June Xie is the former Senior Food Producer for Delish, where she hosted recipe videos and the wildly popular YouTube show, Budget Eats. She previously worked in numerous restaurant kitchens throughout NYC before first joining Delish as our Test Kitchen Assistant and chief baking expert with a passion for bread dough, peanut butter, whipped cream, and gluten free cookies. She also loves staring at alpacas.
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Any kind of onions will work here, but we use the Vidalia variety for a sweeter ring. Because salt can draw out water from the onions and make them sweat, we reserve salting for after the fry is done—this helps to keep the batter on the onion and not a mess in your frying pot. Cornstarch and seltzer help to keep the batter light, while the fine cornmeal and paprika give each bite a little more crunch and flavor. Dip them in some mayo (Kewpie is highly recommended) and ketchup, and get ready for the freshest onion rings you've ever tasted.
If you're not a fan of deep-frying, we've also included a version for the air fryer down below for a guilt-free bite.
Want another sweet onion appetizer? We got you covered.
- Yields:
- 4 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 45 mins
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
- 1 c.
all-purpose flour
- 1/3 c.
fine cornmeal
- 3/4 c.
cornstarch
- 1 tsp.
baking powder
- 1 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp.
smoked paprika
- 1
egg, lightly beaten
- 3/4 c.
buttermilk
- 1/4 c.
seltzer
- 2
large Vidalia onions, cut into 1/2"-thick rings
Kosher salt, for sprinkling
Ketchup, for serving
Mayonnaise, for serving
Directions
For stovetop
- Step 1In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat 1" oil to 375°. Line a large plate or baking sheet with paper towels.
- Step 2In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, pepper, and paprika. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, and seltzer.
- Step 3Thoroughly coat onion rings in flour mixture, then dip in egg mixture. Shake off excess, then coat in flour mixture again. Place on cooling rack until ready to fry.
- Step 4Carefully lower onion rings into oil in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Fry until deeply golden, flipping once, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Step 5Transfer to prepared plate and immediately sprinkle with salt. Serve hot with ketchup and mayonnaise, if desired.
For air fryer
- Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, pepper, and paprika. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, and seltzer.
- Step 2Thoroughly coat onion rings in flour mixture, then dip in egg mixture. Shake off excess, then coat in flour mixture again, and in egg mixture again.
- Step 3Line air fryer basket with parchment and grease with cooking spray. Working in batches, place onion rings in basket of air fryer, in a single layer. Cook at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden.
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