Baked Coconut Onion Rings
I have been trying to figure out a grain-free onion ring for some time, and while I have nothing against frying foods in good fats, I also wanted something baked because I hate dealing with the mess of hot, splattering oil. This recipe is kind of a weird idea that worked. The batter is a really thick mix made with egg and coconut butter, and the flaked coconut on the outside crisps up while they bake, providing that crunchy texture you want in an onion ring. The flaked coconut is the crisp element here so the rings are not as sturdy as something gluten-y would be, but they hold up well to a dunk in some ketchup.
I used a large, sweet white onion for this and the batter amount worked to cover all of the larger rings. You could double the batter amounts if you want a larger batch. It’s really important that the ingredients for the batter are not cold when they go in the blender, or they will cause the coconut butter to seize up and it won’t be smooth.
Note that I am baking at high altitude, where things cook a bit faster, so you might need to extend the baking time if you are at sea level.
Baked Coconut Onion Rings
Ingredients
- 1 large, sweet white onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, warmed to liquid
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened, flaked coconut
- coconut oil, for the baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Separate the onion slices into rings, saving the smaller, internal rounds for another use.
- Place the coconut butter, eggs, water, salt, and smoked paprika in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour the batter in a shallow dish. Spread the flaked coconut in another shallow dish.
- Oil a cookie sheet with coconut oil. Dip each onion ring into the coconut butter mixture to lightly coat, and then into the flaked coconut. Place in a single layer on the cookie sheet. When all of the onion rings are coated, bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the coconut is lightly browned. Serve hot.
I used flaked coconut rather than shredded because the extra surface area of the flakes makes them nice and crunchy. However, flaked coconut would also work well. Ketchup was the dunk of choice for this batch, but I think a pineapple sweet-and-sour type sauce would be excellent on the side. They would also be lovely with some of my Roasted Red Pepper Ketchup.
I’m working on putting together my first Seasonal and Savory newsletter and would love to know what kinds of information you would like to see in the debut effort: cooking tips? cookbook reviews? cute chicken pics? Let me know what sounds interesting.
