These crunchy baked onion rings are healthy, LOW IN FAT, golden brown, and absolutely delicious!

It’s that time of year to eat snack foods and veg out (pun intended) on the couch watching football. And, these Crunchy Baked Onion Rings are the perfect snack food for such an occasion.

Let’s get our onion ring on!

One of my favorite places to frequent when I ate crap was Sonic. You know? That little drive-up and order place. I absolutely love loved their onion rings. Sometimes, I’d get two large orders of their onion rings and eat them before I even pulled out of the parking lot.

Well, those days are gone and I no longer eat those “deep fried danger circles.” But, I also can’t deny how good those things were!

Onion rings in general are good, but Sonic took them to a completely different stratosphere. They also helped take me to 300 pounds and diabetes.

Fast forward many years later and much healthier, I dreamed of finding a way to recreate one of my favorite foods – the onion ring.

And, I could not be more pleased with these crunchy baked onion rings. (pat on the back)

Onion Ring Trial & Error

I can’t begin to tell you how many “healthy” onion ring recipes I’ve tried over the last five years. Some were good, but too much work and not practical. And, others might have been simpler but sucked. It became extremely tiring.

Honestly, I had resigned myself to the fact it just wasn’t meant to be. Let’s face it. The task was a bit daunting. A vegan onion ring recipe that was healthy. Baked, not fried. Yet, contained all the characteristics of the fast food version I consumed years earlier. Did such a thing even exist? It couldn’t be done.

Or, could it?

Tirelessly, I would pour myself into researching onion ring recipes. Day after day, night after night. And, most of the time with less than stellar results.

No matter what I tried nothing came close to those deep fried circles of yesteryear. But, I pressed on because I couldn’t live with myself knowing I had given folks a half-assed onion ring recipe.

I knew the standard I had set for Shane & Simple would be a challenge. But, damn it! My readers and followers deserve the best!

Onion Ring Success

One day everything changed! I found panko bread crumbs and I realized the secret was not more ingredients, but less.

So, I threw together a simple batter with unsweetened almond milk and whole wheat flour. Tossed in a couple of spices with the panko bread crumbs and voila – a masterpiece was born.

Could it be the onion ring I had been craving for so long was finally a reality? Crunchy, golden brown, savory, delicious and baked! My dream onion ring had become reality. And, that dream was also in my hand covered in ketchup and getting eaten like I was on my way to death row.

The kids loved them. My wife loved them. Friends loved them. I had succeeded. After many years of heartbreak and sorrow the journey was finally over.

I made crunchy baked onion rings.

Simple & Delicious!

You will be amazed at how simple these things are to make. 5 ingredients and about 30-40 minutes of your time is all that’s required.

A simple batter made with unsweetened almond milk and whole wheat flour for dipping. Then, a blend of panko bread crumbs and a couple spices to coat the onions. All that’s left is to bake them in a 450 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until they’re crunchy and golden brown.

That’s it! You’ve got legitimate crunchy baked onion rings.

Now, you can indulge and not worry about portion size or your thighs. Simply enjoy a delicious stack of onion rings without the guilt.

Best of all there’s no oily mess to clean up. No oil popping out of the skillet. And, your kitchen won’t smell like some greasy joint down the road.

Eat well my friends. Eat well.

Crunchy Baked Onion Rings

These onion rings are…

A great comfort food

Crunchy

Baked, not fried

Low in fat

Healthy

Simple to make

Sweet on the inside, savory on the outside

Irresistible

These onion rings are the perfect “watching football food,” rainy day snack food or binge watching your favorite show. They’re great with ketchup, but my Cashew Sour Cream, Tofu Sour Cream, or Cashew Mayo make a great dipping sauce too! Just add a little BBQ sauce or ketchup to make a restaurant style concoction.

Want A Few More Snack Ideas?

If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, RATE IT, and tag a photo #shaneandsimple on Instagram. Happy Fall, everyone!