I love onion rings almost as much as I love French fries. I grew up eating the simple buttermilk and flour breaded rings deep fried at seafood restaurants and food trucks in my small Maine seaside town. Recently, I made French onion soup and diligently caramelized onions for what felt like hours. After adding beef broth and a thick slab of Italian bread and grated, broiled parmesan cheese, it was delicious. I love that sweet-salty combo, and these caramelized onion rings are an attempt to reinvent the classic recipe as baked onion rings, which can be baked again or fried. Inspired by French onion soup. 

Mental Health + Baked Onion Rings

Like ogres, I have many layers. One of them is my ADHD. I was diagnosed as an adult during the pandemic, which was a shock to the system. But also incredibly validating. I was the shy, sweet boy in school that the teachers loved and the other kids used as target practice. Deeply terrified of everything, and super sensitive. I hated balloon pops and jumping dogs and refused to learn how to ride a bike. My grandfather had to re-teach me how to swim at age 11. My chronic ear infections didn’t help. I never was the kid that bounced off the walls and screamed and shouted in class. 

I thought that’s what made an ADHD kid. But when speaking with a professional, I learned that ADHD is more about being overwhelmed easily. Not being able to focus well. You can have trouble reading. Processing emotions. You can have bad anxiety for seemingly no reason. You can be very sensitive to loud noises and pungent smells. And you can be really hard on yourself. So, I ticked all of the boxes, and finally had a box to put myself in after two decades of feeling incompetent and lazy. 

Starting a New Treatment + Cooking Therapy

This week, after waiting to find a psychiatrist for over 2 years, I finally started a new medication. I tried a couple before when I was 26 and they sort of helped, but made me depressed. So, this week has been challenging. The first day was an all consuming panic of anxiety. A new drug in my system that could kill me for all I know. I patiently waited throughout the day for my anxiety to dissipate. To be able to focus on a task for more than 10 minutes. But the most powerful change was the slow, molasses-paced passing of time. I felt like my head was being pumped with some kind of weird gas, and I was fluctuating between being relaxed and overstimulated. I was calm one second and defensive the next. 

The next day was better. It was sunny and warm outside. I baked a cake, which you’ll see soon. I started planning these baked onion rings. And I made a list of some of my goals and crossed some tedious tasks off my list that have been collecting dust. I went for a walk in the sun and listened to new music on my wireless headphones. I sat outside and just listened to the wind. My thoughts were quieter, and my body started to calm down. I felt more motivated to work out. More patient. Less stressed. My breathing improved. 

My Brain Feels Like a Baked Onion

So, needless to say, this filled me with a lot of hope. The weird thing is that your body and mind change so fast that you can’t really remember how bad it was before it changed, so you can’t tell if anything actually changed. Because this is your new normal. Today, I’ve kind of plateaued and things are feeling a little more stressful. I’m having anxiety, but I don’t think it’s as bad in my body. More to come as the weeks go by. For now, though, my brain feels a bit like the soggy onion inside of the crispy shell that sometimes falls out when you eat onion rings. 

When I developed these fried and baked onion rings, it was just because I really wanted to eat onion rings. And of course my curious mind decided to think of new ways to make them. Different batters and seasonings. Should I tempura-fry them or dredge them in flour and buttermilk? Should I soak them? Make a sauce? Then, I started thinking about French onion soup. How much I love caramelized onions. So I went to work and devised a plan. I would pre-cook the onion rings with some sugar and caramelize them in the oven. Then, I’d fry them. 

Baked Onion Rings Recipe Development

Thankfully the process was pretty stress-free. I picked up 3 softballs of white onions at a local store after a sunny walk and sliced them into onion coasters. I popped the core out of the middle, leaving me with thick concentric rings of white onion. Then I placed them on sheet trays and drizzled them with honey, maple syrup, and sprinkled brown sugar on top. A little salt for contrast, too. And then I popped them in the oven. 

At first I had my baked onion rings at 250°F and they barely did a thing. I cranked the oven up to 350 and soon the house was filled with a rich, oniony, sugary caramelized scent. I kept an eye on them and popped in and out of my bedroom every 10 minutes or so, sliding into the kitchen on my slick socks like an excited kid. Finally, they developed a beautiful amber color and the sugar mixture became a bubbling magma. I left them to cool in a spring breeze. 

Caramelized Onion Ring Nests

Then, I used a small palette knife to remove them from the parchment, laying them flat out onto my work surface. They were still pliable and soft, not crisp or rigid. Quickly I poured vegetable oil into a pan and flipped on the heat. I rummaged through the cupboard for a couple mixing bowls and excitedly dipped my rings in buttermilk, then flour. Soon they were placed on a baking sheet in rows of ready-to-fry rings. You can also put some oil on a baking sheet and bake these instead of frying! After a quick flash in the hot oil, my onion rings developed a beautiful, golden color with ripples of textured batter. Some of the nearly-burnt caramelized onion edges peeked out of the batter. 

I sprinkled the onion rings with salt and devoured them while listening to a podcast. I marveled at the crisp texture encased around deeply caramelized onions. Because I left most of the rings together before baking, they cooked down into caramelized baked onion rings but packed 10 times the flavor. They have all the flavor of a caramelized onion and the crunch of an onion ring. I ran out of steam before I could make a dipping sauce. But next time I’m planning to whip up something like a brown mustard aioli. And maybe dusting the rings in parmesan. For now, though, this onion ring recipe is a simple project to create a sweet and salty, crispy snack. A perfect accompaniment to a rich burger or sandwich. 

If you like my onion ring painting, check out my Etsy for art prints and recipe cards! I have over 100 other designs, too. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thanks as always for reading. 

Print Pin

Caramelized Baked Onion Rings

A sweet and salty take on classic onion rings

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword onion, onion rings

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2-3 large white onions
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups flour
• 2.5 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil (for baking)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Peel and slice 6-8 rings out of each large white onion.
• Remove the inner core from each disc, leaving the rings stuck together.
• Place onion discs on 2 sheet trays. Coat with maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.
• Cook for 1-2 hours until caramelized and golden amber.
• Let caramelized onion rings cool to room temperature.
• Add flour (and optional seasonings of your choice) to a medium bowl. In another bowl, add buttermilk.
• Dredge onion rings in buttermilk, then flour, and place on a sheet tray before frying or baking.
• If frying, heat vegetable oil in a pot or sauté pan with high edges over medium/high. If baking, line a baking sheet with tin foil and drizzle on 4 tbsp oil.
• Carefully fry your onion rings in batches of 4-5 rings 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping once with a chopstick.
• If baking, cook onion rings at 500°F for 5-10 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.
• Remove onion rings and drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve warm.

Notes

• Some onion rings (closer to the smaller edge of the onion) will caramelize faster and potentially burn. To prevent this, place the smaller rings on one sheet tray and the larger rings on another and cook the smaller ones for 20-30 minutes less. 
• Serve with brown mustard or a garlic aioli. I recommend also trying dusting them with parmesan and using whatever spices you like in the flour dredge. Paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme would be good.