Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Crispy onion rings in a light beer batter seasoned with paprika and garlic, fried until golden.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 15min
- Total
- 30min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 370per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Two coats give these rings their crunch: a dry dusting of seasoned flour, then a dip in batter made with cold lager. The flour gives the wet batter something to grip, so it doesn't slide off the slick onion. Bubbles in the beer lighten the batter, and keeping it cold helps it fry up crisp rather than bready.
Use sweet onions cut thick, about 5/8 inch (1.5 cm), so the onion inside turns soft in the 2 to 3 minutes the batter takes to brown in oil at 375°F (190°C). Salt them the moment they come out of the pot.
Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Prep 15 min, cook 15 min, total 30 min. About 370 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/beer-battered-onion-rings
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
Tap a step to keep your place.
Separate onion slices into individual rings and pat dry with paper towels.
In a bowl, whisk together 1 cup cold lager beer, 3¼ oz flour, 5 g paprika, 3 g garlic powder, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
Place remaining 2 oz flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a large heavy pot to 375°F (190°C).
Dredge each onion ring in seasoned flour, shake off excess, then dip in beer batter, letting excess drip off.
Fry onion rings in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy, turning once.
Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt while hot. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Tips
- Peel away the thin, papery membrane on the inside of each ring. Batter won't stick to it and slips off in the oil.
- Fry 4 or 5 rings at a time and let the oil climb back to 375°F (190°C) between batches. Crowded oil cools and the rings come out greasy.
- Whisk the batter just before frying and keep the bowl cold. Batter that sits loses its bubbles.
- Drain on a wire rack over a sheet pan rather than paper towels so the bottoms stay crisp. Hold finished batches in a 200°F (93°C) oven.
Substitutions
- Club soda or non-alcoholic beer instead of lager: just as light and crisp, with less malty taste.
- Gluten-free: use a gluten-free flour blend for both the dredge and the batter, with gluten-free beer or club soda.
- Yellow onions instead of sweet: sharper and less sweet, but they hold up the same in the fryer.
Make ahead & storage
Onion rings are best within 10 minutes of frying. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge; re-crisp them on a rack in a 425°F (220°C) oven or in an air fryer for 5-6 minutes until hot.
