Crispy Baked Onion Rings

from 83 votes

Ditch the deep fryer in favor of this quick and easy recipe for Crispy Baked Onion Rings paired with your choice of dipping sauces.

A white plate containing baked onion rings with bowls of ketchup and mustard in the background

“But how does the breading stick?”

This is the culinary conundrum I face every time I ditch the deep fryer in favor of breading and baking my way to deliciousness (See: Baked Asparagus Fries).

A wood cutting board with sliced onions and a knife

The answer? A squeeze of mayonnaise into the whisked egg whites, which attracts the breadcrumbs like bees to honey, like syrup to pancakes, like Kelly to doughnuts. They get stuck. And stuck hard.

Bowls of breading ingredients for baked onion rings

The result is baked onion rings that are just as crispy and crunchy as their deep-fried, beer-battered counterparts.

A baking sheet with unbaked onion rings on top

So go ahead and save the oil for the corn dogs (and the wonton poppers … and the apple fritter rings …) and preheat your oven for a healthier take on everyone’s favorite savory side dish. And don’t forget a side of crispy French fries, too!

A white plate containing baked onion rings

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Appetizer

Crispy Baked Onion Rings

Ditch the deep fryer in favor of this quick and easy recipe for Crispy Baked Onion Rings paired with your choice of dipping sauces.
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.88 from 83 votes
A white plate containing baked onion rings with bowls of ketchup and mustard in the background
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 large Vidalia onions
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs (See Kelly’s Note)
  • Cooking spray

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Slice the onions into 1/2-inch wide rings then place the rings in a bowl of water.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites and the mayonnaise. Add the breadcrumbs to a third medium bowl.
  • Remove each onion ring from the water, shaking off any excess and then placing it immediately into the flour, tossing until it’s thoroughly coated, then dip the onion ring into the egg white mixture until it’s thoroughly coated and then into the breadcrumbs, pressing them firmly onto all sides of the onion ring. Place the onion ring on the prepared baking sheet and repeat the coating process with the remaining onion rings.
  • Throughly spray the onion rings with cooking spray (this is optional, but it helps them brown more evenly). Bake the onion rings for 10 minutes then flip them once and bake an additional 5 minutes until they’re golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Kelly’s Note:

  • Fine (rather than Panko) breadcrumbs work best, as they adhere more easily to the onion rings. I prefer the Italian-style breadcrumbs, which are seasoned with herbs and spices. If you can’t find the Italian-style breadcrumbs in your supermarket, make your own by mixing plain breadcrumbs with garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, salt and pepper.
  • ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 139mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 4IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 2mg

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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.


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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe. Next time, I will not put the onions in water because we felt some of the onion flavor was lost.

  2. 5 stars
    I love this recipe! I have been using it for about 4 years. I have shared your recipe with many friends and a lot of my patients who have diet restrictions and also love onion rings. I make them GF for my wife using GF flower and panko crumbs that I season with some Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Thank you for this recipe, it lets me indulge myself with onion rings and not feel terrible after eating a pile of them. :)

    1. Love, love, LOVE reading this, Jon! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe for so long!

  3. 5 stars
    Ever follow an online recipe that looks amazing and it turns out EXACTLY like what the author touted it would? Yep, this is that recipe. Amazingly delicious and crispy onion rings. Do yourself a favor and make these rings. So good!

  4. 5 stars
    I love this recipe. I recently altered it for a celiac friend using GF flour and adding Italian seasoning to crushed Rice Crispies. So good!

  5. 5 stars
    These are CRISPY and CRUNCHY! Loved them! Next time I think I will try different seasonings in the breadcrumbs, perhaps parmesan, garlic and paprika?

  6. 5 stars
    I searched for an onion ring that was baked due to cholesterol issues. I made these tonight and they were delicious! We were surprised how crisp and delicious they were. This will be my go to recipe from here on out!

  7. 5 stars
    These were great. My little one is kind of picky but he loves these. It was simple. I did add ranch seasoning in to the breadcrumbs.

  8. 4 stars
    A good alternative option. The seasoning is a bit off. I’ll try it again maybe it will be better. Overall happy with the result : )

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Georgie! Looking forward to reading your results next time if you switch up the seasonings! :)

  9. 5 stars
    I don’t know if I’ve ever written a food review before but I had to for these onion rings. I was craving something deep-fried but since I don’t eat deep fried foods I was looking for some options. I saw this recipe and although I doubt it it would satisfy my craving it totally did! These onion rings are crispy and delicious And not that difficult to make. Next time I make these I might try putting the onion rings directly from the water into a bag of flour and seasonings rather than do it with my hands because they are messy. Highly recommend it!

    1. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Linda! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!

  10. 5 stars
    I didn’t have enough oil to fry shrimp and onion rings too, so I decided to check out to see if I could find an oven baked onion ring recipe. This one is the best for my liking and I had all the ingredients on hand, except I only had regular yellow onions, which worked fine. This is a keeper. Thanks!!!

  11. Can these be made ~ 1 hour in advance, then baked, or will the panko/bread crumbs turn soggy? It would be convenient to make in advance when entertaining, then bake while getting the other menu items ready. Thank you in advance for your opinion.

  12. So last night I tried making them with panko crumbs that I blitzed in the blender quickly then added Italian seasonings…. Tonight I made them as directed with the exception of chickpea water to replace the egg whites. The panko version turned out better, more crunchy.

  13. 4 stars
    Good with reduced fat from baking. I grew waaaay too many onions this year so am pickling pub onions, making pies and now …making onion rings. I liked this recipe because we look for lower fat recipes. We made our own crumbs and ground them super fine in the FP and seasoned them well. They were appreciated and we all get that the difference between a deep fry and a crumb bake. Tasty though. We got them nice and crispy but like others I thought they needed an extra 10 minutes in the oven. Still an excellent recipe!!! Thank you!!!

      1. 5 star recipe!! I used chickpea water in place of the egg whites to make them vegan and it worked perfectly. Bake time for me was perfect, might be the convection oven? They also reheat perfectly

  14. 3 stars
    These are a pretty good substitute for fried onion rings and much simpler to make. However, they need a lot longer in the oven. The onion was still crunchy when I took them out. I added ten minutes to the cook time and they turned out great.

    1. Thanks for your note, Megan! All ovens will vary in actual temp and heat circulation so feel free to adjust the bake time!

    2. 4 stars
      Agreed. Needs an extra 10. I made a test batch. Yummy with lots of different dipping sauces. I made extra for a party.

  15. 5 stars
    I love all your recipes,,they are always so easy to follow. I have also ordered your cookbook Secret I love having physical books. Thank You for sharing your recipes.

    1. Love reading this, Ruth! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipes, and thank you for purchasing my cookbook!

    1. Hi Patricia – I’m not a nutritionist so unfortunately I don’t provide that info, as I’d have no way of guaranteeing it’s 110% accurate, which is super important to me!

  16. 5 stars
    These onion rings were very delicious and tempting. Took a lot of dishes to make but it was worth it! I was very surprised how it turned out given I had to replace many things like Mayo to Yogurt, Vidalias to different onions, etc. Overall, thanks for the amazing recipe, Kelly!

  17. 5 stars
    These are amazing! My kids requested these repeatedly last year and we can hardly wait until Vidalias are back in season. They turn out so flavorful and crispy! Thanks for the great recipe and introducing us to Vidalias. I tried the recipe with a different variety of onion only once.

  18. 5 stars
    These were amazing!!! Better than the store bought ones.

    Would it be possible to batch these and freeze them so it’s easy to throw into the oven for dinner?

    1. Hi Zac! You can freeze the baked onion rings for up to 2-3 months when stored in a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

  19. 5 stars
    I made them as a snack when my kids came over. Really very delicious!! I was pretty surprised that the crumbs adhered to the onion so well. I did turn the oven up for an extra 5 minutes and they were crispy as all get out! I think next time I make them (and there WILL be a next time!) I will use a regular yellow onion for more oniony taste. Great recipe.

  20. 5 stars
    We could not believe how yummy these rings were!!! I’ve tried many baked vegetable recipes, but this is far and away the best ever. The mayo is the secret ingredient! My husband would eat them every night! I cannot wait to try things like zucchini and eggplant with your recipe.

    I wasn’t paying full attention to the recipes and used whole eggs — it worked just fine. Also I did not have vidalias, so used an onion which is not too harsh, and we DID use panko and were more generous with the butter flavor spray. Again, delicious. Thank you SO much!!!!

  21. Made the baked onion rings. Didn’t have mayo do I substitute sour cream with mustard. Came out delicious.

  22. Can you make these ahead of time and keep them on the baking sheet wrapped in tin boil until ready to bake?

    1. Hi Patricia – I’ve never tried making these in an air fryer so I’m not sure what the results would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!

  23. 5 stars
    So good! I used panko and gave them an extra crush to make them more fine. The batter stayed and browned nicely, the onion was soft inside, and all my fussy eaters loved them! This recipe is a keeper.

  24. Just wondering, do you have to use vidalia? I have a ton of yellow and would hate to buy vidalia when I have so many of the other in my pantry.

  25. 4 stars
    Tasty. I like to serve with some kind of aioli – Valrico siracha. It takes me more than 15 min to prep the onion rings. Its worth the time though

    They also freeze and reheat well. I only cook those I’m going to freeze for 10 min

  26. 5 stars
    All breaded foods are labor intensive. But this is amazing! I’m so happy to do this again! Baking is way easier than frying. It’s healthier. And my family loves it!!

  27. 5 stars
    Love onion rings, hate the thought of how much grease/oil is in them. This recipe was a great healthier variation. Preparation is a bit putsy, but it was worth it. The recipe made it into my recipe box, (many do not). Thanks

  28. 5 stars
    I make these all the time now. Boyfriend is diabetic and has heart issues so I try to find healthy alternatives to some of his favorites for our once a week splurge meal.

    1. Hi Sharon – You can freeze the baked onion rings for up to 2-3 months when stored in a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

  29. 5 stars
    I had a bag of Vidalia onions and all the other ingredients for Crispy Baked Onion Rings so I made them this evening to serve with our Hamburger dinner. Although quite a messy undertaking, they were delicious! My husband couldn’t believe that they were homemade, and oven baked rather than fried. This recipe is a keeper. Highly recommend!

  30. 5 stars
    Excellent side to our Father’s Day dinner. I did not want to sacrifice my eggs so I used 3/4 buttermilk with the mayo and puréed panko to mix with Italian breadcrumbs. It’s now in my favorites and we thank you!

  31. 5 stars
    I discovered this recipe and I decided to try it out. The onion rings came out perfectly and making them was very simple and straightforward. I used my hands to dip them in the mixtures, so I had to frequently stop to wash my hands. So glad to find a recipe that calls for the oven rather than a pan of oil. Thank you!

  32. 5 stars
    We loved these! They satisfied a craving with so little guilt. I had no flour so substituted cornstarch, and that didn’t seem to hurt it one bit. Took me longer than 15 minutes to prep, but I’ll be making again, so I’m bound to get faster. Thanks for the great recipe!

  33. My husband and I loved these. I had to substitute panko for bread crumbs and blue cheese dressing for mayo, but they still came out great! Hubby liked them better than fried. Next time I’ll have the proper ingredients and see if there’s a difference, but we are very happy with these. Oh yeah, next time I will at least double the coatings. I only had enough for about 1/3 of the onions.

  34. Ever the contrarian, I went with Panko crumbs (all I had) and came up with a palate abrasive experience. Took a kitchen mallet to refine the remaining Pankos (good chefs always tell their dog you’re not mad at her before making all the noise) and into the oven went batch #2. Then perfection! The chemistry between the sugars and carbs is a marriage of yummy textures. Thank you.

  35. I made these and was kind of skeptical when I pulled them from the oven. But after tasting them they were so yummy. Great recipe, I only added more salt and some other seasonings

  36. 5 stars
    Totally amazing! Simple recipe, easy to make & very tasty! The mayonaise mixed w/ the egg whites was genius.

  37. 5 stars
    Kelly, you saved my life. In the most dire of circumstances, this no oil onion ring recipe reaches out to me and tells me everything’s gonna be alright. Thank you Kelly.

  38. I don’t have any Vidalia onions on hand, but I do have purple onions and yellow onions could I substitute one of these? And if so which one would you suggest?

  39. Do you think this technique would work for other “oven fried” things? I’m thinking green tomatoes but pretty much any veggie right now.

  40. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness! This is such an easy recipe and absolutely delicious. Finally I can have onion rings without all the oil. Thank you so much!

  41. 5 stars
    Just found your recipe. Excited for tonight’s dinner.
    Can’t wait to make

    Thank you. Will report back

    I presume this technique can be used for many foods… prawn tempura , veggies

    1. It should! You’ll just need to adjust the bake time. Looking forward to hearing your results!

  42. I made these yesterday and they were so good!!!! Even tasted great the next day warmed up in the toaster oven. Only issue I had was the mayo didn’t really whisk in well with the egg whites. Just sort of clumped. Any suggestions, because I will definitely be making them again!

    1. I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Beth! And there’s no real trick to mixing together the egg whites and the mayonnaise other than to just keep whisking. :)

  43. 5 stars
    Excellent. Very easy recipe and simple steps. I have all the ingredients in my kitchen and will be making these this evening or tomorrow evening. Thanks for the recipe.

  44. I quartered the recipe for just me. These are are better than fried in my opinion. Thanks for a great recipe I am sharing with family and friends.

  45. Can these be frozen after baking and reheated or would it be better to freeze them after breading them? Thanks!
    P.S. They look delicious!

    1. Hi Carol! You can freeze the baked onion rings for up to 2-3 months when stored in a freezer bag or airtight container. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

  46. 5 stars
    Enjoyed this recipe greatly! So nice to bake rather than fry. Used low sodium Ritz crackers that I had for the crumbs which worked well. Thanks for sharing! I will do it again. My picky husband loved them!

  47. 5 stars
    These were absolutely Divine! Next time I will make 2 cookie sheets full just for my hubby and me! I used almond flour and gluten free panko bread crumbs. I added some Penzey’s Tuscan Sunset seasoning. The mayo worked great. Thanks so much. They were better than at a restaurant!

  48. 5 stars
    I am very impressed! I’ve never made onion rings before, but saw a delicious picture of homemade onion rings on reddit and hit google. Not much oil led me to baking and around an hour later I have the best onion rings I think I’ve probably ever had!
    I went with a red onion and busted down some toasted Rye for the breadcrumbs, added a bit of garlic, pepper and basil.
    Okay, the bread crumbs stick beautifully! the lack of oil is so awesome!
    But the best part is that you can actually bite through the onion easily! It doesn’t just kind of pull the whole thing apart. Is that how it always is when you bake vs. fry? or did I make some happy mistake?

  49. I just made these Bc I forgot to get the fries or rings at the store to have with our burgers. Omg. Delish! I didn’t have any breadcrumbs Bc I’m tying to go low carb. So I did have a whole bag of pork rind panko crumbs! They were great! And so low carb also. I made a small batch so only 12 rings for me and my mom. But that made it just right. Crispy, nicely browned. Oh and also used a chopstick to help move the ring from one mix to the next. Great method! Thank you so much for the recipe.

  50. 5 stars
    These onion rings turned out great! They were crispy and delicious. My children loved them and declared: “Wow! They look like REAL onion rings!” We will definitely make them again.

  51. 5 stars
    Very tasty, and great tips about making the rings crispy. I followed that part of the recipe exactly, and it it right on.

    I messed with the mix though. Couldn’t help myself. And I’m glad I did. I added some Spike seasoning, some powdered ranch dressing mix from a big container I bought at CostCo, and some nutritional yeast to the flour mix, and tripled the pepper.

    One large vidalia onion was way MORE than enough. Mine must be jumbo!

    It’s a bit labor intensive for an appetize. But this was very popular at our house.

  52. 5 stars
    I made these with gluten free flour and breadcrumbs as well as spicy mayo. Turned out nicely! Next time I might try using two layers of onion slices when breading just to have a higher onion to breading ratio.

  53. 4 stars
    I do love how the breading stuck to the onion rings. I did run out of the egg white / mayo mixture and the bread crumbs, so next time I’ll increase both of those. I, also, prefer a tad more zip in the breading, so I’ll probably amp up the flavor with cayenne or chili pepper.
    Overall, this is a very good recipe, and I will be trying it again. Thanks

    1. Hi Vanessa! You can use sour cream or just skip it however the mixture may not adhere as well.

    1. Hi Salvador! I’ve never tried this recipe with cornmeal but it *should* work. Let me know if you give it a shot!

  54. 5 stars
    Very happy with the end results, but wish I had followed your advice to use fine breadcrumbs. I used what I had and it was too crumbly. The mayonnaise is an excellent hack though for making the breadcrumbs stick! Thank you for sharing!

  55. 5 stars
    I’ve made these several times now for my fiance and I to snack on since we’re huge fans of onions… Taste great every time! Lately I’ve been adding shredded Parmesan to the breadcrumbs, gives them a nice cheesy flavor. I use a Mayo/ketchup dip for them, something simple since they taste out of this world by themselves!

  56. 5 stars
    I had been looking for a healthier alternative to fried onion rings, and stumbled upon this on Instagram and followed the recipe here! Overall, very good recipe – I had no problems with the breadcrumbs sticking to the onion and they baked pretty well! I will definitely make them again. Thank you!

  57. 5 stars
    In India on 14th January we enjoy Makar sankranti festival where we cook Khichdi recipe one pot lentil and rice dish. Along with this Khichdi recipe I cooked your crispy baked onion rings.
    The combination went very well and our family totally enjoyed it.

  58. 5 stars
    what an amazing idea! Tonight, it’s Pizza Night in our home so I’m going to make these onion rings while the oven is on! :)

  59. Onion Rings have always been one of my favorite. Had a friend in the restaurant business years ago who said they always soaked the sliced onions in water overnight so that when they breaded and fried them the next day that icky membrane would not adhere. They were famous for their onion rings and what I always ordered instead of fries. Glad to see they are baked as I don’t tolerate fried food as well as I did before. So it’s off to slice an onion and have these tomorrow for dinner.

  60. 4 stars
    Thanks for the guidance. I’d already decided on Italian bread crumbs (a staple in New Orleans in every store and pantry) but added a couple Tablespoons of grated parmesan and romano to the crumbs to make them brown, and no spraying with oil. Whoo cher they was good!

  61. When I soaked them the inside membrane bit came off very easily, but I found that the coatings didn’t want to stick to the outside of the ring (where it’s still shiny!)
    I’m finding it impossible to remove the outside shiny part though – has anybody got any tips?

    1. Hi Diana – You can remove the little membrane, but I’ve never experienced the outside coating not sticking. Did you transfer the onion rings from the water immediately into the flour?

  62. These are so yummy! Here’s my tip, after the separated rings are soaked in the water, make sure to remove the cellophane-like membrane before the breading process. I’m making them for supper tonight :)

  63. I have a helpful hint! Instead of the Italian bread crumbs I used Italian flavored croutons and crushed them up by putting them in a zip lock bag and using a rolling pin! It worked well and they’re super tasty! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

  64. I just made these and they are amazing! I looked at a few recipes before deciding on one and this one had all ingredients that were already in my fridge. Also, they’re pretty healthy! And yet they taste so much like restaurant ones that are made in the deep fryer. Thanks so much for sharing. Would love to explore your site more and try other yummy recipes!

  65. I made these two days ago. I’d never made onion rings before and I usually have bad luck with anything battered, but I had a serious craving for onion rings. They were wonderful!

    At first, my husband didn’t believe me when I said I made onion rings. This recipe is a keeper. I’ll be making them regularly. Thank you!

    1. I just stumbled upon this recipe, must try. I have a certificate in Dietetics and Food Production, and in my classes, we learned how to calculate nutrition. I ran a few calculations, estimating the average number or rings from the onions with the various coatings. Keep in mind, it’s a close estimate due to the variation in size and number of the rings. A single onion ring is about 25 calories and 4 grams of carbs. Most frozen ones are 6 ring servings, so 6 large rings would be 150 calories and 24 grams of carbohydrates. If you switch to whole wheat flour and whole wheat breadcrumbs, you could probably knock off a little over a half-gram of carbs per ring, which would make a 6 ring serving 19 grams instead of 24. Don’t forget fat and protein content, there’s about 2 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fat in 6 rings. HTH!

  66. Is there any reason for soaking the onion rings in water?

    Really looking forward to trying this mayo addition as there’s tons I’d like to cook without having to fry it.

  67. Love love love your site. I have made and shared so many of your delicious recipes. I have been looking for a great, not fried, tasty onion ring. Of course, you provided it.
    Thank You

  68. The onion rings were delicious. Bread crumbs coated the onion nicely. The few leftover heated up well in a toaster oven . Went well with my omelet next morning .. Now off to try the sweet and sour cucumber noodles !

    1. Hi Bridget! You can try leaving it out. The egg whites will still stick but just not as well.

  69. Kelly: Do you have nutritional facts for this recipe. I’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes and need to know carbs and sugars. This sounds like it would fit.

    1. Hi Margot! I am not a nutritionist so I don’t provide nutritional info for any of my recipes, as I have no way of guaranteeing it’s 110% accurate :)