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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Fried Onion Petals

appetizer· snacks
June 8, 2023

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Fried Onion Petals – Sweet onion is sliced into petals, seasoned, and fried until perfectly crispy. Served with homemade horseradish sauce.

a fried onion petal dipping into horseradish dip

Another yummy snack coming at ya! This one was uber addictive. I was munching on these Fried Onion Petals all day after making them.

The inspiration for this snack comes from the Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse. Making a whole onion seems so intimidating so I never thought to make it at home. But then the thought came to me – why not fried them in little petals instead? They’re also easier to dip than onion rings.

Without further ado, here are the Fried Onion Petals!

bowl of fried onion petals with horseradish sauce
close up of horseradish sauce
overhead shot of fried onion petals in a green bowl and a side of horseradish sauce

Tips & Tricks

  1. Prepared horseradish. Make sure you get prepared horseradish and not raw horseradish. Prepared horseradish is more mild and has a creamy texture.
  2. Use a round onion. To get a nice long petal, make sure you use a round onion instead of a flat, wide one.
  3. Coat the onions completely. You need to coat the onions well in seasoned flour to ensure they get nice and crispy.
  4. Fry until golden brown. Make sure you fry until the petals turn golden brown. This will produce a perfectly crunchy exterior.
Print Recipe

Fried Onion Petals

Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

For the horseradish sauce:
  • ½ cup mayo
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
For the petals:
  • oil for frying
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  • Add all the horseradish sauce ingredients together in a bowl and stir together to combine. Set aside.
  • Add canola or vegetable oil to a large Dutch oven so the oil is about 4 inches deep. Set over medium heat. Place a candy thermometer into the oil to monitor the temperature.
  • Slice off the root end of the onion. Cut onion in half. Peel off paper skin and discard. Slice onion halves in half again and then into quarters. Separate onion pieces into petals and place into a ziploc bag. Set aside.
  • Mix flour, salt, peppers, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a medium bowl. Add ¼ cup of mixture to the bag of onions. Seal the bag and shake to coat the onions evenly.
  • Set up dredging stations by adding buttermilk and egg to a medium bowl and whisking together. Set bowl of flour next to it. Place an empty baking sheet next to the flour.
  • Pour about ⅓ of the onions into the buttermilk and coat evenly. Remove the onions from the buttermilk and drain off excess. Toss in the seasoned flour until completely coated in flour. Shake off excess and set on empty baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the onions.
  • Once the oil reached 365 degrees, add about ¼ of the breaded onion petals to fry for about 3 minutes. Flip and fry until deep golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Remove and place on cooling rack over a baking sheet to help drain excess oil. Repeat in 3 more batches with the rest of the onion petals.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes and then serve hot with horseradish dipping sauce.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Tornadough Alli

Pin for later:

pin of fried onion petals

More recipes you’ll love:

French Onion Soup
a spoonful of french onion soup highlighting the caramelized onions in the soup
Healthy Onion Dip
photo of healthy onion dip in a square bowl with a chip sitting in the center
Fried Cheese Curds with Buttermilk Ranch
close up of fried cheese curd getting dipped into homemade buttermilk ranch

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9 Comments

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Comments

  1. hunzercino says

    January 25, 2026 at 4:02 am

    Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try making fried onion petals at home.

    Reply
  2. carlos sheinbaum yoselevitz says

    January 22, 2026 at 6:08 pm

    Fried onion taste really good when you eat it with mint yogurt.

    Reply
  3. play hiezcoinx2.x12 says

    January 22, 2026 at 6:07 pm

    These are amazing and looks so good

    Reply
  4. mcdvoice says

    August 31, 2023 at 2:54 am

    This fried onion petaos is very int. and it’s helpful for me. I wish you make many more post like this.

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth says

    June 10, 2023 at 10:25 am

    Yum, this makes me think of the onion treats sold at my local fair! The horseradish sauce complements the taste of the fried onions nicely. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. Kathleen says

    June 10, 2023 at 10:22 am

    These fried onion petals are such a simple, easy and delicious appetizer. I can’t wait to make them.

    Reply
  7. Ali says

    June 10, 2023 at 9:38 am

    What an addictive appetizer— just like what you’d get in a restaurant. This is definitely going to be a family favorite!

    Reply
  8. Quynh says

    June 10, 2023 at 6:13 am

    Delicious! One of my favorite appetizers at Outback Steakhouse. I can’t believe how simple it is to make.

    Reply
  9. Beth says

    June 10, 2023 at 1:31 am

    A must-try side dish recipe! Easy & flavorful – my favorite things!

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

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