We Tasted And Ranked 6 Brands Of Frozen Onion Rings

When we think of side dishes for everything from sandwiches and subs to steak dinners, french fries are the clear star of the show. They have become the gold standard when you're grabbing a burger and chicken tenders alike. But there is another fried treat that offers a little more pizazz when it comes to a pairing. I'm talking about onion rings, and this ranking is all about the frozen options you can buy at your local grocery store.

Onion rings offer a fried outer layer, a vegetable inside (which means it's healthy), and an array of batter flavors and types. What's not to love? While the options aren't as extensive as their french fried counterparts, and it feels like they're always better at a restaurant, you can in fact find a decent selection of frozen onion rings at your local stores. I looked at six top brands to find out which was the best. From texture and taste, let's see which brand can come close to fried perfection. Out of all of my taste tests thus far, I know — without a doubt — that the winner will surprise you.

For this taste test, I scoured the frozen food aisles in my local stores and found six brands to try. When it came to cooking, I used the conventional oven directions, as it's the one option most folks have in their homes. As I cooked, I followed some basic tips for cooking frozen onion rings, like cooking them on a wire wrack and flipping each onion ring at the halfway mark. Overall, I think a deep fryer or an air fryer may showcase better results, but I was surprised at how well most brands cooked up.

The main components for a winner were texture and taste. You had to be able to taste the onion, along with a solid and noticeable flavor in the breading. The breading itself needed a nice crisp with a balanced mouthfeel. If they were greasy, if the onion flavor was missing, and or if the breading was bland, they were moved to the back of the ranking.

Coming in last place was McCain's craft beer battered onion rings made with American pale ale. Boasting no artificial flavors and the only beer batter on the list, I was excited to give this option a try. However, that unique flavor got lost somewhere along the way.

Even following the directions to a T, these ones came out pretty soggy. I looked past the texture, hoping to find some flavor to recoup the brand's losses. I could definitely taste the beer batter, and while it did have a decent flavor, a weird aftertaste followed. There was some onion flavor in the mix, but overall, these didn't taste natural. Something was just off with this brand.

While McCain's offered the most unique batter of the bunch, I wouldn't buy these again. Maybe my expectations were too high, but the soggy texture and the weird aftertaste were enough to keep these off my frozen onion ring list for good.

Up next and severely disappointing me was Nathan's thick sliced battered onion rings. Knowing how iconic the brand is and how it has the best hot dogs of all time, I was eager to try this one, believing these onion rings would make the top three without a second thought. Unfortunately, I was quite wrong.

Right off the bat, they came out of the oven greasier than the others. They were also the only option that stuck to the sheet while cooking. However, because they were thin, there was still a light crisp to be found. 

Like McCain's, Nathan's had a different type of "breading," less natural and more "fried" looking than the rest. Regarding flavor, they did offer some, but something was super off with the onion. It didn't taste fresh at all. 

I'm not sure what was up with these, but there isn't much to write home about. They tasted better than the aftertaste of McCain's, which is the only reason they didn't place last. While Nathan's is famous for its hot dogs and connected contest, it shouldn't add onion rings to it claims to fame.

Aldi's attempt at onion rings takes fourth with the Season's Choice brand. At this point, I was losing hope for all frozen onion rings, but they faired far better than the last two. At least this option looked like the picture on the bag.

The breading was thick and felt more like a fried option than the others, even when cooked in the oven. There was a good crunch, but there were some tough spots on the ring. While there wasn't a strong onion flavor and just some salt in the breading, these didn't have a weird aftertaste, with a more natural onion flavor.

I'm not saying you should run out and buy Aldi's onion rings, but there were no massive faux pas here. If you're in a pinch, and promise your guests some dipping sauces, these will do just fine. But for some real contenders in the frozen onion ring world, keep reading. 

Taking the bronze medal was Signature Select's onion rings. This grocery store brand browned right up and cooked really fast. This is always a plus for me when it comes to a quick and easy party snack. I liked how the breading was thick, crispy, and had a good crunch, but some areas were a little tougher than others.

While there was an uneven mouthfeel at times, the breading itself was pretty bland. You couldn't really taste the onion, but since there was nothing glaring about the flavor profile, Signature Select made it to third place. 

Why did they place above Aldi? The texture. They had that double-fried appearance and crunch. Texture was a winner here, and I know with some stellar sauces these could be the star of any party or movie night. Just a reminder: They are only in third because they don't taste bad. However, that doesn't mean they taste good.

Placing second was the onion rings from Alexia, which are coated with a panko breading and tossed with sea salt. From the packaging, these seemed like a winner, but did they hold up to the marketing?

Alexia's onion rings toasted up nicely with a golden brown coloring. The outside was crispy and crunchy, but there was an uneven mouthful, as some areas were a little tougher than others. However, this brand had the best onion flavor by far. They tasted fresh and natural, as if they were homemade onion rings. 

Be that as it may, there was nothing super impressive about Alexia. There wasn't a whole lot of flavor in the breading, but there were notes of salt that did pair nicely with the onion. 

I'm not going to say these were amazing onion rings, but they had the best flavor and texture. To be clear, you can eat these without an accompanying sauce. If I had to grab some outside of the top contender, I would eat these again for sure.

I don't even know what to say about the first place winner. It's a brand I've given a lot of attitude towards over the years, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Placing first is Walmart's Great Value brand. They really were the star of this frozen onion ring show.

Surprised is an understatement. These onion rings had the perfect crisp with no rough or tough spots. They had a thick battered coating with just the right amount of salty flavor. You could also taste the onion, but it wasn't overpowering. There was no weird aftertaste or anything that would deter me from eating them again. Color me impressed.

After all is said and done, I had to choose Walmart's Great Value brand as the only one I can truly recommend. Great Value's onion rings were delicious, cheap, and the best option you can find outside of your local fair grounds or fast food spot. Who knew?