Southern-Fried Sweet Onion Rings

By Kim Severson

Southern-Fried Sweet Onion Rings
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(231)
Comments
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Thin enough to flash-fry but thick enough to let the sweet onion flavor shine through, these onion rings work well as a side dish but also are great as a stand-alone snack. Less is more when dipping the rings in the buttermilk mixture and then the flour mixture. Be delicate in the coating process, and make sure to let as much liquid and then as much flour fall off as possible. Less breading means less grease absorption and a crisper finished product. The flour should be as fine as possible, so reserve half of the flour mixture. When the first batch starts to get wet and gummy, replace it with the remaining half. The oil temperature matters, too. Heat the oil to at least 360 degrees, and fry the rings in batches. They cook so quickly it is easy to get through the frying in 10 minutes. Keep them warm in a 200 degree oven until all the frying is done.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1 to 2quarts peanut or other frying oil, such as canola
  • 1½cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½cups finely ground cornmeal
  • ½cup cornstarch
  • ¼teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1egg
  • 1cup buttermilk
  • 2large Vidalia or other sweet onions, sliced ¼-inch thick
  • Kosher salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1025 calories; 58 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 35 grams monounsaturated fat; 16 grams polyunsaturated fat; 113 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 962 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oil in a large heavy pot. It should be at least 3 inches deep, but more is better.

  2. Step 2

    In a wide shallow bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, cornstarch and cayenne. In a second bowl, beat egg and buttermilk. Separate onion slices into rings.

  3. Step 3

    Working in batches, lightly toss the rings in the flour mixture, then dip into the buttermilk mixture. Allow most of the liquid to drip off, then toss again in the flour mixture. Shake off as much flour as possible and place the rings into the hot oil.

  4. Step 4

    Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown, moving the rings around a bit in the oil to keep them separated.

  5. Step 5

    Put the onion rings on a plate or bowl lined with paper towel and salt. Repeat until the onions are done.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
231 user ratings
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Comments

Litegal

OUTSTANDING! I'm more of a batter dipped ring person myself, but no longer (grin). Made a half batch exactly as directed with exception of increasing cayenne pepper to 3/4 tsp. Thickness @ 1/4" was perfect. Do keep the rings separate instead of doubling up on thickness ... the mix is so light and crunchy it doesn't really hold up. Much better when left in smaller rings. One (1) Vidallia made more than enough for four (4) people. Thank you so much for recipe.

GB

Batter was light and easy to prepare. I would add more pepper and maybe even hot sauce. I kept onion rings in a 250 oven until all were finished.
I would try this with regular onions. I am not a big fan of sweet onions, never understood why if it doesn't taste like an onion, why eat them.

Alicia

Great go-to recipe for fried foods! Yum! Really crispy.

Nikita

Delicious! I added salt to the breading and the liquid since it never quite sticks to the finished product.

Jody

These are AMAZING! Whoa. I love how the coating stays on really well. Fries-up easily. I did think the flour mix was a smidge light on the seasoning after doing the first batch, so I added more cayenne, white pepper and paprika.

Bob G

I did not care for the coating. There are many other recipes for onion rings that are way better than this one.

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