These crispy fried onions are a taste sensation and so quick to make. Top them on hamburgers or hotdogs, sprinkle them over salads, serve as a side dish with steak, or just eat them as a tasty snack. But whatever you do, just make them! You won’t be sorry!
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Crispy French fried onions
Say hello to the little cousin of onion rings! I’m sure everyone loves onion rings. I know I always order them as a side dish whenever I’m eating in a steakhouse. But honestly, they can be quite tricky to make at home and don’t always turn out exactly as you would like them.
However, this recipe for crispy French fried onions is a lifesaver when you’re looking for an easy recipe for crispy fried onions which is not only easy to make, but delivers such delicious results. Once you’ve tried this crispy fried onion recipe you’ll be wondering why you’ve never made these before.
These crispy fried onions make the perfect side dish for a steak, they are ideal for topping on hamburgers or hotdogs, and they also make a delicious party snack. You can even sprinkle them over salads or simply crush them and use them as a topping on an oven-baked chicken breast.
They also freeze like a dream so you can make a big batch and store them in the freezer so whenever the craving for crispy onions takes over you’ve always got some on hand!
They stay crispy for up to three weeks in the refrigerator, but if you do want to crisp them up, all you have to do is pop them into a dry frying pan or layer them onto a baking sheet in a hot oven for a few minutes.
Let me show you how easy they are to make:
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a shallow dish for soaking the onions in buttermilk, and a wok or deep frying pan for frying the onions. I like to use a wok because it has a narrow bottom and you don’t need to use quite so much oil.
If you have a mandolin you can use that to slice the onions, otherwise a sharp knife and a steady hand will do the job just as well.
A pair of kitchen tongs also comes in handy for lifting the onions out of the buttermilk and coating them with the flour mixture.
For frying the onions I find that spider strainer makes it easier to remove the onions from the oil than a slotted spoon.
Ingredients
This will make sufficient crispy fried onions for 4 people as a side dish.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Onions – I used white onions, but there’s no reason why you can’t make this recipe using red onions too. The onions should be sliced into one-eighth-inch thickness. I cut them in half root to tail and then slice them into semi-circles using a mandolin or a sharp knife. If your onions are on the smaller side, you could simply slice them into rings.
Buttermilk – this is used to soak the onions. If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk, or simply use plain milk instead.
Flour – plain all-purpose flour – used for coating the onions. I add a teaspoon of baking powder to each cup of flour. You can also use self-raising flour and omit the baking powder.
Paprika – for extra flavour. This is optional. You could substitute this with your own choice of seasoning too – why not try garlic granules? If you enjoy a bit of heat, you could add a pinch of cayenne pepper. For an oriental flavour, why not try 5-spice powder?
Salt – I like to add a small amount of salt to the flour. If you don’t use salt you can leave this out.
Oil – this is for frying the onions. You will need an oil with a high smoke point such as sunflower or canola. Don’t use olive oil – the smoke point is too low. You will need sufficient oil to fill your pan to a depth of about one inch.
What to do
Start off by peeling and slicing the onions. Try to keep the slices the same size so that the onions all brown at the same time.
Place the sliced onions in a shallow dish and cover them with buttermilk. Leave them to marinate for half an hour, giving them a stir after 15 minutes.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and your choice of seasoning in a dish.
Lift out a handful of onions from the buttermilk and allow the buttermilk to drip back into the dish. Place the onions in the flour mixture, stir lightly and transfer them to a plate. Repeat until all the onions have been coated.
A pair of tongs makes it easier to lift and coat the onions (and stops your fingers from getting covered in flour).
Heat the oil in a wok until it reaches 190C/375F and fry the onions in batches for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden.
Transfer the fried onions to a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to allow any excess oil to drain away. Repeat until all the onions have been fried.
Tips for perfectly crispy onions
- Do make sure the oil is hot enough. If you have a thermometer the temperature should register 190C/375F. Otherwise, drop a single piece of onion into the pan – it should sizzle and rise to the top of the oil. If the onion sinks to the bottom, the oil isn’t hot enough and you should let it heat for another minute before trying again.
- Do cook the onions in batches – about a cupful of onions at a time. For 2 medium-sized onions, I made three batches.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan or the onions won’t crisp properly.
- Do stir the onions occasionally to ensure they brown evenly all over.
- Do take the onions out of the pan as soon as they turn golden. They can go from golden and delicious to dark brown and burnt-tasting in the blink of an eye.
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Crispy fried onions FAQ
You can freeze these onions in meal-sized portions in zip-lock freezer bags. Let them cool to room temperature before transferring to the bag. To use, let them defrost and then crisp them up by heating them in a dry frying pan or on a baking sheet in a hot oven for a few minutes.
These onions can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
This is a very easy recipe to scale up. For every 2 medium onions (or approximately 3 cups of sliced onions) you will need one cup of flour plus seasoning (for coating). You should not have to increase the amount of oil, as not all of the oil in the original recipe will be used.
You will probably have quite a bit of oil left over after frying the onions. You can allow the oil to cool and then strain it through a sieve to remove any bits of flour and onion and then store it in a glass jar. The oil will have a slight onion flavour which makes it ideal for frying chips or steak, but unsuitable for use in sweet dishes.
That’s a very good question, and I wish I had an answer!
If you have a way of chopping onions without crying, please let me know in the comments!
Save for later
If you would like to try these crispy fried onions yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for crispy fried onions, you may also enjoy these other recipes using onions:
- How to make pickled red onions – deliciously crispy pickled red onions in only 10 minutes.
- Easy cheese and onion quiche – a delicious cheese and onion quiche, made even tastier with the addition of cream cheese.
- Sauteed potatoes and onions – this simple version of fried potatoes and onions makes a tasty and satisfying side dish.
- Pear and onion chutney – a deliciously sweet and spicy chutney that goes well with cold meat
The recipe
Crispy fried onions
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Wok or
- Mandolin or
- Spider strainer optional
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions approximately 3 cups when sliced
- 2 cups / 480 ml buttermilk or milk
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika or your choice of seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
- 2 cups sunflower or canola oil approximately
Instructions
- Start off by peeling and slicing the onions. Try to keep the slices the same size so that the onions all brown at the same time.2 medium onions
- Place the sliced onions in a shallow dish and cover them with buttermilk. Leave them to marinate for half an hour, giving them a stir after 15 minutes.2 cups / 480 ml buttermilk
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and your choice of seasoning in a dish.1 cup plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt
- Lift out a handful of onions from the buttermilk and allow the buttermilk to drip back into the dish. Place the onions in the flour mixture, stir lightly and transfer them to a plate. Repeat until all the onions have been coated.
- Heat the oil in a wok until it reaches 190C/375F and fry the onions in batches for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden.2 cups sunflower or canola oil
- Transfer the fried onions to a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to allow any excess oil to drain away. Repeat until all the onions have been fried.
Notes
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- Do make sure the oil is hot enough. If you have a thermometer the temperature should register 190C/375F. Otherwise, drop a single piece of onion into the pan – it should sizzle and rise to the top of the oil. If the onion sinks to the bottom, the oil isn’t hot enough and you should let it heat for another minute before trying again.
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- Do cook the onions in batches – about a cupful of onions at a time. For 2 medium-sized onions, I made three batches.
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- Don’t overcrowd the pan or the onions won’t crisp properly.
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- Do stir the onions occasionally to ensure they brown evenly all over.
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- Do take the onions out of the pan as soon as they turn golden. They can go from golden and delicious to dark brown and burnt-tasting in the blink of an eye.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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Soak your peeled onions in cold water before slicing. No tears 🙂
Great tip – thanks – I’ll try that next time.