Gluten-Free Onion Rings

I don’t eat fried foods very often, and being gluten-free, fried food at a restaurant can be dangerous. Restaurant fryers can be contaminated with gluten. What do I miss most? Onion rings!! Sweet, melty onion, crispy batter coating, yummmmm! I’ve seen some frozen gluten-free onion rings at the market but it just doesn’t seem like they could measure up. So I went to work.

These onion rings are a perfect side with my gluten-free baby back ribs, crispy roasted chicken thighs or this kid friendly baked crispy coconut chicken, gluten free of course!

Gluten-Free Flour

I was surprised at how easy it was to get the gluten-free version just right. A regular gluten-free flour blend needs a little lightening up with corn starch.

I have used several different gluten-free flour blends with this recipe (in combination with corn starch) and they all worked well. My custom blend of sorghum, millet and brown rice flours with some starches is my favorite. See the notes in the recipe for a simple DIY gluten-free flour blend or my blog post on gluten-free flour mixes and flour blends. If you prefer a store bought blend, I recommend King Arthur Flour All Purpose Gluten-Free or their Measure for Measure flour. Cup4Cup usually has similar results. I have not tested with Bob’s Red Mill (not certified gluten-free), as I have had sensitivity issues with their products

Use a Frying Thermometer

A helpful tool for these gluten-free onion rings is a frying thermometer. Knowing the exact temperature of the oil will allow you to make a perfect ring. Onion rings should be crispy golden brown on the outside with soft, melty onion on the inside. If the oil temp is too low the onion rings will be greasy, too high and they’ll brown before the onions have softened. A thermometer that clips to the side of the pot is ideal or one that has a probe that you can leave in the pot. The right temperature for frying is around 360ºF.

If you don’t have a thermometer, try dropping in a an onion ring. If it sinks to the bottom of the pot and then quickly rises to the top, the oil temp should be ok.

Of course if you have an air fryer forget all this about the oil! Lucky you!

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Gluten-Free Onion Rings

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

You'll love this recipe for battered gluten-free onion rings

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbs rice flour blend (see below) or King Arthur multi-purpose gluten-free flour or a gluten-free flour blend with no xanthan gum
• 1/4 c non-gmo corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup club soda or water
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 large sweet onion
• high heat/frying oil (NOT olive oil), to fill your pot to 1 ½”

Instructions

1. Pour the oil into the pot, turn the heat to high and put in the thermometer. For an accurate read, the probe should not touch the bottom of the pot. I use a small pot and fry in small batches so that I do not have to use a lot of oil.
2. As the temperature approaches 325° turn the flame to medium. While you are mixing up the batter, keep an eye on the temp. You want to fry at about 360°-370.°
3. Slice the onion into rounds about 1/4″ thick and separate the slices into individual rings.
4. Place the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to combine and break up any lumps. Add the beaten egg and club soda and whisk until smooth.
5. When the oil is at the right temperature, turn the flame down a little bit. If the temp keeps rising just play with the flame until it holds somewhat steady. I find that I have to adjust often while frying.
6. Put the onions into the batter to coat. Bring the bowl over to the stove and use a fork to drop them into the oil one at a time. Do not crowd. Flip them after about a minute.
7. Remove with the slotted spoon or spider when they are golden brown. Place on the wire rack. If you need to re-heat them, leave them on the rack and place in a 350° oven.
   
   

Notes

Easy Gluten-Free Flour Blend:

2 c brown rice flour
2/3 c potato starch
1/3 c tapioca starch

Recommended Products

• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 6
Amount Per Serving Calories 234Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 31mgSodium 155mgCarbohydrates 44gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 6g

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated using information from the Nutritionix database. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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