I’ve really been missing onion rings since I went low carb.
Which is weird because it’s not like I ate them a lot before. I guess, like anything, it’s the knowing I can’t have them that makes me want them more!
I prefer beer battered onion rings, which these are not. But as a low carb substitute, they did have everything I look for in an onion ring.
Crunchy and savory on the outside – sweet and soft on the inside…
Mission accomplished!
These low carb onion rings are super easy to make.
My only change would be to cut them thicker than I did, as my breading to onion ratio was a little heavier than I would have liked. Next time I’ll cut the onion rings to about 1/2 inch thick.
Some people have commented that the breading didn’t stick to their onion rings. Please note that it’s important that your oil is hot enough to weld it on there almost instantly.
Also, you have to bread the onion rings individually, a couple at a time, not just dump the whole lot into the egg and then right into the breading in one pile.
If you do that you’ll get a lumpy mess and nothing will adhere to the actual onions.
Print
Low Carb Onion Rings
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Onion rings
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp parsley flakes
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium saute pan.
- Meanwhile, beat the egg in a shallow bowl. Combine the coconut flour, parmesan, garlic powder, parsley flakes, cayenne and salt in a shallow bowl.
- Slice up your onion to a thickness of about 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch and break up the rings until you have a big pile. Add all of the onion rings to the beaten egg and mix thoroughly so they are well coated. Soak the onions in the egg for at least a minute, and then in small batches dip in the coating and then into the hot oil.
- Fry until golden brown and then turn with a fork or tongs to brown the other side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
- Serve with sugar free ketchup or the sauce of your choice. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Calories: 175
- Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 4g net
- Protein: 3g
patti says
Thanks for this recipe. My Atkins hubby loves onion rings and I do not have a lot of experience in making them. They were not nearly as hard to make as I expected! This recipe helped me understand the how-tos and was pretty easy.
Miranda says
Currently making these.. What a waste of oil That’s all I have to say *thumbs down*
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the feedback Miranda, sorry you didn’t have success with them! I’m going to revamp this recipe to make it more user friendly asap!
Matthew Underbrink says
Like a lot of other people I had a lot of trouble with these. Batter slid off, couldn’t get enough batter to stick to the onion in the first place. Do you have a recommendation on what kind of onion to use? I think smaller cuts is the way to go. I did the 1/2 inch and it was just really difficult to manage. I think I got like 2 decent rings out of the whole batch. I’d like to try again but would love some tips and tricks….
Vicki says
Been following a low carb diet for 2 months now and have just recently started missing my steak and chips, now I have something to make with my steak, can’t wait.
Pan says
Unfortunately this didn’t work out and I ended up throwing it away. Have you tried this with the thicker slices as written? I think that’s the issue. This would work well for thinner slices, like what you made in the pictures. But the larger slices of onion, which I made as directed, just weren’t able to cook enough by the time the breading was crisp. I tried to salvage them in the oven and it didn’t work. I would make these again, but only as very thin shoestring onions.
Jenn says
Just saying I love you for this!! Thanks for this…I REALLY needed this recipe!
Regina says
Just made these tonight and they turned out fabulous! Made your recipe to a “T” but did add one step: threw the onion rings in a bag with 1 tbl coconut flour prior to egg dredge. Its a critical step especially if your onions are “moist” . Taste just like flour batter! Thank you!!
Naomi Wright says
Hi Mellissa,
Thanks so much for your recipes. I did try these this past week and like others, it turned out to be a a disaster! The batter didn’t stick at all, but I’ll try again with 1 more egg and more flour & cheese. I did this for my Meatless Monday and ended up eating just a little.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sorry Naomi, I’m going to have to revisit this recipe and make it more user friendly with an updated breading option. I’ll get to work on that soon, promise!
Janis says
This looks incredible but wouldn’t it be healthier to fry in coconut oil? I thought I remember reading something about Olive Oil not withstanding high heat.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Coconut oil would work too Janis!
Christy says
Do you think you could substitute almond flour for coconut flour? I haven’t been able to find coconut flour anywhere!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I haven’t tried it Christy so I can’t really recommend it with confidence – in theory it should work though! I get my coconut flour online – it’s easier and cheaper than buying it in the store! Nuts.com is my favorite! You can click the ad on the right to get over there if you want to check out their prices. Enjoy the onion rings and let me know if the almond flour works!
VH says
Hey… Don’t suppose you’ve tried making these without the parmesan? My husband loves onion rings…but any cheese more exciting than mozzarella makes him ill. Is it vital to get it all to hold together & get the crunch, or d’you reckon I could just sub in a little more coconut flour? Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny says
The parmesan kind of melts and hold it together, but in theory it would work without it and just a bit more coconut flour instead. Not really sure, since I’ve never tried it though. Let us know if you try it and if it’s a success or not!
Denise Brinkmeyer says
I made them without parmesan since I didn’t have any. They were pretty good but they were not crunchy. They came out soft.
I served them in a big pile on individual plates with a side of sauce made from sour cream, sriracha, and a little ranch dressing mixed in.
Totally satisfying to my craving! My husband loved them too.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Glad you liked them Denise, it’s the parmesan that makes them crunchy though, so try that next time and they’ll be even better! :)
Soraya says
Hey!
Im absolutely thrilled with this recipe. Thank you!!
I was wondering, do you think i could use shredded coconut? I will order some coconut flour, but that is going to take a lot longer than I have patience for.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Hi Soraya, I don’t know if shredded coconut will adhere to the onions – I have a feeling it would fall off. But it’s an intriguing idea and I bet it would taste awesome if it works!! If you try it let me know how it comes out!
Soraya says
Heyy!!
I tried the recipe with shredded coconut but I could clearly see it wasn’t going to work. But the craving was huge so i decided to play around a little. I added two tbs spoons of soy flour. Of which I absolutely hate the flavor. And it worked like a charm. Couldn’t taste the soy flour at all. It had a nice hint of coconut. Big hit! Thank you.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Glad it worked out for you Soraya! Sounds good – I wonder if I can do the same thing with coconut flour and shredded coconut – might try it on some chicken soon. Thanks for the idea! :)
Epicuriousbynature says
grrrrr… dredged in coconut flour, not almond flour!
Epicuriousbynature says
I had a lone onion sitting in a bowl on my counter and remembered your recipe… Thank goodness!! I had been meaning to try it for a couple weeks. The only thing I did differently was toss the onion slices in a ziplock with some almost flour first like “regular” onion rings and then dredged in egg and the mix. Excellent, like usual! Thanks for posting such great recipes!
Anonymous says
These had potential, but couldn’t get breading to stick, will have to try a finer grate parmesan & try again.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Try dusting them in coconut flour before dipping in the egg mixture as well – hope version 2.0 comes out better for you!
ronlennex says
Would *LOVE* to see your take on fried pickles.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Hey now! Going to add that to my list of things to try, thanks for the idea!
Sarah C. says
We tried these for dinner tonight. COMPLETE DISASTER. First of all, one egg isn’t anywhere near enough. 1/4 cup of oil isn’t near enough. It cooked off almost immediately, leaving me with a dry pan and a charred mess. I kept adding more oil, but it kept cooking off. And I didn’t turn the heat up past medium. Oh, and the coating mixture was only enough to cover slightly less than 1/4 of the onion. These might work if you use a deep fryer, but don’t try pan frying them. Complete waste of time and resources.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sarah, sorry these didn’t work out for you! I’m surprised to hear that you didn’t have enough egg or coating for the onion – it must have been one HUGE onion! The 1/4 cup of oil works but only in a smaller pan, and you have to cook them in relatively small batches or they won’t brown. Also, if your oil wasn’t hot enough from only going to medium heat, the rings will absorb much more of it than in really hot oil. Another thing is that if your coating was on really thick, it would absorb more oil than mine which had just a light coating on them. Other than that it’s hard for me to guess what went wrong having not been there. I hope you have more success with some of the other recipes, thanks for the feedback!
Veriria says
I just tried these and they’re amazing!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Veriria, so glad you had good success with the recipe!
Anonymous says
I used Carbquick instead of coconut flour and it worked just fine.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for sharing that, good to know it works!
nancy says
Has anyone tried frying these in coconut oil?…I find it does not absorb as much and is better for high heat frying. I think I will try it..
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Nancy, I’m going to try that next time too!