Easy Copycat Texas Roadhouse Cactus Blossom Recipe

Many people flock to Texas Roadhouse for the delicious rolls, while others are there solely for the steak. Then there are those who go to Texas Roadhouse for the appetizers, and while there is some stiff competition in that department, the iconic Cactus Blossom is one that truly stands out above the rest. Recipe developer Julianne De Witt's easy copycat Texas Roadhouse Cactus Blossom recipe captures the essence of the in-restaurant version, all the way from the impressive presentation to the tender, golden fried onion petals (and the chili horseradish sauce for optimal dipping). 

Of course, achieving such an impressive appetizer at home doesn't come without some effort, but according to De Witt, it's well worth the labor. "This copycat Texas Roadhouse Cactus Blossom is a showstopper of an appetizer, and while it may seem like there are a lot of steps, each step is worth the effort," she says. Once the onion is fully sliced and battered, you don't have to worry about frying in batches as you would traditional onion rings. Instead, this Cactus Blossom fries all at once (and in mere minutes at that), meaning that you can enjoy a super-fresh, Texas Roadhouse-worthy appetizer without having to set foot in the restaurant.

Before you get to deep-frying an entire onion, you'll start by making the Texas Roadhouse-approved chili horseradish dipping sauce, which consists of mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, sweet chili sauce, and a bit of cayenne pepper. Then, to make the seasoned flour mixture (which you'll coat the onion in before dunking it in batter), you'll need flour, salt, garlic powder, cayenne, and pepper. For the batter itself, you'll want more flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika, salt, and a light beer (like a lager). Finally, a large, sweet onion is the star of the show, and you'll need plenty of canola oil to fry it in.

Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, chili sauce, and cayenne.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Prepare the seasoned flour by mixing the flour, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper until fully combined.

Make the batter by whisking the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika, and salt.

Pour in the beer and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Pour enough canola oil into a large, heavy pot to reach about 3–4 inches deep, ensuring the onion can be fully submerged. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 F.

Slice off the top of the onion and peel it, keeping the root end intact. Trim a small slice from the bottom so the onion can stand upright, being careful not to cut through the root.

Place the peeled onion cut-side-down on a stable surface. Carefully slice from the root toward the tip to create petals about 1 inch wide, making sure not to cut through the root so the onion stays intact.

Gently toss the prepared onion in the seasoned flour mix, making sure to get flour between the petals. Shake off any excess flour.

Carefully dip the floured onion into the batter, ensuring the batter coats the onion and seeps between all the petals. Let any excess drip off before frying.

Carefully lower the onion into the hot oil. Fry for 3 minutes until the bottom is golden brown, then gently flip the onion and cook for an additional 3 minutes until the entire onion is golden brown and cooked through.

Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

• Copycat Texas Roadhouse Sweet Potato Recipe
• Copycat Texas Roadhouse Grilled Shrimp Recipe
• Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rattlesnake Bites Recipe
• Copycat Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter and Rolls
• Copycat Texas Roadhouse Green Beans Recipe

If you're not too familiar with the world of deep-frying and batter best practices, then you may be confused as to why beer is a called-for ingredient in the batter for this Cactus Blossom. Beer is a very useful liquid when it comes to making batters for frying, and in fact, beer is better than water when it comes to frying, thanks to its added protein content (which eventually results in an ultra-crispy exterior). "The beer adds lightness and bubbles to the batter," De Witt explains, and those bubbles are particularly useful in ensuring crispiness. The inclusion of beer also helps the Maillard reaction take place, which is what helps establish that much-desired golden hue on the outside of the fried onion.

All of this said, you do have alternatives if you don't want to use beer at all. Perhaps the best option to reach for is club soda or soda water — those bubbles will help benefit the batter in the same way that beer does, but without adding any alcohol (or any extra flavor at all, for that matter). If you don't mind your liquid of choice imparting a little added flavor, then De Witt recommends lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, which will give you a slightly sweeter batter. 

Perhaps the most important aspect of making a successful Cactus Blossom occurs before you even batter the onion or dunk it into hot oil. It all starts with the raw onion itself, and more specifically, cutting it properly. "Keep the root intact on the onion," De Witt advises. "This will hold the onion together while deep frying." If some petals do fall off during the frying process, they'll still taste good, but it'll be a little more difficult to pull out all of the pieces once they're done frying. 

Next, when it comes time to batter the onion, make sure any excess seasoned flour is shaken off first, otherwise the batter might get clumpy. Make sure that the batter does indeed cover and coat each and every petal, and this will be easier to achieve if your batter is thick but not too thick (it should be easy to pour). Finally, just make sure to keep that frying oil around 350 F the whole time, so that the onion cooks through in time and the battered petals don't start to burn.

• Crispy Fried Onion Rings Recipe
• Copycat Outback Bloomin' Onion Recipe
• Southwestern Beer-Battered Onion Rings Recipe
• Crispy Beer-Battered Fried Mushrooms With Homemade Ranch Recipe
• Beer-Battered Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
• Fish and Chips Recipe