Crispy Onion Ring Tower (Printable)

Thick onion rings, battered and fried to a golden, crunchy perfection, stacked for a fun serving.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 large yellow onions

→ Batter

02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - ½ cup cornstarch
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1 teaspoon salt
08 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Wet Ingredients

09 - 1 cup cold sparkling water
10 - 2 large eggs

→ Coating

11 - 2 cups panko breadcrumbs

→ For Frying

12 - Vegetable oil for deep frying

# Directions:

01 - Peel onions and slice into ¾-inch thick rings. Separate each ring and set aside.
02 - Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
03 - Beat eggs with cold sparkling water until thoroughly combined.
04 - Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Adjust consistency with additional sparkling water if batter is too thick.
05 - Place panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish for easy coating.
06 - Dip each onion ring into batter, let excess drip off, then coat evenly with panko breadcrumbs.
07 - Heat vegetable oil to 350°F and fry onion rings in small batches for 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on wire rack or paper towels.
08 - Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Arrange coated rings in a single layer, lightly spray with oil, and air-fry for 8–10 minutes, turning halfway through.
09 - Stack fried onion rings into a tower on a platter and serve immediately with desired dipping sauces.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sparkling water in the batter creates a natural effervescence that makes the coating impossibly light and crispy instead of heavy.
  • You can deep-fry or air-fry depending on your mood or what's clean in your kitchen, and both methods work beautifully.
  • Stacking them into a tower feels like showing off without actually trying hard, and they disappear fast.
02 -
  • Cold batter is essential—warm batter makes the coating absorb oil and turn greasy, so don't skip chilling or use room-temperature water.
  • Don't overcrowd the pan when frying; too many rings at once drops the oil temperature and they'll be soggy instead of crispy.
  • The sparkling water really matters; still water creates a different texture entirely, and flat soda won't give you that effervescence.
03 -
  • Use a wire rack instead of paper towels to drain fried rings; paper towels trap steam and soften the crust, while racks let air circulate underneath.
  • If your batter seems to be sliding off the onion rings instead of sticking, your rings might be too wet—pat them dry with a paper towel before dipping.
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