These Beer-Battered onion rings are crispy, delicious and made with Vidalia onions. Vidalia onions are perfectly sweet and mild. If you don’t drink alcohol, feel free to use sparkling water—you’ll get the same amazing texture.
Vidalia Onions
This post is sponsored by Vidalia Onions. I love all alliums but Vidalia onions have a special place in my heart. I look forward to their season every single year. They hail from Vidalia, Georgia. They’re mild, deliciously sweet and and perfect in everything from salads to pastas to rice dishes. They’re only available from April through the end of August, so if you see them at the grocery store, be sure to pick a few up. I know you’ll love them.
Beer-Battered Onion Rings
I love beer battered anything. The bubbles really help create a delicious batter that fries up beautifully. If you don’t drink alcohol, you can absolutely use sparkling water. It’ll still be super delicious and give you the best texture!
These are super crispy and delicious. I usually think onion rings can have too much bite for me. And typically I’d suggest soaking them in a bit of water and salt before (and then dry them) to get rid of the bite onions can sometimes have. But with Vidalia onions, they’re absolutely perfect as is. They’re so delicious in this application.
How to Make Beer-Battered Onion Rings
- The first step of this recipe is combining the dipping sauce. I would say it’s a version of ranch but with more spices. I love it.
- I’m going to be honest, you could probably skip the dredge but I like to do it because I find onions to be quite slippery and sometimes batter doesn’t stick to them the way I want. SO, I like to toss them in a combination of flour, salt, and spices. This makes a nice base level of flavor, too. Toss together the flour and spices.
- Then slice up the Vidalia onions. I like to do them in 1-inch slices so that the onions rings are a good size. You don’t want slivers!
- Toss the slices of Vidalia onions in the dredge, until they’re evenly coated. I had to do this in a few batches. And then I transferred them to a cutting board.
- Heat up your oil to 350 degrees F. I filled my pot with about 3 inches of oil.
- When the oil gets to where you want, quickly whisk together the batter. Allow the bubbles to subside and then dip an onion ring into the batter and transfer it to the oil. I like to do a test before I begin frying them up because I want to perfect the timing. I found that 1 to 2 minutes per side was perfect. Remove it and transfer to a bed of paper towels and immediately sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Repeat with the remaining onion slices. Make as many or as little as you like. This comfortably serves about 8 people as an appetizer. You could use 1 onion and do it for a few people.
Tips and Tricks
- Air-Fryer – I know people are going to ask me if they could make it in the air fryer and I don’t see why not. Will they be as crispy? Absolutely not but I feel like they’ll be amazing still!
- Can I not use beer? Absolutely! Feel free to use sparkling water in place of beer. The carbonation is what gives it the amazing texture.
- Can I make this ahead? You can prep the dredge and the ranch up to 3 days before. The batter for the onion rings should be made right before because you really want maximum carbonation of a light, delicious, crispy batter.
(This post is sponsored by Vidalia Onions. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep A Cozy Kitchen cozy.)
Looking for more fun recipes? Here are a few favorites:
- Cherry Tomato Vidalia Pasta
- Homemade Cheesy Vidalia Onion Ravioli with Lobster
- Strawberry and Cream Cookies
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Creamsicle Cake
If you make these Beer-Battered Vidalia Onion Rings, let me know on Instagram!
Beer-Battered Vidalia Onion Rings
Ingredients
Ranch:
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk shaken
- 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly cracked pepper
Onions:
- 3 Vidalia Onions
Dredge:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 (12-oz) beers (pilsner)
Instructions
To Make the Ranch:
- Whisk together the ranch ingredients until smooth. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Prep the Onions:
- To prep the onions, cut off the ends and peel the onions. And slice them into 1/2-inch slices.
To Make the Dredge:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Toss the onion slices in this dredge until evenly coated. You may need to do this in batches.
To Fry Up the Onion Rings:
- Add 3 to 4-inches of oil to a medium pot that’s set over medium-high heat. Bring the oil to 350 degrees F.
- Quickly whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt and beer or sparkling water. When the bubbles subside a bit (should happen in a minute or so), dip the Vidalia onion slices into the batter and carefully drop them in the hot oil. Fry on each side for 1 to 2 minutes, until they’re medium golden brown. Remove them and transfer to a bed of paper towels. Repeat with the remaining onion rings.
- Serve them in a tower. They’re dramatic and beautiful this way, alongside the dipping sauce.
Notes
- Air-Fryer – I know people are going to ask me if they could make it in the air fryer and I don’t see why not. Will they be as crispy? Absolutely not but I feel like they’ll be amazing still!
- Can I not use beer? Absolutely! Feel free to use sparkling water in place of beer. The carbonation is what gives it the amazing texture.
- Can I make this ahead? You can prep the dredge and the ranch up to 3 days before. The batter for the onion rings should be made right before because you really want maximum carbonation of a light, delicious, crispy batter.
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