Bring A Touch Of Sweetness To Onion Rings With One Genius Addition

In the hierarchy of crispy fried side dishes, onion rings are kings. Crispy and salty on the outside, and a little bit sweet and steamy on the inside, they're the ultimate snack for state fairs, tailgating, fast food, and even at home as long as you have the best recipe of all time. Classic rings made with either a beer batter or a light dusting of cornmeal are the style we all probably recognize, but that doesn't mean onion rings are relegated to only one flavor. In fact, there's one genius addition that will add a little sweetness to your onion ring game: Coconut.

Coconut onion rings are super easy to make, all you need to do is add some shredded coconut to a recipe, dredge the rings, and drop them in the fryer. Just like easy coconut shrimp, onion rings coated with the tropical fruit will have an irresistible balance of sweet and salty. If you want to take them to the next level, however, choose your ingredients carefully so that you can layer on the flavor.

You don't really need a recipe to make coconut onion rings, just start by adding coconut flakes to any regular onion ring recipe to see how you like the taste. This would also work well with any deep fried allium recipe, including bloomin' onions. It's better to use untoasted coconut flakes, especially if you're using a dry bread-based coating like panko breadcrumbs, because the hot oil will caramelize the coconut and crumbs. Toasted coconut, on the other hand, may have a tendency to burn in the hot oil, which will ruin your rings.

Most onions will make decent rings, but chefs will tell you that one of the biggest mistakes people make when making onion rings is choosing the wrong variety. For coconut rings, sweet, mild varieties like Maui, Walla Walla, and Vidalia are a great addition to the roasty, toasty flavor profile. Once you've got your veggies sliced, try soaking the sweet onions in coconut milk to diffuse the sulfur aromas and soften any sharp edges. This works with any kind of milk, but using coconut milk is another chance to build more flavor. You can also use coconut flour in the breading mixture, and add some coconut oil to your frying pan for cooking. Mix and match any combination of ingredients depending on what's in your pantry until you come up with the ultimate coconut onion ring.