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!
Hey Sue….I live in Walla Walla and you’re so right – our onions make the best ever onion rings!! We eat ours with Sriracha Aioli!
Cheers!
These look perfect! 😀 Some mayo and sweet chilli sauce for dipping and ALL is well 🙂 Such a good snack/meal… cause you know you can’t just have a couple of these ^ ^ Thanks for the recipe! x
These look amazing, Sue! Next time we grill a steak I am definitely going to make these too. I rarely see Walla Walla onions here but I know I can find Vidalia or Maui. Can’t wait to try them – I know my husband would be thrilled.
i’m pretty picky about onion rings, but these look outstanding! pretty terrific dip, too. 🙂
If it was me, there wouldn’t have even been a photo shoot. Maybe the second batch, but then again, maybe not… Fabulous!
My mouth is watering! I really think one onion would be just for me! Buttermilk is one of my staples, too!
These onion rings look DELICIOUS with just the right amount of crispy batter on the outside and sweet, tender onions on the inside! This is such a great recipe, Sue!
Onion rings are awesome, aren’t they? This is normally a restaurant thing for me — not something I indulge in too often. But these look terrific! Must. Make. Them. 😉 Thanks for this.
The onion riings look yummy. I don’t deep fry often, but will have to make an exception for these. Any suggestions on what to do with the leftover oil?
Sue, your Onion Rings looks absolutely scrumptious and the Basil-Buttermilk Dressing sounds like the perfect pairing for them – what a great treat to make for yourself, family and friends – while we do not get the Walla Walla Sweet Onions around these parts, I always make sure to choose some sweet Spanish onions when I make onion rings – I should really make some again soon!
Thanks for the wonderful inspiration, great pictures and fabulous recipe!
Andrea