Oven-Fried Onion Rings
These oven-fried onion rings are less mess than the deep-fried version, but just as crunchy and delicious!
Yesterday, I teased you with a recipe for a copycat version of the dipping sauce that is served alongside the bloomin’ onions at Outback Steakhouse… today I’m back with a killer recipe for oven-fried onion rings. All of the fabulous flavor and crunch but without the hassle of deep frying!
These onion rings are absolutely delicious – crunchy and full of authentic fried flavor without needing to actually boil a vat of oil and smell up the house. I baked them up for an appetizer a couple of Sundays ago and everyone absolutely raved about them – they couldn’t believe how crunchy they were, and all agreed that the accompanying dipping sauce definitely put them over the top.
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The secret to these amazing onion rings? The breading is made from crushed saltines and kettle-cooked potato chips! The saltines help to absorb extra grease from the potato chips, which keeps them from becoming too oily while still retaining a great “fried” consistency and flavor. Genius!
I also love that the seasonings (cayenne, salt and pepper) are added to the buttermilk mixture instead of the initial flour dusting. I think this helps give the onion rings great flavor, as the buttermilk batter adheres in a much more pronounced way than the initial dusting of flour does.
If I haven’t convinced you that these are amazing, I have a killer recipe for beer-battered onion rings that’s amazing, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how great this recipe is. More than one person said that these were the best onion rings they’d ever had!
One year ago: Banana Cream Pie
Four years ago: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
Five years ago: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Six years ago: Black Forest Cake
Oven-Fried Onion Rings
Ingredients
- ½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- 30 saltine crackers
- 4 cups (340 g) kettle-cooked potato chips
- 2 large yellow onions, cut into ½-inch rings, discarding any less than 2 inches in diameter
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place ¼ cup of the flour in a shallow baking dish. Whisk the egg and buttermilk together in a bowl. Whisk the remaining ¼ cup flour, salt, pepper and cayenne into the buttermilk mixture. Pulse the saltines and potato chips together in a food processor until finely ground; about 8 to 10 pulses. Place the crumb mixture in a second shallow baking dish.
- Working one at a time, dredge each onion ring in flour, shaking off excess. Dip rings in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl, then drop into crumb coating, turning rings to coat evenly. Transfer coated onion rings to a large plate or tray.
- Pour 3 tablespoons oil onto each of two rimmed baking sheets. Place the baking sheets in oven and heat until just smoking, about 8 minutes. Carefully tilt the heated sheets to coat evenly with oil, then arrange onion rings on the sheets. Bake, flipping onion rings and switching and rotating position of baking sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes. Briefly drain onion rings on paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on June 16, 2010.
WOW – these look incredible and a must make! I too browse the magazine section at Costco (like sam’s club) and always pick up one or two, maybe three magazines. I have a little obsession with food magazines. :-)
The cayenne is a nice way to make these “grown up!”
If you don’t have a food processor, what is the best way to chop up the chips?
If no food processor place in heavy freezer ziplock bag or a paper bag (or 2) and use a rolling pin (or heavy drinking glass) and crush them into tiny pieces that way.
This is going straight to my bookmarked list. I like that I can pretend these babies are healthy since they’re not fried. xxSAS
O.k. -I now give myself full permission to indulge in one of my VERY favorite things!!
These look great M will have to try your version when I get a chance still redoing my kitchen. Funny how everyone has their own ways of making these jewels. I tried to copy dairy queens recipe and used vidalia onions, buttermilk, ritz, corn flakes, saltines crackers, corn meal, few other spices & egg whites.
Yummy! Your beautiful photos of them don’t hurt at all either. They look absolutely delicious!
These look amazing! Even better that they’re baked instead of fried!
I love recipes where saltines and Rizt are the secret weapon. I always have a stash in my pantry. . . unless one of my little crumb snatchers scarfs them down:)
I love that these are baked and not fried!
This looks great, I am trying it this week! Maybe again on 4th of July weekend! YUM! Love the potato chips and saltines!
i’ve been wanting to try baked onion rings! can’t wait to whip these up!
YUM! I never thought of using potato chips as coating. I’ve done panko and I think cornmeal (that was some healthy version). The sauce looks ahhhh-mazing too!
Michelle, thanks for re-working this recipe, they sound great! My family can’t wait for me to try them…ooohhh…Father’s Day sounds like a good occasion!
These look perfect Michelle.
These look and sound amazing! Now I think Ill have to have some onion rings with my lunch! Thanks for sharing :)
oh my word, sign me up for 100 lbs of those! i really think i could eat about 100 lbs in one sitting…that’s normal, right?
These look amazing! I’ve recently discovered I love A&W onion rings and I’d love to be able to recreate them myself. Thanks!
these look so so so good. i can’t believe they are baked! i saved this recipe and will probably make it immediately!
Wow, these onion rings look amazing! I’m in love with the coating!
Goodness, those look so delicious. They look nice and crunchy, just the way I like them!
These look great! A little more work, but as you say, without the grease smell throughout the whole house. Great pics!
Those onions rings look absolutely delicious!
I really enjoyed Onion Rings Part I ( http://blessusolord.blogspot.com/2010/04/oven-baked-onion-rings.html ), although I did find the chips needed to be crushed in the processor. Will give Part II a try soon! Thanks.
I am anxious to try this…we love onion rings. I look forward to getting your emails. You have helped me a lot. Thanks!
Thanks for posting a new and improved recipe! These look so tasty.
Oh that looks fabulous!! Definitely making that sauce ASAP!
i made the first recipe and it was soooo good that hubby and I polished off the whole thing in seconds :) the prep is a lil time consuming and the chips get soggy and do not stick to the rings in the first recipe. I will surely try this method coz these rings are to die for!!
Fabulous! I love onion rings! (my guilty fried pleasure :)
those rings look absolutely gorgeous! and I love the idea that they are baked:)
It’d be great if you could send these in for the Magic Bullet snack recipe contest/giveaway hosted on my blog!