Baked Onion Rings

Posted by Donna:

I love onion rings; but, because they're fried, I don't get to eat them very often. Last week, I turned my television on and Rachael Ray's show was just ending. She and her guest were eating these that he had just prepared on her show. I didn't know what they were--they never said during the few minutes I saw the show; but, she said the recipe was posted on her website. I decided to check it out, and this recipe is what I found. Her guest's name did not ring a bell with me; but, I'll definitely remember him now as being the originator of this recipe.

We all know that anything fried is so good; but, I'm so glad to get to eat onion rings that are healthy. I'll take them anyway I can get them.

4 vidalia onions, cut into thick slices
2 cups skim milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups panko breadcrumbs (The recipe calls for wheat panko; but, I only had the regular on hand.)
4 large egg whites
Salt and pepper
Nonstick cooking spray

Separate the onions into individual rings. The recipe says to use only the larger rings; but, I used both the large and small. You'll have about 15 - 20 rings total. Lay the rings in a single layer in a large baking dish. Pour the milk over the rings and let them soak for about 20 minutes, turning them once.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a wire baking rack on top of a foil lined baking sheet and set them aside.

Put the flour in a shallow dish and put the panko crumbs in a small dish. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks. Working in batches, remove the onion rings from the milk, roll them in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add the rings to the egg whites and coat them completely. Add the rings, a few pieces at a time, to the panko crumbs and coat completely.

Spread the onion rings out on the wire rack. Season the rings with salt and pepper, and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Bake until the panko crumbs are golden brown and crispy. I baked mine 20 minutes as the recipe suggested.


Along with this recipe was a dipping sauce that was really, really good. It's because of this sauce that Larry liked the onion rings. He kept commenting on how much he liked the sauce. While the onion rings are baking, you can mix this sauce up and have it ready as soon as the rings come out of the oven.

3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellmann's.)
1 T. liquid smoke
a sprinkle or two of Tabasco Sauce---or to your liking

Whisk these three ingredients together.

I went ahead and dipped my rings in ketchup, but Larry preferred this mayo recipe for his.

Some of you may have seen the same show as I did and already have this recipe. I don't usually turn my television on during the day; but, for some reason I decided to this particular day. I'm so glad I did.