Name: Crispy Fried Onions
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 400 g Onions ((3 Medium Onions)); 3 tbp Cornflour; Oil For Frying

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How To Make Crispy Fried Onions

These homemade fried onions are ultra-crispy, crunchy and fried to perfection. All you need is 10 minutes, three simple ingredients and dishes to sprinkle this on top off!

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These crispy fried onions are one of my favourite additions to homemade beef burgers, sandwiches, salads and fries! They are a delicious topping that not only adds crunch, but also adds a lot of flavour.

They’re like fried onions, but the texture is incredibly crispy (hence the name) which helps bring out an additional toasty and caramelised flavour.

Making your own batch of crispy fried onions is so straightforward and is so easy to do. Plus, as it’s homemade, it’s fresher than alternatives that you can buy at the shop.

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

Deliciously crispy and easy to make onion strings
It’s the perfect topping for a lot of dishes (curries, BBQs, salads)
It’s a great way to use up leftover onions
You can make big batches ahead of time and store it in the freezer for later
This crispy onions recipe is ultra-crispy and naturally gluten-free

Watch How To Make It

Gluten Free Crispy Onions

Because this recipe uses cornflour to help boost the crispiness of the onions, it’s naturally gluten-free. Woohoo!

There is no gluten in cornflour, but it’s always best to double check before using it. Cornflour is a great way to add a crispy coating to vegetables or meats without adding standard flour.

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the few ingredients needed for this recipe:

Onions: I like to use brown onions also called yellow onions, they turn sweet and flavoursome when fried. You can also use other onions like red onions or white onions.
Cornflour: Also known as cornstarch, adding this is optional but I do really recommend that you include it as it makes the onions very crispy.
Oil: Use any regular cooking oil like vegetable or sunflower oil. Avoid oils with a low smoke point like olive oil.

Love Onions?

I LOVE onions, it pretty much goes into everything I make that’s savoury. With onions you can make delicious side dishes like these fried onions for hot dogs and burgers or these incredibly tasty recipes below:

Caramelised Red Onion Chutney
Onion Bhajis

How To Make Crispy Fried Onions

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make crispy fried onions deep fried. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card:

Prep The Onions

Step One:

Peel the onions and cut off the stem on both ends. Cut the onion in half vertically and thinly slice the onions into long strings.

TIP: You can also use a mandolin to create even-sized onion slices.

Step Two:

Place the sliced onions into a large mixing bowl and add cornflour. Mix together until the cornflour is evenly mixed into the onions.

Step Three:

Heat oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the onions for 3 to 4 minutes or until crispy. Whilst the onions are frying, stir it occasionally to prevent the onion slices from sticking together.

Step Four:

Once the onions have finished frying and are crispy in texture, remove the onions from the oil and place them onto a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

How To Make Crispy Onions In The Oven

Crispy onions made in the oven won’t be as good as deep fried or shallowed fried onions, but they are still a tasty alternative.

To make them in the oven, I like to spread the onions onto a lined baking tray, spray it with oil and bake it in the oven at 180ºC for 20 to 30 minutes or until crispy.

How To Serve

There are so many ways that you can use these onions to garnish a dish, I recently made lamb kofta wraps and added it in.

You could also add it to sandwiches like this chicken mayo sandwich or this coronation chicken sandwich.

Not only are these crispy onions popular in western cultures but it’s also a big hit in South Asian countries too. It’s known as Birista and can be used to garnish biriyanis and curry dishes.

My Top Tips

Don’t throw leftover oil away, the fried onions have infused the oil with an onion flavour, which creates a great base flavour for frying and making curries.

Use a mandolin to create even-sized onions, though it’s not a must, it does ensure that the onions cook at the same time. This prevent some thinner onions for browning and crisping too quickly whilst thicker onions are still soft.

If you’re anything like me and your eyes water A LOT when cutting onions, here are a few tips I use to help me out as much as possible! Prior to starting the recipe, keep the onions in the fridge (at least a few hours before). When you cut the onions in half, lay them flat side down whilst you are cutting other onions.

Make sure the oil is hot before adding the onions to it, otherwise they will absorb excess oil and become really greasy.

How To Store & Freeze Crispy Fried Onions?

Homemade crispy onions last for 3 to 5 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They can go for longer but the less fresh they are the less crispy they become.

If you want to keep them for longer you can freeze it. To freeze, once the onions have cooled down place it in a freeze-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 180ºC for 10 to 15 minutes or until crispy.

Recipe Variations

Make French-style fried onions: Place the onions in buttermilk or egg and leave it to soak for 15 to 30 minutes. Then, coat the onion strings into a mixture of flour, salt and black pepper and then fry until crispy.

Add Spices: Sprinkle some salt, black pepper, or spices like garlic powder or paprika to the cornflour to add extra flavour.