Crispy Fried Onion Rings

Crispy Fried Onion Rings With Cornmeal
Diana Rattray
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Inactive: 15 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 8 servings

These deep-fried onion rings get extra texture and crispiness from the cornmeal in the batter. It's an egg, flour, and cornmeal batter, an excellent combination for delicious onion rings.

I like to use sweet Vidalia onions when I make onion rings, but you could use red onions or yellow onions as well. Soak the onions in milk or buttermilk before coating them with the batter.

Ingredients

  • 4 large sweet onions

  • 3 cups milk, or buttermilk

  • 1 quart vegetable oil, for deep-frying

  • 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons shortening, melted

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 1 2/3 cups milk

Steps to Make It

  1. To keep the onion rings warm while frying subsequent batches, heat the oven to 200 F.

  2. Line a baking sheet with paper towels for draining the onion rings and place another baking pan nearby for keeping them warm in the oven.

  3. Peel the onions and slice them into rounds about 1/4-inch thick. Separate the rounds into rings.

  4. Pour a few inches of milk or buttermilk in a large, wide bowl. Add the onion rings and let them soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

  5. Heat about 1 quart of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan or deep fryer to 365 F.

  6. Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine the cornmeal, 2/3 cup of the flour, salt, pepper, melted shortening, egg, and 1 2/3 cups milk. Mix until the batter is smooth.

  7. Put about 1 cup of flour in another bowl.

  8. Remove some of the onion rings from the milk. Dredge them first in the plain flour and then dip them in the batter to coat.

  9. Fry the onion rings in batches in the vegetable oil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure the oil is at the correct temperature and don't crowd the onions. 

  10. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Move the drained onion rings to the baking pan and place them in the preheated oven to keep warm for up to 30 minutes.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
455 Calories
26g Fat
47g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 455
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 36mg 12%
Sodium 159mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 17%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 8mg 41%
Calcium 212mg 16%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 463mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)