Onion Rings

Crispy, well-seasoned and better yet, non-greasy onion rings – the perfect side for barbecues, sandwiches and more! Onion rings are definitely a treat in my house, but for years I avoided making them because I hate the smell of fried foods lingering for what seems like forever in my home. That was when I decided it was time to figure out how to bake these bad boys.

With a few test tries, many of which turned out to be mediocre, I one day finally made the perfect batch. In my head, I screamed, “Woohoo!” As I pulled them out of the oven, they smelled delicious – good sign. I picked one up and it held its perfectly onion ring shape. Lastly, the texture and taste test; it was crisp, crunchy and the sweetness from the yellow onion matched well with the slight hint of garlic. Not bland nor overly seasoned; a good balance of flavor that danced around on my taste buds. Usually I would say, “please pass the ketchup,” but these were yummy as-is.

I have just a couple recipe notes. As I was making these, I realized the seasoned panko breadcrumbs would be best split into two separate bowls. Sure you can put the panko all in one bowl, but after so many slices of egg-covered onion being dipped into the panko, the crisp breadcrumbs became soggy and didn’t adhere to the onion as well. So I highly recommend splitting the seasoned panko into two batches. The second note is on how to bread the onions. Instead of dipping the onions into the panko and flipping to coat both side, I found it more effective to place one sliced onion at a time in the mound of panko, scooping up the excess panko over the top of the onion, pressing slightly with the palm of my hand and lifting the breaded onion ring gently (no shaking needed) to transfer to the baking pan.

So now that you know all my tips, check out the recipe below and mark it on your must-try list. Enjoy!