Crispy Fried Onions Recipe

Crispy fried onions can be deep fried in oil or you can make air fryer onion straws too! Want a homemade copycat French’s recipe to serve on top of your Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes, these are delicious!

Copycat French’s Crispy Fried Onions

Have you had these on top of a hamburger at your favorite restaurant and would love to have them at your barbecue too? They are easier to make than you might think. Fried crisp and homemade unlike our air fryer frozen onion rings, these go great all top of all dishes!

You need to start with the obvious first, onions!! There are a lot of choices for sure if you’ve been to the produce section of your grocery store. From white to yellow, sweet, vidalia and red. Typically I opt for yellow for this and air fryer onions because I have those on hand and they lead to a more savory flavor.

Yes you can buy a can of French’s fried onions to shake on top of pressure cooker liver and onions this year, but wait!! Try something new this year and make these instead!

Ingredients

1. Onions – sliced thin, yellow or white work
2. Flour will create a breading
3. Salt and pepper are basic seasonings
4. Buttermilk will get the coating to stick
5. Vegetable oil for frying is best

Variations

The type of onion is purely up to you. White onions have a shaper, more pungent flavor, while yellow onions have a nice balance of sharp and sweet. Use both and see which you prefer when you dig in. These are meant to be savory, not sweet like our caramelized onions recipe.

Let’s start with the traditional method of making crispy fried onions on your stovetop first. This is what you will need. It’s not much, and quite inexpensive to make too. Whether you want them as a sinful snack, or to top your green bean casserole, homemade is always best.

Of course starting with large onions is the first step. The thinner they are sliced the crunchier they will be, and the quicker they will cook.

Yes we are going to slice them thinly for this recipe because for the most part you’re using them to top another dish. Little bite size crispy fried onions is what we want. The smaller you slice them the crispier and faster they will cook. Keep that in mind when preparing

For example, for our easy green bean casserole I like them REALLY crispy and teeny tiny in size. If I’m making these just to snack on I will slice them a bit thicker, more like homemade onion rings.

Steps are basic: Just put flour mixture in a bowl to combine, dip onion into buttermilk, then into flour, fry and drain on paper towels!

What is onion straw batter made of?

Here are a few questions you might be asking yourself as you start to make these. Typically it’s a mixture of flour and a liquid like buttermilk here with some salt and pepper for flavor.

How to Make Crispy Fried Onions

• Dip the onion slices into the buttermilk, or a whisked egg.
• Dredge in seasoned flour until coated.
• Place the onion slices into the hot oil once it reaches 350-375F. and fry until golden brown on both sides.
• Lay on a few paper towels to absorb excess oil.

You can use any brand of electric air fryer. Slice onions as thick or thin as you’d like them. Then separate the rings. In 1 bowl put in your breadcrumbs, in a 2nd mix together the rest of your dry ingredients, in a 3rd whisk your egg with your cup of liquid.

in Air Fryer

• Preheat your air fryer or Ninja Foodi to 360 degrees
• Now dip your handful of onions onion in a seasoned flour filled shallow bowl, then a whisked egg, and finally coat with breadcrumbs.
• Place in your air fryer basket in single layer. Spray with olive oil spray.
• Air fry for 6 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden brown.
• Remove, add remaining onions to fry until all are done.

How do you keep fried onion crispy when reheated?

1. You need to preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F
2. Lay inside basket in a single layer
3. Air fry for 1 minute on each side to crisp up again
4. Enjoy!