Beer-Battered Onion Rings

Do you judge a dining establishment based on how they make a certain item? I know I do! One of my favorite things to order as a side to burgers or typical “American style” foods is onion rings, and those onion rings can absolutely make or break my opinion of the restaurant. If they’re too mushy and not crispy, or if the onion is tough and doesn’t break off when you bite in. There’s a lot that goes into this! Also, the batter has to be tasty and have a good amount of flavor without being overbearing. This is serious stuff here. I’ve been known to want to go back to a particular diner that my family thought was subpar, but I continue to say “But their onion rings were so good!” True story.

So, as I do with all of my favorite foods, I decided to create my own beer-battered onion rings at home. Why beer-battered onion rings? Well, the beer really helps the batter have a really light airiness to it, which is great when it comes to fried foods because they do tend to be heavy. Having a deep fryer is probably a “must” when it comes to onion rings, so be sure you have a good one where you can set the temperature and use it fairly easily. I have the T-fal Easy Pro Enamel Immersion Deep Fryer*, which I love, but there’s so many deep fryers out there you can definitely decide which brand and model is best for you!

These are so easy to whip up, perfect with summertime burgers or hot dogs, great to serve with other barbecue items, or even with sandwiches or snacks! The batter is based on the same recipe I used for my beer-battered chicken wings, as I actually started making these with the leftover batter from those, however I’ve tweaked the batter just a bit since then to come up with this recipe. You can use whatever beer you desire, this is just what we happened to have on hand.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings Ingredients:

• canola oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup beer (I used Blue Moon Belgian White)
• 1 onion

Directions:

Begin by filling your deep fryer with the recommended amount of oil and setting the temperature to 375 degrees.

 In a small bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic salt, then mix.

In a dish combine the egg with the beer, whisk until smooth, then add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth again.

Cut the onion horizontally into rings, then carefully take the rings apart. Working in batches, dip them into the beer and flour mixture, then drop into the hot oil basket once it’s reached the desired temperature. Allow them to fry until golden, turning them over and shaking every so often so they are an even color and don’t stick.

Once fried, remove from oil and place on paper towels while the next batch is prepared.

Once all the onion rings are prepared, serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I like to mix up my own sauce with BBQ sauce and mayo, but you can create your own or serve with ketchup, BBQ sauce, or anything else your little heart desires!

Perfectly light and flaky, enjoy!

Do you have a favorite beer you like to cook with?

I have a few recipes below that also include beer, be sure to check them out!

*This is an affiliate link, I get a small portion of your purchase if you buy it.