Easy, completely paleo, and allergy-friendly deep fried onion rings that you can make at home. These are a great appetizer for a football game or to serve along burgers at a summer BBQ! The batter is made with Chebe garlic onion breadstick mix.
(This post is sponsored by Chebe. I only work with brands I truly love and that I know you’ll love too!)
When I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease, one of the very very first brands that I knew of as a good gluten-free bread alternative was Chebe. Their products are made from tapioca starch which comes from cassava, a root vegetable. Chebe mixes are naturally gluten and grain-free (plus free from soy, corn, dairy, yeast, sugar (except for their cinnamon roll mix), eggs, nuts, and basically everything!) and so versatile. It has a chewy texture, making it a great “regular” bread replacement. If you’re eating gluten-free then you understand that typically our bread options are dry and crumbly. I know you know what I’m talking about!
I’ve been hearing so many people lately are having trouble with gluten (and grains). Some grains can be hard to digest, cause inflammation, and give you a sluggish feeling. I even know some people who are eating a paleo diet, which excludes ALL grains such as rice, corn, quinoa, oats, etc. (among other things). I am so excited that Chebe products can be used to make paleo recipes! You’d never even know!!
Yes, you can make fried foods at home
I was really excited to make these onion rings work! No added flours are in this batter, just the Chebe mix! And if I can make these at home, then I know you can as well! I’ll admit that these are a little time-consuming, but oh so worth it! You can use avocado oil to make these completely paleo, which works great because it has a high heat point. I buy the big jug of avocado oil at Costco. If you don’t care about these being paleo and want to use a cheaper alternative, then you can use canola oil or vegetable oil.
These are so light, fluffy, and crispy and it’s amazing they are gluten and grain-free. We recently got a fairly cheap deep fryer at Target. We’re saving it for special occasions so we don’t get into any bad habits. The fryer helps make this process a little quicker, but it’s absolutely not necessary to have one for this recipe. Just the stovetop, a deep pot, and some oil will get the job done!
I have attempted to make these in our air fryer, but I don’t think the temperature gets high enough quickly enough so the batter kind of slid off. Ok, pull my arm, I’ll keep trying. 😉
Tips for frying on the stovetop
I do have some helpful tips to get the crunchiest and freshest tasting fried foods using a pot on the stove.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough. You want the oil to be at 375 degrees. You can find an inexpensive thermometer on Amazon.
- Next to the stove, lay out a cooling rack (like a cookie rack) and a few layers of paper towels on top. Try to let as much oil as possible drip off the food before placing on the paper towels. This will help to keep them crispy and not taste oily.
- I like to use a fork to the take the onion rings out of the wet batter and place in the oil. I’ve found that if I use my fingers, the batter comes off of the onion rings and then they cook unevenly. I then like to use large tongs to take them out of the oil when they are done.
- Don’t overcrowd the oil. In fact, I do maybe three onion rings at a time. If you overcrowd the cooking vessel, then the food can get stuck together and cause uneven cooking.
- Salt the food right when it comes out of the oil (do this whether you’re making it on the stove or in the fryer).
- You can make these a few hours ahead of time, but they might get a bit soggy. To crisp them up again, place on an oven safe cookie rack on top of a baking sheet. Then bake them in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
I also threw together a quick dipping sauce. All you need is mayonnaise and sriracha. Easy! Mix together about ¼ cup mayo and a couple tablespoons of sriracha, depending on how spicy you like it! There are some fun and tasty aiolis out there now so you can choose whatever flavor combination you’re in the mood for. I think a creamy, spicy dip is perfect with fried foods!
Another great option for this recipe…green beans! Never tried deep fried green beans? You should!
Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Deep-Fried Onion Rings Using Chebe Bread Mix
Ingredients
- 1 Box Chebe Garlic Onion Breadstick Mix
- 1 Large White Onion
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 Egg Whites
- 10 Ounces Seltzer Water or Club Soda - equivalent to 1 ¼ cups
- 4 Cups Cooking Oil - Like avocado oil
Instructions
- Peel and slice onion into ¼ inch thick rings. Lay out on paper towels to absorb some of the natural moisture.
- Pour 1 cup of dry Chebe Garlic Onion Breadstick mix into a large bowl.
- Add in 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon paprika. Whisk all dry ingredients together.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the egg whites and club soda.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk really well. Try to get as many lumps out as possible.
- Pour the remaining dry Chebe mix onto a large dinner plate. Add in an additional ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Mix together with a fork. This will be used as a dry dip before it goes into the wet batter.
- Heat oil to a temperature of at least 375.
- Pat dry the onion rings one more time. Dip into the dry ingredients. Shake off excess.
- Using a fork, dip the onion rings into the wet batter. Fully coat and then let the excess drip off.
- Drop into the hot oil. Oil should be hot enough that they bubble right away and float to the top. Let cook for about 1 minute before flipping. Cook another 1 minute or so.
- Remove from oil. I like to use a long pair of tongs for this. Try to drip as much oil off as possible before placing on paper towels. Don't overlap.
- Season hot onion rings with salt.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- It's OK if the first couple don't work. Do the broken rings or small ones first until you get the hang of it and to make sure the oil is hot enough. You can drop a small amount of batter into the oil and if it starts bubbling right away then it's ready.
- I'd suggest you wear an apron for this job. I've never had a problem with splashing oil, but if it gets on your clothes it's REALLY difficult to get out.
- If you can't find the garlic onion breadstick mix, don't fret. You can use the original cheese bread mix or all-purpose bread mix. Just add in another teaspoon of garlic powder to the wet mix.
Want to run out and find some Chebe mixes near you? Here is a link to the store locator!
Check out some of the other recipes I’ve created using Chebe:
You can pin this recipe by clicking on the photo below.
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