These fried onion petals have a crispy, crunchy exterior with a zesty flavor. They make a great side to go with burgers or dogs, or get creative and add them to your burger.

I love a good onion ring, but onion petals are slightly easier to make because they’re smaller and easier to manage when you don’t have a ton of space available for deep frying. I made these with grilled burgers the other night and they were great!

If you need a tutorial on how to cut onion petals (in 5 easy steps), refer to this post.

Safety note: Use caution when deep frying. Refer to deep frying safety information from the USDA.

This post may contain affiliate links. I receive compensation from purchases made using affiliate links (more information).

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Fried Onion Petals

These fried onion petals have a crispy, crunchy exterior with a zesty flavor. They make a great side to go with burgers or dogs, or get creative and add them to your burger.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: deep fried, fried onion petals

Servings: 2 people

Equipment

• Deep fryer
• Heavy bottomed pot (if not using a deep fryer)
• Candy thermometer (if not using a deep fryer)
• Spider strainer

Ingredients

• 1 onion cut into petals
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ½ cup milk
• canola oil

Instructions

• Whisk together flour, salt, paprika, and cayenne. Divide into two separate bowls and set aside.
• Pour milk into a bowl.
• Add frying oil to a deep fryer or a heavy bottomed pot with a candy thermometer. Make sure the oil is deep enough so the onion petals can swim freely and not touch the bottom.
• Heat the oil to 375°.
• Prepare the onions for frying by coating in flour, dipping in milk, then coating in flour using the other bowl.
• Fry the onion petals, and fry in batches if needed. You want the petals to have enough room to swim freely and not overcrowd each other. Fry for a couple of minutes, then flip them. Fry until golden brown. If frying in batches, allow the oil to reach 375° again before beginning to fry a new batch.
• Remove with a spider strainer (or the basket that came with your deep fryer) and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

Notes

See How to Cut an Onion in 5 Easy Steps for a tutorial on cutting the onion petals.