When I go to A&W, I always upgrade my fries to onion rings. A&W onion rings are so crispy, and in my opinion, they are the best of any fast food chain. The key to getting that crispy outer coating is using panko breadcrumbs.
Looking for more A&W recipes? Try my A&W Teen Burger and Buddy Burger next!
๐ง About This Recipe
In my opinion, A&W makes the BEST onion rings out of any fast food restaurant. I've had onion rings all over North America (and even Asia), and nowhere comes close. I love their light and crunchy texture combined with A&W's famous seasoning salt.
I've failed so many times at making these, but finally, I've come up with a recipe that tastes just like the ones at A&W!
The batter is based on a famous Fish and chips recipe from Heston Blumenthal. I remember how crispy it was and immediately thinking it could also be used as a batter for onion rings.
The secret is using a combination of rice flour and all-purpose flour to create an extra crispy but light crust. I've used just flour before, but it comes out a little too dense. If you don't have rice flour, you can also use cornstarch instead. I did taste tastes with my friends and they actually could not tell the difference.
๐ง Ingredients
- Onions: Any onion can work with this recipe, but I try to avoid red onions since they will bleed color into the crust. Choose the largest onions you can find.
- Batter: All-purpose flour, rice flour (or cornstarch), baking powder, and cold beer. This combination provides a super crispy crust. I LOVE the addition of beer because it adds a malty flavor profile and also helps the rings develop a deeper golden brown color. You can also use water or soda water.
- Panko breadcrumbs: These are a Japanese-style breadcrumb found in most major grocery stores. They're crispier and make fantastic breading for fried foods. You can also use regular breadcrumbs, but I highly recommend trying it with panko first.
- A&W Seasoning: Paprika, black pepper, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Start by peeling off the skins from the onions. Then, slice the onions into ยฝ-inch thick slices and separate them into their individual rings.
STEP 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the rice flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Pour in the beer and whisk until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as we don't want to overdevelop the gluten.
The batter should be pretty thick- about the same consistency as a thick pancake batter. If the batter is too thin, the breadcrumbs will fall off during frying. Add extra flour or water as necessary.
STEP 3: Pour breadcrumbs into a medium-sized bowl.
STEP 4: Now it's time to start breading the onion rings. Dip each ring in the wet batter and shake off any excess. Transfer to the breadcrumbs and coat evenly. Be extra gentle here as we don't want the breadcrumbs to fall off. Transfer to a tray and continue breading the other rings.
STEP 5: Heat 1 inch of oil to 350ยฐF in a Dutch oven, high-walled pot, or wok. Fry 6-8 onion rings at a time for 1-3 minutes on each side until they're golden brown. Use a metal spider to gently move them around so they cook evenly.
When they're done, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Immediately season them with A&W seasoning salt. Serve with ketchup, and enjoy!
๐ฅก Air-Frying Option
If you are worried about deep-frying, you can air fry these instead. But in my opinion, they do not come out nearly as good. Onion rings are one of those foods that really benefit from being deep-fried with a lot of oil.
I recommend spraying them with oil at least two times during cooking so they have more of a deep-fried flavor.
To air-fry, preheat your air-fryer to 400โ. Place the breaded rings in a single layer and spray with lots of oil. Cook for 5-7 minutes then spray with more oil and flip. Spray with even more oil and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
๐ Recipe
Copycat A&W Onion Rings (Extra Crispy)
Ingredients
A&W seasoning
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ยฝ teaspoon brown sugar
- ยผ teaspoon onion powder
- ยผ teaspoon garlic powder
- ยผ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ยผ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Onion Rings
- 2 large onions
- 1 cup rice flour (or cornstarch)
- ยพ cup all-purpose flour
- ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- 325 ml cold beer (or cold water)
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all seasoning ingredients and mix well.
- Start by peeling off the skins from the onions. Then, slice the onions into ยฝ-inch thick slices and separate them into their individual rings.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the rice flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Pour in the beer and whisk until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as we don't want to overdevelop the gluten. The batter should be about the same consistency as a thick pancake batter. If the batter is too thin, the breadcrumbs will fall off during frying. Add extra flour or water as needed.
- Preheat about 1 inch of oil to 350โ over medium-high heat. While the oil is preheating, start breading your onion rings. Dip each onion ring in wet batter, then coat with breadcrumbs. Transfer to a tray and continue breading the rest.
- Fry 6-8 onion rings at a time for 1-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Use a metal spider to gently move them around so they cook evenly. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with A&W seasoning salt. Serve with ketchup, and enjoy!
Ben
Best onion rings recipe on the internet!
Tim W
one of the best onions rings i have ever tried very crispy. Thanks for sharing
Shepherd Winfield
I worked at A&W from age 14-22 when I was a student. They make the onion rings fresh too which makes them even more delicious! But one step that is missing here is, once the onion rings are sliced and separated into rings, theres a very thin translucent skin on onion rings that is peeled off before battering on the rings . Doing this step will ensure your batter sticks better too! Imagine the time that was spent daily peeling this membrane off on each and every ring at A&W!
Grump
Oh, nice tip on the translucent skin. I've always just left that on. I'll try removing it next time!