Home > Appetizers > Crispy Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce (VIDEO)

July 1, 2022

Crispy Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce (VIDEO)

These crispy Onion Rings are delicious as an appetizer or in Burgers. They’re made restaurant-style, which means they’re crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and seasoned to perfection. Watch the video tutorial and learn how to make the best onion rings.

If you love easy appetizer recipes like Crispy Baked Potato Wedges or Fried Zucchini, this homemade Onion Ring recipe is sure to become a new favorite.

Onion rings on plate with small bowl of dipping sauce

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The Best Onion Ring Recipe

These are a big hit with my family. My son usually won’t eat onions, but he devours onion rings without any protest.

The secret to these is double-dipping. This creates a beautifully crispy crust. Once cooked, the onions inside are tender and sweet. That strong raw onion flavor fades to the background, replaced with the crispy outer coating and seasoning. Here’s why you will love this recipe:

Simple – Yes, making homemade onion rings is easier than you think.
Restaurant-Style Results – These turn out irresistibly crispy every time.
Kids Can Help – While using a fork or tongs will help with the dredging process, you can also enlist your kids and have them coat the onion rings for you.
Versatile – Onion rings work as an appetizer, side dish, or even as a garnish.

Onion Rings Video Tutorial

Watch Natasha make these easy onion rings, then grab the ingredients below and give them a try for yourself.

Ingredients

Scroll down to the print-friendly recipe card for quantities and instructions.

Sweet or yellow onion – The larger the onion, the better when it comes to onion rings
Milk – use any kind of milk (1%, 2% or whole milk)
White vinegar – creates homemade buttermilk when added to milk
Sour cream – helps thicken the liquid so it clings to the onion rings
All-purpose flour – creates a light batter similar to a restaurant-style tempura batter
Salt – we use fine sea salt for most of our cooking
Black pepper – freshly ground black pepper will give the best flavor
Garlic powder – adds so much flavor to the batter
Oil for frying – use grapeseed oil, peanut oil, canola, or oil with a high smoke point

Overhead view of ingredients for onion ring recipe

How to Make Onion Rings

Now that you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s time to start cooking:

Heat the Oil – Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat with about an inch of oil
Make the Liquid Mixture – In a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream.
Make the Dry Mixture – In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Dredge the Onions – Slice and separate the onion rings and dip each ring in the sour cream mixture, followed by the flour (using a fork will keep your hands clean). Repeat by dipping the rings a second time in the milk mixture and flour. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining onion rings.
Cook the Onion Rings – Once the oil is hot enough for the onion rings to sizzle (375˚F on a thermometer), add them in a single layer (3-4 at a time) and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, flipping halfway, or until the outside is crispy and light golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Four photos showing process of making batter for frying onion

Pro Tip: The frying steps move fast, so have all of your onion rings breaded and ready to fry before you start adding them to the hot oil.

Four photos showing process of making onion rings at home

Pro Tip: Whenever you’re deep-frying, you can expect the oil temperature to fluctuate. It will drop when you add the food to the oil, then slowly increase as the food cooks. Don’t overcrowd the pot or the temperature will drop too quickly. We use a clip-on thermometer to monitor the temperature and adjust the temperature as needed.

Onion rings draining on plate lined with paper towels

Onion Rings Dipping Sauce

My husband used to work in Chilis restaurant where they served an ‘awesome blossom sauce’ and this is our version which is a delicious onion ring dipping sauce. It’s also really easy and you just stir the ingredients together.

Mayonnaise and Sour cream – creates a creamy base
Ketchup – adds a sweet and tangy flavor
Worcestershire sauce – adds wonderful umami flavor
Creamy horseradish – or substitute hot sauce to taste
Paprika and salt – you can add these to taste

Two photos showing process of making onion ring dipping sauce

Common Questions

What are onion rings?

Onion rings are a crispy appetizer or side dish made by slicing onions into rings, dredging them with some kind of coating (batter or breadcrumbs), and cooking. When you are working with a batter, it’s best to fry onion rings instead of baking or air frying.

Can I substitute gluten-free flour?

Yes, if you’re on a gluten-free diet, you can make gluten-free onion rings by swapping the all-purpose flour for your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.

Can I make this in a deep fryer?

If you have a deep fryer at home, definitely use it. I love that our Deep Fryer monitors and adjusts the oil temperature automatically.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes, but keep in mind that it will take longer to fry double the batches.

What are the best onions for onion rings?

Look for onions that are large and firm, with no soft spots. While yellow onions work just fine, a sweet onion like Vidalia or Walla-Walla is especially delicious. Be sure to slice them into generous 1/2-inch thick rings.

Sliced onion on wood cutting board with knife

How to Serve Onion Rings

We love serving these onion rings freshly cooked with a dipping sauce, but they are so versatile and not just an appetizer.

Appetizer – It’s fun to stack these in a tower and serve alongside a dipping sauce like awesome Blossom Dipping Sauce (in recipe notes below), ketchup, barbecue sauce, any of our burger sauces, garlic aioli, or avocado ranch.
Side Dish – alongside burgers or hotdogs instead of french fries.
Topping – for burgers and other sandwiches, or go all out for Thanksgiving and layer them onto your Green Bean Casserole instead of using canned onions.

Make-Ahead

Onion rings are definitely one of those foods that are best eaten fresh, while still warm and crispy. If you do have leftovers, here are some tips:

To Refrigerate: Store onion rings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: To restore some of their original crispiness, onion rings should be reheated in a 350ºF oven or in an air fryer.

Hand dipping onion ring into small bowl of sauce

If you love making restaurant-style appetizers at home like Coconut Shrimp and Easy Popcorn Chicken, these crisp onion rings are a must-try recipe. Because they’re double-battered, they get extra crispy and stand up well to all of your favorite dipping sauces. Best of all, they’re easy to make with simple everyday ingredients.

More Appetizer Recipes

If you love these onion rings, then you won’t want to miss these appetizer recipes:

Crispy Onion Rings Recipe with Dipping Sauce

4.96 from 75 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

With their crispy golden outside and soft, sweet interior, these homemade onion rings are impossible to resist. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce like the Awesome Blossom Sauce in the notes below.

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $4-$5

Keyword: onion ring recipe, Onion Rings

Cuisine: American

Course: Appetizer

Calories: 300

Servings: 6 as an appetizer, or enough for 8-12 burgers

Ingredients

Onion Rings Ingredients:

1 large sweet or yellow onion, thickly sliced into 1/2-inch thick rings
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
Oil for frying, I used canola oil – use something with a high smoke point

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

How to Make the best onion rings:

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat with 1" of oil (or enough to cover the onion rings). You can use a deep fryer if you have one.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp vinegar and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup sour cream.
In a separate bowl, whisk together: 1 cup flour, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp garlic powder.
Separate the onion rings and dip each ring in the milk mixture, then dredge with flour. (I used a fork to transfer from the wet bowl to the dry bowl so my hands didn't get as gunky). Repeat by dipping in milk mixture a second time and dredging again in flour. Place the finished onion rings on a plate until ready to fry.
Once the oil is at 375˚F on a thermometer, or hot enough for the onion rings to sizzle, place 3-4 double battered onion rings in a single layer in the hot oil and cook for about 3 minutes, flipping halfway and fry until exterior is crisp and light golden brown. Let onion rings cool on paper towels so soak up any excess oil.

Recipe Notes

Awesome Blossom Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp creamy horseradish, or hot sauce
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Stir sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts

Crispy Onion Rings Recipe with Dipping Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 300 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 0.02g

Polyunsaturated Fat 9g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Cholesterol 14mg5%

Sodium 761mg33%

Potassium 183mg5%

Carbohydrates 24g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 187IU4%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 87mg9%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Disclosure

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.