You can make homemade crispy quinoa onion rings in 30 mins! Using onions, quinoa, breadcrumbs, seasoning and oil of choice to fry! My quinoa onion rings recipe is vegan and gluten-free options are available.
I thought I’d show you how to make this fast-food fave from the comfort of your home using a deep-fryer, air-fryer, pot with oil, or even the oven! Whatever cooking method you’d prefer.
This recipe was inspired and adapted with my own twist based on the famous quinoa onion rings from Toronto’s FRESH restaurants by chef Rith Tal.
These onion rings are crispy and salty and everything I could want from a fried onion. Pair with a plant-based burger and some vegan aioli (best vegan aioli is page 59 in my cookbook).
Related Recipe: Fried Cauliflower Wings
Quinoa Onion Rings
VEGAN | GLUTEN-FREE OPTION
Today I’m sharing a fun vegan fast-food that’s easy to prepare at home. As much as we all love fries, sometimes you want something a little different for your crispy side. These crispy quinoa onion rings are a perfect sharable snack food to impress vegans and non-vegans to enjoy.
INGREDIENTS FOR QUINOA ONION RINGS (VEGAN):
INGREDIENTS FOR QUINOA ONION RINGS (VEGAN):- Onions
- Puffed Quinoa (you can buy in-store or make your own with quinoa)
- Panko-Style Breadcrumbs
- Nutritional Yeast
- Garlic Salt or Garlic Powder
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Ground Ginger
You can also choose any spices of your choice! Garlic, oregano, thyme and ginger are my preferred spices for this recipe.
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Sea Salt
- Baking Powder
- Corn Starch (Potato or Tapioca work as well)
- Curry Powder
- Unsweetened Soy Milk
- Canola, Coconut or Sunflower Oil to Fry
GLUTEN-FREE TIP: replace flour with any GF alternative like rice, spelt or 1:1 Bobs red mill. You can also replace the breadcrumbs with a GF variety.
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT I USED:
- Large Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Utensils
- Chef’s Knife
- Whisk
- Deep-Fryer, Deep Pan, Oven or Air Fryer
- Tongs & Slotted Spoon
- Baking Sheet
- Wire Cooling Rack
AIR FRYER TIP: Spray the air fryer basket with oil or cooking spray, place the onion rings in a single layer, and spray them generously with the cooking spray. Cook on 375 F for 10 minutes. Flipping halfway through.
- 1½ cups puffed quinoa (you can buy store-bought or make puffed quinoa at home with quinoa)
- 2 onions, cut into thick slices & separated into rings
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp corn starch (potato, or tapioca work as well)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp curry powder
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1½ cups panko-style breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic salt or garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- Canola, coconut or sunflower oil, to fry
- For the onion ring batter, grab a medium-large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder, corn starch, salt, and curry powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in soy milk slowly, until you end up with a nice smooth batter.
- For the coating, get another bowl and mix together breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, garlic salt, oregano, thyme, ground ginger and puffed quinoa. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat up your oil in a pot or pan.
- Place a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet.
- In another bowl, add onions that are cut into thick slices & separated into rings. Sprinkle on top 1 cup flour. You could also add flour to the bowl and then individually dip your onion rings in the flour to coat. Use your fingers to mix and coat the onion rings with flour.
- One at a time, dip the flour-coated onion rings in the soy milk batter. Ensure they are fully coated. Then, coat in the dry seasoned flour with puffed quinoa, patting the quinoa onto the onion if necessary to help it stick. Place onto the wire rack, repeat with remaining onion rings.
- Place these guys into the fridge or allow each one to rest for 10 mins while your oil heats up.
- If you use a deep fryer, a deep pan or pot, frying will yield the crispiest, most flavorful onion rings. It is the preferred method.
- If using a deep fryer, heat frying oil (I like peanut or vegetable) to 325-350F. Place onion rings in batches for 2-3 mins each, until browned and crisp.
- If using a deep pan: pour enough vegetable oil to measure 3 inches inside the pan. Cover with a lid and heat the oil over medium-high heat to reach 325-350F. Place onion rings in batches for 2-3 mins each, until browned and crisp. Make sure you do not crowd them or else the temperature will drop too much.
- Remove onion rings from oil and place back onto the cooling rack, so that excess oil can drip off. Repeat.
- If using an oven: Place the coated rings on a lined baking sheet and spray them generously with a cooking oil spray like coconut oil. Bake them at 425F for 20-25 minutes, flipping at 15 mins.
- If using an air fryer, spray the air fryer basket with oil or cooking spray, place the onion rings in a single layer, and spray them generously with the cooking spray. Cook on 375 F for 10 minutes. Flipping halfway through.
- Serve with aioli of choice, alongside burgers, or really, anything else.
Hi! I’m Candice aka The Edgy Veg! I veganize popular food recipes for vegans, plant-based diets, eco-conscious eaters & people who are trying to eat more plants over… y’know animals or by-products of animals. I hope you enjoy this tasty vegan recipe!
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Ryan says:
These were sooo good! Definitely felt like they were healthy vegan onion rings which is what I googled to find this recipe lol surprised there’s not as much reviews because these were delicious