Beer Battered Onion Rings are the stuff the dreams are made of. They are crispy, crunchy and the best fried onion rings around town!
Everyone loves smaller bite sized or snack type appetizer recipes. A few popular options are Melon and Prosciutto Skewers, Baked Brie with Garlic and our Spinach Cob Loaf. For festive occasions our cranberry brie ticks a lot of boxes.
The best beer battered onion rings are juicy, crispy and delicious. Try pairing with my Herbed Yogurt Sauce, Horseradish Yogurt Sauce or Sweet Chilli Mayo!
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Ingredients
The photo below shows you the ingredients needed for the recipe. They are all easy to find at the local shops!
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- onions
- plain flour
- beer
- garlic powder
- salt
How to make beer battered onion rings without milk
We can break our recipes into 12 steps. The photo belows shows you what they are and all we need to do is take one step after the one.
- peel the onion skins then slice into thick rings (shown in photo 1)
- add oil to a wok and turn heat on (shown in photo 2)
- pour ½ the flour into a bowl (shown in photo 3)
- transfer the remaining flour to a 2nd bowl (shown in photo 4)
- add garlic powder and salt to flour (shown in photos 5-6)
- add beer to flour mix (shown in photo 7)
- use a whisk to combine (shown in photo 8)
- dip your rings one by one into flour (shown in photo 9)
- then into beer batter (shown in photo 10)
- add to the hot oil (shown in photo 11)
- cook in batches (shown in photo 12)
What is the best oil for beer battered onion rings
My preference for oil when making this recipe is rice bran oil. Often I use ½ peanut oil and ½ rice bran as I find this allows for the light golden colour to develop whereas using only rice bran leaves them cooked through but a little bit too pale.
Of the above steps there are 4 which are the most important, they are shown in the photos below and outlined in detailed underneath:
Best beer battered onion rings
- the onion rings should be thick 1cm is a good guide (photo 1)
- simply pour your beer into the flour to start making the batter (photo 2)
- use whisk to continuing stir until batter is consistently mixed together (photo 3)
- dust each onion ring in flour, then dip in beer batter till fully covered, hold above bowl and shake off excess (photo 4)
Further side dishes for you to enjoy:
- Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
- Skin on Roast Potatoes (with rosemary and thyme)
- Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Chicken recipes to serve with a side of onion rings:
- Chili Lime Chicken Wings (oven baked recipe)
This recipe is versatile and rolls with the punches on your table. Serve them like this for game day, with a burger for a weekend feast or on the table with chicken or beef and other main dishes.
You will find it hard to not eat one before the full batch is cooked, they are SO crunchy!
Frequently asked questions
What kindof beer is best for onion rings?
I like to use a pale ale variety of beer when I am making these. It is just a bit lighter than a lager and has quite a subtle taste to it.
The beer also make for a good onion ring batter without using milk.
Choose a beer that has light aromatic flavour and you can't go wrong.
What does beer battered mean?
The term beer battered is used to describe a combination of beer and flour that is mixed together to create a paste that ingredients can be dipped in prior to frying.
It is an ideal choice as it allows us to make onion rings without breadcrumbs.
It also allows us to make onion wings without milk.
Beer battered fish is a hugely popular dish, as are these for the batter is smooth and less textured that panko or regular breadcrumb coatings.
How to cut onion rings?
Cutting onion rings is easy!
Simple take one large onion, place it on a chopping board and press on it to keep it in place. With a knife in the other hand cut one end of the onion, exposing the flesh.. Use the knife to make a slit up the skin and peel onions.
Cut your rings into thick slices. Try and make each slice around the same width so they can cook consistently well together.
Discard skin and any left over ends of onion.
Tasty Tips
These additional tips are so that you can master this recipe from the 1st time you make it:
- Accept that the ends won't make good rings and discard them.
- Try for thick slices of a uniform consistency.
- Heat the oil in your wok and drop a tiny bit of the batter in, if it starts sizzle it is ready.
- Work in batches (7-8 rings at a time) and cook them as you go to make the cooking time for the full amount efficient.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes
If you are planning a party of having guests around, you will need more than 1 option to feed the crowd. Here is some inspiration to help you get started:
- Grazing Platter
- Spinach Cob Loaf
- Baked Brie with Garlic
- Coconut Prawns
- Mini Quiches 12 ways
- Chili Lime Chicken Wings
You might shed a tear with this one my friend!
Adrianne x
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📖 Recipe
Beer Battered Onion Rings
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
- 1 kg onions Note 1
- 2 cups plain flour
- 375 ml pale ale beer
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tbsp garlic powder Note 2
- rice bran oil Note 3
- peanut oil
- sweet chilli sauce to serve Note 4
Instructions
- Use a knife to cut the skins off the onions and then cut into rings. Discard ends which are too small or odd shaped for rings.
- Pour half of the flour into a bowl
- Pour the remaining flour into a 2nd bowl
- Add garlic powder and salt
- Pour beer into flour mix and use a whisk to combine Note 5
- Dip your rings one by one into flour
- Next dip rings into beer batter, then shake off excess (hold rings above batter bowl to do this)
- Turn wok on to medium, allow to heat
- Drop a little batter into the wok to see if the temperature is ready for cooking. It will sizzle straight away if it is.
- Add onion rings one by one to the wok and work in batches (6-8)
- Cook for 4-5 mins per batch, allow the colour of the rings to guide you. They will go from plate to to yellow and when golden are cooked.
- Serve with salt and sweet chilli dipping sauce
Notes
- Note 1 I find plain white onions work best for this recipe
- Note 2 An Australian tablespoon is 20 ml. So I recommend using 10 ml garlic powder mixed in with the flour. An America tablespoon is 14.8 ml
- Note 3 I recommend using equal amounts of rice bran oil and peanut oil. You will need approx 500ml of each. Once you have finished cooking you can drain the oil (use paper towel) and reuse.
- Note 4 To serve, have a small bowl of salt and another with sweet chilli sauce. It is perfect as the dipping sauce for onion rings and the combination of crunchy and sweetness tastes delicious!
- Note 5 this will take longer than you think. You need a bit of elbow grease (or wrist grease to be more accurate). We want the batter to be mixed in so that there are no lumps of flour and it has a consistent appearance.
David says
Yum! These look delish. Somehow haven't gotten around to making onion rings yet. Your recipe is the perfect step by step for doing so!
Adrianne says
Thanks David. Happy to have your feedback.
Danielle Wolter says
Get in my belly! What a great recipe. So many useful tips. I'll def be making these again!
Adrianne says
Thanks Danielle!! Hope you love them.