Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings

Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings are light, crunchy and delicious fried onion rings with a Southern spin.

Thinly sliced and more like onion straws or onion strings, Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings are delectable cruciferous vegetables bathed in buttermilk, coated with a light dusting of flour and quick fried, which makes them extra crispy, and extremely flavorful!

And, no matter how much you are planning to make, do me a favor and double it! You will thank me later. I can promise you that these onion rings will disappear right before your eyes and well, there is no telling how many you will have to taste, just to make sure they are perfect! I mean, you wouldn’t want to serve anything to your family that hasn’t been taste-tested first. Right?

Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings can be served as a scrumptious snack, or yummy side dish for just about any meal, but they are also a perfect topping for your burgers. Stay tuned for my Ultimate Southern Burger post where I will show you just how these delicious morsels can transform even an ordinary hamburger into one that deserves a place in the Southern Food Hall of Fame.

You may be wondering about the gorgeous hand-forged frying pan that my Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings are cradled in? When my husband and I were last in Cashiers, NC we went to an arts and craft show where I saw these beautiful hand-made frying pans. I knew immediately I had to have one and, as you can see, the rest is history. This beautiful pan was made by Matthew Shirey of Shira Forge in Sylva, NC.  In addition to this unique frying pan, he also sells hand-forged knives and other kitchenware, and you can find more of his one-of-a-kind hand-crafted work on Etsy.

The ingredients for Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings are simple: sweet onions (preferably Vidalia onions), all-purpose flour, ground red pepper, kosher salt, peanut oil or another vegetable oil, and buttermilk. That’s it!

To make Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings first peel and slice the onions as thin as possible. Separate the rings.

Place the onion rings in a shallow bowl and cover with buttermilk. Allow the onions to soak in the buttermilk for at least an hour.

Combine the flour, salt and red pepper in a shallow bowl.

Preheat the oil in a dutch oven or large frying pan over medium-high heat to 360 degrees F.

When the oil is hot, take a handful of the onion rings and dredge them in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour and add to the hot oil. Use a fork to separate the rings, so they don’t clump together. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Watch the onion rings carefully; they can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds. Repeat as needed until all of the onion rings are cooked. Drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately while they are still hot.

If you need to keep the onion rings warm, preheat your oven to 225 degrees and put them on an oven proof plate for up to 30 minutes or until you are ready to serve them.

If you like this recipe, you might also like these other great recipes with a Southern spin: Easy Southern Lump Blue Crab Cakes, Easy Classic Southern Tomato Pie, Southern Cheese Grits Casserole, Kay’s Southern Pimento Cheese Spread, and Southern Pecan Praline Cake. Want more, check out all of my Southern-inspired recipes HERE!

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Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings

Thinly sliced and more like onion straws or onion strings, easy Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings are extra crispy and extremely flavorful delectable morsels!

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Rating: 5
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Course

Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine

American, Southern

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

3 minutes

Passive Time

60 minutes

Servings

servings MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 2 whole large sweet onions Vidalia if available
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
• 2 cups peanut oil or other vegetable oil

Course Appetizer, Side Dish Cuisine American, Southern Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 3 minutes Passive Time 60 minutes Servings servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 2 whole large sweet onions Vidalia if available 2 cups buttermilk 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 Tbsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp ground red pepper 2 cups peanut oil or other vegetable oil

Votes: 2 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Add to Shopping List This recipe is in your Shopping List

Instructions

1. Peel and slice the onions as thin as possible. Separate the rings.
2. Place the onion rings in a shallow bowl and cover with buttermilk. Allow the onions to soak in the buttermilk for at least an hour.
3. Combine the flour, salt and red pepper in a shallow bowl.
4. Preheat the oil in a dutch oven or large frying pan to 360 degrees F.
5. When the oil is hot, take a handful of the onion rings and dredge them in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour and add to the hot oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until they are golden brown. Watch the onion rings carefully, they can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds. Repeat as needed until all of the onion rings are cooked. Drain on paper towels.
6. Serve immediately while they are still hot.

Recipe Notes

If you need to keep the onion rings warm, preheat your oven to 225 degrees and put them on an oven proof plate for up to 30 minutes or until you are ready to serve them.

Nutrition Facts

Southern Style Crispy Onion Rings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 415 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 14g 22%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 4g

Monounsaturated Fat 6g

Cholesterol 5mg 2%

Sodium 487mg 20%

Potassium 186mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates 22g 7%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 10g

Protein 11g 22%

Vitamin A 4%

Vitamin C 8%

Calcium 16%

Iron 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.