Dairy Queen Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak onions for onion rings? ›

Soaking onions in water for 15-20 minutes helps to neutralize the flavors of the onion and lessen the “bite”. It also brings out a sweet flavor and makes them a bit crunchier.

Too much batter.

Instead of staying light and crisp, an onion ring with too much batter will retain too much internal moisture, and as soon as it comes out of the oil, the batter starts getting soggy.

The onion itself is snappy without being too hard. Plus, I didn't have to deal with the entire slice coming out in one bite, leaving behind an empty carcass of breading. The only flaw of Dairy Queen's offering is that there isn't a lot of seasoning or standout flavor. But all the bones of a good onion ring are there.

Whisk 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and salt together in a bowl until smooth. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Working in batches, dip onion rings in batter until evenly coated; arrange in a single layer on a plate.

A trick for getting your breading to stick better and not fall off as much when frying is to cover the breaded onion rings with a damp paper towel for 10-15 minutes after breading while the oil heats up. This helps it get a little bit tacky and stick better so less of it falls off in the hot oil.

You can get rid of the strong taste by soaking sliced onions in ice water for 20 to 30 minutes or by sprinkling them with an acid such as vinegar. Onions soaked in ice water will get very crisp while those sprinkled with vinegar will soften a bit, but they will lose the strong taste and become sweeter.

When it comes to batter, ensure it's not too thin or it will drip right off your onion ring. Also, make sure your batter is ice cold, as this makes for a lighter coating when it's fried. In contrast, ensure your oil is piping hot at around 360 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit before dropping in your battered rings.

You can make onion rings with any type of onion, but it pays to be choosy. Many restaurant onion rings are made with a sweet variety such as Vidalia. That sweetness is a really nice counterbalance to the savory batter, but it also comes at the price of less onion-y flavor.

Homemade Onion Ring Batter.

All you need to do is combine 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of flour and 1 egg. Whisk it all together. We don't want it so thick that it becomes doughy when cooked, but we do want it to be thin enough that it breaks off in the oil.

What is the most popular thing at Dairy Queen? ›

For many, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of classic fast food desserts is a Dairy Queen Blizzard. The popular chain, founded in 1940, is known for its many different flavors of Blizzards and other sweet concoctions.

Dairy Queen's fries and hash browns are cooked in soybean oil and do not contain animal products, whereas the onion rings do contain milk products. Keep in mind: The onion rings are cooked in the same oil as the fries, so skip the fried sides altogether if you are concerned about cross-contamination.

The proteins in milk help the batter adhere to your food, while the natural sugars and milk solids provide extra browning. If the batter is mixed to the correct consistency and fried at a suitable temperature, milk-based batter provides a thin, crisp coating with a beautiful golden hue.

If you do not have or cannot find evaporated milk, substitute half and half. Regular milk, Chase says, is too light and thin, and it will not yield the same perfect crust.

Wait 10 minutes, then serve. The salt softens the onion's fibrous texture and mellows the sharpness of their flavor. There are other ways to tame raw onion, of course. You could soak slices in lemon juice for 20 minutes, which lends a slightly pickled flavor, as in this Tomato and Herb Salad with Sumac.

A simple soak leaches some of that enzyme from the onion, leaving behind a mellower flavor and a much more palatable salad topper. (Cook's Illustrated has also had success with a bath of water and baking soda, but simple H20 will do the trick nicely.)