Crispy Baked Onion Rings
In the most recent issue of Real Simple, I read an article about how to increase your creativity. Things like sit in a different spot of your house to write or in my case type up something different… it even says to surround yourself with the color blue, as it’s suppose to evoke all sorts of great ideas and get those creative juices flowing.
So I thought I’d put it to the test. I’m on my laptop instead of at my desk. I’m sitting cross-legged on one of the softest blue blankets my fingers ever came across at target {best 50 bucks I’ve ever spent}, and I’m about to share with you some pretty amazing onion rings.
Ps… this is my my 301st post! Holy crud!
I hope I haven’t burnt ya out on this whole Cajun obsession I’ve been reeling in. It’s just that I was at the end of my stash and wanted to use the last of it up somehow. But these don’t have to be Cajun. You could absolutely sub some Italian seasoning in there, or maybe just a pinch of garlic powder? Go ahead and make these however you want… just follow the basic dunking and battering steps and you’ll be aiiiight.
Start by lobbing off the top of an onion.
Peel of any tough or thick layers of the onion.
This thing scares the crap out of me. It’s frickin SHA-HARP, I always always use the guard because I do need my fingertips, it could make shots of me adding ingredients not so visually appealing. kwim?
Slice the onions, with the guard on, into about a half inch. I’m pretty bad with measuring thickness and I always buy an extra onion just for that fact, in case I screw something up {like that ring on the far right}.
Go get three shallow dishes and set up the dredging station.
I added two teaspoons of Cajun seasoning to the panko. You could easily just use some salt and pepper. Whatever floats your boat.
The process goes like this; flour and shake.
Egg whites, let drip.
Then toss in the panko. Repeat with the onion rings until you use up all that panko and filled up two rimmed baking sheets.
Oh and remove your wedding bands or any fing-ular accessories… because your fingers WILL look like this. {You should’ve seen the camera :/ } Really I don’t think my fingers have ever looked so delicious.
Lay them out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. My batch made two cookie sheets full which fed us four just fine. But if you were serving a large crowd of peeps, I’d probably double. But that’s a whole lot of dredging.
I popped both sheet trays in the oven for a total of twenty minutes and switched wracks half way through the baking process.
They come out golden, crispy and the onions are perfectly tender. Simply serve with your favorite dipping condiment and you can’t go wrong! My condiment of choice? Chipotle Mayo… recipe coming your way soon 
I’m not sure if it got my creative juices flowing but it was comfy!
Crispy Baked Onion Rings
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
2-3 Sweet Onions, Sliced {about a half-inch thick}
2-3 Egg Whites, {yolks discarded or used for another purpose}
1-1/2 cups Panko
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning {optional}
Kosher Salt, to taste
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Trim of the ends of two sweet onions and peel back any tough layers and discard. Slice into 1/2 inch rings and separate the rings. (You may not need a third onion, I always buy one more in case any slicing errors occur)
Grab three shallow dishes; one for the flour, panko {seasonings if you're using any} and the egg whites. Dredge the onion rings first in the flour and shake off any excess. Then dip in the egg whites and toss in the panko. Place in a single layer on the rimmed sheets. Bake in your preheated oven at 400 degrees for a total of twenty minutes. If you're baking two pans at the same time be sure to swap the pans on the wracks at the ten minute mark (there is no need to flip the onion rings). Remove and season with a smidgen of salt before serving them with your favorite dipping condiment.
Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours! (
Always wanted to do this! YUM!
Oh, these look perfect – I haven't had onion rings in forever but I actually prefer them baked instead of fried. Plus, what an easy ingredient list! I think I'll be making a batch tonight!
I have been wanting to make baked onion rings for weeks. I think I might have to try these out tonight!
I love onion rings and baked is even better! Thanks for the recipe.
Baked onion rings are awesome. Try putting BBQ sauce on them and then coat them in breadcrumbs. So delicious.
YES! Great way to use the mandolin! They scare the crap out of me too, so I usually just have my boyfriend do the slicing. Lately, we've only used it to make sweet potato chips, so I'm thrilled to change it up with baked onion rings!
LOVE this. And I love your flour holder! That color is my JAM.
Thanks Bev! Pier1 rocks my world:)
LOVE onion rings…of any variety
Gorgeous Laurie!
i didn't know that about the color blue…i think i should probably move to the Caribbean and live by the water, eh?
Yum! I love that they're baked and not fried.
301 post! Congrats, Laurie, looking forward to many more, too. I will take onion rings in any form or fashion. These look amazing!
They look delicious… I always hate how greasy onion rings can be, so I can't wait to try these!
301 posts and they just get tastier and tastier!! I love these crispy rings!
Baked? You're so healthy! Will definitely have to take a break from deep-frying and try these!
Thanks to you I just sent my hubby out for onion rings…
Yesssssss!!! Totally bookmarking this…I love that they are baked!
Looks delicious! Love that it's baked – and I know the dough on camera issues…
Oh my!! they look amazing!
And such a relief to know you don't need to deep fry to get crisp onion rings. 
Love the pictures.
These sound great but what is panko? Maybe we call it something else here in the UK but I've never heard of it.
Panko is a Japanese bread crumb, we can find them in all our major grocery stores… hope this helps!!
Hi there! These look great. I work in the onion industry and for cooking, you'll find that Spanish Sweet (not mild sweet) onions work best for cooking. They maintain their shape, texture, and flavor as they cook. Spanish Sweet onions from Idaho & Eastern Oregon are savory when raw, and sweet with heat!
301, Congrats!! I just marked my 1 year anniversary. These onion rings look crispy and delicious. Guess I need to find blue blanket, or pain my new office blue, who knew?
Ooooh, healthy AND yummy…I'm in! And I just happen to have a whole bag of Vidalia onions
Wow, you've done it again … now I HAVE to make these! I posted your Asparagus Fries today! Thanks so much — Catherine at http://www.praycookblog.com
Crispy Onion Rings are my kryptonite: I am powerless in the face of them. The coating always falls off when I fry them, so I am really looking forward to baking them for burger night. You rock, Laurie!
Oh my, these sound delicious! I'll try sitting in a different place the next time I need to be especially productive
Hi!
Congratulations on making the Foodbuzz Top 9! I really like your culinary point of view and have a similar one with my own website, Crazy Foodie Stunts. For me, it's less about what's in the food and where it comes from (although that's important too) and more about learning how to make dishes and to
I love onion rings, but hate the fat, so this perfect! I can't wait to try doing this. Thanks!
ohh this looks great!
Do you think it works just the same if I use regular bread crumbs instead of panko?
thanks
Major congrats on being in the foodbuzz top 9, today!
I made these this afternoon to go over our bbq chicken salad. They were easy and came out nice and crunchy. They were a nice change from fried onion rings. This is a keeper!
I love my onion rings! I can't wait to give these a try, thanks for sharing the recipe!
I love onion rings too… Sometimes I skip the flour and instead of the panko I use whole grain cornmeal which is just a little bit healthier. Still really crispy! You can do that with zucchini or eggplant too!
These sound totally awesome and not very hard! I am going to give them a shot this weekend! I think burgers are on the menu and these will be the perfect side dish!
These look delish! Btw, great advice for the mandolin. Just a few days ago, I was slicing an apple for a potentially beautiful salad and I had a little accident. Let’s just say I have a little less thumb than I was born with. :/ Keep up the great work-LOVE your site!!
i just made these. . .wow, 5 star recipe, girl! these were amazingly delicious! and i can feel good about eating onion rings that aren’t fried. thank you!