Up your snack and side dish game with a crowd-friendly recipe for hot, crispy Beer-Battered Onion Rings.
Nothing beats the winter blues quite like a hot tub … of bubbling oil. Your Super Bowl menu has likely taken shape at this point (don’t forget the Nutella Chocolate Football Truffles!), but for all those looking to add a hot, crunchy, salty snack to the lineup, look no further than homemade Beer-Battered Onion Rings.
These circuitous golden brown beauties are an easy treat, starring a pale ale beer batter and thick slices of sweet onion. The carbonation in the beer leads to the lightest, crispiest breading, while a touch of paprika provides a deep golden hue. (Pro Tip: Not a beer fan? Sub in any other carbonated beverage, including ginger ale, club soda or your favorite soft drink!)
After a quick soak in the stovetop jacuzzi, they’re seasoned and served hot with your choice of dipping sauces.
Opt for a side of homemade spicy ketchup to keep your taste buds on their toes. Then sit back and tune in to the tube as you wash them down with (another) cold one. Now you can have your beer, and eat it, too.
Craving more? Sign up for the Just a Taste newsletter for a fresh serving of content delivered every week to your inbox! And stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for all of the latest updates.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) pale ale beer (See Kelly's Notes)
- 2 large yellow or Vidalia onions
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Spicy ketchup, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups of flour with the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk in the beer until the mixture is well combined. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- While the batter rests, cut the tip off of the stem side of the onions then remove the peel. Slice the onions horizontally into 1/2-inch-thick rings and toss them with the remaining ½ cup of flour.
- Add the vegetable oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch oven) to a depth of 2 inches and heat it over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 375°F.
- Working in batches, dip the onion rings into the prepared batter, shaking off any excess, then immediately drop them into the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Allow the onions to cook in the oil, flipping them once to guarantee even browning, for a total of about 3 minutes. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately season them with salt. Repeat the coating and frying process, returning the oil to 375°F between batches, with the remaining onions.
Kelly's Notes:
- When measuring beer, don't include the foamy head in your measurement. Pour it down the side of the liquid measuring cup (to minimize the head), and then measure the liquid part only.
- Not a beer fan? Sub in any other carbonated beverage, including ginger ale, club soda or your favorite soft drink.
- Shake off as much of the excess batter as possible when coating the onion rings in order to get the best ratio of onion to batter.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
Shoutout
Did you try this recipe?
Share it with the world! Mention @justataste or tag #justatasterecipes!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Recipe by Kelly Senyei of JustaTaste.com.
I used to go to a local sandwich shop for a pastrami sandwich and also for their onion rings. I thought that their rings were the best I have tasted….until now. I made your recipe and was blown away with the flavor, crispy texture and ease of making them. Instead of spending $7 for the store bought rings, I think I spent about $1. A new favorite place to get my rings…my house!
I love this so much, Cliff! Thrilled you are enjoying the recipe.
OH MY GOSH!! These were the best onion rings I have ever had!! Sliced my onions and put in ziplock bag, shake up with corn starch, let sit. Battered rings & let as much drip off as possible. Fry in hot oil at 375 in batches, about 1/2 an onion at a time. Fry 4 mins. Onions are perfectly done. Coating is SO crisp and light but not too light…much better than other recipes calling for eggs or baking powder. This recipe is perfect. Dipping sauce not even necessary… and I Always dip my rings. Also they aren’t greasy at all. Soooo good! Unbelievably good!!
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Joey!
FAB and CRUNCHY! The best ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jan!
Best onion rings EVER!!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Lawrence!
Haven’t made yet, but I’m sure they are delicious. Unfortunately we’re out of beer at the moment, but I’m wondering if you sub with soda such as ginger ale, etc., would they come out significantly sweet? I can’t imagine we’d be big fans of that type of flavor if so. Has anyone tried it?
Hi Kelly! Yes, you can absolutely sub in ginger ale!
Love the recipe, quick and easy… I had misplaced an old one I had used years back and this sounded almost exactly the same. The rings turned out perfect! I did soak my rings in buttermilk and then dried them off before coating with flour and dredging (only because that’s how I’ve always done it, learned that from Mom).
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Garnet!
I made the batter gluten free with gf beer
Omg haven’t had onion in 10 years. Will be making these way to often!!!
The batter stays on the onion
I’m in love
I made onion rings for the first time and used this recipe. I had a lot of walla walla onions. We had a crowd of 11. I made them outside using a camp stove and Dutch oven. Doubled the recipe. They were wonderful!!! Our guests ate them as fast as I could fry them. Every one of them raved about the flavor. I’ll definitely be making them again.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Helen!
Loved these! Great flavor – salt immediately after frying really enhances the flavor, and a dash of cayenne in dry mix before adding the liquid gives a little extra pop. Nice and crunchy/crispy. Jalapeño or horseradish aioli are also my faves for dipping.
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Heather!
Awesome onion rings! This is now my go to recipe!
Woohoo! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Betty!
This is my go to onion ring batter. 5 starts
Love reading this, John! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
is the 2 tsp of salt all go in the batter or does that include the salt for sprinkling after?
Hi Dawn! It all goes in the batter :)
Fantastic recipe, I use the batter for deep fried fish as well and it turned out great
YUM! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the beer-batter, Duane!
Oh my gosh! These onion rings were delicious. I am going to using this recipe again. The batter stayed in the rings. Perfect recipe.
Woohoo! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Cindy!
Used a handful of times now for my electric deep fryer. Batter sticks great, and is tasty! Works great with pickles and calamari rings too (pat them dry first).
Yessss! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Aaron!
I don’t normally leave comments, but…
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe, mom loved your onion rings & so do I & whenever I make these I think of my mom enjoying them so much, I always make these for gatherings & get rave reviews… thanks…
Thank you so much, Robert! Thrilled you’re enjoying the recipe!
Thank you for the recipe. It is a fantastic batter! I’ve had so many comments: “These are the best onion rings I have ever had!”
The magic must be in the simplicity of ingredients.
It’s also great with deep fried green beans and both sweet and dill pickles.
YUM! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Johnny!
Very good. Added a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar because I like sweet batter.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Brian!
Oh my.. these are insanely simple and frankly the best o-ring I’ve had. basically FOREVER… Really, A+ .. Thank You
You are so welcome, Paul! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
very simple recipe and very delicious onion rings
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!