Homemade Sourdough Onion Rings

This recipe for homemade onion rings uses sourdough discard for the batter and Panko breadcrumbs for a crispy crust. The onion rings are fried to golden perfection on the stovetop. So crispy and delicious!

The versatility of sourdough discard is endless. It shines in this velvety-soft sourdough banana bread, adds incredible fluffy texture to sourdough pancakes, and morphs into creamy, savory batter for homemade sourdough onion rings! The results are spectacular and definitely worth your efforts. Just wait until you try them.

But First, Sourdough Discard: What is it?

You’ll hear the term “sourdough discard” or “leftover sourdough starter” used interchangeably in most sourdough bread recipes. I go into more detail in my book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. But in short, both terms refer to the unused portion of sourdough starter that is removed before feeding it with fresh flour and water.

Sourdough discard is usually not active enough to make bread dough rise. And despite its name, the “discard” does not have to be thrown away. Many bakers use it to create new recipes which can be sweet or savory. Here, it’s used to make onion ring batter.

About The Batter.

You’ll need two things: 1 cup of sourdough discard and sparkling water. The benefit of using sourdough is added flavor. The flavor can range from mild to slightly tangy. It depends on the condition of your sourdough discard (more info here). Sparkling water, just a splash, thins out the consistency. It should resemble thick pancake batter that clings to the onion rings when dunked. PS: Sparkling water as opposed to regular water makes the onion rings light and crispy- gotta love those air bubbles!

Ingredients You Will Need

For the Onion Rings

• Large yellow onion
• All purpose flour
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• Sourdough starter (discard or bubbly)
• Sparkling water
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Frying oil, such as canola, vegetable or peanut

For the Dipping Sauce

• Mayonnaise
• Ketchup
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Snipped chives

How To Make Onion Rings (at a glance)

• Cut onion rings
• Coat in seasoned flour
• Dunk in sourdough batter
• Dip in breadcrumbs
• Fry until crispy
• Make dipping sauce, to serve

How To Cut Onion Rings

To start, trim away both ends of the onion. Use your knife to grasp and pull the papery peels away. Cut the onion crosswise (against the grain) into thick 1/2-inch slices (try not to cry!). Gently separate the slices into rings. I use my thumbs to push the rings outwards, starting in the center.

A Few Tips On Frying Onion Rings:

• First, the onions. Size is deceiving. Just 1 large onion (softball size), sliced and pushed out into rings serves 3-4 people. 2 onions serves up to 6-8 people! Bottom line? Don’t go crazy buying onions. You’ll end up frying for eternity!
• Next: Set up your station. It’s no secret that frying onion rings is a bit messy- I won’t convince you otherwise. However, if your onion rings are prepped and ready to go (coated, dunked & dipped in breadcrumbs) you can concentrate just on the frying part when the time comes. I do my prep on trays at the kitchen table and then move over to the stove. More details in the recipe instructions below.
• Fry between 365- 375 F for perfect golden onion rings. If the temperature falls lower than 365 F the rings won’t be as golden, which is fine, just a heads up. Use a thermometer to double check. Always do a test batch first!
• No thermometer? No problem! Drop a pinch of Panko breadcrumbs into the oil. If they sizzle and turn golden brown, the oil is hot enough.

*This post contains affiliate links. Photo credit & styling: Melina Hammer.

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