Onion Rings That Won't Add Rings to Your Waist

Back post-anniversary to share a quick and easy recipe I tried from Pinterest. I love onion rings, but they can hardly be considered healthy.

 

The recipe I found calls for oven baking rather than frying. Definitely cuts down on the fat content, which only moderately compensates for the time it takes to make them (versus driving to Whataburger and buying the hot, fatty, delicious, already prepared kind!).

 

Oven Baked Onion Rings

• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 3 t kosher salt
• 1 c buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 c panko breadcrumbs
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large yellow sweet onion, sliced 1/4-to-1/2" thick

 

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt. In another bowl or shallow dish, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Add half of the flour mixture to the buttermilk and beat until smooth and thickened.

In a separate bowl, combine the panko, olive oil and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Lightly dredge the onion rings in the flour mixture and then drop into the buttermilk. Drain the excess batter and then dredge in the panko mixture.

Arrange on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. You can place smaller rings inside bigger rings if necessary, just make sure there is space between them. Then place in the oven. Cook until golden brown, 14 to 20 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, flip over each onion ring to ensure even crisping and browning.

Here's the final product:

Yes, they taste as delicious as they look. Not quite the same as fried, but delicious and onion ring craving satisfying.

Original recipe sourced here.