Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

Wonderful crunchy onion rings, baked to keep them nice and healthy!

Happiness is…eating out, you order a burger and it comes with a surprise side of…Onion Rings!

Yes, I have to admit it, I am a little onion ring obsessed. If I see them on a menu I have to order them and will rate a restaurant based on the quality of their onion rings alone!

Which reminds me of when we were on honeymoon in Vegas, my husband and I ordered a portion of chicken wings in every restaurant we ate at. But that’s a story for another time!

Homemade Crispy Onion Rings

So back to the onion rings. Yes I’m a big fan. But they have to be big, fresh and crispy.

Those greasy frozen ones from the packet just won’t cut the mustard.

The deep fryer restaurant variety are undoubtedly the best but they won’t do my clogging arteries any favours so I set about making my own oven baked healthy version.

The crunch factor is probably the most important thing to get right when making your own homemade onion rings. Unless they have a really crispy coating, then I’m out!

Panko Bread Crumbs

No one wants a soggy onion ring. For me the key to extra crunchy onion rings has to be panko breadcrumbs.

If you’re not familiar with them, panko breadcrumbs are a Japanese-style breadcrumb.

Crustless bread is ground into large flakes that make foods super crispy.

Panko breadcrumbs are crunchier than normal breadcrumbs because they don’t absorb as much grease, making them a slightly more healthy alternative than your regular bread crumbs.

As well as onion rings, I use them to coat and bake chicken or even fish, like these Crispy Baked Salmon Nuggets or these Tuna Sweetcorn Bites.

I buy my panko breadcrumbs in Tesco. They have their own brand. But you can also get them from asian supermarkets or online.

My Top Tip For Best Results!

So after crunch, what’s the next most important factor in a good onion ring?

Well the onion itself is pretty important. It has to be sweet and tender, but still with a bit of a bite and not soggy in the middle.

For me the key to the perfect middle is in the preparation.

And the best way I have found to getting this is soaking the onions in a buttermilk and milk mixture for several hours.

This might seem a bit too much faff but honestly it is worth it.

Plus I like being able to get that bit of preparation out of the way earlier in the day, so then I just need to coat the onion rings and pop them in the oven later on.

The buttermilk helps to make the onions very tender and sweet but if you can’t get hold of buttermilk then just normal milk is fine.

If you don’t have 6 hours to soak the onion rings then a couple of hours should suffice but warning…I’ve only ever tried this recipe after 6 hours of soaking so I cannot guarantee the results!

Onion Ring Seasonings

As for seasoning, I just added a small amount of cayenne pepper and some salt and pepper.

You can get a little bit more creative though with other spices and herbs and I can imagine some grated parmesan mixed in with the panko crust would be delicious too.

Or How about some garlic salt or even a creole seasoning?

How To Serve My Baked Onion Ring Recipe

These onion rings really do make the perfect side dish and if serving this way, then my recipe will serve 4-6.

So pair them with hot dogs or your favorite burgers for a weekend treat with a little pot of your favorite dipping sauce on the side! Mine is almost certainly hot sauce, but I like things spicy!

I’ve not tried these in the air fryer yet, but I think they would be amazing, so if you do try them this way, then let me know how they turned out!

If you liked my Crunchy Baked Onion Rings recipe please do leave me a comment and a star rating below. You can also share your pictures with me on Instagram.  I always love to see your creations!