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Chef Ava

Crispy Beer Battered Onion Rings with Zesty Lime Mayo

These crispy beer battered onion rings feature sweet onions coated in a light, flavorful beer batter seasoned with garlic, cayenne, cumin, and black pepper, then fried until deeply golden and crunchy. Served with a creamy zesty lime mayo dipping sauce, they're the ultimate appetizer for game day, parties, and casual entertaining.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Optional Sauce Chilling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 285
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch rings and separated
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups beer
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Equipment

  • deep skillet or Dutch oven
  • wire rack
  • mixing bowls
  • whisk
  • kitchen thermometer

Method
 

  1. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, lime juice, minced garlic, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir until smooth and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. Place 1/4 cup of the flour on a shallow plate and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, beaten egg, and 1 cup beer until smooth. Add additional beer as needed until the batter coats the back of a spoon.
  4. Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven to 375°F.
  5. Dredge each onion ring lightly in the plain flour, shaking off any excess.
  6. Dip each floured onion ring into the beer batter, coating completely and allowing excess batter to drip off.
  7. Carefully lower the battered onion rings into the hot oil in small batches.
  8. Fry for about 4 minutes, turning as needed, until deeply golden brown and crispy.
  9. Transfer to a paper towel-lined wire rack and season lightly with salt while hot.
  10. Serve immediately with the chilled zesty lime mayo on the side.

Notes

Use cold beer straight from the refrigerator for the crispiest batter. Maintain the oil temperature at 375°F throughout frying and work in small batches to prevent greasy onion rings. The flour dredge before dipping into the batter is essential for proper adhesion. Serve immediately for maximum crunch.