Walla Walla, Vidalia, Maui, or any generic sweet onions will do for these epic Sweet Walla Walla Onion Rings with a tangy basil buttermilk dip!
Last meal request? A huge pile of Walla Walla onion rings, no question.
These sweet Walla Walla onion rings are the classics, the onion rings of your dreams. Thickly sliced, with that perfect ragged crunch on the outside, and a soft sweet bite on the inside. And you know what the strange thing is? They are crazy easy to make. In my experience it rarely happens like that, so take note and enjoy these. One onion makes enough to stuff 2 hungry people.
what are walla walla onions?
The sweet Walla Walla onion is Washington’s state veggie. They’re very proud of it, and rightly so. They are so good they’ve been given a special designation by the government which says that only onions grown in and around the Walla Walla Valley can be called Walla Walla onions. Only spectacular foods like Champagne, or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese get this kind of protection, and that usually happens in Europe where they’re a little bit more sophisticated about their food than we are. Here in America we’re just starting to pick up on the idea. It honors what is special about a particular food and protects it. These onions are mild, sweet, delicious, and make a darned great onion ring. I’m glad somebody’s got their back.
other sweet onions for onion rings
Other sweet onions are Vidalia, from Georgia, and Maui, from Hawaii. You can also find generic sweet onions at your supermarket as well, just look for them with the regular yellow, white and red onions.
more sweet onion recipes
- Vidalia Ritz Pie
- Sweet Onion Puff Pastry Tart
- Sweet Vidalia Onion Dip
- Chopped Chef Salad with Creamy Sweet Onion Dressing
- Sweet Onion Latkes with Chive Sour Cream
- Sweet Vidalia Onion Cornbread
Walla Walla onion rings dipping sauce
I love to serve these sweet walla walla onion rings with a buttermilk based sauce. For one thing it helps use up the extra buttermilk, and makes a light refreshing dip for the rings. I love the contrast between the crisp fried onions and the cool tangy sauce. You can flavor it anyway you like, if I’m feeling lazy I’ll just add salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Today I blended in fresh basil and it was wonderfully fresh and light.
Lots of people have the mistaken impression that buttermilk is full of fat and not healthy, when in fact the opposite is true. Buttermilk is technically the liquid leftover after making butter, so it’s very low in fat. Most of what you buy in the supermarket is cultured with probiotics, sort of like yogurt, so it is healthy and has a nice tangy taste. Some people drink it straight but I mostly use it for cooking and baking. It’s one of my pantry staples.
Plan on one onion for every two people, and be sure to work in batches because the coating mixture will become soggy after dunking the wet rings. Make separate batches of the coating rather than doubling the recipe. I really believe onion rings are among the most foolproof of recipes. The main problem you’ll encounter is not getting your oil up to temperature. A clip on thermometer is a good investment. My rule of thumb is that the rings should fry up to golden in about 2 minutes or a little under. Any longer and the oil isn’t hot enough. Any shorter and it’s too hot.
…omg I’m just putty in the hands of a great onion ring…
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Sweet Walla Walla Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large Walla Walla onion
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp onion salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Basil Buttermilk Dip
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- handful of fresh basil leaves
- squeeze of lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the onions and slice them thickly, about 1/2 inch. Gently separate the slices into rings, and don’t discard the little center pieces.
- Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl and add the onions. Stir to coat.
- Pour oil to a depth of several inches into a pan. I used about a quart of oil Heat to 350F.
- In a large zip lock baggie, put the flour, breadcrumbs, and onion salt, and mix well.
- When the oil is hot, drop a few of the onion rings into the baggie and toss to coat well.
- Add the onion rings to the hot oil and fry until golden, about 2 minutes, flipping once or twice. Work in small batches so you don’t crowd the pan.
- Drain on paper towels, and serve hot with dip.
- To make the dip, put the buttermilk in a small food processor or blender, and add the basil leaves and lemon juice. Process just until the basil is well incorporated. Add the seasonings to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for pinning!
These look like absolutely perfect onion rings, especially paired with that dip!
These onion rings look killer, so golden and crisp! Love the basil buttermilk dip!
I love a good batch of onion rings and these look perfect and sound heavenly. I can’t wait to try that basil dip with them. Nice recipe.
I’ll try this recipe soon ~ looks and sounds delicious! You share so many great recipes. Thanks!
These look so perfect.
I’ve never thought to use a creamy cool dipping sauce, and now I wonder what I’ve ben missing.
I have always wanted to make onion rings at home. Yours look perfect, so I’m definitely going to give it a go. Love sweet onions, too!!
They look so CRISP!
Heck Girl, now I have a mean craving for these that nothing in my current kitchen will satisfy! So delicious!
Oh my – I don’t know how you managed to get photos before devouring this beautiful stack of onion rings! I love the Walla Walla sweet onions (my oldest brother got married in Walla Walla) but since we lived on the Georgia/Tennessee line for years, I am partial to Vidalia. Seriously I don’t care what kind of onion you use if you make these for me – with the dip of course! Beautiful!!!
I bet every restaurant in Walla Walla serves up amazing onion dishes, I want to visit!
This was one of those recipes where I cut the photo session short…
I think I saw these at the market this morning but not sure. I had no idea about them but I’m so glad to know now so thank you! I will most certainly find them and cook with them now. And your onion rings – they look perfectly fried and crave-inducing. I’m with you on buttermilk – so great to cook and bake with and I was amazed when I first realized it’s lower in fat than milk.