Crispy Onion Strings ~ a tangle of these super thin onion rings are everybody’s favorite side dish ~ we love to pile them on anything and everything!
Crispy onion strings are what you hope every restaurant is going to serve. They’re the onion rings that go by on a waiter’s tray and make every head turn. The appetizer you order for the table that disappears in a flash. So good they don’t even need a dip… but oh boy, are they ever dip-able (we’ll get to that down below.)
Crispy onion strings step by step
They’re ridiculously easy to make, no batter involved. just a dusting of flour and salt. One medium sized yellow onion makes a huge pile of strings, here’s how it works:
- PEEL and trim the ends from your onion
- I use a yellow onion, but a white or sweet onion will also work. I’d avoid red onions.
- SLICE it very thin
- onion strings are sliced thinner than onion rings, about 1/8″
- a mandoline slicer comes in handy for this.
- SEPARATE the thin rings and toss in flour and salt.
- FRY in batches in hot (325-50F) vegetable oil for up to 2 minutes until golden.
- you don’t need tons of oil for this, a couple of inches will do.
- DRAIN on paper towels and salt while hot.
common questions
Use a neutral, high-smoke-point oil like peanut, canola, or vegetable oil ~ they fry the onion strings crisp without adding competing flavor.
I let it cool, then pour it back into the original container, cap it, and put it in the trash ~ never down the drain.
Yes ~ as long as it’s not burnt. Let it cool, strain out crumbs, store airtight, and reuse once or twice for similar foods like more onion strings.
Yes ~ you can dredge onion strings in gluten-free flour. A 1:1 GF all-purpose blend or rice flour works well and fries up crisp.
Yes, they stay crisp at room temperature for up to a day.
serving suggestions for onion strings
You can set them alongside a sandwich or burger, or you can pile them high on top of a steak salad. Or you can stuff them in your mouth the minute they hit the paper towel, I’m with you there. But you’re gonna want a great dip…
dip ideas
I whipped up a simple dip on the spot: just mix mayo + lemon juice + Dijon mustard to taste. But I’ve got lots more ideas for you…
Creamy luxe dips for onion strings:
- Creamy Homemade Horseradish Sauce (from scratch!)
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Authentic Remoulade Sauce in 30 seconds!
- Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing
- Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce
- 30-Second Aioli Recipe
Zippy dips for onion strings:
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Homemade Green Tabasco® Sauce
- Roasted Jalapeño Ketchup Recipe (2 ingredients!)
- Mint Yogurt Sauce
- Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
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Crispy Onion Strings
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 1/2 cup flour, or more as needed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- vegetable oil, for frying
- sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Peel and very thinly slice the onion, I like to do this on the 1/8 inch setting of a mandolin slicer. Gently separate the rings.
- Whisk the flour and salt together in a pie plate.
- Meanwhile heat several inches of the vegetable oil in a pot until it reaches 325-350F.
- Working in batches, drop a handful of rings into the oil and watch them turn golden brown. This will happen in under 2 minutes. Make sure the rings are separated before you drop them in.
- Remove them from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Shower lightly with flaky salt. Repeat with the rest of the onions.
Nutrition
more onions please!
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Due to high water content of onions,would salting then drying help with the coating sticking as well as better browning? We do this with fried green tomatoes,eggplant etc.
The coating is just the salted flour for these, and it sticks fine. And they do get nice and brown, as long as your oil is hot enough, so I don’t really think you need to bother with salting them. If your strings are very wet you can just pat them with paper towels first. I’ll try salting with my green tomatoes though, thanks for the tip!
So good, so easy! Thank you!
I soak mine in sour milk or buttermilk overnight. Otherwise the same. I used to make them as a ‘chef’s special’ for the workers where I cooked.
Gosh those look heavenly!!!!
I promise you, they are 🙂