Treat yourself to these crunchy Gluten Free Baked Onion Rings! This healthy snack is easy to make, packed with savory flavors, and perfect for game days and parties. Gluten free, oil free, and dairy free.
Do you love healthy snacks as much as I do? Then you’ll love my Oven Baked Carrot Fries and Whipped Feta Dip as well!
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Are you a french fry person or an onion ring person? I’m team onion rings. I always crave their crunchy, golden outside and soft, sweet inside. They’re my go-to side dish for juicy chicken burgers and chicken wings!
Crushing my cravings is now easier than ever with these Gluten Free Baked Onion Rings. They’re just as golden and crunchy as the classic craveable appetizer but made without any gluten, dairy, or oil. How great is that?
Making gluten free onion rings at home is easy, too. Each onion ring is coated in a crunchy and lightly seasoned gluten free panko breading, then baked to perfection. They’re a quick, easy, and healthy snack to put out on game day, at parties, or to simply enjoy for yourself!
Why this recipe works
- Surprisingly easy to make: Making onion rings at home is a lot easier than you’d think, especially baked onion rings. You can forget all about the hot splattering oil and greasy fingers!
- A secret ingredient: After some testing, I decided that these onion rings were missing a certain something. That’s when it came to me – nutritional yeast! This secret ingredient adds undeniable cheesy, savory, and salty flavors in every bite. It’s not to be missed!
- Golden and crunchy: The tender onions are sweet and soft on the inside while the crunchy seasoned breading is super crispy and flavorful on the outside.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Yellow onion – Large yellow onions are some of the best when making homemade onion rings. Their large rings are easy to work with and they have a naturally mild and subtly sweet flavor. I made this recipe with only one onion, but you can double or triple the amount when you’re serving a crowd.
- Gluten free flour – Use a 1:1 gluten free flour. I haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour or coconut flour, but they likely won’t work as well because they don’t absorb moisture quite the same.
- Gluten free panko breadcrumbs – Panko breadcrumbs are especially light and airy, giving the baked onion rings plenty of crunch without needing oil. You can make this recipe with regular gluten free breadcrumbs if you can’t find gluten free panko.
- Eggs – To help the flour and breadcrumb coating stick. You may be able to substitute flax eggs or dairy free milk for the real eggs, but I haven’t tested it.
- Nutritional yeast – The secret ingredient! Seasoning the breadcrumbs with nutritional yeast adds another layer of savory and cheesy flavors you won’t be able to resist.
- Paprika – For a mild smoky warmth in the breadcrumb coating. Use smoked paprika if you like your onion rings to taste extra smoky.
- Sea salt
How to make gluten free onion rings
They’re ready to eat after 4 simple steps:
Step 1 – Chop the ends off of the onion and remove the peel and outer layer. Slice the onion into thick slices (depending on how thick or thin you like your onion rings). Separate the onion rings from each other.
Tip: If you need more guidance when slicing onions for onion rings, check out this helpful video by Martha Stewart.
Step 2 – Add the gluten free flour, the beaten eggs, and the breadcrumb, nutritional yeast, paprika, and sea salt mixture into three separate bowls.
Step 3 – Dip each onion ring into the flour, then the eggs, and lastly, the breadcrumb seasoning. Place them in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 4 – Bake the onion rings until they’re golden and crunchy. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Tips and variations
- Try to only use the large outer rings of the onions. You can store the smaller centers in the fridge for later. Put them to use when you need to saute onions for french onion soup, chili, or any other meal.
- If you’d prefer to make onion rings without flour, you can try using cornstarch or arrowroot powder as a substitute. I haven’t tested this, so I’m unsure if it will work or not.
- Go ahead and mix up the seasonings in the breadcrumb mixture! Use dried herbs, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and/or any other seasonings you like.
- For extra crunch, bake the onion rings on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. This way, the hot air has a chance to circulate around each ring, crisping up every side.
Serving suggestions
I highly recommend serving your baked onion rings with a variety of dipping sauces, like ranch dressing, ketchup, spicy mayo, or barbecue sauce. It’s the secret to taking every bite to the next level.
They’re also great served on top of green salads, soup, and burgers when you need a little extra crunch.
Frequently asked questions
No, it isn’t necessary for this recipe. Some onion ring recipes call for the sliced onions to be soaked in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes before they’re breaded and baked. This is only helpful when you’re using a tart or strongly flavored onion, like red or white onions, because the water tempers their flavor.
The onion rings will only be soggy if they are piled on top of each other on the baking sheet. This causes them to steam rather than crisp.
I haven’t tried it but I’m sure it will work well! To air fry, lay the breaded onion rings in an even layer in the air fryer basket (work in batches) and cook at 375ºF for 8 to 10 minutes.
Looking for more gluten free recipes?
Gluten Free Baked Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 450F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cut both ends of onion. Peel the onion and remove outer layer. Slice into 1/2 inch thick slices, thicker or thinner according to your preference. Then remove the onion rings from inside of each other.
- Dip each onion ring into gluten-free flour first. Then dip in eggs and lastly dip into panko seasoned with nutritional yeast, paprika and sea salt.
- Arrange onion rings side by side in sheet pan. Do not stack them or they won’t crisp up. Bake for 12-13 minutes on the bottom rack, turning once half way through.
- Serve them as a side, or snack. They are also good on top of salads or soups for a crunchy texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very good! I really liked them.
That’s awesome Anita! so soooo glad you liked ‘em, such a delicious treat! xoxo
Your directions for baked onion rings say to bake for 12-13 minutes on bottom rack, turning once half way through.
Do you mean turn the pan half way through, or turn each onion ring over to expose the bottom?
To turn each individual onion ring 🙂
Do you mean to turn the pan half way through the cooking time, or to turn each individual onion ring?
Hi Lynn, I mean to turn each individual onion ring
I made these this evening and was so excited to try an oven baked onion ring recipe. I was unfortunately is appointed with the results. The onion was well cooked although the panko coating we found to be too dry.
Sorry you didn’t have a good experience with this recipe. This recipe is on my re-test and re-photograph list, and I’ll definitely take your feedback in consideration. Thanks for letting me know!