Easy Crispy Onion Strings - The Recipe Critic (2024)

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These crispy onion strings are the absolute BEST! The brown and crispy outside and the deliciously moist onion inside make this the perfect topping for any burger or salad!

I love adding delicious toppings to my meals! These crispy onions strings are the best and go with everything. Try using them on this juicy air fryer hamburger, this delicious green bean casserole, or this delicious cobb salad.

Easy Crispy Onion Strings - The Recipe Critic (1)

Crispy Fried Onion Strings

I have been dying to make this recipe for so long, and now that I have finally done it, I don’t know why I waited! These crispy onion strings are so good! I love onion rings but these onion strings are a whole other level of delicious and versatile. They are crisp and browned on the outside, and the sweet onion on the inside is flavored to perfection. Once I cooked these, I had a hard time not eating them all straight off the plate!

There is always a recipe that I needed to use these for, and now I have them! I love eating these plain as an easy appetizer dipped into fry sauce! I have also had them on salads, burgers and soups… Really, the possibilities for these are endless! They make my mouth water just thinking about them, and now I make them so often that onions have become a staple item on my grocery list! Try these out. You will LOVE them!

Ingredients to Make Crispy Onion Strings

You are in luck because not only is this ingredient list short and simple, but it’s full of ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

  • Oil: This is for frying your onions in! Vegetable oil or canola oil work great.
  • Onions: I like to use sweet onions like vidalia onions. Make sure that your slices are all about the same size so that they all cook evenly and at the same time.
  • Buttermilk: You can use storebought buttermilk or you can easily make it at home with this recipe and it’s just as good!
  • Flour: All purpose flour works great to coat your onions.
  • Seasonings: To make these onions so delicious you will use garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and ground black pepper.
Easy Crispy Onion Strings - The Recipe Critic (2)

Make Onion Strings in 3 Easy Steps!

If you can count to 3, you can make these crispy onion strings because that’s all of the steps it takes to have these ready to enjoy! And trust me, once you try them, you will be hooked!

  1. Prep Oil and Mix Coating Ingredients: Heat oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. In a small bowl add the buttermilk. In another bowl combine the flour, garlic powder, onion, paprika, salt and pepper.
  2. Dredge the Onions: Slice up the onions with a sharp knife. Using tongs dredge the onion slices in the buttermilk, and then to the flour mixture. Add to the hot oil.
  3. Fry: Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Pat them with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

What to Dip These In

I mentioned before that you can use these crispy onion strings as an appetizer and you may think that’s crazy! But just you wait. Once you try these onion strings in different dipping sauces then you will always want these on your table!

Dressings, Sauces, and Dips

Yum Yum Sauce

5 mins

Dressings, Sauces, and Dips

Homemade Ranch Dressing

5 mins

Dressings, Sauces, and Dips

The Famous Fry Sauce

10 mins

Easy Crispy Onion Strings - The Recipe Critic (7)

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Everyone always asks, “How do I keep my crispy onion strings from getting soggy?” And the answer is simple… The air fryer! It’s like the air fryer was made for this recipe! Here is how you can store your leftovers and heat them up to taste as good as they did on day one!

  • In the Fridge: Once your cripsy onion strings have cooled down then you can place them in an airtight container and put them in your fridge, they will last for 3-4 days. They WILL get soffy but don’t worry, you can wake them right up!
  • To Reheat (and make them crispy again!): Cook them in your air fryer at 36- degrees for 4-6 minutes. Flip them and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until they are crispy.

Recipes to Make Using Onion Strings

Onion Strings were high on my list to make because they go with just about everthing. And I mean everything! Soups, salads, appetizers, burgers, sandwiches. Really, anything that you add these to will be elevated and taste more delicious then it would without them!

Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

35 mins

Dinner

Juicy Grilled Garlic Turkey Burgers

22 mins

Salads

Avocado, Chicken and Bacon Chopped Salad with a Creamy Basil Dressing

20 mins

Dinner

Grilled Turkey Florentine Sandwich

30 mins

Easy Crispy Onion Strings - The Recipe Critic (12)

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Crispy Onion Strings

5 from 3 votes

By: Alyssa Rivers

These crispy onion strings are the absolute BEST! The brown and crispy outside and the deliciously moist onion inside make this the perfect topping for any burger or salad!

Prep Time: 7 minutes minutes

3 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. In a small bowl add the buttermilk. In another bowl combine the flour, garlic powder, onion, paprika, salt, and pepper.

  • Use a sharp knife to slice up the onions. Using tongs dredge the onion strips in the buttermilk, and then into the flour mixture. Add to the hot oil.

  • Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 10gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 422mgPotassium: 335mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 447IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 165mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.

Read More About Me

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Easy Crispy Onion Strings - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Why are my crispy onions not crispy? ›

To get crispy onions you need to deep fry it in a lot of oil. Sauteing in a shallow pan will result in softened onions as they release their juice slowly and get cooked.

Why are my onion rings not crispy? ›

Too much batter.

This is almost worse than having batter that's too thin. Instead of staying light and crisp, an onion ring with too much batter will retain too much internal moisture, and as soon as it comes out of the oil, the batter starts getting soggy.

Are crispy onions the same as French fried onions? ›

Crisp fried onions

Crispy deep fried onions are called "French fried onions" in Southern cooking of the United States. Smaller and irregularly shaped (from being deep-fried until they are crunchy) onions are an integral part of the American dish green bean casserole.

How do you keep batter from falling off onion rings? ›

A trick for getting your breading to stick better and not fall off as much when frying is to cover the breaded onion rings with a damp paper towel for 10-15 minutes after breading while the oil heats up. This helps it get a little bit tacky and stick better so less of it falls off in the hot oil.

Why are my crispy onions soggy? ›

The first is to make sure that you aren't overcrowding the pan when frying the onion. A second reason would be that the oil is too low in temperature which results in soggy onions. Also, make sure to drain the fried rings on a paper towel to soak up any residual oil and then onto a plate.

Why add water to frying onions? ›

But indeed sautéing onions in water gets them soft and clear with less shrinkage compared to sautéing in a fat. You're really making stewed onion bits.

Why soak onions in milk before frying? ›

Soaking the onions helps dilute their sulfur content, taking away that pungent, raw bite and leaving you with a pleasant, milder onion that still has some snap to it. Cuisine At Home also recommends maintaining ultimate crispiness by double-dipping the onions in buttermilk and seasoned flour.

Why does the breading fall off onion rings? ›

When it comes to batter, ensure it's not too thin or it will drip right off your onion ring. Also, make sure your batter is ice cold, as this makes for a lighter coating when it's fried. In contrast, ensure your oil is piping hot at around 360 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit before dropping in your battered rings.

Why do you soak onion rings in cold water? ›

Soak the onion slices in cold water to dilute the sulfur content, turning them sweet and mild. For a crust that stays crisp and has character, double dip the rings in buttermilk and seasoned flour.

How to make raw onions crispy? ›

Sprinkle corn flour on the slices and toss them. Heat oil in a deep pan till medium hot but not smoking hot. Reduce the flame to medium. Add few onion slices at one time and deep fry until crisp.

How do you fry onions so they are soft? ›

This means frying gently, stirring often until they are soft enough to squish easily between you fingers but are still not the slightest bit brown. It will take you about 10 minutes to reach this point. Cook until golden or brown. If you want golden onions then turn up the heat a little, but not beyond medium.

Why are my caramelized onions crispy? ›

Caramelized onions are an easy way to add richness and depth of flavor to any dish but if you don't take it low and slow then you're often left with burnt crispy onions.

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