Sass up your appetizer game with this delish homemade keto onion rings recipe. Low carb recipes can be lame but this one is far from it!
Whether you’re on the hunt for low carb appetizers, low carb side dishes, or low carb snacks, this recipe slays them all! There’s nothing quite like fresh crispy onion rings.
Make drive-through trips a thing of the past and opt to whip these babies up from the comfort of home instead. They’re healthier, totally addicting, an absolute crowd pleaser and keto friendly!
Don’t be surprised when these instantly disappear from the serving plate!
Looking for more keto side dishes? Check out my mashed cauliflower, cauliflower fried rice, or my cauliflower mac and cheese.
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What I Love About This Low Carb Onion Rings Recipe
Here’s why you need to make this keto onion rings recipe for your next get together:
- 15 minutes are all you need for yummy homemade onion rings!
- Crazy wallet-friendly! The ingredients are minimal and cheap!
- They’re fried, crispy, AND coated in parmesan cheese! Need I say more?!
- The ideal summer side dish, topped on a steak/salad or eaten alone!
- Use ketchup or any one of your go-to dips! I love to make a spicy low carb mayo and Sriracha dip!
Onion Rings Recipe Notes
Here’s everything you’ll need to know to make this onion rings recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Traditional onion rings leave a lot to be desired (health-wise that is), I’m looking at you high carb flour batter dipped in Canola/Soybean oil. We flipped this recipe on its back and replaced the carb-loaded batter with a low carb coating.
Let’s talk onion carbs real quick: one large onion as called for in this recipe, only racks in 14 grams of carbs in the whole onion! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
You’re most likely already familiar with this recipe’s ingredients but here’s a couple you may want to know more about:
Whey protein isolate: This keto protein powder makes for the PERFECT tempura coating. Most keto flour options (almond and coconut flour) will flake off when dunked in hot oil.
Instead, whey puffs up and emulates traditional flour like nothing else can.
Xanthan gum: Popular low carb food additive that’s used as a binder to keep the coating ingredients together.
Soda water or sparkling water: I’m sure you know what this is but did you know that it’s the SECRET ingredient to getting the ultimate airy onion ring crust and the most DELISH light, crispy batter?!
Oil: I’ve received a lot of emails about vegetable oil not being keto — the thing is, all oils are low in carbs, but, some are “healthier” than others. When deciding which oil to use, figure out your health goals, and what works best for you.
That said, this is a FRIED recipe. So yes, it’s low in carbs, but is it healthy? That’s up to you. I don’t consider it one of my healthy recipes, but I DEFINITELY eat these in moderation.
Enough with the rant… my preferred oil for frying is peanut oil. Avocado, veggie, and canola oil also work well here.
Tools To Make
Here’s what you need to make this keto onion rings recipe :
- Heavy bottom pan (skillet) or deep fryer: for frying your onion rings! If using a deep fryer, set it to 375 F.
- Wide mouth bowl: for mixing and dipping the ingredients
- Tongs: for safely transferring rings from the hot oil
- Paper towel-lined plate: for soaking up the excess grease
Side note: I haven’t personally tested this myself, but word on the street is that air fryer onion rings are NEXT LEVEL! I’d love to know your results if you try this recipe in an air fryer! Let me know in the comments section below!
Cooking Tips
Pro tips for making the best onion rings outside of a fast food restaurant:
- Make sure oil is piping hot before adding rings
- Prep “station” before cooking, as these cook quickly!
- Transfer the rings from the batter to the oil quickly, no stops in between.
Storing Tips
Best eaten immediately! Sadly, they will get soggy and are pure perfection when hot and crispy!
Serving Recommendations
This low carb onion rings recipe is best served with a low carb burger, side salad, and dipped in keto ketchup, veggie dip, or keto ranch dressing. Yummmmmmy.
Recipe Variations
- Wrap these in bacon. Want to take these to the next level?! Wrap them in BACON. Once you get on the bacon train, you’ll want to wrap it on everyTHING. Try Bacon wrapped chicken bites and bacon wrapped chicken tenders to really get your fix in!
- Bake. I love a good “Baked Not Fried” situation. If you want these even healthier, make them baked onion rings, you’ll just want to swap the breading to a pork rind crust.
- Spices. Add your fave ones to kick up the heat or to add savory or sweet flavors to this low carb onion rings recipe!
- Fry other things. While the pan is still hot, you might as well fry some more deliciousness! Try making low carb fried pickles, keto fried chicken or keto popcorn chicken! You can literally never go wrong with fried food!
More Veggie Based Sides
Veggies are LIFE. Here are our top 5 faves vegetable sides:
- Jalapeno Coleslaw
- Cauliflower Stuffing
- Smashed Brussel Sprouts
- Keto Green Bean Casserole
- Keto Coleslaw
Keto Onion Rings
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 Large Onion cut into 1/4-inch slices
- Frying Oil (see notes below) (enough to fill your pan with 1" of oil)
- 1 Cup Whey Protein Isolate
- 2 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan grated
- 6 Tablespoons Soda Water
- 1 Egg whisked
Instructions
- Heat 1" of oil on high in a heavy bottom pan (I use a skillet). I like to use a smaller pan for this so I don't need as much oil. Alternatively, you can use a deep fryer set to 365 F.
- Separate large onion (1) slices into rings and set aside.
- In a wide-mouthed bowl, combine whey protein (1 cup), xanthan gum (2 teaspoon), salt (1 1/2 teaspoon), baking powder (2 teaspoon), and grated parmesan (1/2 cup).
- Add soda water (6 tablespoons) and whisked egg (1), and stir until well combined. The combo will be wet.
- Once the oil is hot (about 375 F), use tongs to transfer the onion rings into the coating, then directly in the oil.
- Allow the onion rings to fry until golden, then transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Continue until you've fried all the onions rings.
- Serve immediately (will get soggy over time) and enjoy!
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Lindsey's Tips
- Frying Oil should have a high smoke point and mild flavor. Please keep in mind that all oils are low in carbs, but some are considered "healthier" based on polyunsaturated fats. If this is a concern to you, opt for avocado oil, or peanut oil (slightly higher). If not, vegetable or canola are great frying oils. I use peanut oil for frying.
- Xanthan Gum is necessary for binding the ingredients of this recipe together, you CAN'T SKIP OR SUB!
- Best served with homemade ranch dressing or low carb ketchup!
