Onion rings and I have a few stories to share. We go way back.
It started with my childhood infatuation with any and all things fried. Chicken, potatoes, and onions.
I loooved fried onions, but hold the onion. I just wanted the fried. What, like you didn’t just eat the outside of the onion rings, too? That’s what I thought.
But traditional onion rings got lost in my move to healthyland, so I had to improvise. And by improvise, I got a recipe and followed it. Talent, I know.
Has anyone heard of Hungry Girl? If you are a relentless stalker of the Food Network like I am, the answer is probably yes. She is an online email service providing recipes for low calorie and fat makeovers for traditional foods.
When I was losing my weight, I followed that site like a lost puppy looking for a scrap of cake under the table. (What? If I were a dog, I’d like to be one of the smart ones who goes after cake and not something gross like meat.) Looking back on the ordeal, I know I should have focused on the nutritional value of the foods I was eating as oppose to how many calories they had.
Anyway, I used to make this Hungry Girl onion ring recipe all. the. time. It was baked, and used fiber cereal instead of flour. A little odd, but very good, and I enjoyed them often.
But now that I have entered this low carb non processed montage, I improvised once again. This time, on my own accord. Using my bff coconut flour, I created the best onion rings in the land.
Don’t believe me? Well, they taste amazing AND they are gluten free, grain free, low carb, vegan, and less than 130 calories for the entire gigantic plate full.
You have to taste it to believe it? Fine. Taste and believe, my friend. Taste and believe.
The World’s Healthiest Onion Rings
Note: How much coconut flour you’ll need really depends on the size of the onion. I used a medium onion and 1/3 cup of coconut flour, but I had quite a bit leftover. I would however, use the full 1/3 cup regardless because it is much easier to dredge when you have that extra bit of coating. If you don’t want to risk wasting a tablespoon of coconut flour, just start with 1/4 cup and go from there.
Makes 1 large serving
Nutritional Comparison
Serving size: large portion
Calories: 720
Fat: 41 grams
vs.
The World’s Healthiest Onion Rings
Serving size: large portion
Calories: ~127
Fat: ~7 grams (healthy coconut fats!)
Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings (See note above)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4- 1/3 cup coconut flour (Seriously, see note above)
salt and pepper
Various other seasonings to throw in: (Optional.)
garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, curry powder, garam masala… whatever you like! Get creative!
Directions
Preheat oven to 450F.
Pour the almond milk into a bowl. In another bowl, stir together the coconut flour, salt, pepper, and other seasonings (if using). Submerge one of the onion rings in almond milk, dredge in the coconut flour mixture until evenly coated, and then place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the onion rings. Bake in the oven at 450F for 15-20 minutes, or until the onion rings are firm and slightly golden.
Don’t scarf them all down standing over the baking sheet like I do, I mean… did. I don’t do that anymore.
Enjoy!
-Kelly M.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Kelly, these look phenomenal! I am so excited to see a no-fried, grain free version of onion rings. And yes–I only ate the outside of the onion rings when I was little. I am also admittedly a relentless stalker of Food Network, too!
good one kelly !
These look so good! I love onions so this would be the perfect little treat. Thanks for posting
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I save all my splurges for dessert and the very rare dinner out, but I love onion rings. These are so right up my alley. Thank you so much for creating these. Healthy onion rings, who knew?
I had high hopes for these. But mine turned out dry and inedible. I shook off all the excess flour. One thing I didn’t add to the flour was salt and I wonder if that didn’t draw out the onions moisture into the coating. Your thoughts?
Hi Jenny! I am so sorry this recipe isn’t working like it should. Hmm. Yes, salting the coating is important, but it shouldn’t have ruined the recipe. When you shook off the flour, was there too little left? If so, you would have to do a double layer of coating. Did you spray the onion rings with cooking spray before baking? I’m sorry again, and hope this helps! If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.
These onion rings sound awesome!! Keep these recipes coming.
Thank you Cindy!