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Finger Food

Beer Battered Onion Rings

June 29, 2019 (Last Updated: March 15, 2024) by Chris Collins

Making your own Beer Battered Onion Rings truly couldn’t be easier. Here I’ll show you some tips and tricks to getting teeth-shatteringly crispy Onion Rings!

If you’re looking for the most delicious homemade onion rings which are truly crispy and bursting with flavour, you’ve come to the right place. Follow me…

overhead shot of onion rings scattered across a wire rack

Homemade Onion Rings

All great onion rings start with the perfect onion. Here’s what you’re looking for:

  1. Variety – You want to get yourself a white/brown onion. You can use red onions, but their slightly higher sugar content makes them more prone to burning.
  2. Size – The bigger the better. If you can, you want an onion that weighs around 10.5oz/300g. You also want to try and get a very spherical onion too.
  3. Slices – The perfect onion ring is sliced to 1/2″. Use all of the slices apart from the very small ones, or ones that tear.
If you live in the UK, Morrisons sells a variety of onion called the ‘Cannonball Onion’. These are absolutely perfect for making onion rings.

From there, we want to coat the rings first in a flour mix, and then into the infamous beer batter. By doing this you’re going to create tiny air bubbles in the batter, which in turn is what makes the batter so crispy.

close up shot of air bubbles in onion ring

Beer Battered Onion Rings

The initial flour mix is what helps the beer batter stick to the onion. For flavour, I add salt, white pepper (adds a little more heat than black pepper) and paprika. Nothing OTT, but makes the world of difference. I also add a tsp of baking powder in all my batters. This is what helps create those tiny air bubbles we were just talking about.

Did you know – When baking powder is added to a batter and subjected to hot oil, it undergoes a chemical reaction which produces small gas bubbles in the batter. The tiny air bubbles break up the batter, almost like holes in honeycomb, which is what helps make it light, airy and crispy.

Tips for the perfect Beer Batter

  • Cold Beer – using cold beer causes more of a reaction when the batter hits the hot oil, which in turn contributes to extra crispiness.
  • Don’t over mix – when you whisk the beer into the flour, make sure you don’t beat the heck out of it, or all the bubbles will burst. Whisk until just combined. A few lumps are fine.
  • Work quick – The longer the batter rests, the more it will deflate and the more bubbles will pop. You want it as airy and frothy as possible before it hits the oil.

How to prepare onion rings (Quick Summary)

  1. Slice the tip off a large onion, peel the outer layer, then slice into 1/2″ rings.
  2. Full coat in a flour mix.
  3. Line up on a wire rack.
  4. Pour beer into flour mix.

How to make Beer Battered Onion Rings part 2 - 4 step by step photos

Deep Fried Onion Rings

100% if you want truly crispy onion rings, it’s deep fried all the way. If you’re not confident with deep frying, onion rings are the perfect introduction. I.e no chance of raw meat, the worst that is going to happen is you’ll end up with a few questionable onion rings. No biggie. There’s tonnes to test.

How to Deep Fry Onion Rings (Quick Summary)

  1. Coat your onion rings in the beer batter.
  2. In small batches add to hot oil and fry for around 2-3mins, flipping once.
  3. Remove from oil, give them a shake, place on wire rack.

I recommend serving after ever 2 batches. The longer you leave the onion rings, the less crispy they’ll be; meaning by the time you’ve finished deep frying the lot, the first batch won’t be as fresh as the last. Just have someone ferry the batches out to guests as you fry 🙂

Top Tip – Sprinkle salt over the onion rings when they’re fresh out the oil and resting on the wire rack. This will help draw out moisture as they cool and help them crisp up!
Do not rest your onion rings on paper towels when they’re fresh out the oil. This will cause them to steam and make the batter soggy. Always use a wire rack with a paper towel placed underneath (to catch the oil)

How to make Beer Battered Onion Rings part 1 - 4 step by step photos

And after all that you’re going to be staring at some darn good looking onion rings. Before we tuck into the full recipe, why not check out some of my similar recipes?

Finger Food Recipes

Deep Fried Recipes

dipping onion ring into srirach mayo with blurred onion rings in the background

overhead shot of onion rings scattered across a wire rack

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Making your own Beer Battered Onion Rings truly couldn't be easier. Here I'll show you some tips and tricks to getting teeth-shatteringly crispy Onion Rings!
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Servings (click & slide): 6
Course: Appetizer / Finger Food
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Calories per serving: 264kcal
Cost per serving: £1 / $1

Equipment:

  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
  • 1 large Bowl (for batter)
  • Whisk
  • 2 Wire Racks
  • 1 Large Pot/Deep Pan (for frying)
  • Kitchen Tongs
  • Paper Towels

Ingredients (check list):

  • 1 Extra Large Onion (see notes)
  • 1 cup / 240ml COLD Beer (see notes)
  • 1 cup / 150g Plain Flour
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt, plus extra to serve
  • 1/4 tsp White Pepper
  • Oil, for deep frying (see notes)

Instructions:

  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, paprika, salt and white pepper.
  • Cut the tip (not the root) off of the onion with a sharp knife. Peel off the brown skin, then carefully make 1/2" slices along the onion. Pop out the rings, discarding any extremely small ones or any that broke.
  • Coat the onion slices in the flour a handful at a time, then place on a wire rack with paper towels underneath (to catch excess flour). At this point you can heat a couple of inches of oil in a suitably sized pot/pan to 190C/375F.
  • Pour the cold beer into the leftover flour and gently whisk to combine. Don't beat the hell out of it, or you will burst all of the bubbles. Whisk until just combined. A few lumps in the mixture are fine. The consistency should be ever-so-slightly thicker than heavy/double cream. You can adjust slightly with beer/flour if needed.
  • Grab a handful of the onion rings and submerge them into the batter. One by one, pluck 4-5 of them out and carefully add to the hot oil, separating any that instantly stick. Allow to fry for 2-3mins, flipping once, or until golden and visibly crisp. Remove and place on your first wire rack with paper towels underneath. Repeat with remaining onion rings. Try to work quickly (but also safely) so the batter stays as cold as possible.
  • Sprinkle/ toss the onion rings with salt then serve and enjoy!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Type of Onion - If you live in the UK, get yourselves down to Morrisons and buy a 'Cannonball Onion'. These are huge and work perfectly work this recipe. Failing that, just get the largest, most spherical onion you can find. In all instances make sure it's a sweet/white onion.
b) Beer - It's imperative that the beer is unopened and straight from the fridge. This will ensure the batter is nice and airy. I often use Fosters or Heineken. For a beer substitute you could also use a neutral flavoured sparkling soda.
c) Oil - Use a neutral flavoured oil with a high smoking point such as vegetable or sunflower oil.
d) Tips for deep frying - I recommend testing with one onion ring first. If it cooks in under 1 minute, reduce the heat of the oil. The onion will still be hard. If it takes 4mins plus then crank up the heat. The batter will absorb too much oil and be soggy. In both instances don't overcrowd the pot/pan or they will stick and not cook properly.
e) Serving - I recommend serving after 2 batches. If you wait to get through the whole batch, the original ones are going to be cold and soggy. Have a helper running them from the kitchen! Also, a dip works great with these. Here I've used Sriracha Lime Mayo.
f) Calories - Assuming all of the batter is used (slight overestimate) and 1/2 tsp oil is absorbed per onion ring. Based on 30 rings shared between 6 people. Calories for 5 onion rings.

Your Private Notes:

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts
Beer Battered Onion Rings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 264 Calories from Fat 125
% Daily Value*
Fat 13.87g21%
Saturated Fat 1.443g7%
Trans Fat 3.647g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.046g
Monounsaturated Fat 9.634g
Sodium 238mg10%
Potassium 150mg4%
Carbohydrates 27.68g9%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2.91g3%
Protein 3.66g7%
Vitamin A 500IU10%
Vitamin C 8.3mg10%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

 

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5 KNOCKOUT

5 from 9 votes

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Recipe Rating




29 Comments

  • Reply
    Katie
    June 27, 2024 at 1:29 am

    Have you ever frozen these ?

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 27, 2024 at 11:16 am

      I haven’t unfortunately Katie! You could certainly try it with any leftovers and see how you get on. C.

  • Reply
    Mike
    April 23, 2024 at 1:08 pm

    Great Recipe and beautifully written and explained.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      April 23, 2024 at 6:17 pm

      Thanks Mike! 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Ansophi
    April 19, 2024 at 5:01 pm

    5 stars
    Lovely recipe. Thank you.

  • Reply
    Matt
    June 18, 2022 at 3:58 pm

    5 stars
    We can’t believe how amazing these onion rings turned out. Just follow the recipe and cooking tips and you can’t go wrong.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 19, 2022 at 5:25 pm

      Great to hear they turned out well, Matt! Thanks for popping back for a review 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Sabrina
    October 24, 2021 at 8:37 am

    These looks so great, can’t wait to try! I wish you put which sauce you used or the recipe for it though cause it looks like it pairs perfectly!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      October 26, 2021 at 5:11 pm

      The sauce is sriracha mayo, it’s linked in the recipe notes. Enjoy the recipe! 🙂

  • Reply
    Katie
    February 27, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    5 stars
    I made these last night and OMG!!!!!!! The batter was so light and crispy and tasted awesome. Safe to say I will never buy again, home made from now on all the way. Thank you

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      February 28, 2021 at 11:53 am

      That’s awesome to hear, Katie! Thanks so much for popping back for a review 🙂

  • Reply
    A
    September 13, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    Question: Can you use safflower oil? Any Gluten-Free flour recommendations?

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      September 17, 2020 at 9:36 am

      Unfortunately I haven’t tested this recipe with GF flour before, so I can’t be certain of the result. I have read a couple of sources that suggest you should use basic gum-free gluten free flour blend and NOT an all purpose gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum. But again, I can’t be sure and wouldn’t want to offer inaccurate advice. As for safflower oil it has a high smoking point so you should be good to go!

  • Reply
    Karen Kennedy
    April 25, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    Did these tonight for the first time with steak, mushrooms, asparagus and roasted new potatoes, and they were fab..as there are only 2 of us just did 8 rings, and while cooking the 2nd batch, kept the first warm in the oven on low, and they stayed really crispy. I didn’t bother with the rack thing, just put them on a plate with the flour, then once I was ready to cook, dipped them in the batter, into the pan, then onto kitchen paper and in the oven to keep warm 😀 Living in Spain, find it hard to buy onion rings, but with this recipe, can make them at home all the time now, thanks, definitely a keeper 😀

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      April 26, 2020 at 10:30 am

      That’s awesome to hear, Karen! Glad they went down well! Thanks for popping back and leaving such a lovely review 🙂

  • Reply
    Patricia
    April 25, 2020 at 8:00 am

    I’m going to pin it.
    I want to make them by myself. That’s always beter.
    From the netherlands a: thank you! for tour recipe!!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      April 25, 2020 at 10:40 am

      That’s awesome! Hope you love the recipe 🙂

  • Reply
    E Cavalieri
    August 18, 2019 at 12:53 pm

    5 stars
    Tried them for for the first time great recipe

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      August 20, 2019 at 12:53 pm

      So glad you liked them! 🙂

  • Reply
    Michelle Miller
    June 30, 2019 at 5:28 am

    5 stars
    These look so crispy!!! Love a good recipe for finger food, it’s always handy! Love the beer batter too!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 30, 2019 at 10:13 am

      Thanks Michelle 🙂

  • Reply
    sara
    June 30, 2019 at 4:14 am

    These look fantastic. I love onion rings but have never made them at home. But, I am going to give it a go with this recipe. It is so easy to follow and your photos are drool worthy!!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 30, 2019 at 10:13 am

      Thanks Sara! Enjoy! 🙂

  • Reply
    Beth
    June 30, 2019 at 3:31 am

    5 stars
    I love me a tasty, crispy onion ring or 10!! These look perfect!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 30, 2019 at 10:13 am

      Haha, always 10!

  • Reply
    Sylvie
    June 30, 2019 at 1:27 am

    5 stars
    Oh my, what an epic recipe! I absolutely ADORE onion rings, and the fact that they are made with a beer batter just makes it even better! Cannot wait to try these at home 🙂

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 30, 2019 at 10:13 am

      Thank you! Hope you love them 🙂

  • Reply
    Beth Pierce
    June 29, 2019 at 11:38 pm

    5 stars
    These look so crispy and delicious! Excited to serve these for our cookout on the 4th of July! Delicious!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      June 30, 2019 at 10:12 am

      Enjoy!!

    5 KNOCKOUT

    DINNERS

    YOU'LL NEVER STOP MAKING!

    A FREE EMAIL SERIES, FROM ONE FOODIE TO ANOTHER