Crispy Chickpea Onion Rings

Crispy Chickpea Onion Rings

So like almost everyone, I have a soft spot for fried food. I know it's bad, but sometimes it is so, so good! And often- and can I get a HELL YEAH on this one- finding guaranteed gluten-free fried food at restaurants is DAMN NEAR impossible. So here's to saving money and eating as many portions as you want without being judged- our Crispy Chickpea Onion rings recipe. This is a favorite at our place when we need some junk food because they're gluten-free, have plenty of batter (there's nothing I hate more than a barely coated onion ring!), and are deeeeelicious. The batter is slightly sweet and nutty with a hint of smoky flavor, which tastes great with a little sriracha mayo or even old school catsup, and even better with a beer. They're a great app for sharing at parties and Sunday sports games, but equally great all by yourself with a chick flick.  No judgement here! I think you're gonna love 'em, so let's eat.

Ingredients:
3-6 cups vegetable or coconut oil for frying (or as needed)
1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup water
1 very large red onion

Directions:
In a large deep pot or dutch oven, pour in enough oil to completely submerge the onion rings, about 2-4 inches. Heat oil over medium/high heat to 365º OR test oils readiness by dropping an onion ring and seeing how it looks. If it immediately bubbles and begins to fry and turn golden brown, you're good! If not, wait a few minutes and try again. If it burns, turn down the heat and wait for it to cool before trying again.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together chickpea flour, garlic salt, paprika, pepper and water. Set aside to thicken. (Should be about as thick as pancake batter.)
Using a fork or tongs, dredge onion slices until evenly coated in the batter.  Let excess batter drip off, but leave enough so that the onion ring is well coated. Drop it into the heated oil and let fry about 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Remove cooked rings from oil and let cool on a paper-towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Continue to cook the rings until finished, adding oil to the pan as needed to keep the depth. Be sure to bring the oil back up to temperature after adding extra and before adding new rings.
Once rings have cooled, serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsely & ketchup, sriracha, or cilantro lime mayo!

print recipe