Gluten Free Onion Rings

These gluten free onion rings are an easy way to get this classic comfort food at home and with absolutely zero gluten. They’re the perfect side for burgers or hot dogs, or enjoy them on their own as a snack or appetizer. Can be made dairy free.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• The gluten free batter for these onion rings is light and full of flavor and crisps up beautifully.
• Underneath the crispy gluten free batter is a juicy, perfectly cooked sweet onion. The way the sweetness of the onion complements the savory batter… OMG.
• There’s zero gluten in this recipe, so it’s perfect for anyone with a gluten allergy or sensitivity. Even without the gluten, these onion rings taste just like traditional onion rings, which means any gluten-eaters in your party will love them, too!

Key Ingredients

Cornmeal – If you like cornbread then you’re pretty familiar with cornmeal. It’s that coarse powdery substance that comes from grinding corn. Cornmeal is perfect in batters like this because it fries up so beautifully.

Milk – Obviously the dry ingredients need a little liquid added to turn them into a batter. Milk gets the job done while keeping the batter rich and creamy, rather than making it watery. Use any type of milk you like! For dairy free, gluten free onion rings, use an unsweetened plant-based milk.

Club Soda – Like the milk, club soda helps thin the batter, but the fizziness keeps the batter amazingly light. You could also try this recipe with a little gluten free beer in the batter instead of club soda for gluten free beer-battered onion rings.

Chef’s Tips

• What’s the best dipping sauce for gluten free onion rings? Well, that depends on what you like! I’m a big fan of onion rings with ranch, so I like to pair them with this homemade gluten free, Whole30 dump ranch. Of course, ketchup is a classic – try this ketchup recipe for a homemade option. If you like things a little spicy, a chipotle aioli dipping sauce would work for you!
• It’s important that your oil is hot enough before you drop an onion ring in it, otherwise the onion ring just soaks up the oil and gets super greasy and soggy. You can use a food thermometer to gauge the temperature, or you could use the wooden spoon trick. Just dip the end of a wooden spoon handle into the oil. You’ll know it’s ready when the oil bubbles up around the spoon handle. If there are a lot of violent bubbles, though, your oil’s too hot, so lower the temperature and let it cool a little.
• Instead of placing the onion rings on a plate of paper towels to drain, lay a wire cooling rack over a bed of paper towels lining a baking sheet, then place the onion rings on the rack. That way, the onion rings aren’t sitting in the hot oil while you’re working on the next batch or two. If they’re elevated and the oil can drain away, you’ll be left with beautifully crisp onion rings. If they just sit in the oil, they’ll get soggy.

More Awesome Gluten Free Recipes

• Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks
• Gluten Free Mug Cake
• Perfect Gluten Free Brownies
• Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls (Cinnabon Copycat)
• Peanut Butter Pancakes (Gluten Free)