just in few minutes ( even though we skipped on ketchup). Thank you very much!
Sally, THANK YOU so much for coming up with this recipe! I have been wanting a baked onion ring recipe for as long as I can remember. I knew I could count on you to create a winner! I made these tonight with red onions because it was all that I had on hand, but next time I will definitely get a large sweet one. I whipped up some copycat “onion blossom” dip that was delish paired with these onion rings! Onion rings are definitely a vehicle for tangy dip for me as well.
Whoa! These turned out really great! We’re hooked! We don’t have Panko bread crumbs over in Switzerland, but the usual blond bread crumbs worked fine. Lemon pepper and a dash of herbes de Provence for seasoning… and you are so right about the ketchup… be sure to have enough for dipping!
Is it ok to use corn meal mix instead of corrnmeal?
Cornmeal is best.
How long do you beat the egg whites … soft peak, stiff peak? Just until a bit foamy?
A light beating – a little foamy is good.
Just found your site Sally through this Onion Ring recipe and I’m just waiting for my husband to get home so I can begin cooking them! 🙂 I have a question…have you ever made a batch and put them in the freezer. How did everything turn up? Also, what do you do after you freeze them to get them ready for eating? I love making mass batches of things in case of company or for quick meals.
Thank you!
Hi Margie! The only way to freezer hess is after they are baked – they freeze perfectly fine. I throw them into the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes to thaw and warm up. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe! Got my onions soakin’ now! Can’t wait to devour them during the Super Bowl! Any notes on how far in advance I could bread them before baking?
Bread them immediately before baking. Otherwise the breading could get soggy. Hope you enjoy them Katie!
These were absolutely delicious. Thanks!
Made them and everyone devoured them!! I love your website! Look forward to making more of your recipes. Actually your chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies were a complete hit too! That’s going in my recipe book for forever. Love your pics, the instructions and personal helps to pull off a successful treat! Look forward to buying your cookbook.