How To Make Beer Battered Onion Rings?
This is the nutshell version. See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
First, mix the mayo, ketchup, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic, and lime juice. Place some flour on a shallow plate and mix your beer batter.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot, like a Dutch oven or deep fryer. Dip the onion rings in the flour and then dunk them in the beer batter. Fry in the oil until golden brown, working in small batches. Drain the excess grease on a paper towel-covered wire rack and serve with the homemade lime mayo sauce.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- Non-alcoholic beer or club soda can be substituted for the beer.
- Sweet onions are the best for flavor, but honestly, any onion makes a decent ring.
- I personally like working with the batter when it is thin, so I use 1 1/2 cups of beer. You can start with 1 cup and add more as you work with it until you get the consistency you desire.
- Use oil with a high smoking point, like peanut, vegetable, or canola.
- Try to maintain a consistent fry temperature of 375 degrees. Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Dutch ovens are good heavy pans for frying. Because of their thickness, they maintain and hold heat well.
- Store leftover onion rings in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, reheat them in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
My personal favorite is the sweet Vidalia Onion, followed by the sweet Walla Walla Onion. Almost all Vidalia Onions are grown within seventy-five miles of Vidalia, Georgia. Walla Walla Onions are grown in Walla Walla County, Washington State.
Both of these sweet onions make delectable onion rings; however, yellow and white onions can be used as well. They are a little stronger but still make awesome onion rings.
My personal favorite is Sam Adams Boston Lager; however, any beer will do the trick. A Belgian-style tripel will lend a little bit of sweetness to your onion rings, and generally speaking, the non-light beers will lend more flavor and add more crispiness to your rings.
Ingredients
Lime Mayo Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 small clove garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Onion rings
- 2 large sweet onions rough skins removed cut into 1/2-inch rings and separated
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1-1 1/2 cups beer
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
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In a small bowl, combine mayo, ketchup, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, garlic, and lime juice.
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Set 1/4 cup of flour aside on a shallow plate. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, beaten egg, and 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups beer, depending on how thick you want the batter.
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Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Dip onion rings in flour and then into the batter. Fry battered onion rings in the hot oil until browned, about 4 minutes. Place them on a paper towel-covered wire rack while working in small batches.
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Serve hot with Lime Mayo Sauce
Notes
- Non-alcoholic beer or club soda can be substituted for the beer.
- Sweet onions are the best for flavor, but honestly, any onion makes a decent ring.
- I personally like working with the batter when it is thin, so I use 1 1/2 cups of beer. You can start with 1 cup and add more as you work with it until you get the consistency you desire.
- Use oil with a high smoking point, like peanut, vegetable, or canola.
- Try to maintain a consistent fry temperature of 375 degrees. Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Dutch ovens are good heavy pans for frying. Because of their thickness, they maintain and hold heat well.
- Store leftover onion rings in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, reheat them in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes.
