Gluten-Free Onion Rings
Onion rings were one of the things I missed once I was diagnosed with celiac disease. They’re typically made with all-purpose flour and fried in shared fryers at restaurants, so they are sadly not gluten-free. If you’ve missed onion rings, too, this gluten-free onion rings recipe is just what you need!
These gluten-free onion rings are battered with a gluten-free flour and club soda batter that is so light and airy. It provides the perfect crunchy coating for sweet vidalia onions.
The batter is perfectly seasoned with paprika, garlic powder and black pepper and fried until golden and crispy. You will not be able to tell they are gluten-free at all.
This recipe is easy-to-follow with step by step images so that you can make these onion rings perfectly every time. The batter comes together really easily and the onions take just a few quick minutes to fry in the hot oil. Be sure to follow all of the tips and tricks below for perfect onion rings.
You’ll love this recipe because:
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Vegetable oil or canola oil – You can use any high-heat oil for frying onion rings, but vegetable oil or canola oil are good options. Make sure the oil is fresh and clean, and use enough oil to fully submerge the onion rings. I use about 1.5-2 quarts in a 5.5 quart dutch oven so the oil comes up about ⅓ of the way on the pot. You want the oil to be about 3-4 inches up the way up the pan.
- Vidalia onions – Sweet onions, like vidalia onions, walla-walla, or maui onions, are my favorite for onion rings. Where I live, it seems easier to find vidalia onions opposed to the other two, so that’s what I use. If you can’t find any sweet onions, a yellow onion will work as well.
- Gluten-free flour blend – To thicken the batter, you’ll need flour. To make this recipe gluten-free, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag). For this recipe, any gluten-free flour blend that is meant to be used as a 1-to-1 swap with all-purpose flour will work.
- Baking powder – The addition of baking powder helps create a crispy coating on the onions. It reacts with the club soda, creating bubbles so that the batter stays light and airy. Make sure your baking powder is fresh and active.
- Spices – I used a combination of paprika, salt and garlic powder to season the onion rings. Feel free to change up the seasoning to suit your taste.
- Club soda – Many onion ring recipes will use beer for a beer battered coating. Instead, I love to use club soda. While it doesn’t provide any flavor like beer does, it marks the crispiest onion rings! I love it!
- Cornstarch – You’ll want to coat the onions in cornstarch before they go into the batter so that the batter will easily adhere to the onions. If you can’t have corn, you can also dust the onions in arrowroot starch instead.
Be sure to slice the onions evenly and not too thick. I like my slices to be about ⅓-inch wide. This helps the onion rings cook evenly and in the appropriate amount of time so that the batter is cooked at the same time the onions are tender and soft.
Step-by-Step instructions
These gluten free onion rings are made with simple ingredients and a fun indulgence every once in awhile! If you are not familiar with deep frying, the below steps with matching photos will help you see the recipe at various stages to help you make your own deep fried onion rings at home!
For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
Typically, onion rings are not gluten-free. They are made from a batter that has all-purpose flour in it and sometimes even beer. Further, many fryers at restaurants are shared with other gluten-containing ingredients, so even if you find a restaurant with gluten-free onion rings, be sure they’re fried in a dedicated fryer. This recipe is formulated to be gluten-free, using a gluten-free flour blend and club soda.
The onion rings are first dusted in cornstarch which will help the batter stick to the onion rings. Also be sure that your oil is the correct temperature so the batter doesn’t slide off the onions in the oil. My preferred frying temperature is 365F-370F.
I like to use vidalia onions because they are sweet and mild. You can also use yellow onions or white onions, but they have a stronger flavor that may be overpowering for some.
hints & tips
Storage instructions
- Storage: While I find fresh onion rings to have the best taste and texture, if you have leftover onion rings, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer Option: You can also freeze leftover onion rings. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and flash freeze for an hour until solid. Then place the frozen onion rings in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: Reheat leftover onion rings in the oven or air fryer at 400F until crispy for best results. I don’t recommend microwaving onion rings since they will get soggy. I personally love to reheat them in the air fryer, which just takes a few minutes to get them warm and crispy again.
More gluten-free appetizers to try
Did you make this recipe?
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Gluten-Free Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 2 quarts vegetable oil or canola oil or peanut oil
- 2 large vidalia or yellow onions (sliced and separated into rings)
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend (144g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup club soda
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (43g)
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, pour in vegetable oil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot so that the tip is sticking in the oil. Place heat on medium and let it reach 365F.
- Meanwhile, slice your vidalia onions into 1/3 inch slices. Separate the onion slices into rings.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, baking powder, paprika, salt and garlic powder.
- Pour in the club soda and stir until a smooth batter forms and no more lumps remain. Set aside.
- Coat the onion rings in the cornstarch and tap off any excess. This will help them adhere to the gluten-free batter.
- Dip 3-4 onion rings in the batter at a time. Remove with a mesh sieve or slotted spoon and tap off any excess batter.
- Once the oil has reached a temperature of 365F, carefully add the battered onions into the hot oil in batches.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes per side, until they are golden brown.
- Remove with a mesh spatula and place on a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining onions.
- Serve immediately with ketchup, ranch, mayo or BBQ sauce.
Notes
- Nutritional information is only meant to be used as a guide. I assumed 10% oil absorption for the nutritional calculation which can vary.
- Fry the onion rings in batches. Frying too many onion rings at one time can cause the temperature of the oil to drop, creating soggy onion rings that are greasy and oily.
- If you have celiac disease or are on a gluten-free diet, be sure to double check that all of your ingredients are gluten-free. Use clean oil and do not reuse oil that has been used to fry other gluten-full dishes.
- I used 2 large vidalia onions for this recipe, and got about 40 onion rings total.
Nutrition
I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
Lovely! This batter also works great for cheese curds.
GF onion rings were a birthday request from a now 13 year old. I used your recipe and they came out great! Thanks a lot.
So glad your family enjoyed this!
BTW any chance we can use this for a “blooming onion” too? Suggestions??
Yes I think that should work! I haven’t tried it, but I would keep the oil the same temperature and fry for 5-7 minutes. A spider spatula would be really helpful for a blooming onion to remove it and draining off the oil so it doesn’t get soggy after. I may have to try this once the weather cools down. My husband loves blooming onions!