Red Robin’s Onion Rings are a crispy, golden favorite with a crunchy exterior and tender, sweet onion inside. This copycat recipe recreates that satisfying crisp using a seasoned batter and double-fry technique so you can enjoy crunchy, restaurant-style rings at home.
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Why this recipe works
A thick, seasoned batter combined with a double-dredge method creates a sturdy coating that fries up crisp and golden while protecting the tender onion inside. Maintaining proper oil temperature ensures the rings cook quickly and evenly, delivering that signature crunchy exterior without becoming greasy.
CopyKat Chef’s Notes
Choose large, sweet onions (such as Vidalia) for a naturally milder flavor and better texture, crowd-pleasing. Larger rings fry more evenly and hold up under batter.
Soaking the sliced onions in ice water for at least 30 minutes before battering helps reduce harsh sulfur notes and enhances crispiness by tightening the onion layers.
Double-dredge the onions — first in seasoned flour, then in batter, then back in flour — to build a thick, adherent crust that crisps well in hot oil.
Maintain oil temperature between 350–375°F (175–190°C). Too cool and the rings absorb oil and become greasy; too hot and the outside browns before the inside cooks.
Use a light beer or carbonated water in the batter for extra lift and airiness, which gives these rings that signature restaurant pop and crunch.
Drain fried rings on a wire rack rather than paper towels to maintain crispness on all sides.
Serve immediately for best crunch, or keep warm in a low oven (200°F / 95°C) until ready to serve.
How to Make Red Robin Towering Onion Rings
- Add enough oil to fill the cooking container to a depth of 3 inches and heat the oil to 350 degrees.
- Peel onions and cut into ½ to ¾-inch slices. Separate slices into rings. Save the center rings for another recipe.
- Set up a breading station by placing three small bowls or dishes in a row.
- In the first shallow container, add flour, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- In the second container, combine the eggs with 1 cup of milk. Whisk the eggs and milk together until well combined.
- Finally, in the third container, add the panko breadcrumbs.
- Dip the rings in flour and allow them to rest for a couple of minutes on a wire rack.
- Then dip the floured onion ring into the egg wash mixture. Shake the onion ring gently to remove the excess egg wash, then place it into the panko breadcrumbs.
- Coat the onion slices well with panko breadcrumbs. Place the onion ring back onto a wire rack and allow it to rest for a minute or two before cooking.
- Cook for two to three minutes in the hot oil flipping halfway through cooking. Cook the onion rings until they are golden brown.
- Remove onion rings and drain on a wire rack before serving, do not use paper towels the onion rings will steam on the paper towels and the batter will get soggy.
What type of onions are Best for Onion Rings?
There is really no right answer to this question. A sweet onion like Vidalia or Walla Walla is an excellent choice, but if you prefer a milder taste, red or white onions will be just fine. If you want a bit more “bite” in your onion ring, go for a yellow onion. Click here for a guide to cooking with every type of onion.
What is Panko?
Panko is a type of breadcrumbs, but a little bit different from your average breadcrumbs. Panko is lighter, crispier, and flakier. Because of its comparative lightness, Panko will absorb less oil and grease making it perfect for breaded fried foods like onion rings.
The word panko is a translation of a Japanese word and panko is widely used for light breading in Japanese dishes. Learn more about panko and find out how to make panko bread crumbs.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, these onion rings are lacto-ovo vegetarian. The battering process contains milk, and the panko crumbs are made from bread that contains eggs.
You can keep the breading from falling off by not over-breading the onion rings; don’t try to cake on the breading. Also, let them rest for a few minutes on a wire rack before frying. This will give the batter some time to set up.
You can make the Red Robin Campfire sauce very easily. It is a combination of mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, Tobasco Chipotle sauce, ground chipotle pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. You can get the copycat recipe for the Red Robin Campfire Sauce.
Like more copycat Red Robin recipes? Check these out
- Campfire Sauce Recipe
- Deep Fried Pickles Recipe
- Zombie Drink Recipe – Warning – highly alcoholic!
- Freckled Lemonade Recipe
And, if you really love onion rings, try these recipes
- DQ Onion Rings
- Fat Ronnie’s Onion Rings
- Beer Battered Onion Rings
- Sonic Drive-In Onion Rings
- Bloomin Onion Recipe
- Awesome Blossom Chili’s
- How to Make Fried Onion Petals
- Easy Onion Ring Dip
- Spicy Onion Ring Sauce
There’s more! Take a look at my easy side dish recipes and the best fast food copycat recipes.
Red Robin Towering Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet onions
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Add enough oil to fill the cooking container to 3 inches deep.
- Peel onions, and cut into ½ to ¾ inch rings. Separate onions into rings. Take the center rings and save for another recipe. You can chop those small rings for chopped onions in another recipe.
- Set up a breading station by placing three small bowls or dishes into a row. In the first shallow container add flour, seasoned salt, and black pepper, stir to combine. In the second dish combine the eggs with 1 cup of milk. Whisk the eggs and the milk together until they are well-combined. Finally, in the third container, add the panko breadcrumbs.
Breading the Onion Rings
- First, dip the rings into the flour, and allow them to rest a couple of minutes on a wire rack. Then dip the floured onion ring into the egg wash mixture. Shake the onion ring gently to remove the excess egg wash, then place into the panko breadcrumbs. Coat the panko breadcrumbs over the onion ring well. Place the onion ring back onto a wire rack and allow it to rest a minute or two before cooking. This will help keep the coating in place.
Cooking the Onion Rings
- Make sure you heat the oil to 350 degrees. You can use a deep fryer, or you can simply use a frying pan with 2 or 3 inches of oil in the frying pan. Cook for two to three minutes filling flipping half way through cooking. Remove onion ring and drain on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Sometimes panko breadcrumbs aren’t very uniform coming out of the package. You can place your panko crumbs into a plastic bag and gently roll a rolling pin over them to make them more uniform. The Panko crumbs will coat the onions better this way.
Can these onion rings be made in an air fryer also? We are watching our fried foods but do use the air fryer instead. Thanks the look wonderful!!
You can cook these in an air fryer, but they will not brown very well.
What temperature should the oil be for frying?
Can I use canola or olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Heat the oil to 350. You can use canola oil. I would not use olive oil.
These onion rings look so great! I have never tried the Red Robin’s but I think I will love this. Thank you for sharing the recipe
WOW! This looks gorgeous AND delicious!
Can you do these in the air fryer
Yes, you can prepare these in the air fryer. I would cook these at 390 degrees for about 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
These were so crispy. Loved them.
Oh that looks so good, thank you Stephanie, Red Robin is 5 miles from my house, and I have never been there. These look scrumptious. Thank you!