These easy Blooming Onions are double coated with a slightly spicy breading and deep fried to golden perfection. They are better than Outbacks and super simple to make.
Don’t forget the dipping sauce or for a change of pace, try them with Yum Yum Sauce (Japanese Hibachi Style) or Southern Comeback Sauce.
Now you can make your own Blooming Onion right in the confines of your own kitchen at your convenience. If you like onion rings or onion straws, then you are sure to love these crispy onions. Are you always in a hurry? No problem. Make the dipping sauce up to two days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Not into deep frying? They are delicious cooked in an air fryer. Simply preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Prepare the onion per the recipe instructions however, cook it in the air fryer basket for about 10 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
How do you make a Blooming Onion?
Mixing the sauce
Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, ketchup, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Chill this while you prepare the onions.
Preparing the onion
Start by cutting the onions. Cut a small flat spot on the non-root end of the onion. Now remove any dried or damaged peels. Place the onion flat side down on a cutting board (root side up). Now using a sharp knife starting about 1/2 inch from the root, make a clean slice downward. Next, turn the onion one-quarter turn and make another clean slice downward. Follow that with two more quarter turns and two more clean slices downward.
Now you should have four clean slices down on the onion equally spaced apart. Now cut three to four equal spaced cuts downward in each of those four sections. Then turn the onion root side down and gently fan out those sections.
Breading the onion
First, in a large bowl big enough to hold the onion, whisk together the milk and eggs. Then in another large bowl, combine the flour, paprika, cumin, oregano, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and garlic powder. Now put one of the cut onions in the flour mixture. Using your hands, coat the onion with the flour mixture spreading and separating the onion to make sure that it all gets breaded. Now dunk the onion into the egg mixture. Then back into the flour mixture using your hands to coat the onion.
Deep frying the onion
Use a heavy pan like a dutch oven and heat the oil to 375 degrees. Using a skimmer ladle or tongs, carefully place the onion root side up in the hot oil. Fry for about 6 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Next, remove the onion to paper towels to drain. For best results, serve promptly with the homemade dipping sauce.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- If available, use sweet Vidalia Onions
- Try to maintain a consistent fry temperature of 375 degrees. Use a candy or deep fry thermometer. Dutch ovens are good heavy pans to fry in. Because of their thickness, they maintain and hold heat well.
- If you have a deep fryer that is big enough, use it.
- For best results, do not crowd the frying pan. Instead, fry in batches.
- Stay real close when frying the onions. They will take anywhere from 5-7 minutes to reach a deep golden brown.
- The sauce can be made up to two days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- These fried onions are best served promptly while they are warm and crisp.
- Not into deep frying? Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees. Load onion into air fryer root side down and cook 9-10 minutes.
Other appetizers you will love!
Print
Blooming Onion
An easy recipe for crispy Blooming Onions that is just as tasty if not better than any Outback restaurant. Make some for your family today, and don’t forget the tasty dipping sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 3 blooming onions
- Category: appetizer
- Method: deep fry
- Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons creamy horseradish
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Fried Blooming Onions
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 medium sweet onions
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, ketchup, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Whisk egg and milk in a bowl wide and deep enough to dunk the onion.
- Mix flour, paprika, cumin, dried oregano, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl wide enough to fit the onion.
- Cut a small flat spot on the non-root end of the onion. Remove any dried or damaged peels. Place the onion flat side down on a cutting board (root side up). Using a sharp knife starting about 1/2 inch from the root, make a clean slice downward. Turn the onion one quarter turn and make another clean slice downward. Follow that with two more quarter turns and two more clean slices downward. Cut three to four equal spaced cuts downward in each of those four sections. Then turn the onion root side down and gently fan out the sections.
- Put the onion in the bowl with the flour mixture. Using your hands, coat the onion with the flour mixture spreading and separating the onion to make sure that it all gets breaded. Now dunk the onion into the egg mixture. Then back into the flour mixture using your hands to coat the onion.
- Heat oil in a heavy pan to 375 degrees. You will need just enough oil to cover the onion. Fry the onions root side up for 5-7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve promptly with the dipping sauce.
Notes
- If available, use sweet Vidalia Onions
- Try to maintain a consistent fry temperature of 375 degrees. Use a candy or deep fry thermometer. Dutch ovens are good heavy pans to fry in. Because of their thickness, they maintain and hold heat well.
- If you have a deep fryer that is big enough, use it.
- For best results, do not crowd the frying pan. Instead, fry in batches.
- Stay real close when frying the onions. They will take anywhere from 5-7 minutes to reach a deep golden brown.
- The sauce can be made up to two days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- These fried onions are best served promptly while they are warm and crisp.
- Not into deep frying? Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees. Load onion into air fryer root side down and cook 9-10 minutes.
Keywords: air fryer blooming onion, awesome blossom, onion flower, how to make a blooming onion
On the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
This post was published on July 17, 2015, and was republished on April 27, 2020, with new content.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Jean
We have made this Blooming Onion 3 times in the last couple of weeks and it is AWESOME….PLEASE TRY IT
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Jean, that is so sweet! So glad that you like it!
Tammy Henson
I’m excited about trying this recipe. I’d like to air fry it and was wondering if you’d spray it with oil before putting it in?
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Yes, I would.
veranoenvermont
Hi,
I am ready to make the recipe and find that I don’t have enough oil. I think it would be super helpful if as part of the recipe and/or the tips, you could offer some sort of guidance about the quantity of oil that might be needed based on a standard-sized Dutch oven. Thank you!
Emma
Blooming onions have always been my favorite food to get at our start fair and this recipe didn’t disappoint! Now I know where to go next time I have a craving (without needing to go to the Outback Steakhouse, lol). Thanks Beth.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Emma! So glad that you liked the blooming onions!
Dave
There’s a typo in the section on preparing the onion and I totally misunderstood. “Cut a small flat spot on the none root end of the onion.” I think you mean non-root and my brain skipped over “none”. Fortunately, I caught on in time.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the heads up! I will correct it.
Winston Byrd
You should tell your readers that the onion needs to weigh Over 1 pound. How the stores know. You call them medium. I’d say 1 pound is Large, but that’s just me…
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks for heads up!
Linda
Why do they need to weigh 1 lb? Will they not sink in order to fry evenly? I have a bag of small Vidalia onions I was going to use but now I am not so sure…..they only weigh 4-6 ounces each according to my food scale.
Beth Pierce
You can use smaller onions. They will not fan out as much as the bigger ones but they will still be good. I don’t know why Winston said that.
LINDA L FULSCHER
Can you bake these?
Beth Pierce
No sorry! They just will not be near as good
Nicholas
Can I use a Fry Daddy?
Beth Pierce
Yes you sure can!
Quincella Mitchell
So yummy! I searched and read several blooming onion recipes. I decided to try this one. Happy that I did. The coating on the onion and the sauce were to tasty. I was a little concerned about the amount of cumin so I only used 2 teaspoons instead of the tablespoon. Otherwise, followed the recipe exactly. It’s a keeper. Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Joy
Thanks! Excellent sauce and great step by step user friendly instructions. Taste just like it was prepared at the Resturant that’s famous for blooming onions😋 I did much better frying the second onion. It’s a bit tricky getting the entire onion crisp from top to inner bottom.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Joy! So glad that you liked it and happy that you were persistent in the getting the onion crispy.
Jacqie Freund
Thank you for the detailed and simple to follow instructions! Well written and so good!
★★★★★
Dannii
I have always wanted to try one of these. They look delicious, so I am definitely going to give it a try.
★★★★★
Angela
Oh my goodness! This is so delicious. The perfect appetizer ever and I love that I can make it at home. YUM!
★★★★★
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain
I will make that amazing dipping sauce to go with some portabello fries! It sounds so perfect! I cannot have onions as they make my belly really upset but the sauce is a must!
★★★★★
Dannii
I have always wanted to try this, as it looks super impressive. I can’t wait to try.
★★★★★
Sumit
I absolutely love crispy fried onions, but these blooming ones look prettier. Will fry a batch asap
★★★★★
Gail Montero Raines
These look absolutely delicious! An absolute must-try recipe for sure!
★★★★★
Biana
Love blooming onions, and yours look amazing! Will be trying this recipe out soon.
★★★★★
Kim Guzman
Thank you so much! This was easy and such a wonderful thing to do. One of my favorite restaurants has been shut down for a year and I didn’t realize how much I missed my blooming onion.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Kim! So glad that you liked them! They are delicious and easy!
Chris J
This turned out great. Used my fry daddy.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Chris! So glad that you liked it!
Helen
Thanks for this recipe! My daughter is going to go wild over this 😀
★★★★★
Dannii
I have always wanted to try this! Thanks for the reminder, I am going to try it at the weekend.
★★★★★
Elizabeth
Ooh my heavens! I had my first (and only!) blooming onion at an Outbacks in California about 20 years ago and I’ve been looking for a decent recipe to replicate it here in the UK. I’ve found it! Yum!
★★★★★
Devy
Hubby and I always love crispy onion rings. This recipe makes a better version of those fried onions. They’re cispier, tastier (obviously), and spicier (which I love the most). Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome Devy! So glad that you like them!!
Megan
This is such an amazing idea! I am definitely going to try this.
★★★★★
Dionne
These onions are so unique! I don’t remember having something like this… ever, so I am really excited to give this recipe a try!
★★★★★
Gail Montero
I love blooming onions but I have always been afraid to make them! Not anymore with this tasty and easy recipe!
★★★★★
Sunena
If I ever see a blooming onion on a menu, I almost always have to order it. Thank you for an awesome recipe to recreate them at home!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome!!
Cate
Yum!! Love blooming onions but I’ve never made my own, can’t wait to try it!
Chris Collins
I always order a blooming onion if I can! I never realised it was this easy to make at home! So delicious 🙂
★★★★★
Matt Taylor
Yummy, I love blooming onions! It is always my favorite appetizer to get at Outback. This recipe is awesome, can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
Natalie
This makes me so happy! It’s one of my favorite appetizers! Didn’t realize it’s not difficult to make!
★★★★★
Toni
This quickly disappeared at my house! A huge hit every time!
★★★★★
Lisalia
I love this so much.. Like… LOVE it! And it seems so much healthier than the one we eat from our fave local Aussie-inspired restaurant.
★★★★★
Jessica Burgess
I have always wanted to try this and this was so easy!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Shelley
Bloomin’ Onions are such an indulgent treat! My family would love this! (Mmmm … especially with that sauce!)
★★★★★
Genevieve
Who needs a restaurant when you can make this right at home? This baby blooming onion recipe looks simple and perfect for a movie night in!
★★★★★
Jayne
This recipe is really EASY! Blooming onions are so flavorful I will be making this again.
★★★★★
Pam
I love trying recipes for dishes that we used to only get out in restaurants. It’s a different world these days, but that doesn’t mean we should deny ourselves food we love.
★★★★★
Jess
Favorite appetizer ever and I don’t even need to leave the house to make it!
★★★★★
Pris Frank
This onion looks AMAZING!! I have an air fryer AND a deep fryer and I never thought of making one! I’m totally following your tips here. Thanks for the great idea!
★★★★★
Soniya
Oh wow! This is one of my family favorites and I have. Ever made it at home… with this recipe incandescent now make it at home! Excited!
Sisley White
This is so much fun I can’t wait to have a go at making this at home.
Kechi
This looks so mesmerizing, flavorful, and tasty! I do want to make this recipe; thank you so much for sharing detailed instructions! I am making this next week!
★★★★★
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
I haven’t had blooming onions in so long – totally need to rectify that. Yours look so delicious!
★★★★★
Sarah James
Oh my, your blooming onions look so delicious. I love onion rings so I can’t wait to try your recipe.
★★★★★
Angela
I love a great blooming onion. We use Walla Walla Sweet onions and it came out great. I love the sauce.
★★★★★
Dannii
Oooooh, this looks really fancy, and actually pretty easy to make too. I will definitely be trying it soon.
★★★★★
Pavani
That blooming onion looks so crisp and inviting. Thanks for the air fryer option – would love to try this for my family real soon.
★★★★★
Maria
Love love love this recipe! Definitely trying this out this weekend.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Maria! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Alison
Yum! This looks like a restaurant quality blooming onion, only better!!
★★★★★
Allyson Zea
This is one of my all-time favorite appetizers!
Toni
This is such an appetizer my whole family loved! So good and really easy to make!
★★★★★
katerina @ diethood.com
These blooming onions are absolutely amazing!! I need to try this asap!!
★★★★★
Erin
These Blooming Onions are would disappear in our house!
★★★★★
Sara Welch
This is my favorite appetizer to eat when ordering out! Looking forward to making this in the comfort of my own home; looks way better than the restaurant version!
★★★★★
Amanda
I have always wanted to make these at home they’re so good!
Lizet
This recipe is amazing. We made it last week. It was kind of messy, but so worth it. Great recipe!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Lizet! So glad that you liked it!
Amy Desrosiers
I go to Outback just to eat their blooming onion. I think this is a fabulous recipe and I would love to try it ASAP!
★★★★★
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
These blooming onions look absolutely amazing – might have to whip up some for the whole family!
★★★★★
Emily Liao
This was so much easier to make than I though! So crispy and delicious.
★★★★★
Rika
What a great recipe! I can’t wait to make it for the weekend! Can’t get enough of it!
★★★★★
Chrissy
Could you make these in an air fryer instead of deep frying them?
Beth Pierce
Yes you can. They will not be as crispy as deep frying but a lot healthier for you!!
Stephanie
Yum, yum, yum! This was amazing! Such a great recipe.
★★★★★
April
I love love LOVE blooming onions, but I’ve always been afraid to try making them myself…..which is probably a good thing, because I would want to eat them nonstop, lol.
You make it look easy though, so I think I’ll give it a try this weekend! I’m excited!
★★★★★
Erin
This is so good! It has always been a favorite and so glad I can make it at home now.
★★★★★
Exotic Fruit
Could you please clarify something?
Is there an egg in the buttermilk mixture?
There is no egg in the list of ingredients in the recipe, however,
in the “make ahead” instructions, you mention an egg mixture.
Also, if made ahead, are they fried from the frozen state?
Thank you.
Beth Pierce
Are you referring to my Baby Blooming Onions Recipe? There is an egg listed in the ingredients and it is whisked in with milk.
LM
A restaurant near me used to make pepper rings too – think I’ll try this on both.
Beth Pierce
Sounds delicious!!
Phillip
as Patti suggests soak the cut onion in warm(?) water to aid the petal spread (don’t know what happened when I went to find out who suggested the water soak) OK, 8 sections instead of 12 but super easy to do. (I like super easy.)
Phillip
I totally destroyed a keyboard with drool over this one! A moment of serendipity, I needed some onion to throw into a recipe and there in the sink was one of those apple sectioner/corer gadgets. Humm, says I. Thump. Did not quite cut all the way through the onion but there was a mini-blooming onion right before my eyes! Wow! How can I put this discovery to use? Well, right here in THIS recipe! I would take care to not cut the onion all the way through and I would
Heike Werlinger
Can you make those in an air-fryer. I just bought one and was hoping I could try these.
bpierce
I am sorry I can not answer that. I have never used an air fryer. Never even heard of them until now!! 🙂
Lane
Yes you can..I made a large one, delicious, never thought to make small ones. Almost didn’t want to do it again just to much. Now I will. I had no recipe for it. Just try about 5 min open up, if not done just put it back in. Easy. Was so crispy.
Lynn
Yes you can
Faust
yes, you can! Just preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. 😀 cook for about 10 min
Marjorie Jugan
i am going t trythis for the super bowl we always have appys to eat. i will deep fry this in my deep fryer too.
bpierce
Sounds like a plan. Happy cooking!
Patti
Soak the onions in water to get them to spread easily
bpierce
Thanks for the heads up. We always appreciate helpful food tips.
Sarah Bowser
Do you soak them before you cut them or after?
Gigi
Before love, for 2hours up to fully overnight, even. It helps.:)
Bev
I love these. Thank you so much for reminding us that we don’t always t\have to make the large ones only.
bpierce
Me too! I need to eat things in small portions. LOL!
Pamela Rexius
Going to try this but I am also going to use the same dipping proceedure to prep the larger garlic cloves on a toohpick and fry those also. When cloves are cooked they get sweet and creamy as well as fresh chicken nuggets on toothpicks and fry. Serve at game day. Have variety of dips and honey for the nuggets.
Beth Pierce
Those are all wonderful ideas Pamela! Thanks for sharing those with us!
Jackie Hamm
I love this.
bpierce
Thanks for the compliment! It makes me very happy!