The Secret to the Crunchiest Onion Rings

Onion rings
Photo by Esperanza Doronila on Unsplash

If there’s one food that needs to be crispy, it’s onion rings. Do you know what we mean?

The outside of the round delicacy needs to offer a crunch that your teeth sink into before reaching the al dente onion inside. Anything other than that exact balance of textures will lead to severe disappointment, in our humble opinion. 

So how does one achieve that elusive equilibrium?

There are several ways to go about making onion rings crispy. The most common, of course, is to batter and deep fry, but this can sometimes result in soggy rings dripping with oil if not done right.

If you’re muttering to yourself, “there must be an easier (and healthier) way…” the good news is—there is!

The secret to onion rings that are always crunchy and never too oily lies in two special ingredients: potato chips and salted crackers.

Open a bag of chips, eat a few, and throw the rest in a food processor. We found that kettle-cooked chips work the best. Do the same with your crackers, pulse until both are fine, and there’s your crunchy coating!

Make a batter using egg, buttermilk, flour, and some seasonings. Then dust the onions with flour before dredging them in the batter and then coat them in the crumbs. The onion rings can now be baked or put in the air fryer and you’ll never find yourself disappointed over an onion ring ever again.