Crispy Onion Ring Tower (Printer-friendly)

Thick onion rings coated in a seasoned batter and fried until golden crisp and crunchy.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 large yellow onions

→ Batter

02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1/2 cup cornstarch
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Wet Ingredients

09 - 1 cup cold sparkling water
10 - 2 large eggs

→ Coating

11 - 2 cups panko breadcrumbs

→ For Frying

12 - Vegetable oil for deep-frying

# Steps:

01 - Peel the onions and slice them into 3/4-inch thick rings. Separate the rings and set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
03 - In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and cold sparkling water until thoroughly combined.
04 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, whisking until a smooth batter forms. Add more sparkling water if the batter is too thick.
05 - Place the panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish for easy coating.
06 - Dip each onion ring into the batter, let excess drip off, then coat generously in panko breadcrumbs.
07 - Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy pot to 350°F. Fry onion rings in batches for 2–3 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
08 - Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Arrange coated onion rings in a single layer in the basket and spray lightly with oil. Air-fry for 8–10 minutes, turning halfway until golden and crisp.
09 - Stack the fried onion rings into a tower on a serving platter and serve immediately with preferred dipping sauces.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • The sparkling water in the batter creates an almost impossibly light crunch that regular batters just can't match.
  • You can make these in an air fryer without guilt, or go full indulgence mode with a deep fryer—both methods deliver that audible crackle.
  • Stacking them into a tower turns a simple appetizer into a conversation starter that people photograph before eating.
02 -
  • If your batter seems thick and gluey, it's better to thin it than live with heavy rings—add sparkling water one splash at a time until it flows like thick pancake batter.
  • Don't skip the cold sparkling water; room-temperature water makes dense, doughy rings that taste like fried disappointment, not the crispy dream you're after.
  • Temperature control matters more than time—rings at 350°F will be tender inside and shattered outside, but at 325°F they absorb oil and taste greasy instead of fried.
03 -
  • Keep finished rings hot by placing them on a wire rack in a 200°F oven as you fry batches—this way the last rings aren't cold by the time you stack and serve.
  • Separate your onion rings carefully while they're raw; once they're battered, trying to pull stuck rings apart creates gaps in the coating and sad, broken results.
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