I wasn’t entirely sure if I should write up a recipe for these Crispy Fried Onions. I wasn’t sure that it was necessary. But then as my husband and I stood over a plate of these insanely delicious and perfectly fried onions, gobbling them down, he said to me, “These are really, really good. You should definitely post these.” So here I am, posting them.

Let me just say, I am not a huge fan of onion rings. I don’t know why. I love onions, I love things that have been fried (for the most part). I think that a good onion ring is hard to execute. The onions have to stay in the breading for one- it’s so frustrating to that that first bite of an onion ring, only to have the entire inside come out. Am I right?

Also, the onions have to be really crispy for me to enjoy them and not get soggy. I find the bigger the onion ring, the more likely it is to be soggy. Now don’t get me wrong, I am sure that there are some delicious, perfectly executed onion rings out there. I have had some. But, personally, I prefer these guys here 👆🏻. They are the perfect size for sandwiches, salads, as a topping for almost anything.

Or you can just eat them as is. That’s my favorite too.

Let me show you how I made these Crispy Fried Onions 👇🏻

Making Buttermilk.

Sometimes I have buttermilk on hand, but most of the time I don’t. Buttermilk doesn’t have a long shelf life, so I usually use it for a recipe and then end up throwing out what remains. When I first made these Crispy Fried Onions, it was an impromptu recipe so I had to make a buttermilk substitute. (The onions will be soaking in this homemade buttermilk.) Usually if I need buttermilk for a baking recipe, I buy buttermilk at the grocery. But for something like this, a homemade substitution will do just fine.

So to make the buttermilk, add 2 cups of milk (I used 1%) to a large, non-reactive bowl (like glass or plastic). Add the juice of half of a lemon and sir. Let it sit in the milk for about 5 minutes. It will curdle slightly- that’s what you want.

Now add 1 sweet onion that has been sliced. How big the slices are depends on your preference, but just remember that you will have to fry all of these onion slices. I usually go for a medium thickness.

Let the Onions Soak.

You want to let the onions soak for about a half hour. If you have the time to let them soak for an hour, that’s even better. Soaking the onions in buttermilk helps to mellow out the harsh flavor of the onion by removing sulfur compounds. I have also seen people soak their onions in water as well, but, personally, I prefer the tang that the buttermilk gives the onions and it also provides a nice sticky surface for the coating to adhere.

The Coating.

While the onions are soaking, grab a large, shallow bowl. I wish that I could find something similar to these breading bowls that I happened upon in a Home Goods one day. I have never seen anything like them and they are so wonder- they came in a set of three. I’ll try and find something similar to link below.

Anywho, in a large, shallow bowl, combine 2 cups of flour with 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. If you like heat, you can double that cayenne pepper. If you’re really sensitive to heat, leave it out. I find that 1/2 tsp gives the onions just a slight zip, barely noticeable. Stir up the flour mixture and set aside.

When the Onions are Done Soaking.

When you’re about ready to start cooking the onions, grab a large cast iron skillet or any other high-walled pot that is good for frying. Fill it with enough vegetable or canola oil so that there is about 1.5 inches depth of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of about 350-365 degrees.

Using a pair of thongs, pull out about 1/3 of the onions from the milk, shaking off the excess. You’ll be frying in 3 batches to not overcrowd the pot- that way the onions have room to get nice and crispy.

Place the onions in the flour mixture. Stir to coat in the flour. Then pull them out of the flour, again shaking off the excess, and place into the hot oil.

Fry the onions for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they don’t stick together. The onions should be a deep golden brown. Remove the onions that are done to a plate lined with paper towels. Give them a light sprinkle of salt as soon as you pull them out of the oil.

Once all of the onions from the first batch are done, allow the oil to come back up to temperature and start on the second batch. Follow the exact same steps listed above for both the second and third batch of onions.

Enjoy!!

Notes: If there happen to be leftovers, store in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Also, this recipe can very easily be doubled. If you double this recipe, you may want to increase the onion soaking time by a few minutes (all other instructions will be the same).

These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe! These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.

Crispy Fried Onions

Incredibly delicious and highly addictive, these Crispy Fried Onions will make an amazing addition to almost any dish. Salads, sandwiches, you name it! Or serve them up as a side dish! They are so good and so easy to make!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 15

Servings 8 Servings

Author Maggie @ Cupcakes and Sarcasm

Ingredients

2 Cups Milk (I used 1%)
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 Sweet Onion, cut into slices
2 Cups Flour
2 Tsp Salt + more for serving
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (Add more if you want more heat)
Vegetable or Canola Oil, for frying

Instructions

In a large non-reactive bowl (use glass or plastic), add 2 cups of milk and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Stir and then let it sit for about 5 minutes. The milk will slightly curdle- you are making buttermilk here- or you can substitute with 2 cups of buttermilk if you have it.
Add 1 sliced sweet onion and stir to coat the onion in the milk. Allow it to soak for 20-30 minutes.
When the time is almost up for the onions to be done soaking, grab a large, shallow bowl. Add 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like heat). Stir the flour mixture and set aside.
Then grab a large cast iron pan or high-walled skillet (something good for frying). Fill the pan with enough oil so that it is about an inch and a half deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to about 350-365 degrees.
Using a pair of tongs, pull out about 1/3 of the onion slices, shaking off the excess milk, and place into the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour, again shaking off excess, and place into the hot oil.
Let the onions cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they don’t stick together, until the onions are golden and crispy. Remove the fried onions to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Give the onions a light sprinkle of salt.
When all of the first batch of onions has been removed to the plate, start on the next third of onions (you’ll be cooking 3 batches to not overcrowd).
Remove more of the onions from the milk, shaking off the excess, and place in the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour, shake off excess, and add to the oil. Make sure that the oil temperature has popped back up to 350-365.
Fry the onions the same as the steps above. Then fry the remaining onions as well.
Serve the onions on a salad, sandwich, or they are great on their own. Store leftovers in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Enjoy!