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    Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Crunchy baked onion rings pinterest banner.

    These crunchy baked onion rings are healthy, LOW IN FAT, golden brown, and absolutely delicious!

    Crunchy baked onion rings on parchment paper.

    It’s that time of year to eat snack foods and veg out (pun intended) on the couch watching football. And, these Crunchy Baked Onion Rings are the perfect snack food for such an occasion.

    Let’s get our onion ring on!

    Crunchy baked onion ring raw slices.

    One of my favorite places to frequent when I ate crap was Sonic. You know? That little drive-up and order place. I absolutely love loved their onion rings. Sometimes, I’d get two large orders of their onion rings and eat them before I even pulled out of the parking lot.

    Well, those days are gone and I no longer eat those “deep fried danger circles.” But, I also can’t deny how good those things were!

    Onion rings in general are good, but Sonic took them to a completely different stratosphere. They also helped take me to 300 pounds and diabetes.

    Crunchy baked onion rings battered on baking pan.

    Fast forward many years later and much healthier, I dreamed of finding a way to recreate one of my favorite foods – the onion ring.

    And, I could not be more pleased with these crunchy baked onion rings. (pat on the back)

    Crunchy baked onion rings cooked on baking pan.

    Onion Ring Trial & Error

    I can’t begin to tell you how many “healthy” onion ring recipes I’ve tried over the last five years. Some were good, but too much work and not practical. And, others might have been simpler but sucked. It became extremely tiring.

    Honestly, I had resigned myself to the fact it just wasn’t meant to be. Let’s face it. The task was a bit daunting. A vegan onion ring recipe that was healthy. Baked, not fried. Yet, contained all the characteristics of the fast food version I consumed years earlier. Did such a thing even exist? It couldn’t be done.

    Or, could it?

    Crunchy baked onion rings on baking pan.

    Tirelessly, I would pour myself into researching onion ring recipes. Day after day, night after night. And, most of the time with less than stellar results.

    No matter what I tried nothing came close to those deep fried circles of yesteryear. But, I pressed on because I couldn’t live with myself knowing I had given folks a half-assed onion ring recipe.

    I knew the standard I had set for Shane & Simple would be a challenge. But, damn it! My readers and followers deserve the best!

    Crunchy baked onion rings on baking sheet in front of window.

    Onion Ring Success

    One day everything changed! I found panko bread crumbs and I realized the secret was not more ingredients, but less.

    So, I threw together a simple batter with unsweetened almond milk and whole wheat flour. Tossed in a couple of spices with the panko bread crumbs and voila – a masterpiece was born.

    Could it be the onion ring I had been craving for so long was finally a reality? Crunchy, golden brown, savory, delicious and baked! My dream onion ring had become reality. And, that dream was also in my hand covered in ketchup and getting eaten like I was on my way to death row.

    The kids loved them. My wife loved them. Friends loved them. I had succeeded. After many years of heartbreak and sorrow the journey was finally over.

    I made crunchy baked onion rings.

    Crunchy baked onion rings balanced on table.

    Simple & Delicious!

    You will be amazed at how simple these things are to make. 5 ingredients and about 30-40 minutes of your time is all that’s required.

    A simple batter made with unsweetened almond milk and whole wheat flour for dipping. Then, a blend of panko bread crumbs and a couple spices to coat the onions. All that’s left is to bake them in a 450 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until they’re crunchy and golden brown.

    That’s it! You’ve got legitimate crunchy baked onion rings.

    Crunchy baked onion rings on parchment paper with ketchup in the center.

    Now, you can indulge and not worry about portion size or your thighs. Simply enjoy a delicious stack of onion rings without the guilt.

    Best of all there’s no oily mess to clean up. No oil popping out of the skillet. And, your kitchen won’t smell like some greasy joint down the road.

    Eat well my friends. Eat well.

    Crunchy baked onion rings around ketchup.
    Crunchy baked onion rings.

    Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

    These onion rings are…

    • A great comfort food
    • Crunchy
    • Baked, not fried
    • Low in fat
    • Healthy
    • Simple to make
    • Sweet on the inside, savory on the outside
    • Irresistible

    These onion rings are the perfect “watching football food,” rainy day snack food or binge watching your favorite show. They’re great with ketchup, but my Cashew Sour Cream, Tofu Sour Cream, or Cashew Mayo make a great dipping sauce too! Just add a little BBQ sauce or ketchup to make a restaurant style concoction.

    Want A Few More Snack Ideas?

    • Five Minute Fat Free Microwave Potato Chips
    • Healthy Tortilla Chips
    • Peanut Butter Balls
    • Game Day Cheese Dip
    • Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus

    If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, RATE IT, and tag a photo #shaneandsimple on Instagram. Happy Fall, everyone!

    Crunchy baked onion rings stacked on top of each other.
    Print
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    Best damn vegan onion rings on parchment paper.

    Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

    ★★★★★ 5 from 12 reviews
    • Author: Shane Martin
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Category: side
    • Method: baking
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe

    Description

    These Crunchy Baked Onion Rings are awesome! You only need 5-ingredients and about 30 minutes. They are golden brown, crunchy, healthy, and absolutely delicious. They’re also baked and not fried.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    2 large yellow onion, sliced in rings about ¼″.

    FOR THE BATTER

    • ⅔ cup unsweetened plant milk of choice
    • ½ cup whole wheat flour (this also works with chickpea flour or oat flour)

    DRY MIX

    • 1 cup panko bread crumbs (make sure they are vegan)
    • ½ tsp. smoked paprika
    • ½ tsp. garlic powder
    • ⅛ tsp. salt (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
    2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
    3. Add batter ingredients to bowl and mix until well combine and batter is smooth.
    4. In a separate bow, add “dry mix” and whisk to combine.
    5. Using a fork, dip raw onion ring into batter until entire onion is covered. Shake a few times and allow access to drain off.
    6. Transfer onion ring to bowl with breadcrumbs and coat evenly.
    7. Place onto baking pan and repeat until all onion rings are finished.
    8. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until onion rings are golden brown and crunchy.
    9. Remove from oven and serve with favorite dipping sauce.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 119
    • Sugar: 0.2 g
    • Sodium: 63.5 mg
    • Fat: 1.8 g
    • Carbohydrates: 23 g
    • Fiber: 3.5 g
    • Protein: 4.7 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: onion rings, side, snack, crunchy, healthy, vegan

    THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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    « Vegan Cream Of Mushroom Soup
    Vegan Green Bean Casserole With Onion Rings »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. margie sutej

      March 28, 2023 at 2:00 pm

      These look fabulous! So the way the recipe reads this is one serving 😊. These with a big side salad would make a fantastic meal! So just checking, the calorie count is for one order/recipe?

      Reply
    2. Karen Packer

      February 17, 2023 at 12:23 pm

      Shane, I love these onion rings so much!! I am fairly new to a WFPB way of eating and I’ve never been disappointed in any of your recipes. Thanks so much! I have a hankering for some sweet potato fries and pineapple salsa and thought of using this coating for the fries. Any ideas if this would work or how long I’d bake them for?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        February 18, 2023 at 1:23 am

        Sounds delicious! Bake for 25-30 minutes.

        Reply
    3. Colleen

      June 15, 2022 at 3:00 pm

      This is the easiest recipe for onion rings I have ever seen, so I can’t wait to try them!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Paula

      June 14, 2022 at 5:31 pm

      OK these were just AMAZING!!!!!!! Thank YOU!!!!

      I’m still in shock.

      I found you after the podcast last week and have tried about six recipes and they are all favorites now.

      I love how you have perfected recipes from our “other” life and made them plant based. I’m sure you can believe the foods I’ve eaten from others that just didn’t taste like anything I ever remember eating and don’t want to eat again.

      My goal is to amass enough recipes to survive and especially enjoy. I’ve been working at it for months, probably printing 6 to 10 recipes a day. I didn’t expect it to be so much work but you are making it easy!

      Reply
    5. Rhonda

      May 24, 2022 at 11:46 am

      Would this work for “fried” okra?

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        May 24, 2022 at 1:18 pm

        Oh, yes!!!

        Reply
    6. Kathleen

      November 01, 2021 at 9:32 am

      How many servings in your recipe? Looking forward to trying this!

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        November 03, 2021 at 4:54 pm

        Can’t remember…LOL! I’ll get back to you.

        Reply
    7. Heather

      November 26, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      My favorite onion ring recipe! These turn out amazing and they’re so simple to make.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        November 27, 2020 at 9:19 am

        Thank you!!!

        Reply
      • Karen

        June 15, 2022 at 1:44 pm

        Could you air fry these?

        Reply
        • Shane Martin

          June 15, 2022 at 2:50 pm

          Absolutely! Just watch because they will cook faster.

          Reply
    8. Nancy

      November 13, 2020 at 10:56 pm

      Thank you for sharing this recipe. These onion rings were so crunchy and super tasty!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        November 14, 2020 at 10:37 am

        Thank you!!!

        Reply
    9. Melanie Owens

      October 24, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      These are really easy and excellent! My first ever successful onion rings.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Kathy

      October 18, 2020 at 7:51 pm

      This is a most excellent recipe for onion rings. It took care of two things I dislike about fried rings: greasiness and the onion pulls out when biting into a ring. My oven must be hotter than dialed temp so next time a little less baking to avoid over browning and they’ll be perfect.

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        October 19, 2020 at 10:33 am

        Excellent! Onion rings have always been my weakness:)

        Reply
    11. Elizabeth

      September 25, 2020 at 5:54 am

      Shane, could a GF 1:1 flour be used? These sound amazing but due to Celiac I have to alter this recipe and use Bobs Red Mill 1:1. Was curious if you’ve tried GF flours in any of your recipes

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        September 25, 2020 at 10:38 am

        I would try Gluten-Free Oat Flour or corn flour (masa). But, any gluten-free baking flour should be fine.

        Reply
    12. Andrea

      May 11, 2020 at 11:46 pm

      These were so tasty! Incredibly crispy. I also added some adobo seasoning to my dry mix. Happy to have found a healthier alternative to an unhealthy obsession of onion rings.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. Linda

      April 24, 2020 at 4:14 pm

      Really good onion rings that are healthy!! Yay! Thanks again, Shane, for another great recipe. (My rings didn’t look as good as yours.) They didn’t seem to coat so well but they were still really good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    14. Janell

      April 23, 2020 at 1:53 pm

      Made these with pantry items and the guys in this household loved them! Used chickpea flour and gluten-free panko cause that what I had in the pantry. Going into the favorite rotation cycle! Thanks, Shane

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        April 23, 2020 at 3:56 pm

        Awesome, Janell!

        Reply
    15. Lindsey

      April 14, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      I have made these two days in a row for myself. My boys discovered them today. I will be adding more onions and panko to my grocery order. Thanks for another great recipe. Stay well!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        April 15, 2020 at 1:53 pm

        Awesome! Thank you, Lindsey.

        Reply
    16. Rachel

      March 23, 2020 at 6:55 am

      Could I use regular all purpose flour? It’s all I have right now. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        March 23, 2020 at 11:32 am

        Yes, absolutely!

        Reply
    17. Tami

      November 06, 2019 at 2:29 pm

      Haven’t made these yet but planning on using them in green bean casserole for thanksgiving. How far in advance could I make them to use in that recipe? How would they keep best?

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        November 06, 2019 at 2:45 pm

        I would wait until the day you want to use them. Just so they will stay crunchy.

        Reply
        • Tami

          November 06, 2019 at 3:53 pm

          Just made the onion rings…great! Thanks for the tip on making them day of for green bean casserole.

          Reply
          • Shane Martin

            November 06, 2019 at 10:23 pm

            My pleasure, Tami! I hope everything works out well:)

            Reply
    18. Debbie

      September 08, 2019 at 8:11 am

      So happy with these! Crunchy and tasty- the whole family loved them. Thanks for all the great recipes.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        September 08, 2019 at 9:43 am

        Wow, Debbie! Thank you. So pumped everyone enjoyed the rings. 🙂

        Reply
    19. Amy

      June 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

      I wonder if these would work in an air fryer?

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        June 22, 2019 at 10:07 am

        I think someone tried it and said it worked. I have yet to try them that way…but, I say go for it:)

        Reply
    20. Nadine Chiarello

      June 06, 2019 at 7:22 pm

      I made it with zucchini and sweet potato and it was delicious. I just flip the vegtables around and cooked them a little longer so they be soft and taste good.

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        June 06, 2019 at 10:19 pm

        Nadine, that’s awesome! I love hearing stories like this. Thanks for sharing!!!

        Reply
    21. Melissa

      February 03, 2019 at 12:37 am

      Do you think I could use coconut flour instead of wheat. Or oat flour?

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        February 03, 2019 at 5:23 am

        I would use oat flour. It sure how coconut four would work or taste with the onions. But, oat should work fine.

        Reply
    22. Jeff Launiere

      January 17, 2019 at 4:59 pm

      I just made these yesterday and I felt like I was eating the best of the fried onion rings, but instead they were quite healthy. The first onion I used I ended up having too much panko on them and they were not great. I then used the second onion and put them in the batter and then just a light sprinkling of panko. Oh my were they absolutely fantastic. Can’t wait to make them again.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        January 18, 2019 at 8:38 am

        Jeff, that’s great! They usually don’t last too long in this house with 5 kids:) Thanks for reaching out and sharing.

        Reply
    23. Lisa

      December 31, 2018 at 3:24 pm

      OMG!!! Shane…you have outdone yourself! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next! Love your recipes!!!

      Reply
    24. Abby

      November 28, 2018 at 4:53 pm

      They are crunchy, alright. Mine not as pretty as yours because the bread crumb mixture did not adhere too well.

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        November 28, 2018 at 5:40 pm

        Sorry to hear, Abby. Try using a thicker batter…that might help.

        Reply
    25. Emily

      November 18, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      Dude, these are the bomb!!!! Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        November 18, 2018 at 5:37 pm

        Emily, that’s great! So glad you enjoyed them and thanks for reaching out and sharing!

        Reply
    26. michael

      September 28, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      Saw this and just couldn’t wait. Made them and they are unbelievable!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Shane Martin

        September 28, 2018 at 4:20 pm

        Thanks so much and pumped you enjoyed them. Thanks for the rating.

        Reply

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