These are the crispiest keto onion rings you'll ever find! They are ready in just 15 minutes and make a tasty appetizer or snack. Check out the secret ingredient that makes these low carb onion rings taste just as good as the real thing, only without all the carbs. Frying method, air fryer method and oven method included!
Keto comfort food alert! Onion rings are always on top of the list when I have a "junk food" kinda day. Even before I started eating a low carb diet, I'd reach for onion rings over French fries. They are just so much more interesting!
I think you'll love this onion rings recipe. It goes perfectly with a Hamburger or keto hot dogs. I decided to make them the old school way and fry them for superb crispness - also, because not everyone has an air fryer yet.
I also tested the recipe in the air fryer. The keto air fryer onion rings get just as crisp and you're using less oil. And last but not least, I've also listed the oven option below.
In any case, serve them with homemade sugar free ketchup or my easy keto mayonnaise!
Table of contents
Are onion rings keto?
Regular onion rings are not keto, because after you dip them into the egg mix they are coated with regular flour and breadcrumbs. These keto onion rings are the perfect low carb alternative.
Keto batters and breadings
There are various types of gluten free batters and breading that you can use on a keto diet.
The most common coating base is either almond flour or coconut flour. You can then add on parmesan, pork rinds, flaxseed or a mix of all of these to achieve the same result as crispy wheat breadcrumbs.
This batter tastes very similar to one made with wheat flour because it uses my secret ingredient - whey protein isolate. It's super-fine and becomes incredibly crispy - much more than any almond flour coating! Read more about whey protein and other low carb protein powders here.
In the image above you can see everything you need:
- onions
- whey protein isolate - unflavoured
- spices: garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper
- egg
- Dijon mustard
- sparkling water
- 2 cups avocado oil, ghee or coconut oil to fry
How to make keto onion rings
Slice the onions into 1 cm rings.
Place all the dry ingredients in a shallow bowl and mix. Add the wet ingredients to another bowl and mix to combine.
Dip each onion ring in the wet and then into the dry to fully coat and place them on a wire rack. Coat 8 at a time and then fry in batches of 4 to avoid the whey batter soaking and disappearing into the egg.
Heat the oil in a 18 x 9 cm saucepan until really hot and slightly bubbling. The oil should be deep enough to fully cover the onion rings. I used 2 cups.
Carefully lower 3-4 keto onion rings at a time into the hot oil and fry about 45 seconds or until golden and crisp.
Remove the rings with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to soak up any excess fat. Repeat until all rings are fried.
Air fryer onion rings
I have tested this recipe in the air fryer and it makes them very crispy whilst using less fat. I cooked mine at 180C / 350F.
The most important thing is to not layer the rings on top of each other. You must keep them in a singer layer so the air can circulate around them. If you have a smaller air fryer, you'll need to cook them in 2 batches.
I recommend that you spray the breaded onion rings with cooking spray (or use an air fryer liner) and air fry for about 8 minutes until the top is browned. Then flip them over with a spatula and air fry for a further 8 minutes or until fully crisp.
Oven baked onion rings
This does not yield a result that's as crispy as the deep fried or air fried version. However, it still works!
To bake low carb onion rings, preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and arrange the onions in a single layer, not touching each other.
Spray with oil and bake for about 10 minutes or until the tops are golden. Flip over and bake for another 10 minutes or until the keto breading is golden all over.
Storage
Keto onion rings taste best fresh. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. They will go soft.
To crisp them up again, reheat them in the air fryer or in the preheated oven at 200C / 400F for about 5 minutes.
Not suitable for freezing.
More keto snack recipes
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Keto Onion Rings
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 120 g onions actual onion rings - 3 onions (170g) and I discarded the ends and tiny bits in the middle
DRY
- ½ cup whey protein powder isolate, 50g
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp flaked salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
WET
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp sparkling water
- Oil to fry. Avocado ghee or coconut are best. I used 2 cups.
Instructions
- Use a fork to steady the onion. Slice into 1 cm rings. Remove the skin and separate the rings. Discard the ends and the small rings right in the centre.
- Heat the oil in a 18 x 9 cm saucepan until really hot and slightly bubbling. The oil should be deep enough to fully cover the onion rings. I used 2 cups.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Add the wet ingredients to another clean bowl and mix to combine. Dip each onion ring in the wet and then into the dry to fully coat and place on a wire rack. Coat 8 at a time and fry in batches of 4 to avoid the whey batter soaking and disappearing into the egg.
- Carefully lower 4 onion rings at a time into the hot oil and fry about 45 seconds or until golden and crisp. Remove the onion rings with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to soak up any excess fat.
- Repeat for all the remaining onion rings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Molly says
Can I use Bovine protein as I don't have Whey?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I have not tried it. However, my feeling is that collagen peptides are going to give a more oily and sticky result.
Sarah in CA says
These were fantastic. Since my daughter is dairy free I used egg white powder. Since no one knows that these are supposed to taste otherwise, they all loved them.
Brenda says
Delicious and easy to make.
JanJan says
Hi there, Could I use this method with coating chicken pieces, prawns and fish goujons??? The onion rings look delish and will be definately trying. Thank you for the recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
I haven't tried using it anywhere else myself, but it should work!
RachelH says
Works great for fried chicken.
Brigitte says
The batter for these onion rings is genius! Delicious.
Marcelle Costanza says
Just saw your section on the air fryer method. I think the oil frying is actually easier.