Panko onion rings are breaded with a batter made from extra crispy panko breadcrumbs then baked to perfection in the oven. No frying necessary! This recipe is the ultimate game day snack.
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We watch a lot of football in our house. Notre Dame, the Eagles, and the Packers are our teams of choice, but we also follow big college and NFL games. One of my favorite weekend activities is making some yummy snacks to enjoy while watching football. Since I don’t feel the need to always follow the games as closely as Will, I can sneak away into the kitchen to whip up our grub.
In anticipation of the upcoming Super Bowl on Sunday, AKA the biggest day of the year for snacks, I thought it was time to revisit this panko onion rings recipe! I first made these extra crispy, extra delicious oven onion rings in honor of the 2018 Super Bowl when my beloved Eagles beat the Patriots. With the big game approaching this year, I realized hadn’t made the recipe in a few years.
It was time for a refresh! This updated version includes an even tastier onion ring breading with more seasonings. Plus, I changed a few steps in the preparation process to make the batter stick to the onions better. I share all of my expert tips in the text before the recipe card, so be sure to read through those if you want to make perfect onion rings!
How to Make Panko Onion Rings in the Oven
For the full recipe card and instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps for this recipe, followed by expert tips to making perfect baked panko onion rings.
- Peel and slice the onions into rings.
- Place the onion slices in a bowl of cool water.
- Take an onion slice out of the water and place it in the bowl with the flour mixture to coat.
- Place the coated onion slice into the bowl with the beaten eggs to coat.
- Coat the onion slice in the spiced panko mixture.
- Place the onion ring on a lined baking sheet, and repeat until all of the onions are coated.
Expert Tips
- How to keep batter on oven onion rings: Putting the sliced onions in a bowl of cool water really helps make the initial flour coating stick! I was amazed at how much better the flour caught onto the onions when they were wet. Some people like to soak sliced onions in buttermilk before making panko onion rings. This would accomplish the same thing as the bowl of water and add some more flavor as well.
- Breading station tips: When setting up your breading stations, use shallow bowls or plates that have rims for best results. Try to use one hand for the “wet” steps and one hand for the “dry” steps. This means you can use the same hand to pull the wet onion ring out of the bowl of water as you do to dip it into the eggs. Use the other hand for the flour and panko bowls. You can use two forks if you don’t want to use your hands.
- Increase or add seasonings as desired: The key to good onion rings is a good breading! Feel free to increase the amount of spices in your panko mixture or add other seasonings of choice.
- Separate the breading into two batches: Use up the first batch of the flour and panko mixtures then refill the bowls with the second batch when needed. The flour and panko will get soggy otherwise and won’t stick as well to the onion rings towards the end. It is much better to keep half of the breading dry and refill halfway through preparing the onion rings.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are the reason these baked onion rings are extra crispy. They are a Japanese style of breadcrumbs that are available at almost every grocery store. You can also purchase them online.
Serving Ideas
Panko onion rings taste great with a dipping sauce! Try them with ketchup, barbecue sauce, or mayo mixed with hot sauce. They would also taste good with my Canned San Marzano Tomato Sauce or Avocado Spread with Garlic.
Try to eat baked onion rings right away, too. They are crispiest and most delicious when they’re fresh outta the oven!
More Healthy Snacks
Love these panko onion rings?! You should check out some of my other breaded snacks that are perfect for game day:
- Baked Sticky Orange Cauliflower
- Crispy Baked Eggplant Slices
- Baked Italian Zucchini Balls
- Baked Crispy Artichoke Hearts with Greek Yogurt Aioli
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how you like it! Leave a rating/review on the recipe card or in the comments section. For more veggie inspiration, subscribe to the weekly newsletter.
Oven Baked Panko Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet onions - peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rings
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt - divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs - beaten plus 2 tablespoons water
- 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- Cooking spray - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Slice the onions. Then, fill a bowl with cool water and place the onion slices in it while you prepare the breading stations.
- Prepare 3 stations using shallow bowls or plates with rims. In the first bowl, mix together the flour, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. After mixing well, remove about half of the flour mixture from the bowl to reserve for later. In the second bowl, beat the eggs with 2 tablespoons of water. In the third bowl, combine the panko, garlic powder, garlic salt, smoked paprika, parsley, and the rest of the salt (½ teaspoon). Mix well and remove half of this mixture from the bowl to reserve for later.
- Remove an onion slice from the water and place it into the bowl with the flour mixture. Coat it with the mixture on both sides. Next, take the onion slice and dunk it into the egg mixture, also coating it on both sides. Finally, place the onion slice into the panko and coat it on both sides. Place the battered ring onto a prepared baking sheet. If you need more room on the baking sheets, you can put small onion rings inside larger ones.
- Repeat step #4 until all of the onion rings are coated and placed on the baking sheets. When you start to run low on the flour and panko mixtures, refill their bowls with the second batches you reserved in step #3. This helps prevent the breading from getting too soggy and not sticking to the onion rings.
- Spray rings with cooking spray before putting them in the oven (optional). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping each ring with tongs and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until crispy and lightly browned.
- Enjoy the onion rings immediately with your favorite dipping sauce!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post).
Notes
- Use one hand when handling the onions in the water and eggs and the other hand when handling the onions in the flour and panko. This will help to keep everything separate as best as possible. You can also use two forks instead of your hands if it's easier for you.
- Onion rings are best enjoyed right away. Leftovers don't keep well.
- Some great dipping sauces include ketchup, barbecue sauce, and mayo mixed with hot sauce.
Nutrition
Enjoy game day! – Lizzie
This post was originally published in January 2018. It was updated to include more photos and expert tips in February 2022.
Karly
ALLLL the onion rings, please! These look SO incredible- need to try them soon!
Lizzie
Thank you Karly!! They are so tasty! Hope you love them 🙂
Jenny Streit
These look delicious! What a great idea.
Lizzie
Thank you!! Aren’t they fun?! So easy to make, and taste just like the real thing 😉