Onion Rings

Fun recipe. I had just bought a huge bag of "just add water" pancake mix from my warehouse store and wanted to find some other way to use it up. I heated up my electric fryer to 350 degrees F. I added a few teaspoons of spicy powdered seasoning until the mix was slightly pink (I used Old Bay, but I have tried Cajun, Curry, and Seasoned salt and pepper too. I dredge chunks of food in the dry mix and set aside. I then mix a little beer into the dry mix to make a thin batter, re-dip the food in it, and then drop them gently one at a time into the hot oil. I fry until the food floats and turns deep golden brown. The oil stays clear because the batter sticks to the food, holds up really well to heat and complements a variety of flavors. Try it with chunks of chicken, seafood, eggplant, carrots, onion rings, squash, bell peppers, cheese stuffed jalapenos, peapods, green beans, hot dogs, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

I felt that this recipe required some seasoning so I added my usual garlic and onion powders, a special blend of bread dipping spices, hot sauce and I replaced the liquid with beer. Even though I dressed this up a bit, I'm still giving this recipe five stars because using pancake mix is ingenious. I used Bisquick. I also floured my onions first to help the batter adhere. For those who mentioned that their onions were greasy probably did not have the oil at the right temp. It should be about 350 degrees. A simple candy thermometer will help with that. My family loves onion rings but rarely orders them in a restaurant because they hate how the onion always slides out from the coating. Amazingly, this did not happen (maybe due to the flour coating) and my gang said that these were the best rings they had ever eaten. Can't thank you enough "T"!

This batter was really good. I coated the rings in the dry pancake batter to start with and then put them aside. Then I used 1 cup of beer in place of the liquid and added lots of seasoned salt. Then when they came out I sprinkled with salt. The only problem was that I set the stove at med/high heat and it was way too hot. The rings became too browned after cooking only 10 seconds. Even after I turned the dial down to 4, they were coming out the same way. I had to stop frying them because my whole kitchen was filled with the smoke that was coming out from inside the pot and the smell of onion rings has still not gone away after 15 hours (and I've kept my windows open all night) I would not make these again unless I used a deep fryer.

Are there even words to express how GOOD these are? we are a family of 9 and we all loved these. I have never made onion rings before.I had a bunch of brown onions and needed to use them up.I used buttermilk pancake mix that said to mix with water, not milk.I added some salt,pepper and seasoning salt.Love at first bite.Somebody pinch me...have I ever tasted anything so good?My 12 yr old screamed when she ate these! I added too much salt to the second batch...had to throw them away...better go easy on the salt, you can always salt them when they are done. These are the bomb!

Not bad but not great. The batter coated and stayed on the onions well. This is my first time deep frying but the recipe worked well. It lacked any real flavor it tasted just like the recipe says. I liked the slightly sweet flavor but everytime I had a bite I couldn't help but think it was lacking spices. I probably won't try this *exact* recipe again but may try and "imprve" it by replacing the water with beer and adding salt, pepper and maybe some additional spices. Thanks

WOW!! I used Krusteez pancake batter and it was perfect! It didn't even need salt. I used the batter for french fries and that was awesome too, but with potatoes it did need some seasoning. I will never have to order onion rings again! Super Super Super! (Do make sure your oil is hot enough--mine got cool at one point and the rings were greasy and spongey and yuck--as soon as the oil returned to the right temp they were perfect again!)

I was so excited to see that pancake mix was used in this. I'd never thought of it and I have struggled for years to get my batter just right and now I can say NO MORE STRUGGLING. I used this recipe and added a little season-all for a spicy kick. WOO HOO.

My kind of recipe! I used Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix that only needs water added. Even my husband liked these and he is not usually a fan of onion rings.

These were so easy, and yet so good! I used buttermilk pancake mix, and I didn't have enough milk that the box called for, so I used evaporated milk for the rest. I also added some salt and pepper to the batter. Most of my children don't eat onions or onion rings, but they all went for these!!

This was great! I used it for chicken fingers too and it turned out great, sweet & crunchy, the whole family begged for more!

I use Bisquick for pancakes. So I used 1 Cup Bisquick 1/2 Cup milk, 1 egg, 1 tsp baking powder. Then instead of adding vanilla like I do for pancakes, I added 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp black pepper. I only used enough oil in a pan to cover and just did a few at a time after dipping in batter. These were great! I will try a little more spice yet, these were very puffy, because of the baking powder. Thanks for the idea.

DELICIOUS! A PERFECT '10'! INITIALLY I USED THE DEEP-FRY BASKET TO DIP THE ONION RINGS DOWN INTO THE OIL, BUT THEN COULD'NT REMOVE THEM FROM THE BASKET DUE TO THE BATTER STICKING TO IT...BUT IT WORKED GREAT TO SIMPLY DROP THE ONION RINGS DIRECTLY INTO THE HOT OIL! a WONDERFULLY SIMPLE RECIPE! THANKS 'T'!

Very Very Good! I just fried the onion rings in the pancake mix and added some garlic powder, salt/pepper and wow! they are so good done this way. I will be making again for sure! :)

This recipe is too easy! They are very tasty. I would recommend that you put salt and pepper in the batter first though. I have tried many onion ring recipes, and this one tops them all!

THIS RECIPE IS DELICIOUS. I JUST FINISHED FRYING A BATCH AND ATE THEM ALL IN ONE SITTING SO NOW I HAVE TO GO AND MAKE ANOTHER. THIS RECIPE IS SOOO EASY AND SOOO GOOD. I AM TRULY SHOCKED THAT A RECIPE SO EASY COULD BE SO GOOD. HATS OFF TO YOU "T" THANKS, DISHDISH

This recipe is the first one that lead to onion rings that didn't fall apart or look just awful. I tweaked it from the start by using an ale instead of water, 2 teaspoons of garlic salt and 2 teaspoons of Cajun spices. After removing from the oil, I finished them off with some sea salt sprinkled on top. Thank you so much for your recipe!

This was quick and easy and my family loved it.

Very quick and easy!!! My husband and I loved them! I added a little bit of salt and pepper, and they tasted wonderful. I think we would take these over any other kind of onion rings that we have tried. Yum!

THESE WERE THE BOMB!! I did add some garlic powder and red pepper, but not much and they were fantastic, very very crispy and light!! My husband is a ring fanatic and he wanted me to make more, i also fried up some zucchani (however you spell it) and it was great also!! will definately be using again and again!! thanks for the great recipe!! (this was also my first attempt at onion rings!!)

So easy. I added a couple pinches of taco seasoning mix, a teaspoon of garlic powder and a few dashes of tabasco. Just make sure your batter is thick enough to cover your onion. My batter was a little too thin in the beginning so I had to add a little more batter to thicken it up. Came out beautifully.

This recipe was SO EASY!! My kids loved these onion rings too. I used Walla Walla Sweets and they worked very well. Yum!

These onion rings were gone faster than I could fry them up ... honestly, the first whole batch went in my belly while I was still cooking. I used pancake batter mix but substituted beer for water and added some spices - just what I came across: lemon pepper, garlic powder, paprika, ... - I don't think that there are any limits :-) Great recipe, thanks for sharing!

This was my first time trying onion rings in a deep fryer, and it was a success. Thanks to other peoples additional suggestions, I would definitely advise coating in flour first and the suggestion to keep them in the oven at 225 until all are done was brilliant. One thing to be careful of, do not make the batter too thick. I will definitely thin it out next time, but with additional spices to taste it turned out well.

Whoda thunk? Pancake mix! I've been looking for the perfect onion rings recipe for years and here it is! I didn't quite understand the "lazy" comment. I love to cook from scratch, but I'm all about easy & delicious. I cooked these in a really heavy pan on the stove on high heat, turning them once and they came out perfect! I didn't add any seasoning, but I might play around with that next time. Thanks!

Good and pretty simple Although not the tastiest or the best texture Its tough frying at home no matter what the recipe is though... I might make again

I just saw this recipe and made a small batch to try it out. I was surprised at how well pancake batter handles a deep fryer. The wife and kids can get enough!! Needless to say I had to make a couple more batches after they sampled the first.. Thanks!

These are good onion rings! We added all-season salt to the batter and took the advice of others that dipped their onions in the batter, then beer, then batter again before tossing them in the deepfry. Be sure to coat them well!

I am only going to rate this a 3 right now. I used bisquick mix and I want to try it with some others before I finalize this. I would not use it with Bisquick they did not have much flavor. They seemed to be lacking something. That is why am waiting to fully rate it.

You could not get any easier than this recipe. DH was so surprised that you can use pancake mix. I use my own home-grown onions and it all comes out perfect!

very good, but lots of grease.

We added some hot sauce to the batter and some salt and pepper, which definately "kicked them up a notch", also 1 tsp of baking powder to "puff" them up a bit. However, while they were really crispy, for us, they turned out really greasy, too. I guess, when you think about it, pancakes are, well, "cakey", and these were a little like grease sponges when frying. We'll try them again, I think. All the other reviews are great, so maybe it was something we did wrong ??

I LOVE onion rings, and this recipe helped me make them at home. I found that after frying them a couple seconds, and then dipping them AGAIN in the flour mixture made them better.

These are good, but very greasy. Although mine are a little uglier than the other photos, I appreciated that the batter stayed on my rings - unlike my last attempt at onion rings. Seasoning the batter is a must. If you like beer batter-type coating, you will love this recipe. Thanks!

I have tried many recipes for onion rings that have failed. This one is great!! Thanks so much for it.

Awesome batter! It stuck well to the onions. Of course I added some additional seasonings and a lick of salt once they were done. Otherwise, I love this recipe

I cooked one to taste before cooking them all. It was a bit too 'bready' for us and a bit bland so thinned the batter a little more and added my favorite Cajun seasoning and they were better suited for our taste. Some reviewers stated they were greasy---make sure your oil gets no lower than 350 degrees. I usually start frying with an oil temp. of 360 degrees because the temp. will drop when adding what ever you are frying. Be sure to not over crowd. I always drain my fried food on a 'cookie cooling rack' with paper towel beneath supported by a cookie sheet pan; this keeps fried food crispy all around.

Fantastic! I spiced up the batter with some salt, pepper, adobo, garlic powder & paprika and these were amazing! My husband said its the best onion ring he has ever had. Definitely will make these again!

Great sweet onion ring recipe, but missing something. I took others advice and added some seasoning. Salt would be best, but since I don't use salt in cooking (heart healthy-ish), I used a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash origional, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp of pepper. Still could use something so mixed in italian flavored breadcrumbs- that was good, but still needed a bit of salt. I also soaked the onions in beer, although I could not taste it.

Surprisingly good. It came out better dredging the onions in flour before dipping it in the pancake batter. Yum!

Pancake batter was so clever! I added garlic and Italian seasoning to the batter, then sprinkled the rings with seasoning salt after frying. The sweet and salty was a nice combination and everyone raved about it. First time frying and this was super easy!

I have never made onion rings before although I LOVE them! I made them tonight and they are fabulous!! I added about 2 tsp of pepper and the same of "season-all" to the mix. Just right! I would suggest making more batter for one onion though, I didn't finish all but half an onion and ran out of batter. Thanks T!

So Quick! So Easy! So (unexpectedly) Yummy!

1st run I only used krusteez pancake mix, but the onion rings tasted bland. So, just like some of the other reviewers have noted, I added garlic powder, onion powder, cajun seasoning, and a little frank's red hot sauce. The onion rings were outstanding. I also didn't see a spanish onion so I used a vidalia onion. I'm juiced that I can make onion rings now. Great recipe thanks.

Great recipe. I cooked them in a deep fryer. In order to prevent them from sticking together, I only fried about 3 or 4 at a time. Also, if you set them into the deep fryer basket and then lower it into the oil, the rings will stick to the basket and make a bit of a mess. I dropped them into the oil with the basket down, and once they were fried used the basket to pull them out.

I can't believe how incredibly easy it was! Delicious!!!!

I usually like any kind of onion rings. I didn't like these. I went ahead and ate them so not to waste food, but my husband only ate one. :( I won't make these again.

This is such a great idea! My cupboards were getting bare and I didn't have eggs or bread crumbs to make the other onion ring recipes. This was simple and delicious.

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The batter lacked flavor and fell apart after the first bite.

ummm yummmm!!!thanks for sharing i did as the other reviewers suggested and added a lil spice...ceyanne,and garlic powder to the mix very good turned out perfect

These were extremely easy and yummy. I used Fiber One pancake mix and yellow onions instead of Spanish onions because that is what I had. They turned put extremely well and tasted delicious! By the way, I was a little nervous because I have never fried anything except an egg. My husband and kids also enjoyed them. Will make this again!

Works great! Be sure the oil is hot enough first, the rings should go in and out. I can't believe something that eluded and intimidated me for so long was so simple to make. Genuis recipe.

I thought these were great. I used Jiffy baking mix. The mix stayed on the onion very well. As soon as I took them out of the oil I added salt. These were just as good as any restaurant.

This was my first successful attempt at onion rings. It turned out pretty good too! Also, they LOOKED amazing! (Hey! Presentation plays a part also!) I agree that these were a little greasy (but we are talking about onion rings) and a little bland. I will try this recipe again, but I will add some salt, paprika and cayenne to give the taste a little kick! P.S. My wife said those were the best onion rings she had ever tasted!

was a easy recipe, tasted great

Awesome Recipe! I have never made onion rings before, but this was so easy, it made me look like a pro. My husband loved them, and so did I! I will definitely use this recipe again.

These were great! Here are a few tips: you can throw in some spices with the sweet pancake batter, like salt, a pinch of red pepper or garlic. To get the batter to stick to your onion rings, put some dry pancake mix in a plate and, as soon as you cut your rings, dust them with the dry powder. Then, the batter will stick to them better. Make sure your oil is very hot, or your rings will get soggy! To get the coating on your ring thin (so it'll be crispy) just hold it on a fork and tap the fork a few times to get the excess off. These are easy, cheap and delicious!

These were so light crispy & delicious. My son & I were skeptical when cooking them because we used yellow onions instead of Spanish but they turned out surprisingly tasty! put some salt on them

this was so easy to make ande so delicious.Definitely a keeper!!!

this is one of the best meals i have had in a long long time i strongly recondite it

Great recipe, very easy. I added water to a mix that was supposed to have milk and eggs (but I didn't have those). It worked well anyway! I did add seasoning. About 3/4 tsp of salt and a dash of season salt. It cooked quickly, and didn't stick to the bottom of the pot. It was crispy and slightly sweet. Awesome.

Tasty. I added some seasoning to the pancake mix. Just some cayenne, salt and a few dashes of hot sauce. Came out great :)

Turned out great. Make sure to cut the slices thick enough that your onions don't fall apart on you.

good taste, i used the Krusteaz pancake mix and replaced beer for the water, also coated onion in dry mix before dipping in batter. they were a little bready i prefer a super thin crunchy onion ring. overall though very good tasting ring.

They were good, but by the time I finnished cooking all of the rings, the ones I had done first became mushy. I had coated the onions in flour first otherwise the batter all came off once in the oil. Maybe If I put the completed onion rings in the oven on warm they would stay crispy, but I don't know.

I was skeptical about this recipe. It just seemed too simple. I made these for my family last night and they devoured them. My sister even said they were the best onion rings she's ever eaten!

4 stars because they are so easy to make. Follow the directions and they will turn out just like in the picture. This is the most simple and guaranteed-to-work batter/deep-fry recipe I've ever tried. I think these onion rings are missing some texture and flavour though. Kids will like them but they taste rather bland to a more discerning palate.

I'm an onion ring fiend! This recipe is super easy, and when you've got your eye on the rest of the meal, these are a blessing!! I added seasoned salt, garlic powder, pepper and cajun seasoning. The spices cut the "sweet" a little for those turned off by it. I also dredged the rings in cornmeal after the batter for some crunch. Even my onion-hating five-year old loved these. I've always got pancake mix and onions "lying around" and these are gonna be a staple. I'm gonna try baking some on a silpat next time to see how they turn out.

I've already made these twice and they are so yummy and the guys loved them! really easy but time consuming. coat the rings in flour before the batter! =)

Awesome! I used the all purpous baking mix because i didn't have any pancake mix so i just added 1 C.dry baking mix,1/2C. beer and 1 egg and also added pepper,seasoned salt and garlic powder to the batter,dredged my onion rings into flour then the batter an deep fried they were awesome!! love it!!!

Love this quick easy recipe. I would suggest rolling the onion into dry batter then dipping it into the prepared wet batter. I used krusteaz buttermilk batter because it's my favorite that I always have on hand.

These were very good. I would rate them 5 stars but i had to add some seasoning in it. to me a little bland but the basics of it were great

Very Simple, didn't make a mess at all. I didn't use the spanish onion just a regular one and my family loved it, even my daughter who doesn't even like onions

Loved these...me and my daughter just made them. Use a large vidalia onion, used a buttermilk complete pancake mix which you only had to add water to. I did add a little salt and fresh cracked pepper to the batter. They were great! Reminded me of the onion rings served at carnivals or fairs, light crispy battered coating. Thanks!

Simple and ooooh sooo goood!. Added a little Cajun Seasonings. Had sweet onions. YuuM!!

These are good onion rings! We added all-season salt to the batter and took the advice of others that dipped their onions in the batter, then beer, then batter again before tossing them in the deepfry. Be sure to coat them well!

Rated at a 4, but a 4.5 is probably closer. Really enjoyed this recipe. Easy too. My husband taught me to never make pancakes from a box, so I used the Better Homes and Gardens recipe. (If you have never made homemade pancakes, I recommend trying it. It's not that bad, and you find out all you are really paying for in the prepackaged stuff is flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and possibly dehydrated milk. Homemade is much better!) I agree with the comments that say there is a lack of seasoning. I will leave the sugar out the recipe next time.

oooh... This was REALLY GOOD! I will definitely make again! Thanks for the GREAT recipe!

I am just learning how to cook, and let me tell you, easy and very good!!! Making them again tomorrow!!

These were really great and simple! My entire family loved these...even our 2 year old! Thanks for the great recipe.

Didn't have buttermilk for my usual onions rings so I decided to give these a try because I had lots of Krusteau pancake mix. I floured the onions before I coated them in the mixture (which I substituted beer for the water). They were perfect! I used two cups of the pancake mixture with 1 1/2 cups of Miller Lite beer. This was enough to coat about 1 1/2 sweet onions (which by the way fed 8 adults with leftovers). Will make again and again!

Pretty darn good. But make sure to add a fair amount of salt and pepper to the batter.

Great and fast recipe. Everyone loved them, even the kids!! Thanks for a great go to recipe.

These onion rings were better than any restaurant I've been to. The best ever!! Next time I will try adding some seasoning, but they were perfect.

loved it very different and very yummy

It may be a bit fatty. but this recipe is as delicious as any restraunts onion rings

Had a party and made these. They were such a big hit. No one could have just one. This recipe is perfect

I really really loved the recipe!!! I read alot of the reviews before hand and came up with an good idea on how i was going to prepare the rings. So I kinda like my rings a little sweet so I added some sugar to the batter and some seasoning salt and fried them up. They were so good and really crisp iLoved it will be using this recipe alot more.. Thanks T

These were VERY easy!!! However..unfortunatly this house likes the other high-rated recipe on here better [[using bread crumbs]]. My respose was "good" "greasy" and.."not as crunchy".

It seems kind of lazy to just use a pancake mix. And plus, a pancake mix isn't exactly lying around my house right now.

Thought his was a good and easy recipe for onion rings. I like the sweet flavor that comes from the pancake batter. I did add some seasoned salt when they were drained on paper towels and that also kicked them up a knotch. Will definitely make again.

YUMMY YUMMY done just as the recipe calls for...no changes made by me!!!

I will never use another batter! We gathered over the 4th of July weekend with 26 other camping friends at our campground and fired up two turkey fryers. Everyone raved over the onion rings! Best tasting rings all had ever tasted. We went crazy with the batter. We even battered pickles, oreos and hot dogs too! Hint, make the batter up an hour or so prior to dipping so the batter starts working a little and when food is dipped, a thick coating just clings to the food items. Loved the onion rings and pickles the best! Thanks for sharing this recipe. There were many happy families enjoying it over the holiday!!

Okay this was soooo easy I have tried sooo many other recipes that take forever to make and make a huge mess... but this recipe was amazing. They tasted fabulous.

Really great recipe, I added seasoned salt, onion powder and a good amount of garlic powder and it was perfect!

These are the best onion rings I have had in a long time. The are so easy to make too.

It was very tasty! My sister ate it all~ xD

This recipe was easy but, I won't make it again. The onions get lost in the puffiness of the batter and they are bland. I tried to put second batch in flour first, this helped but not enough.

I just tried cooking the onion rings for my family and I mist say they were great!! I never made onion rings I love this recipe and my family did to.... there ALL GONE LOL...go me