These baked homemade onion rings are just as crunchy and delicious as the fried version, but this onion ring recipe is also gluten free, dairy free and low carb. Can’t beat that!
I am an onion ring fanatic. I could eat them all day and all night and never get sick of them. The problem is that heavy gross feeling when all the grease settles in your stomach and makes you feel like shit after.
Debbie and I came up with a recipe that is baked in the oven and still has all the crunch and flavor of deep fried ones. Plus these are gluten free onion rings! For me, its like finding the freeking holy grail! No joke. I don’t joke about onion rings…
They are also low carb so they are a great option for those following a keto diet. Keto onion rings! Who would have thought?
About the Batter or Coating
I like my onion rings with a light, thin crunchy coating that is seasoned well. I am not a fan of the ones with a thick coating or the beer batter.
This batter makes onion rings exactly how I like them. It’s more of a crust than a batter actually. It makes thin, flakey, crispy rings that are to die for!
This batter is a dry batter that you coat your onions in after you dip them into an egg mixture. It’s also made with gluten free and low carb ingredients which makes for a more healthy onion ring. Which means you can eat more!
So eat your heart out!
Batter Ingredients
The ingredients in our batter are ones that you will likely have on hand.
For the dry batter:
- arrowroot powder
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- salt
- paprika
- sugar (optional)
For the wet batter:
- eggs
- coconut milk or regular milk
- mayonnaise
The arrowroot powder is the key to this crispy onion ring batter. It crisps up nicely, even baked in the oven!
If you don’t have arrowroot powder, you can also use cornstarch.
You don’t have to add the sugar, but it gives a tiny bit of sweetness to the rings that I really love.
Do you know that onions are extremely good for you? That is, if you don’t coat them in crap and dip them in hot oil….
Nutrition Facts About Onions
- Onions are high in antioxidants so they protect your body from free radicals and oxidative stress.
- They have a powerful compound called quercetin that is known to protect us from cancer. Eating onions will statistically lower your risk of getting cancer.
- Onions are anti-inflammatory.
- They contain amino acids called methionine and cysteine which are very good at detoxifying your body from heavy metals.
- They have a large amount of sulfur that is really good for your liver.
There are quite a few other things that are great about onions, but these are the most important ones. Basically, all you need to know, is eat them, they are good for you! Lol.
How to Make Onion Rings
These homemade onion rings are so easy to make and because they are baked in the oven, there’s no messy hot oil to deal with! Just follow these easy steps:
- Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking matt.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Slice the onion to make rings that are about 3/4 of an inch wide. Peel the skin from each ring and carefully separate the rings from each other.
- One at a time, take each ring and dip it into the wet mix. Then drip it into the dry. Coat it well, but make sure to tap all the excess back into the bowl. Place the ring on the baking tray.
- When all the rings are coated, spray the rings with olive oil spray. You want to coat them, but not get too much. Flip them over and spray the other side.
- Pop them into the oven. Check them after 9 or 10 mins and flip them over. Cook for an additional 4 mins or so.
They are best served right away.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Homemade Onion Rings
- in order to make the coating stick really well to the onion rings, use a squeeze of mayonnaise in the wet batter.
- you want to make sure your batter is lightly coated with oil in all spots. This is the way it will get crispy instead of staying floury.
- if you don’t have an olive oil spray or you are having trouble getting your onion rings coated in the oil, you can use a pastry brush and brush on some oil instead of spraying.
- in order to spray your oil, you can try one of these refillable oil sprayers that use a pump instead of aerosol to spray.
Tools You Need
- Silicone Baking Mats – these are so awesome and versatile! We often use parchment paper, but these work the same and are reusable.
- Parchment Paper – we like to have this on hand as well.
- Baking Trays – we love these heavy duty trays with the sides that come up a little. They come in handy for these tarts as well as anything else that goes in the oven.
- Oil Sprayer – this oil sprayer is refillable and non-aerosol
Frequently Asked Questions
Are onion rings healthy?
These ones are! Baked is much more healthy than fried.
Why are my onion rings soggy?
They might have too much batter and not enough oil sprayed on them to get them to crisp up in the oven.
What does soaking onions in milk do?
It helps to tone down the bite of the onions. So they aren’t so strong tasting.
What kind of onions are used for onion rings?
We like sweeter ones like Vidalia or Walla Wallas, but really any onions will work, except red onions don’t really work that great. The flavor is too strong.
Other Recipes You Might Like
- carrot and zucchini fritters
- coconut prawns
- beef carpaccio
- homemade gyoza with the best dipping sauce ever!
If you’ve tried this homemade onion ring recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
We love to see your creations! Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM
The Ultimate Crispy Baked Homemade Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion (I like Vidalia, but you can really use whatever)
- olive oil spray
FOR THE DRY MIX
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp sugar (optional)
FOR THE WET MIX
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Slice the onion to make rings that are about 3/4 of an inch wide. Peel the skin from each ring and carefully separate the rings from each other.
- One at a time, take each ring and dip it into the wet mix. Then drip it into the dry. Coat it well, but make sure to tap all the excess back into the bowl. Place the ring on the baking tray.
- When all the rings are coated, spray the rings with olive oil spray. You want to coat them, but not get too much. Flip them over and spray the other side.
- Pop them into the oven. Check them after 9 or 10 mins and flip them over. Cook for an additional 4 mins or so.
- Take them out and serve them right away.
A_Boleyn says
I love onion rings as well but don’t like to deep fry, especially because of the mess.
Since no arrowroot is available, what can I use instead, especially if gluten free is not a requirement?
juliendebbie says
Hi! You will love these then if your not a fan of frying the rings…
If you don’t have arrowroot, use cornstarch. U could also try tapioca starch, but I know cornstarch will work just as good as arrowroot.
Alli says
We had these tonight & were absolutely the best GF onion ring recipe we’ve tried. I used tapioca starch & it worked perfectly! Thanks so much!
Julie and Debbie says
Hi Alli! Thanks for letting us know. Always happy to hear if our readers tried and loved a recipe.
Nicole B. says
Trying these tonight as a side with supper. I’ll let you know how it goes! 🙂 can’t wait to try them!
Julie and Debbie says
Hi Nicole, I hope they work well for you. Let us know!
Chantelle says
Is there a substitute for the coconut milk since that isn’t a option to use?
Julie and Debbie says
Hi Chantelle, Thanks for the checking out our recipe! Sure there is a substitute. You can use almond milk or regular milk if thats not an issue for you. If you don’t have coconut milk that comes in a carton, you can always get the coconut milk that comes in a can and then dilute it with a bit of water so its not so thick. You can find canned coconut milk in most grocery stores. I would start with a 2:1 ration of coconut milk to water and increase the water if you think its too thick. The milk you use should be the same consistency as regular milk.
Nikki says
Hi,
I made these tonight to share with my parents. My dad is both coeliac and diabetic and he gets bored eating the same thing all the time, so this was a great recipe for us to try. I thought these were amazingly easy to prepare and I liked how I was able to throw them in the oven and do other things while I waited for them to cook, I forgot to spray them with the olive oil, so they were only lightly crisp on the outside, but we still loved sweetness of the onion with paprika and salt flavors in the coating. Thanks for the recipe!
Julie and Debbie says
Hi Nikki, so happy to read your comment! We really love hearing when our readers try our recipes and how the turned out 🙂 So glad that you all loved these onion rings. I am seriously addicted to these and now that were talking about them, I want some!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
Yum 🙂 Definitely trying these once I pick up some more arrowroot! I wish I could buy Vidalias– but I am living in Asia right now, and none here!
Julie and Debbie says
Hi Michelle, thanks for stopping by. We know you will love these! I have made them with regular onions (not sweet or vidalia) and they taste great. I could actually go for some right now… 🙂
Arielle DeLisle says
Do you think these could be prepared and frozen in advance? I have a ton of onions right now and would love to have a stash of homemade GF onion rings in the freezer!
Julie and Debbie says
Hi Arielle, I have no idea if these would freeze ok. I agree it would be sweet to have these on hand in the freezer. I think if you were to try, you should coat them and then lay them on a tray to freeze separately before you put them into a bag or some other container. If you try it, can you please let us know how they turn out? Good luck!
Skot says
Great method, thank you Julie & Debbie! Didn’t have arrowroot on hand, so tossed some quinoa and a spoonful of cornmeal into the spice grinder. Spritzed on some truffle oil before baking. Best gf onion rings ever! Definitely never deep frying them again. Love your photos 🙂
Cheers,
Skot & Kelly
Julie and Debbie says
Hey thats a great alternative! And whoa! Truffle oil? That sounds sooooo good. Im going to remember to try that next time I make them.
Debbie says
Instead of coconut milk can it be replaced with almond milk. They look delicious by the way
Julie and Debbie says
Thank you Debbie! Yes, absolutely you could use almond milk instead of coconut. You could use any kind of milk really. Hope you love them!
lorinda says
I am also allergic to eggs, so I substituted the egg for 1 level tablespoon of cornstarch. Because the dried onion and garlic power also bother my stomach I added minced garlic to the wet mixture. This was an awesome recipe! They taste better than the French’s bloody store bought onion rings on my green been casserole!!
Julie and Debbie says
So happy to hear you loved our recipe Lorinda! And I love hearing all the substitutions that worked! 🙂
Nancy | Plus Ate Six says
OK – you have totally caught my attention with this one. I’ll make sure I report back!
Julie and Debbie says
We would love to hear what you thought of the rings 🙂
Kurt says
Looking forward to trying this today
Jeannie says
I love onion rings and look forward to trying this recipe very soon! Thanks for sharing.
Sharron Timmins says
Hello Ladies….looks like a good recipe, but if one were to substitute the arrowroot with cornstarch, I don’t think they would qualify as ‘low carb’. Cornstarch has 7 grams of carbohydrate per tablespoon. Just saying! 🙂
Also, when you say arrowroot ‘powder’, do you mean arrowroot flour?
Sharron
Julie & Debbie says
Hi Sharron, yes, arrowroot powder is the same thing as arrowroot flour or arrowroot starch. The names are all interchangeable. Good question! As for the cornstarch, I don’t think we said that they would be low carb if you substituted with cornstarch (am I mistaken?). We just said that you can use cornstarch if you wish. Substituting with cornstarch will still give you that nice crispy onion ring and be gluten free.
Lisa says
Amazing! Thank you for the great recipe!
Julie & Debbie says
So happy that you loved them, Lisa! We love hearing that 🙂
Brandi says
I made these tonight with tapioca flour and it worked pretty good! I had a little trouble coating them completely with spray, there were still some flour spots…any suggestions?
Flavor was great!
Julie & Debbie says
Hi Brandi, you just have to spray give them a good spray. I just try to spray from one angle and then another if I missed a whole bunch. Mine never get completely covered, but they seem to work well anyways.
Georgia says
What is the recipe for the dipping sauce?
Julie & Debbie says
We just used a ranch, but you can use whatever you like to dip your rings into. I often like them just with mayo or better yet a spicy mayo.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great appetizer to serve company !
Julie & Debbie says
They are awesome and not too much work either.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do you they keep long?
Julie & Debbie says
They will keep for a little while, but like all crispy things, they tend to wilt over time.
Emily says
Can you use whipping cream instead of almond milk? That’s all I have on hand ,. Also wondering if I can on fry in coconut oil instead of baking?
Julie & Debbie says
Yes to both! Ive fried them before too and they were awesome! Just be careful cuz they will burn quick.
Lisa says
Sounds like a great dinner!
A whole recipe of onion rings wein every dipping sauce i can think of. Just to test them all out for when company comes! 😋😋😋
Lisa says
These look like the real thing. Onion rings are one of my guilty pleasures. I wouldn’t feel so bad about them cooked this way. I am definitely going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing.
Julie & Debbie says
Hope you really like them!
Linda says
Made tonight and I have to say I’m not a fan of the batter. Followed recipe to a tee without any substitutes. Sprayed with oil but still flour spots. Many people commented they couldn’t wait to make or had questions about substitutes and few comments from people who actually made them.
Julie & Debbie says
HI Linda, sorry you didnt enjoy the recipe. These kinds of onion rings are not everyones cup of tea. If you prefer a thicker batter type onion ring then you probably wouldn’t like these. Different strokes for different folks! 🙂
Courtney says
I tried these with cornstarch like you said. I love these. I am on a diet and thanks to your recipe I can enjoy onion rings without guilt.
Julie & Debbie says
Awesome! so glad you enjoyed them!
Sara says
What does it mean by 2 servings? it only makes 2 onion rings?
Julie & Debbie says
It means the recipe will serve two people.
Jess says
These look great and sounds like other commentators loved them. Wondering if almond flour could be used instead of arrowroot. What do you think?
Julie & Debbie says
SO im not sure about that, just because almond flour has quite a different texture than arrowroot. In place of arrowroot, you could use cornstarch. If you try the almond flour and it works, please let us know!
Dianne says
Have you tried cooking them in an air fryer? I was just gifted a fryer and I wonder if this would be good cooked in one.
Julie & Debbie says
No, but if you try, please let us know!
Kathy says
Why arrowroot? Wil gluten-free flour work?
Julie & Debbie says
Arrowroot makes the coating light and crunchy. You can try gluten free flour, but I dont think it will have the same texture. In place of Arrowroot, you can use cornstarch for the same affect.
Katherine says
Can I substitute cornstarch for Arrowroot, which is very expensive… or some other gf flour?
Julie & Debbie says
yes absolutely!