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A square, overhead image of Fried Onion Rings. The onion rings are set on a brown plate, lined with black and white newspaper. To the right of the image, on the plate with the onion rings, there is a black dish filled with tomato ketchup. You can see to the left of the image, that a slate grey napkin is tucked around the plate, so the background is not visible.
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5 from 1 vote

Onion Rings Recipe

Golden crispy onion rings coated in a light beer batter and fried for just a couple of minutes, until perfectly crunchy. A brilliant appetizer, side dish or party food.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: British
Keyword: crispy, Fried Food, pub food
Servings: 4 small servings
Author Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

Cornflour Coating:

  • 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Beer Batter:

  • 120 g (1 cup) self-raising flour (see swaps)
  • 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 240 ml (1 cup) refrigerated pale ale (it MUST be cold) (see swaps)

Also:

  • Oil for deep frying
  • 1 large or two medium onions

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 180C/350F.
    Oil for deep frying
  • Peel the onion and slice into rings 1cm thick. Separate the rings.
    1 large or two medium onions
  • Mix together the cornflour coating ingredients in a bowl - this is your dry coating that will help the batter adhere to the onion rings for extra crispness.
    3 tbsp cornflour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Now make the beer batter. Place the flour, cornflour and baking powder in a large bowl and stir together to combine.
    120 g (1 cup) self-raising flour, 2 tbsp cornflour, ½ tsp baking powder
  • Stir in the pale ale until no lumps remain.
    240 ml (1 cup) refrigerated pale ale
  • You're going to work in two batches to ensure you don’t overfill the pan/fryer. Dredge half the onion rings in the seasoned cornflour mixture until lightly dusted.
  • Place the seasoned onion rings in the beer batter to coat. Lift them out with a set of tongs, allowing the excess to drip off and carefully place them in the hot oil.
  • Fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Then remove, using a set of tongs. Drain the onion rings, and repeat with the second batch.
  • Serve as soon as they're all cooked. I like to serve them with ketchup or BBQ sauce for dipping.

Notes

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, you can make the batter ahead. Just cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before use.

Swaps:

If you haven’t got self-raising flour, replace it with the same amount of plain (all-purpose) flour PLUS 1 tsp of baking powder (you’ll also still need to add the additional ½ tsp baking powder to the batter).
If you don’t want to use pale ale, you can use lager, or for a non-alcohol version, replace the pale ale with soda water (remember it needs to be COLD).

How to scale up and down this recipe:

You can halve this recipe to serve a few or double it to serve a crowd, as long as you stick to the same ingredient ratios. 

Nutritional information

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, based on this recipe serving 4 people as a snack. I’ve estimated that 100ml (approx. 6.5 tbsp) of oil will be absorbed during frying, but this can vary.

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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