Make Onion Ring Batter

Onion ring batter can be made plain or seasoned, depending on your own preferences or the meal style. A few different approaches to making onion batter are given here, including a baked batter version for those occasions where you're trying to reduce the level of fat in your food.

Ingredients

Basic Unseasoned Batter

  • 3.5 ounces/100 grams all purpose/plain flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 5 fluid ounces/150 milliliters milk
  • 1 egg white

Beer Batter

  • 11.1 fluid ounces/330 milliliters lager/beer
  • 5.6 oz/160 grams flour
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Dash of soy sauce
  • Sea salt and white pepper, to taste

Spicy Baking Batter

  • ½ cup all purpose/plain flour, plus 2 tablespoons extra for tossing
  • ⅓ - ½ cup beer, or milk, for batter
  • ¾ cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoons red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons hard cheese such as Parmesan, grated
  • 1 tablespoon oregano flakes, dried
  • Freshly ground pepper and sea salt, to taste

Crunchy Milk Batter

  • Milk, enough to cover 1 sliced onion
  • White all-purpose or plain flour
  • Sea salt and white pepper
  • Vegetable oil

Steps

Basic unseasoned batter

  1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Make a well in the center of the sifted flour.
  2. Tip the egg yolks and oil into the well. Use a large spoon or electric mixer to mix until smooth. Gradually add the milk while mixing, and beat well.
  3. Cover the batter. Let stand for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, to chill.
    • While the batter is sitting, slice the onion rings to about 1/2 inch/1cm thickness.
  4. After 30 minutes, whisk the egg white until stiff. Fold into the batter.
  5. Dip the onion rings into the batter and fry until golden brown. This will take about 3-4 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oil using tongs or a slotted spoon. Place on kitchen paper to remove any excess grease, then serve immediately.

Beer batter

  1. Pour the lager or beer of choice into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Whisk in the flour gradually. Whisk until it turns smooth and silky in consistency.
    • Add more flour if needed but only after whisking to see if it's enough or not.
  3. Add the cayenne pepper, soy sauce and seasoning to taste. Mix through well.
  4. Place in the refrigerator to chill before using. Thirty to sixty minutes is a good amount of time.
  5. While chilling, prepare the onion rings. Cut into 1/2 inch/1 cm rings and place in the refrigerator to chill.
  6. Cook the onion rings. Pour enough oil to cover in a heavy based frying pan with high sides or use a deep fryer.
    • Drop each ring into seasoned flour and coat well. The dip in the batter.
    • Using tongs, dunk into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
  7. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon. Place on kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
  8. Serve immediately for best flavor. Season again if needed.
    • Salsa, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, etc. make good accompaniments.

Spicy baking batter

If you want to keep the fat content down but still have onion rings, try baking them. This batter is formulated for baking instead of frying.

  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
  2. Slice the onion rings 1/2 inch/1 cm thick. Place in the refrigerator while making the batter.
  3. Mix 1/2 cup flour with enough liquid to turn it runny and smooth. It should stick to the back of a spoon thinly.
  4. Mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, red pepper flakes and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Put 2 tablespoons of flour inside a paper bag. Add the onion rings and toss until well coated. (Don't overfill the bag, toss a few at a time, checking if it needs a refill of flour after each toss.)
  6. Dip each onion ring individually into the batter. Shake off any excess, gently.
  7. Arrange the dipped rings in a single layer across a parchment covered baking sheet. Continue dipping each ring and arranging until all are done.
  8. Place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
    • Check after 10-12 minutes. Use tongs to flip over each ring to ensure good browning on both sides.
  9. Remove from the oven. Serve immediately with a dipping sauce and other relevant food.

Crunchy milk batter

Not so much a "batter" in the traditional sense but nevertheless, still a suitable coating to create a crunchy outcome for the onion rings.

  1. Slice the onion into thin rings.
  2. Place the rings across a wide dish. Pour the milk over the top and leave to sit for half an hour.
  3. Pour the flour and seasoning onto a plate. Mix to combine.
  4. Pour the oil into a wok or deep frying pan/skillet. Heat the oil until it reaches 350ºF/180ºC.
  5. Dip each ring in the seasoned flour mix on the plate. Place in the deep oil and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
  6. Place on kitchen paper towel to drain.
  7. Serve immediately.

Tips

  • See Make Vegan Onion Rings for a vegan/egg-free batter.
  • Use good quality, sweet onions, such as Vidalia onions, to make the rings from. Large onions with wide diameters are best for making rings from.
  • Use onions that are drier. The moisture in the rings may be one reason for poor adhesion of the batter. Some recommend cutting the rings the day before and placing inside a sealed container. Leave in the refrigerator to dry out for a day.
  1. Dip and totally cover the rings in cornstarch or arrowroot before adding the batter. This mixture will help to soak up any moisture from the onion rings.
  2. Ensure that the batter is ice cold. Placing the batter in the freezer for a half an hour before using can improve the chances of it sticking well.

Things You'll Need

Basic unseasoned batter

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Large mixing spoon or handheld electric mixer
  • Deep frying container
  • Tongs or slotted spoon
  • Kitchen paper
  • Cutting board and knife

Beer batter

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Large mixing spoon or handheld electric mixer
  • Deep frying container or large skillet/heavy based frying pan with high rims
  • Tongs or slotted spoon
  • Kitchen paper
  • Cutting board and knife

Spicy baking batter

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Mixing spoon
  • Paper bag
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Tongs or spatula for turning rings over when baking
  • Cutting board and knife

Crunchy milk batter

  • Cutting board and knife
  • Wide dish
  • Plate
  • Frying pan/skillet or wok
  • Tongs or slotted spoon
  • Kitchen paper

Sources and Citations

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