Southwestern Beer-Battered Onion Rings Recipe
Thick rings of sweet, tender onion wrapped in a crisp and perfectly-seasoned shell of fried beer batter are a wonderful thing. Our version is redolent of cumin, chile, and a hint of the lager used to lighten the breading; the only thing that could make them more delicious is a dip into a creamy, spicy sauce filled with smoky chipotles and tangy lime juice. Whether you're looking to serve these on their own as an appetizer, as a side dish for a barbecue sandwich, or piled on top of a juicy burger, there's really no going wrong.
When it comes to frying food, beer batter can seem intimidating, but it is actually one of the easiest ways to fry. While some frying methods require multiple coatings for each morsel before it hits the oil — like the traditional flour-egg-flour chicken fry — with beer batter it only takes a single dip. Just mix up the flour, spices, and beer, dip your onions, and toss them in the pot. A couple minutes later, you can pluck out the light, crisp, golden-brown onion rings.
The onion is a humble ingredient, but this recipe can quickly transform it into the highlight of a meal (or an evening). Just be sure to choose something excellent to pair these onion rings with, or else you run the risk of the side dish stealing the show.
Gather the beer battered onion rings ingredients
For the chipotle dipping sauce in this recipe, you will need mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotles in adobo, lime juice, oregano, and garlic powder. For the onion rings, you will need flour, garlic powder, onion powder, chile powder, cumin, salt, light lager, yellow onions, and some oil for frying. Once you have these ingredients together, you are ready to start cooking.
Step 1: Make the dipping sauce
Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotles, lime juice, oregano, and garlic powder to a bowl and stir together until well-mixed. Set this aside for now.
Step 2: Start the batter
Mix together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chile powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Step 3: Add the beer
Pour the lager into the mixing bowl and stir until a thin batter is formed. Do not overmix — it is fine for there to be lumps in the batter.
Step 4: Heat the oil
Add the oil to a pot over medium-high heat and bring it to 375 F.
Step 5: Batter the onions
Using chopsticks, pick up the onion pieces, dip them in batter, and drop them in the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot.
Step 6: Fry until golden
Fry in small batches for around 1 minute on each side, until golden brown and crisp.
Step 7: Remove to a plate
Once fried, remove the onion rings to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Step 8: Time to eat
Serve the onion rings hot with plenty of chipotle sauce for dipping.
What can I serve with these onion rings?
Southwestern Beer-Battered Onion Rings Recipe
Our beer-battered onion rings, flavored with a Southwestern-inspired mix of cumin and chile, are served with a dip with smoky chipotles and tangy lime juice.
Ingredients
- For the chipotle dipping sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons minced chipotles in adobo
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- For the onion rings
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon chile powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¼ cups light lager
- 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 large yellow onions peeled and sliced in ½-inch rings
Directions
- Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotles, lime juice, oregano, and garlic powder to a bowl and stir together until well-mixed. Set this aside for now.
- Mix together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chile powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Pour the lager into the mixing bowl and stir until a thin batter is formed. Do not overmix — it is fine for there to be lumps in the batter.
- Add the oil to a pot over medium-high heat and bring it to 375 F.
- Using chopsticks, pick up the onion pieces, dip them in batter, and drop them in the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot.
- Fry in small batches for around 1 minute on each side, until golden brown and crisp.
- Once fried, remove the onion rings to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Serve the onion rings hot with plenty of chipotle sauce for dipping.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 659 |
| Total Fat | 53.0 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7.0 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 22.6 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 37.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 4.6 g |
| Sodium | 632.7 mg |
| Protein | 5.5 g |
How can I customize this onion ring recipe?
There is certainly more than one way to make onion rings. From the spices to the batter to the type of onion used, there are plenty of options out there for the home cook to choose from. The flavor profile of this recipe leans Southwestern, using a beer batter flavored with spices like cumin and chile, and a dipping sauce made with chipotles in adobo, sour cream, and lime juice. But a few small changes can create a whole new experience.
For starters, if deep-fried, beer-battered onion rings aren't your speed, it's easy enough to change gears and coat them with breadcrumbs or panko. You can also bake rather than fry the rings. If you're happy with the crispy beer batter, you can still switch up the spices. Swap out the cumin and chile for Italian herb mix. Or try adding curry powder or garam masala for a bit of a twist. If you change up the spices, you may also want to adjust the dipping sauce, but don't worry, we have a long list of delicious sauces to choose from.
Finally, choosing the right onion for your onion rings matters. We suggest yellow onions, as they are fairly sweet with a good onion flavor. White and red onions are generally considered too pungent. Sweet onions, such as Vidalia, Maui, or Walla Walla make a great alternative, as they have a strong sweetness that pairs well with the salty batter.
What can I substitute for beer in this beer-battered onion rings recipe?
There are a number of reasons why you might want to replace the beer in this recipe, and each comes with its own substitute. Whether you are looking for an option without alcohol, you're hoping to reduce the gluten content, or you just plain don't like beer, we have you covered.
If gluten is your concern, these days, there are many gluten-free beers on the market. Some are made using grains that naturally don't contain gluten, while others are processed to remove the gluten. In this recipe, we use a lager, of which there are many gluten-free options. Bear in mind that you will also need to substitute gluten-free flour in the batter. When it comes to alcohol-free substitutes, again, the beer world is opening up. In recent years, many breweries have begun crafting their own non-alcoholic options, making it easy to find an alcohol-free lager from a brand you enjoy (the first rule of cooking with beer is to use only beer that you enjoy drinking).
For those of you who simply don't enjoy the taste of beer, your best options to replace it with club soda or seltzer water. The soda will create the same light, crisp batter without that malty flavor. Using club soda in lieu of beer solves all three of the above problems, though you may wish to slightly increase the seasoning to make up for its lack of flavor.