Gluten-free French Fried Onions

These gluten-free French fried onions are crunchy, flavorful, and easy to make. Now, you never have to miss out on the deliciousness of your gluten-free green bean casserole.

Have you ever noticed not a lot of places sell gluten-free French fried onions? I've personally only seen them in the store maybe a handful of times. It might just be where we live, but even when I've asked friends and family who live in larger cities, they have said they have only seen them during the holidays. That's okay, though, because I can make my own easier than I can find them.

These gluten-free French fried onions have a light and crispy coating that comes together in minutes and tastes so much better than the store-bought kind. Now, you never have to miss out on making an extra delicious gluten-free green bean casserole ever again.

Jump to:

• Are French Fried Onions Gluten-free?
• Ingredients
• How to make French fried onions?
• What is the best way to cook homemade French fried onions?
• Tips and Tricks
• Homemade French fried onions FAQ
• Make Ahead and Storing
• Reheating
• How to use gluten-free French fried onions.
• Give some of these delicious gluten-free fried foods a try next.
• 📖 Recipe

Are French Fried Onions Gluten-free?

Brands like French's onion toppings are not gluten-free. There are a few brands that sell them, but they are not typically stocked year round. They also tend to be much more expensive than their gluten-filled counterparts. Depending on what stores you have access to, you can buy gluten-free french fried onions from these brands.

• Walmart - I've never seen these ones in the store, but I have seen them on the app to order.
• Aldi's
• Trader Joes
• Sprouts - I've heard these are the best-tasting ones.

Making your own French fried onions is super simple to do with only a few ingredients.

Ingredients

To make gluten-free French fried onions, you only need a few ingredients.

• Onions - I prefer to make French fried onions with either a white or yellow onion.
• Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk, you can also use homemade buttermilk with plain milk and either lemon juice or vinegar. This also works if you want to make these onions dairy-free with a dairy-free milk of choice.
• 1:1 Gluten-free Flour - I use King Arthur Brand 1:1. We aren't using that much to make these, so the blend type doesn't really matter.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil for frying - See notes below if you want to make this recipe for French fried onions in the oven or air fryer.

How to make French fried onions?

1. Slice your onions.
2. Soak the sliced onions in buttermilk.
3. Let the onions sit for a minute on some paper towels to remove any excess liquid.
4. Combine the gluten-free flour and spices into a ziplock bag or shallow dish and lightly dust the onions into the flour mixture.
5. Cook your coated onions by frying, baking them in the oven or the air fryer.

What is the best way to cook homemade French fried onions?

My favorite way to cook these gluten-free French fried onions is to do a quick fry in a skillet. It is the fastest way to cook them, and I find that they not only get the crispiest, but the crispiness of these french fried onions lasts the longest.

Quick frying french fried onions in a skillet.

1. Add enough light cooking oil to a skillet to make it about 1-2 inches deep over medium-high heat.
2. Once the oil is warm, place a few of the breaded onions into the oil. Make sure you are not overcrowding the onions.
3. Move the onions around a bit to make sure they are evenly cooked.
4. When the onions are golden, remove them from the hot oil with a spider strainer.
5. Let the hot onions rest on some paper towels to remove any excess oil while you cook the remaining ones.

The second way I would recommend cooking these homemade french fried onions would be in the air fryer.

To cook gluten-free French fried onions in the air fryer.

1. Lay some of the breaded onions in a single layer in your air fryer.
2. Lightly spray the onions with a light cooking oil.
3. Air fry the onions at 375 degrees for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Shake the onions. If they are not completely done, cook them for another 2-3 minutes.

To cook the French fried onions in the oven.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lay the breaded onions onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Lightly spray the onions with a light cooking oil.
4. Bake the onions for about 15 minutes.

Note: cooking these gluten-free french fried onions in the oven will yield the least crispy results.

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few of my tips and tricks to make the best homemade gluten-free French fried onions.

• Use the right onions. While sweeter onions like Vidalia onions are delicious for making homemade onion rings, these homemade French fried onions work better with white or yellow onions.
• Don't skip soaking your onions. The buttermilk helps tone down the sharp, raw onion flavor. The onions are not cooked long, and without soaking them, they can taste like you are eating raw onion. The buttermilk also gives some moisture, which helps the gluten-free breading stick to the onions.
• Remove excess moisture. Letting the soaked onions rest on some paper towels for just a minute helps to remove excess moisture. Excess moisture on the onions can make it harder for the gluten-free breading to get crisp when you cook the onions.
• Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to remove the onions and drain off any excess oil.
• Season to liking. Some onions can be more mellow than others, and then your homemade French fried onions might need a little extra spice. It never fails someone in my house is eating these as soon as they are cooked. If we find they get a little less flavorful than we prefer, we will sprinkle the cooked onions with a little salt and onion powder. It doesn't take much, but it can add a lot.

Homemade French fried onions FAQ

Make Ahead and Storing

• These gluten-free French fried onions are best stored at room temperature. They will stay good at room temperature for about 3-4 days.
• If you are planning on using them for a recipe, you make them ahead of time and just store them on the counter for a few days so they are ready.
• Storing these homemade French fried onions in the fridge will make them become soft.

Reheating

If you've stored your french fried onions in the fridge or they've just lost their crunch, you can bring them back by placing the onions into a 350-degree oven for about 5-7 minutes or until they are crisp.

How to use gluten-free French fried onions.

My kids call these my cheater gluten-free onion rings, so they will literally just eat them plain out of the oil as I am making them. Our youngest will even dip them into some ranch. Besides just eating them, you can use several more ways.

• They make a delicious addition on top of a gluten-free burger.
• Sprinkle them over a salad for some fun crunch.
• You can even toss some over a bowl of gluten-free soup. My kids love them with my gluten-free, loaded potato soup.
• And, of course, you can go wrong in pairing them with some homemade gluten-free cream of mushroom soup to make a delicious gluten-free green bean casserole for Thanksgiving.

Give some of these delicious gluten-free fried foods a try next.

📖 Recipe