Copycat French’s Fried Onions From Scratch
Take your holiday classics to a whole new level by making Copycat French’s Fried Onions From Scratch and never buy store bought fried onions again!
This is the ultimate from scratch holiday recipe that is absolutely worth the added effort for added elevation in flavor they bring to any of your favorite casseroles! Our Copycat French’s Fried Onions From Scratch are better than the store-bought option and will definitely have your friends and family asking what you did differently to the green bean casserole this year to make it so much better!
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients are all very simple.
- Onions – We prefer these with small yellow onions, but you could also use white, as well.
- Flour – All purpose flour is what we use, but you can also use a gluten free flour.
- Buttermilk – OR if you don’t have any buttermilk handy, you can make your own buttermilk substitute with just whole milk + lemons.
- Vegetable Oil – For frying. Canola oil would also work, you just want to neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point.
- Salt and Pepper
Recipe Video
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Step-by-Step Instructions
The prep for these guys is super easy.
Step 1: Prep your onions by slicing them super super thin. If you have large onions, slice those slices.
Step 2: Let the onions soak in buttermilk, or your own 5 Minute Homemade Buttermilk. Let them soak for at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes.
Step 3: Dredge your onions in a flour, salt, and pepper mixture while you heat your oil.
Step 4: Fry in oil until nice and crispy!
And done! This recipe makes a whoppin’ 15 oz of onions! That’s even accounting for the inevitable overcooked hot oil sacrifices. That’s more than double the amount that you get from one of the larger French’s containers, but without the dextrose. Can you tell based on the green beans and mushrooms what I’ll be making with these little crispy bites of heaven? Hint: it includes some of my Cream of Mushroom Soup From Scratch! You can find the recipe here!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love, food, and thanks. I’m so thankful for all of you who visit my little site. When growing lists of house projects and piles of laundry almost win out, your emails and feedback inspire us to keep documenting our From Scratch journey. For that, I am very grateful; thank you! <3
FAQs
Small yellows are what we use but you could also use white. Red definitely won’t work for this one.
Sure can! Let them cool completely and then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you’re going to add them to your favorite casserole, they’ll crisp back up in the oven. If you are adding them to something (or just snacking!) and you want them crispier, bake for 5 minutes in the oven set at 375 degrees.
This will make about 15 oz, or two of the large containers of French’s Fried Onions.
Yup! This recipe will also work with a gluten free flour like Bob’s Red Mill.
Yes! I’ve had readers say that this works with a plant based milk and 2 1/2 tablespoons of vinegar.
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
Copycat French’s Fried Onions From Scratch
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups Homemade (or store bought) Buttermilk
- 4 cups Thinly sliced onions, halves and rings of small onions
- 3 cups All purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp Fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Soak onions in buttermilk for at least 10 minutes.
- In a shallow dish add flour, salt, and pepper and mix well.
- In a large pan heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees. To test to see if your oil is ready for frying, dip the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil and if it bubbles around the handle then it’s ready.
- Dredge buttermilk soaked onions in flour until well coated and add to oil, frying in batches until golden brown then remove form oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Continue with all of the onions with additional paper towel lined plates after a double layer of onions are on one.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a dry cool place for up to a few days.
Nice Post!!!
Great recipe!
I serve them with grilled steaks and barbecue ribs.
A tip for super crispiness and reduced oil retention: use 2/3 flour and 1/3 potato starch. I also added a tablespoon of baking powder to the dry mix.
Love to hear it, Thomas!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Can you freeze them? I have over 3 pounds of onions and I need to use them up
Hi Lisa! For the best results, batter them first, and then flash freeze them uncooked. Do this by adding them to a baking tray and freezing for an hour. Then you can transfer them to a freezer safe container. When you’re ready to use, fry from frozen. 🙂
I couldn’t find gluten-free fried onions this year, so I made this recipe using rice flour. I will never buy canned onions again! Super easy recipe, and the onions turned out so delicious.
Yep, back for the recipe, making this one again. & then again again too. For now, MeowMeow
<3 Great to hear!
Thank you SO MUCH…. I have a ton of onions and wanted to make green bean casserole.. my car died and can’t get to the store unless I wanna order delivery and pay higher prices AND a tip just for some onion topping.. I really appreciate your posting of this recipe.
Cara thank YOU for sharing! So sorry to hear about your car but happy you still got your casserole! The price of it in the store is crazy now too, even without a tip! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the recipe! It was awesome!
Love to hear it, Sharon! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Is there a way to make these and to put them up to use later? I have a lot of onions and would like to make some that I can put up for longer than 3 days.
I’d also love to know about longer-term storage options, if anyone has any ideas!
I placed them on a greased baking sheet and sprayed top with oil, then baked at 400•F for 10 minutes and they turned really good. Thanks for the recipe.
Great to know, thanks for sharing JC!
Can this be made using an Air Fryer?
I know this is a year too late. But I hav Emine soaking now gonna try a batch in air fryer, one in oven and frying some see which turns out best ♥️ I’ll update when they’re done with the results
I’m another year later, but I want to know the result of your 3 varietys of cooking turned out?