These keto onion rings are the best snack, appetizer, and party food that you will ever make. It's a low-carb snack that everyone will love!
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Have you ever had a craving for something that is definitely not keto-friendly?
Typically, fried foods that you find at burger joints are on the "no" list and sadly, onion rings are one of those. They are usually made with flour and deep-fried in oil.
That's why I knew I had to find a way to make a healthier version of one of my favorite snacks.
I even surprised myself with what I came up with!
They are crispy on the outside, steaming hot and tender on the inside. The gluten-free breading has plenty of flavor and I have to say- it's tough to stop at just a few. You are going to want to devour them in one sitting!
In fact, even people who aren't on the keto diet are going to ask for the recipe.
Keep reading - I'm going to share a little hack so you can make them in your air fryer if you have one. This is going to be one of your favorite recipes.
The Best Keto Onion Rings
These onion rings are low-carb, gluten-free, baked, and still come out crispy and salty, just like I remember them being.
They are the perfect party food when you are on a low-carb diet. Make a batch of these and you know you'll have something to munch on while everyone else eats their chips and french fries.
Honestly, the combination of pork rinds and almond flour are perfect together. You can't even tell they are gluten-free. They come out tasting and looking just like traditional onion rings.
Low-Carb Ingredients In Onion Rings
There are only a handful of low-carb ingredients for these crispy and yummy onion rings. Nothing crazy.
Basically, you have the onion, the wet ingredients, the crispy breading, and the seasoning.
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- For this onion, I prefer to use a white sweet onion or a yellow onion. Red onions are a bit too bitter for this recipe.
- If you want to give it a little spice and kick, just sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper into the batter.
Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Onion Rings
Before I share this addicting recipe with you all, here are a few questions I wanted to answer first.
Can I Eat Onions On Keto?
This depends on your macros for the day. I used Vidalia onions, and they have about 13 grams of carbs in an entire onion.
If you use self-control and don't eat the entire onion in one sitting, the red onion is safe to eat on keto. In fact, 4 of my onion rings here only has 4 grams of net carbs. Not bad!
What Is A Low-Carb Sauce For Keto Onion Rings?
There are lots of low-carb sauces that will taste amazing with these onion rings. Dip them in my low-carb BBQ sauce or make your own keto ketchup.
How Do You Make Onion Rings Gluten-Free?
Instead of using wheat flour, I used a combination of crushed pork rinds and almond flour.
The pork rinds give it a really nice crunch and add more saltiness to the onion rings. When you pick out pork rinds, don't use any with added sugars. The safest best is to just buy unflavored/original pork rinds.
When you buy almond flour, make sure you buy almond flour not almond meal. Almond meal flour will make the onion rings taste grainy.
What Kind Of Onions Do You Use For Onion Rings?
The best onions for onion rings are Vidalia onions. They are red and hail from Georgia. These onions have the sweetest flavor and will have the best taste with the salty and crunchy exterior.
If you can't find any Vidalia onions, any onions will do just fine. Vidalia ones might taste the best, but this recipe works with any type of onion.
What Do You Serve With Keto Onion Rings?
If you want an authentic burger joint experience, serve these onion rings with some keto hamburger sliders.
You can also set these out on your table as a low-carb appetizer!
A few other appetizer ideas that will taste amazing with them are bacon-wrapped cheese sticks and some baked teriyaki chicken wings.
Can You Make Onion Rings In The Air Fryer?
I made these onion rings in the oven because baking them uses less oil and grease. If you have an air fryer, that is also a healthy way to make onion rings without frying them.
Here's how to modify the recipe and make them in the air fryer:
- Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick spray.
- Lay the onion rings in the basket in a single layer. Do not stack them.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes at 370 degrees F.
- Check the onion rings after about 6 minutes to see if they need to be flipped over.
How Do You Store Leftover Onion Rings?
Store the leftover onion rings in a sealed bag in the refrigerator. They will last about 3-5 days. When you are ready to reheat them, I suggest using the oven instead of the microwave. The microwave will make them really soft and mushy.
Can You Freeze Keto Onion Rings?
Yes, you can freeze these onion rings and save them for later. They will last about 3 months in the freezer.
To prevent your onion rings from freezing into a large clump, I suggest what's called "flash freezing" them first.
Flash freezing is where you spread the onion rings in a single layer on a baking tray and put the entire tray in the freezer. This freezes each onion ring individually.
After they are frozen, you can combine them in a freezer-safe plastic bag.
More Easy Keto Appetizers
For more keto snack ideas, check out my low carb appetizer collection. Or, take a look at some of my favorites:
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings are always a crowd-pleaser on game days.
- Almond Flour Low Carb Crackers have been enjoyed by everyone. Even those not on keto devour them.
- Keto Zucchini Fritters are so fun to dip and share! They are crispy and perfectly sized for snacking at parties.
- Chocolate Chip Dip With Cream Cheese is a sweet recipe that tastes like an indulgent dessert without all the carbs.
- Keto Chicken Nuggets are always a hit with the kids. Set them out and they will be devoured.
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Recipe
Keto Onion Rings (Gluten-Free)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large vidalia onion sliced into thick rings
- ⅓ cups almond flour
- 1 cup crushed pork rind crumbs
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Place the almond flour in one shallow bowl, the pork rinds, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt to taste in another, and the egg whisked together with the heavy whipping cream in a third.
- Dip each thick sliced onion ring into the almond flour, then the egg mixture, and then coat in the pork rind crumbs.
- Place the coated onion rings onto a parchment or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until done to your liking.
Notes
- You can use white sweet onion or a yellow onion. Red onions are a bit too bitter for this recipe.
- If you want to give it a little spice and kick, just sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper into the batter.
- Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick spray.
- Lay the onion rings in the basket in a single layer. Do not stack them.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes at 370 degrees F.
- Check the onion rings after about 6 minutes to see if they need to be flipped over.
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Iris Crain
I love making onion rings and hadn't seen your recipe, so I make mine a little different, maybe you'll give it a try - it's almost the same, except instead of almond flour, I use coconut flour, and the coconut flour holds the spices. Because the coconut flour/spice mix is next to the onion 'meat' the spices permeate the onion for a great flavor, and because the coconut flour is so absorbant, as the onions cook it sucks up that moisture and not only does it make almost like a wet batter texture and flavor, but it makes them even more crunchy! (But not too crunchy/burnt)
I bought an oil sprayer on Amazon that I spray a light coating on them after I lay them on the baking sheet before baking, and I have a toaster oven that's also a convection oven which works as an air fryer, so they come out tasting like they're deep fried!
I've flash frozen them *after* the oil spray but *before* cooking with good success, you don't even have to thaw them before cooking, just pop a few in the toaster oven and go. My toaster over only goes to 425° so that's where I cook them.
Lisa MarcAurele
Thanks for sharing the tips on making keto onion rings!
Dale Olstinske
I’ve made this type of recipe so many times. After a few onions, the pork ring gets so wet, they clump no longer stick to the onion. Maybe you figured out a way to prevent?
Lisa MarcAurele
I hold the wet onions and sprinkle the coating on them rather than dip. I also make sure they aren't dripping liquid into the coating mixture.
Donny
I love this! So much easier than deep-frying. Thanks!
jennifer
Oh my, these are everything! The pork rind coating makes them so flavorful!
Kelly
I love a good onion ring - these are so delicious! Every bite is full of crispy coating and sweet onion!
Megan Stevens
Such a delicious recipe and fun idea!! Thanks for figuring out onion rings for us!
Jean Choi
So crispy and delicious! Love that you can make it in the air fryer. YUM.
Richard Kohout
Vidalia onions are not red onions. They are a variety of yellow onion. Just for proper information.
Lisa MarcAurele
White onion like vidalia is recommended for the recipe. Red onions are too bitter for onion rings as noted.
Jessica
At the beginning and end of the recipe you specify to use white onions, but throughout the rest of the post you say use red onions Vidalia red onions, so that’s what Richard was referring to :). Just a few typos!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Jan
So I'm guessing "and then coat in the bread crumbs." is actually the pork rinds? I LOOOVE onion rings and really look forward to making these! Yum! 🙂
Lisa MarcAurele
LOL. Yes! Will fix.
Bruce Olson
Can you adapt this recipe to catfish? What would be the time and temp? Thanks
Lisa MarcAurele
I don't see why not. I'd try baking at 425°F for 15 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.