These baked onion rings are not only made with healthy whole food ingredients, but taste amazing. They are the perfect comfort food!
This post was originally published on January 26, 2015.
There is not much more my husband loves than onion rings. But the deep fried fast food variety can only happen so often before we feel sick. But these babies are a whenever we want kinda deal!
I seriously have no problem serving these often, as they're pretty dang healthy! The husband is happy, the kids are happy, and so am I!
The flavor and texture of these onion rings have kind of ruined me though, I no longer want any other kind! The onions are perfectly soft (yet not slimy- YUCK) and the outside has the best crunchy crispy crust!
Ingredients
This recipe for healthy onion rings breaks down into a few parts. Obviously you need onion, then you'll need some items for the crispy coating, buttermilk soak, and the batter.
For the crispy coating gather:
- Almond flour
- Cornmeal
- Breadcrumbs
- Seasonings
For the soaking and batter you need:
- Dairy free milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- Almond flour
- Sparkling water
- Baking soda
How To Make Healthy Baked Onion Rings
ZERO frying necessary for these bad boys! Here's what to do:
- Slice onions.
- Mix the buttermilk and soak the onions.
- Dip onion in batter.
- Then dip in the crispy coating mixture.
- Place on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake.
- Serve!
Dipping Sauces
These onion rings are fabulous dipped in any of the following sauces:
- Pistachio Buffalo Cream
- Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Homemade Steak Sauce
- Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Healthy BBQ Sauce
Tips and tricks
Here's all the extra juicy secrets to success for these crispy baked onion rings:
- When dipping in the batter and coating, use one hand for each so it doesn’t get the coating wet and clumpy
- To try this nut free, sub ground up seeds for the almond flour in the coating. For the batter use another flour.
- You can make these gluten free by making sure to use gluten free breadcrumbs.
- You will have leftover crispy coating and batter, but it makes coating the onions easier if you have more than needed.
- To prepare these onion rings ahead of time, you can make the crispy coating and get the onions soaking in advance.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple days, but they will loose a bit of their crispiness. For best results, reheat in the oven.
Common Questions
Sweet or yellow onions will give these onion rings the best flavor. You can use other types, but the flavor could be overwhelming.
You really should to get the best onion rings. You can skip the buttermilk soak, but it helps cut the sharp flavor from the onions and brings out the sweetness. If you skip, just add ½ cup milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar to the batter.
Fried onion rings can get soggy from being cooked in oil that isn't hot enough, which causes the oil to be absorbed instead of simply frying. Another way onion rings can become soggy is if they have too much batter coated on, as it seals in the moisture from the onion.
This recipe avoids both of those issues, resulting in the best, crispy baked onion rings ever!
What To Serve With Onion Rings
Check out the following vegan recipes for inspiration for dishes that would pair well!
- BBQ Black Bean Burger
- Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Vegan Meatball Sub Sandwich
- Pulled 'Pork' Mushroom Sandwich
- Vegan BLTA
- Cheesesteak Sandwich
- More game day recipes!
Healthy Baked Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet or yellow onion 295 grams, 11 ounces
Crispy Coating:
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs , gluten-free if needed (can sub ground seeds)
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika optional for smoky flavor
Buttermilk soak:
- 4 cups dairy free milk I used cashew
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Batter:
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup sparkling water could sub more milk to make this easier
- ½ cup buttermilk mixture
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Mix almond milk and vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk in a long shallow dish (like a baking dish). Set aside.
- Slice onions into about ½ inch thick circles. Place onions in the buttermilk. Soak for at least 10 minutes but the longer the better.
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Combine ½ cup of the buttermilk mixture with the almond flour to form a batter and mix well. Place into a bowl or shallow dish.
- Combine crispy coating ingredients in a bowl or shallow dish and set aside.
- One by one, dip onion slices in batter mixture and coat well.
- Then dip them in the crispy coating mixture. I like to use one hand for each so it doesn’t get the coating wet and clumpy
- Place the slices on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness, then flip the onion rings and bake another 10-12 minutes. You don’t have to flip them if you prefer, but it’s best for even crispness.
- Serve!
Notes
- To try this nut free, sub ground up seeds for the almond flour in the coating. For the batter use another flour.
- You can skip the buttermilk soak but it helps cut the sharp flavor from the onions and brings out the sweetness. If you skip, just add ½ cup milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar to the batter.
- You will have leftover crispy coating and batter, but it makes coating the onions easier if you have more than needed.
- Nutrition facts don't include the full batter and coating since you don't use it all, it includes about half.
- Make the crispy coating.
- Soak the onions in the buttermilk.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Ann
Love this healthier recipe alternative, just what I was looking for. I had trouble getting the cornmeal coating to stick to the soaked onions about 1/2 way through, the dry stuff was turning a bit wet and not sticking anymore. Make about 10 perfect ones and the rest were not coated well. Any tips for getting it to stick throughout all the onions? Thanks
veggiesdontbite
Hi Ann! I am guessing that the coating got wet because you were using the same hand/tool to move the onion rings from batter to coating. To get the best result, you should coat them a few at a time and use the different tools for batter and coating. I lose patience half way through! LOL
Ks
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Can I skip the vinegar in the milk?
Is the cornmeal coarse or finely ground?
What can I use instead of Pepitas and almond flour?
veggiesdontbite
Hi!! I wouldn't skip the vinegar as it is there to give it a buttermilk type flavor. If you skip it know that it will change it a bit. Either cornmeal will work. Since it is just a coating it doesn't really matter too much. If it was a baked good it would be different. If you want to sub the pepitas, I'd do sunflower seeds. You can probably get away with all ground sunflower seeds instead of almond flour too. You can also try grinding some hemp seeds, or try breadcrumbs. Let me know how it turns out!
Emily Kemp
I'm a sucker for onion rings so I'm so happy I found this recipe. Now I can make a much healthier version!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
I love this idea! I've tried and failed at baked blooming onions a few times (they never seemed to cook all the way through!). I think this onion ring version looks like it would work a lot better- I can't wait to try it!!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Sarah! Soaking the onions like in my recipe helps a lot. It helps soften them and bind them to the coating. I am actually not much of an onion ring fan until I made these!
Kate
These look delicious. One question: What brand of almond milk are you using? I've found that making non-dairy "buttermilk" by adding vinegar to the almond milk just results in a gross separated mess. Works great with soy milk for me, so I was just curious how you got almond milk to work that way.
Thanks for the recipe... looking forward to trying this soon.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Kate! I use Silk and have never had that problem! I make it for my dark chocolate cupcakes too and it works great. But you can totally use soy if you want! Let me know when you try them!
Suzanne
I always made traditional onion rings with a buttermilk soak similar to this one. It's even more delicious if you add a splash of sriracha or other hot sauce. A shake of Cajun seasoning in the coating is also yummy. So excited to find a good vegan substitute!!
veggiesdontbite
Oh I adore hot sauce!!! That sounds great. I dip mine in hot sauce but you can never have to much in my book
Jody
Loved these. I only had red onion and in place of pumpkin seeds I used raw sunflower seeds. They tasted great. Nice and crisp.
veggiesdontbite
Awesome! Those sound like great subs. So glad you guys liked them! Thanks for letting me know!
Kayse
These look delicious! I loooooooove homemade oven baked onion rings! Great recipe!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much!! Let me know if you give them a try!!
Laura // Chronicles of Passion
My story is much the same . . . the boy asked for "healthy" onion rings, and never having had them myself, under similar reasons to yours, I took on the challenge. The result was an awesome cornmeal crusted goodness ring, which I too have tried. I like your suggestion to soak them overnight. I'll add that step next time:) Thanks!!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! Yes, the soaking helps soften the onion
chessonab
I absolutely LOVE the idea of using Pepitas in this!! So clever :). Definitely a must try!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much! Yes, they give it that extra delicious crunch it needed! Let me know if you give them a try!
Eco Friendly Homemaking
These look amazing and I will be some asap! We love onion rings but we don't fry food much anymore so this will be great.Thanks
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! Yes, we don't fry at all so coming up with a healthy baked recipe was key. Let me know if you give them a try!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
These onion rings just look so crisp and delicious. I love that they are baked and not fried too.. great recipe!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much! Yes, healthy and tasty! The coating I used really gives them a nice crisp. No soft breading here!
Be Sol-Ful
Good thing hubby works tomorrow...he can pick up the pepitas! I can't wait to try these - we're huge onion ring fans!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much! I can't wait for you to try them either! They were a huge hit over here. I actually didn't think I'd like them as much as I did, but wanted to get them great for my hubby. Too bad for him I loved them! Lol. Let me know how they turn out!
Dina
I do not care much about onion rings either, but this vegan version is really good! The sweet onions give a nice flavor.
veggiesdontbite
I usually don't like them either! But I love these. Thank you!
The Vegan 8
Ha! I knew you used cornmeal, lol! I could tell in the photo! I love cornmeal and the idea I had using it on my potatoes with chili powder gave them so much crunch and flavor and it's so quick and easy. I can see how it would work on onion rings too...yum yum, I'd just eat all the coating off, LOL! What is the normal coating on onion rings...just flour and egg? Ive never made them since I don't like the large onion part...just the crunchy coating, so I don't know the traditional breeding used. Cornmeal is really such a versatile ingredient! Great job!
The Vegan 8
Oh I was right on the almond meal too....damn I good, lol! I love playing "guess the ingredient"! I know, I'm a total dork!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much! I honestly don't really know what is traditionally used on onion rings. I think just a flour batter because they are deep fried? But I'm sure they are done different ways. The pepita coating really is what makes these unique with added crunch as well, since I think just cornmeal would almost be too much. I have another recipe from a while back with potatoes where I used ground hemp seeds and almond meal and that gave a good crisp as well. I love crunchy exteriors and soft middles!