Onion Rings

I am so excited to share this awesome recipe with you! It is everything I hoped for and everything you would want in an onion ring. Crispy, delicate, flavorful, and not greasy. These are not deep fried; they’re made in the oven and they are not difficult to make.

To give you some backstory. I have a serious onion ring problem. Seriously. I crave onion rings pretty much every time I think of them and no matter how many I eat, my craving is never satisfied for long. I can eat onion rings until I feel sick and still want more. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the crispy breading combined with the sweet moist onions. Oh man, I love onion rings!

Typically onion rings are made using buttermilk or eggs, or both. I wanted to make a vegan version that had all the best qualities of regular onion rings. This recipe uses soy creamer and apple cider vinegar to make buttermilk, and the cornstarch helps bind together the breading in lieu of the eggs.

The Recipe

Makes 3-4 servings

2 medium sweet onions

1 cup plain soy creamer (or other creamer or nondairy milk)

1 TBLS apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 TBLS cornstarch

2 TSP salt

1 TSP smoked paprika

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

3 TBLS vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment (hint: this makes two batches worth of onion rings. If you want them all ready at once, you will want two baking sheets lined with parchment). In a small bowl, mix flour, paprika and 1 TSP salt. In another bowl, mix soy creamer and vinegar and stir. Add the cornstarch to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in half the flour mixture. In a third bowl, add the panko, the remaining 1 TSP salt and the oil. You’ll have three bowls to dip the onion rings in. The first is the flour mixture. The second is the milk mixture. And the third is the panko breadcrumbs. Slice the onions in 1/4-1/2 inch slices. Separate each onion slice and start dipping! First, dunk the onion in the flour, then the milk mixture, letting the excess liquid drip off before coating the onion ring in the panko breadcrumbs. Lay the prepared onion rings on the parchment-lined baking sheets. The onions should not be touching each other, but you can nest smaller rings inside the larger ones to conserve space. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then gently flip the onion rings over. Bake for another 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately while still hot with ketchup, vegan tartar sauce, or your dipping sauce of choice.

NOTE: You can freeze these. Simply lay them on the parchment lined baking sheet as described above. Place the whole baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, remove onion rings and store them in a zip-lock bag in the freezer.

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