- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 18 to 20 onion rings
- Serving size: ¼ of recipe
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Onion rings are, not surprisingly, at the top of my craving must-haves list! With salt, onion powder, and a bread crumb coating, they’re crunchy and delicious, and in no way need to be fried to be amazing. Sometimes I’ll make a meal of just onion rings—I’m not ashamed to admit it!
Recipe excerpted from Plantifully Lean: 125+ Simple and Satisfying Plant-Based Recipes for Health and Weight Loss
Copyright © 2023, Kiki Nelson. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
By Kiki Nelson,
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole wheat flour, oat flour, or rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs (gluten-free or regular)
- 1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rings (about 18 to 20)
- Ketchup, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or an air fryer to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of pepper. While whisking, slowly add ½ cup water and whisk until well combined. Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and set them next to the batter.
- Working with one at a time, dip an onion ring into the batter to coat, allowing any excess to drip off, then dredge it in the panko. Place the battered onion ring on the prepared baking sheet and repeat to coat the remaining onion.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven or 12 to 15 minutes in the air fryer, until golden and crispy. If you like, season the onion rings with more garlic salt, then enjoy with ketchup, if desired.
Per serving (¼ of recipe): 187 calories, 37 g carbohydrates, 6.4 g protein, 1.9 g total fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 37 mg sodium, 3.8 g fiber, 5.9 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (30)
(4 from 11 votes)These were better than I thought was possible, and so easy! I was surprised how well the batter stuck to the onion rings, and the bread crumbs gave them a nice crunch. Came out perfectly on the very first try! Definitely a keeper recipe!
Although the preparation was fairly simple and straightforward, these definitely left something to be desired in the flavor department. Was able to achieve a good crunch and a little bit of golden hue around parts of the edges, but not as much color as the picture. Disappointed these weren't better than hoped for.
Forgot to say I used the whole onion ring not just one ring and it was delicious
Did not think this would work but they were lovely and very filling . I used white onions not the brown or red .
I added about 3/4 cup water. The only complaint I got from my kitchen table is that I didn’t make enough. So here we go again. Cooking time was only 10 minutes. They are great
My family loves onion rings so I had to try these. Instead of water, I used non alcoholic organic beer and added just another tablespoon of water to the batter. I also added some smoked paprika to the batter. It worked perfectly and my family loved them I am not an onion ring fan and I had three or four small ones. Mmmmmm-mmmmmm-good!
Did anyone else have a problem with 1/2 cup of water being enough? I had to use just over twice that amount. Other than that, they are a great substitute for greasy onion rings!!! I will make these again.
Yes I had the same problem. As I have never made it before was unsure about adding extra water but I did. Next time i will add even more water.
Preferred dipping sauce: any mayo and Greek yogurt combo, grated horseradish, sriracha Pinch of curry powder optional.
for me it's hot hot salsa, & Cacio e Pepe, with a dry rosé
looks good - I’m going to add some Trader Joe’s ‘Everything’ spice!
I am going to try this recipe soon, in my oven -- I don't have an air fryer. I wonder whether adding some chili powder or smoked paprika might also be good. I like the comment about doing the same thing with eggplant rings -- I'll have to try that as well!
When do you add the panko bread crumbs? The recipe doesn’t say.
Never mind. Reread recipe
These look so good, cannot wait ti try them!
Great idea but not much flavor. Air frying made them very dry. I’m
I made these tonight. They are just okay. They probably wouldn't be worth eating If you didn't put ketchup on it. A blooming onion they are not. I don't think I would make them again. Really dry and not as good as you would think.
I think GF breadcrumbs is a whole different ballgame as it absorbs so much water. Next time I will experiment with less breadcrumbs, because I've added close to 2 cups water. Think the brand matters here? Anyone else do GF? Could never get them to look like the photo above.
I made GF, they didn’t look like photo either, mine seemed way too dry. Next time I’ll try adding more water and using rice flour instead of oat.
Would like to try the recipe
I used seasoned salt instead of sea salt. Tasted good too.
The amount of water is has not be updated in the recipe
In Step 2 it says to use 1/2 cup water.
Why are we adding onion powder to an onion recipe? Insight recommended. Thanks.
It adds more onion flavor silly... Many recipes call for onion powder in dishes that also have onions in them. Have you never heard of say, chocolate brownies with chocolate chunks?
Can I use regular flour for the batter?
when i make these i use gram ( chick pea, garbanzo) flour but i've never added onion powder....thanks Kiki for that tip! . The water needed depends on things like humidity etc but I add it slowly and keep mixing till I have a batter that looks just right to dip onion rings into. I also do this with sliced aubergine ( eggplant) and cook them together. it helps with crispness to turn aubergine halfway through.
Chick pea flour sounds like a great idea! Thank you for sharing that tip.
How much water?
Hi Tess, It should be ½ cup water. We left that out by mistake when adding the recipe to our website, but we've updated it now. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! Warmly, Courtney Editor, Forks Over Knives