14 Creative Ways To Upgrade Classic Onion Rings

Indisputably one of the greatest snacks of all time, onion rings have been around for at least a century – possibly several, depending on how you define the dish. There's no secret to what has caused their longevity. The combination of sweet, tender onions and a crispy, crunchy golden exterior is simple perfection. Onion rings are delicious, versatile, and can easily be upgraded, too. They grace fast food joints and pubs, but you'll also see them atop gourmet dishes. You can make hand-crafted onion rings from scratch, or buy a bag of frozen ones and pop them in the oven at a moment's notice.

While classic onion rings are satisfyingly delicious, for those looking to branch out into more adventurous territory, there are many ways you can take the simple onion ring and elevate it to something new and even more flavorful. From adding an ingredient or two to switching up the cooking method, it doesn't take much to elevate the humble onion ring and raise it to gourmet status. 

If you're making your onion rings from scratch, the first thing you start with, of course, is the onion itself. Sure, you can slice them and go straight to the breading and frying, but if you do that, you're missing out on an opportunity to vastly improve their texture and flavor. Once the onions are sliced, letting them spend some time soaking in liquid is an easy yet effective way to take your onion rings to the next level.

The choice of liquid is up to you. Many recipes call for a soak in cold water. This reduces the onions' pungency and firms up their texture, but what plain old water doesn't do is add any flavor. Turn that plain water into marinade, and suddenly you've added an entire new dimension of taste to your onion rings. Whether you use a simple brine of salt and water, or go all-in with pickling spices or fresh herbs or whatever your imagination creates, you'll be giving your onions a boost from the inside out. Just make sure the liquid is cold or you risk making them limp.

Buttermilk is another popular option in which to soak onions for onion rings. Its acidity adds a tangy flavor, while imbuing them with tender texture and a soft, mellow taste. Just like you can with water, you can (and should) add aromatics, spices, and any other flavorings to the buttermilk to give the onions extra pizzazz.

You've heard of beer batter, but what about bubbly batter? In this case, bubbly refers to sparkling wine, a secret weapon to have in your arsenal for making light, airy, elegant onion rings. While any carbonated beverage technically works in an onion ring batter, sparkling wine adds a delicately fruity note that matches up well with onions' natural sweetness. Prosecco is a fantastic choice to add to onion ring batter, as it's light, fresh, and fruity, as well as affordable — save the vintage Champagne for drinking.

In addition to flavor, sparkling wine brings bubbles to the batter, as well as acidity. These two elements work to create the perfect ethereal yet crispy crust. Acidity, which comes from the wine itself as well as the bubbles, keeps the batter from becoming too glutinous, tough, and chewy. The carbonation also adds to the batter's lightness as the bubbles add air pockets, moving around while the onion rings cook. The next time you're looking to make beer-battered onion rings, reach for a bottle of sparkling wine instead.

People love onion rings for all kinds of reasons. Maybe you are a fan of anything fried and served with a dipping sauce; maybe you just think the shape is fun. If you love onion rings because of the onion, and want as little as possible to take away from the pure onion experience, there are easy ways to amp up that flavor and make the onion the solo star of the show.

Anything from the allium family will enhance and deepen the onions' flavor. This includes garlic, shallots, leeks, chives, and scallions. Dehydrated and powdered onion and garlic can be easily added to the batter or breading mix to add a rich onion flavor to the rings' crispy exterior. They can also be incorporated into any dipping sauce you use. Pickled shallots make a great zippy, acidic addition to the fried food's fatty richness. Chives and scallions chopped and scattered over the top of cooked rings add a fresh, bright pop of color and allium flavor.

A classic onion ring may only be seasoned with salt and pepper. That's fine, and really all you need if you're trying to keep things simple. However, if you're looking for a quick flavor boost, all you need to do is take a look at your spice rack. Onions are found in cuisines all over the world, so whatever spice profile best suits your fancy can work beautifully as onion ring seasoning.

You can create your own from individual spices, or use a store-bought spice mix to get a complex boost of flavor with the least amount of effort. Everything Bagel seasoning makes a great match with onion rings, thanks to its allium-heavy flavor profile. It can be added to the breading mix or sprinkled over the rings after they're cooked, or both if you want to really pump up the intensity. Experiment with other spice mixes to find your favorite: Old Bay is great for that seaside summer feel; chili powder or Cajun seasoning give your rings a nice kick of heat; or go for ranch mix if you like a cooler, more herbal flavor.

If you're a fan of coconut shrimp, there's no better way to improve homemade onion rings than by taking inspiration from that dish. It's as simple as adding shredded coconut flakes to your breading mix or batter and you'll get an extra layer of texture as well as a pop of sweet tropical flavor in each oniony bite. Coconut matches up well with onions' natural sweetness, particularly sweeter varieties like Walla Walla, Maui, and Vidalia onions.

For those who want the full coconut experience, you can go even further with the ingredient. Soak the onions in coconut milk and fry them in coconut oil; you can even use coconut flour in place of your usual flour to quadruple-down on your coconut venture. This much coconut will result in a pretty sweet onion ring, perfect for balancing out with a hot and spicy dipping sauce like sriracha or chili crisp.

Sure, you can make your own bespoke spice mix and painstakingly create a seasoned bread crumb mix for your onion rings from scratch. But if you're looking for a shortcut for this step, look no further than the salty snacks in your pantry. Perhaps you're a Flamin' Hot Cheetos fan, a Spicy Nacho Doritos lover, or a champion of the salt and vinegar potato chip. Any of these and more can be used in place of breadcrumbs to create a crunchy, flavorful breading for your rings.

All you have to do is crush the chips into the texture you're looking for — you can leave them coarse for extra crunch, or pulverize them into dust for a softer, more even coating. Then, use them just as you would breadcrumbs. You may not need to add much, or any, salt, as the chips are already seasoned for you. Another thing to be wary of is the color. Depending on the chip, the breading might turn quite dark during cooking, especially when deep fried; this is due to the spices, and doesn't necessarily indicate that the breading is burnt.

When confronted with a list of appetizers at a restaurant, sometimes it can seem impossible to choose just one. Perhaps you've met this classic conundrum when it comes to fried starters: onion rings, or mozzarella sticks? As it turns out, you don't have to choose one or the other. These top-tier snacks can be combined to create a super snack, a hybrid, a best-of-both-worlds invention: the fried mozzarella onion ring.

Constructing this dish is fairly simple. All you need to do is add a strip of cheese that lies along either the inner or outer edge of the onion — or both, if you're looking for true cheesy decadence — then continue the breading or battering steps as normal. Once cooked, you'll have an ooey-gooey layer of melted mozzarella alongside each sweet, savory onion bite, along with a crispy golden exterior. This amalgamated appetizer is tailor-made for an Instagram-worthy cheese pull.

Whether you're consciously avoiding carbs or simply enjoy a meat-forward lifestyle, bacon-wrapped onion rings are a must-try snack. You still get to experience the same satisfying crispy crunch you'd get from golden battered or breaded rings, with the added savory, smoky, meaty dimension of bacon. Just like classic onion rings, bacon-wrapped onion rings can be fried, air-fried, or baked with successful results.

They're arguably easier to make from scratch than classic onion rings, too, as you don't have to worry about creating a multi-step breading station. Instead, you simply wrap strips of bacon around each onion until they're completely covered, using toothpicks to hold the strips in place, and then cook using your preferred method. The fat content of the bacon keeps things rich and juicy, while the meaty bits become crackling and crisp. It's a simple change that creates a brand new symphony of texture and flavor.

Buffalo-style is more than just a way to dress up chicken wings. The combination of red-hot sauce and cooling blue cheese (or ranch, if you prefer) is so perfectly calibrated that it works for just about anything. There's buffalo tofu, buffalo fish, buffalo nachos, you name it. If you've never tried buffalo onion rings, now's the time to rectify that hole in your life.

The nooks and crannies in breaded and fried onion rings make them an ideal vehicle for buffalo sauce, which wants a crispy surface to adhere to. The flavor of the onion itself, savory and somewhat sweet, matches up nicely with the smoldering heat of red chilies. And of course, onion rings have a wonderfully dippable hand-held shape so you can easily take them for a little swim in your cooling dip of choice. Turning your rings buffalo-style is an easy way to upgrade store-bought frozen rings, as all you have to do is toss them in the sauce once they're cooked. For homemade rings, you can add another layer of heat by soaking the raw sliced onions in hot sauce before you bread them.

The next time you're having a backyard barbecue and you have a hankering for onion rings, no need to break out the air fryer, heat up a gallon of oil, or even turn on the oven. You can cook onion rings on the grill, right alongside your burgers, dogs, and steaks. You'll need something to keep them from slipping through the cracks and into the flames — a cast iron skillet or griddle works well, or a mesh grilling sheet if you like to see char marks — and you'll want the onion rings to be frozen before you place them on it.

Grilling onion rings produces a much different end result than frying them, as the cooking method is much more similar to baking in an oven than to sending them for a swim in hot oil. What they may lack in a shimmeringly greasy, crispy exterior, however, they make up for in convenience and that smoky flavor you can only get from open flame cooking. 

Despite being considered a starter or a side, onion rings stand up just fine on their own as a hearty, filling dish of food. But one of the strengths of these delectable golden rings is their culinary versatility. Sure, they make a great accompaniment to burgers and sandwiches, and they're a crucial component of any appetizer sampler. However, they have so much more to offer thanks to their unique shape, texture, and adaptability. When it comes to cooking methods and flavors, they can be utilized in many different creative ways.

Onion rings make a great garnish on everything from chopped salads to gourmet grilled steaks, adding a satisfying crunch and sweet onion flavor to a dish. Of course, they make fantastic toppings for sandwiches and burgers, bringing another layer of texture and taste to each bite. For a unique way to plate a dish, you can use an onion ring as a vessel for other foods — think of it as an edible cup or bowl that you can fill with other ingredients. An onion ring with extra high sides makes a great savory container for foods like scrambled eggs or chicken salad.

Is there any other Italian-American dish as homey and comforting as a saucy, cheesy parm? If your answer is no, the next time you have some spare onion rings laying around, give them a spin as the main characters in this classic dish. Parm is typically made with breaded chicken or veal cutlets, or slices of eggplant, covered in tomato sauce and cheese, and then baked until the synergy of hot, crispy, melty textures is achieved. Replace the eggplant or protein with onion rings, and you've got a savory new twist on an old favorite. 

You can use frozen store-bought rings or the homemade kind to make onion ring parm. If you're crafting the rings from scratch, add some Italian seasonings into your breading mix to enhance their flavor: dried oregano, basil, and parsley are a must, along with rosemary, thyme, and marjoram if you've got them on hand. You may find onion rings leaping to the top of your favorite parm list, thanks to their unique shape — the holes in each ring become perfect pockets for sauce and cheese, making the dish seem extra decadent.

Onion rings, while delicious, are part of the boring beige color spectrum of foods, which means they don't exactly visually pop on the plate. Throw a sprinkling of fresh herbs on top, however, and suddenly you've got a much more gourmet and appealing snack. The delightful burst of color that you get from just-picked, just-chopped herbs can take any dish up a notch, but it's not just about the visual allure. Fresh herbs add their own unique aromas and flavors, and their bright vegetal quality is an excellent counterpoint to the fatty, savory richness of onion rings, making them seem lighter and less leaden.

Be wary of adding fresh herbs to the rings before you cook them, as many lose their character with heat — dried herbs are better suited for that purpose. Woody herbs such as rosemary and thyme can withstand most cooking processes, but most fresh herbs will better serve you when added near the end. Delicate, leafy green herbs like dill, cilantro, tarragon, and basil add pleasantly peppy aromas and flavors. Marjoram, oregano, and sage are almost intoxicatingly fragrant, and will add a big boost of intensity to your rings. Subtler herbs, like chives and chervil, will give you a hint of freshness without overwhelming any other flavors.

Onion rings are tasty on their own, sure, but at least half the fun of crispy fried appetizers is getting to dip them. Most people will probably reach for ketchup, or maybe ranch, and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you want to switch things up flavor-wise, trying some fun and novel dipping sauces is an easy way to enjoy onion rings in a new way, whether they're store-bought or homemade.

Cowboy sauce, a mix of ranch and barbecue sauce, makes a fantastic accompaniment to onion rings; the cool, fresh zestiness of ranch and the sweet tang and spice of barbecue make complementary partners with all kinds of fried foods, but goes particularly well with the savory sweetness of onion rings. Another sauce that combines the strengths of different condiments to create a dipping superstar is comeback sauce, a staple of the American South. This complex sauce consists mainly of chili sauce and ketchup, along with mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and other flavorings. The combination of sweetness, tang, and spice adds the perfect dimension of flavor to the classic, iconic onion ring.