These super crunchy onion rings are coated in seasoned panko breadcrumbs and baked for a lighter take on an indulgent dish!
Sometimes you have to choose between the dish you really want, and the dish that's better for you, but I am quite pleased to tell you that today is not one of those days!
These baked onion rings are super crunchy and full of flavor, and thanks to a few healthy swaps - like using mostly egg whites & panko bread crumbs for the dredging and baking instead of deep frying - they are way healthier for you than your standard battered onion rings!
Baked onion rings are one of my Dad's specialties. We've tweaked the recipe a little bit over the years but they are definitely a family favorite of ours!
There is a little trick I have found that makes them easier to make. After mixing the spices in the panko bread crumbs, I like to divide it into two batches and set half aside so you can clean out the bowl & start with fresh crumbs about halfway though. During the dredging process some of the egg ends up getting into the panko crumbs and they start to stick to each other instead of sticking to the onion rings, so it's nice to start with fresh panko/spices on the second half of your onion rings so they are thoroughly coated instead of patchy.
Panko is such a great ingredient to add crispiness to these baked onion rings (fun fact - panko bread crumbs are baked by electrical current!). You can find panko bread crumbs at your local grocery store, or order them online if you like!
Fair warning: these are a little time consuming (it usually takes me about 20 minutes or so to dredge all of the onion rings in the flour/egg/bread crumbs) but they are SO WORTH IT! They're crunchy, flavorful, and SO much healthier than traditional fried onion rings.
Even though they take a little bit of time, baked onion rings are really easy to make with just a few ingredients. They're a perfect side dish with burgers or served as an appetizer (maybe with some Magical Chipotle Ranch Dressing to dip them in? I think so!).
Yummy noises await you!
Baked Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, peeled
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 whole egg
- 1 ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the onion crosswise into ½ inch slices and separate the layers into individual rings (set aside the very small inside pieces for another recipe).
- Set up your dredging station. In one bowl, stir together the flour, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, and cayenne. In a second bowl, whisk together the egg whites, whole egg and 1 tablespoon water until thoroughly combined and slightly frothy. In a third bowl, mix together the panko, ¾ teaspoon garlic salt and pepper - set aside half of this panko mixture.
- Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. One at a time, dredge each onion ring in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg mixture and allow excess to drip back into bowl. Drop into panko mixture, turning to coat evenly and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with all onion rings. About halfway through the dredging process, clean out the bowl with the panko/spices and replenish it with the panko/spice mixture that was set aside.
- When all onion rings have been coated, spray the tops with nonstick cooking spray to help them brown. Bake for 10 minutes, flip onion rings and rotate & switch position of pans, and bake for about 7 more minutes, until they are golden brown. Serve immediately!
Notes
They look fantastic. Love the pic of Charlie on your couch.
A Rich Ray special! I recognized it right away. Definitely worth the little extra time.
Can’t wait to try these.
They are totally worth the effort and actually taste better than fried ones...in my humble opinion. There are never any leftovers! Awesome pictures, by the way! Again, yummy noises await you.
Oh, I love onion rings and these look so enticing! Have to give them a try! Thanks for the recipe!