How To Reheat Onion Rings

Onion rings are always best when they are hot, golden, and crispy!

As delicious as onion rings are when fresh, you might find yourself with some leftovers that you’d like to enjoy the next day.

Those leftover onion rings don’t need to go to waste. You can simply reheat them at home and enjoy them as a snack or with your next meal!

How do you reheat onion rings? There are a few ways that you can reheat onion rings, such as in the oven, on the stovetop, in the air fryer, by shallow-frying them, or in the broiler. The oven will give the best results.

Keep reading to find out all the different ways to reheat onion rings, some handy tips to use when reheating them, and what you should avoid doing when warming up onion rings!

Reheating Onion Rings In The Oven

Reheating onion rings in the oven is possibly the best way to do so. By warming the onion rings in the oven, you are providing them with a dry heat that won’t give them too much moisture or make them soggy.

The oven will reheat the onion rings quite close to how they were when they were first served, keeping them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with that delicious crunch that you’re after.

One thing to keep in mind is to not cover the onion rings with foil when reheating them in the oven, as this will trap in moisture and cause them to turn out soggy.

Here is how to reheat onion rings in the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place the onion rings on a baking tray and give them a very light spray of oil, just to coat the surface.
3. If you want, you can sprinkle some salt, garlic powder, or other seasoning onto the onion rings to give them a little more flavor, which they might lose when being reheated.
4. Once the oven has warmed up, place the onion rings into the oven.
5. Leave the onion rings to warm up in the oven for up to 5 minutes, check that they are warmed through, and then remove the baking tray.
6. Serve the onion rings immediately.

Reheating the onion rings in the oven does mean you have to wait for the oven to preheat, but it is a great way to keep the batter crispy on the outside, without drying out the onions on the inside.

It is also a good option if you have a large batch of onion rings to reheat at once.

Reheating Onion Rings On The Stovetop

Reheating onion rings on the stovetop in a skillet can give you some good results, and it cuts out having to fry them in loads of oil again, but still landing up with a fairly crispy batter.

The stovetop offers a quick and fairly easy way to reheat onion rings, and they will still have that delicious fried taste once done.

Here is how to reheat onion rings on the stovetop in a pan or skillet:

1. Place a skillet or a frying pan onto the stovetop and preheat it to medium-heat.
2. Add a small amount of oil into the pan and allow this oil to heat up.
3. Carefully place the onion rings down into the pan and oil and cook until they have warmed through completely and the batter on the outside is crispy and golden.
4. Sprinkle some salt or seasoning onto the onion rings before serving for some extra flavor.

By reheating the onion rings in a frying pan with a small amount of oil, you are crisping them up and returning that great fried taste, but without using too much oil, which is always worth avoiding.

The one thing to consider when reheating onion rings on the stovetop is that you might have to reheat the onion rings in batches if there are quite a few, as you do not want to overcrowd the frying pan, which could lead to the onion rings turning out soggy and chewy.

It is a great way to reheat a small amount of onion rings!

Reheating Onion Rings In The Air Fryer

Air fryers are really just a great appliance to have in the kitchen for many different reasons, especially if you are looking to cook a little healthier!

You can reheat onion rings in the air fryer, and get some great results, just without all the extra oil that refrying them requires. The air fryer will also give similar results to reheating onion rings in the oven, but it can be a little quicker.

Here is how to reheat onions rings in the air fryer:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
2. Lightly spray the onion rings with a small amount of oil.
3. Place the onion rings in the air fryer basket, making sure not to overlap them and not to cover the air flow.
4. Leave the onion rings to reheat for 3 minutes, and you can turn them halfway through if you want to.
5. Remove the onion rings from the air fryer and serve immediately.

While you usually do not need oil when using an air fryer, it does help to crisp up the outside batter of the onion rings, and it is worth doing.

You also need to make sure that you do not leave the onion rings in the air fryer for too long, as they can dry out easily.

If you are reheating a large amount of onion rings, you will have to do them in batches. If you overcrowd the air fryer basket, the air flow will be disrupted, and the onion rings will not reheat properly and crisp up.

Done right, the air fryer can offer some delicious, crispy, and moist onion rings in next to no time!

Reheating Onion Rings By Shallow Frying

Good onion rings are made through deep-frying, so it would make sense that to reheat them almost back to perfection, frying would be a good option!

It is a fairly easy process to reheat onion rings by shallow-frying them, you obviously just need to be careful when working with hot oil in the kitchen.

You only need around 1-2 inches of oil in a pot to fry the onion rings, and they only take a few seconds to reheat in the oil, which is quicker than all other methods (if you don’t count the time it takes for the oil to heat up)

Refrying the onion rings will give you the crispiest results of all, but you do need to make sure you don’t let them fry too much and get too crispy!

Here is how to reheat onion rings by shallow-frying them:

1. Heat up 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pan.
2. Wait for the oil to reach around 350°F.
3. Once the temperature has been reached, place a few onion rings into the oil.
4. Only leave the onion rings in the oil for around 2-3 seconds, before turning them over to the other side for another 2-3 seconds.
5. Remove the onion rings and place them onto a wire rack for the oil to drain, and then serve them immediately.

If you do not have a wire rack, you can place the onion rings onto a plate lined with paper towel for the oil to drain into.

Reheating Onion Rings In The Broiler

Another option to reheat onion rings is to do so in the broiler. You can do this on a baking tray, by placing the onion rings in a single layer with a light spray of oil.

Broiling the onion rings means that they will not become soggy, and they will become crispy and golden on the outside again.

This is a good method to use if you like your onion rings to be particularly crispy and golden!

Here is how to reheat onion rings in the broiler:

1. Preheat the grill to medium-hot.
2. Place the onion rings in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly spray them with some oil.
3. Put the baking tray with the onion rings under the grill and leave them to heat for 2 minutes.
4. After 2 minutes, turn the onion rings over and leave them to reheat on the other side for another 2 minutes.
5. Once crispy and warmed through, remove the onion rings from the grill and serve immediately.

It is important to flip the onion rings halfway through to ensure that both sides can crisp up. You will get similar results to reheating the onion rings in the oven, but they might turn out a little more crispy when done in the broiler.

Like with reheating them in the oven, it is a good option for larger batches of onion rings, although you will have to take the time to flip them halfway through.

How To Reheat Frozen Onion Rings

If you are lucky enough to have some onion rings stashed away in the freezer, it definitely helps to know the best way to reheat them from frozen to enjoy them in the best way possible.

Luckily there are a few ways you can reheat or cook onion rings from frozen, so you can pick out the method that suits you best!

To cook onion rings from frozen, you can use the oven, a frying pan, an air fryer or a deep fryer. These methods will all give you crispy, golden onion rings.

Cooking Frozen Onion Rings In The Oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Lay the frozen onion rings onto a baking sheet, and spray them lightly with oil.
3. Sprinkle some salt or other seasoning onto the onion rings, and toss them in the oil and seasoning.
4. Make sure the onion rings have some space between them to allow for the air to flow properly.
5. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
6. Leave to cook for up to 10 minutes, until the onion rings are heated through and crispy.

Cooking Frozen Onion Rings In A Frying Pan:

1. Pour some oil into a skillet until it is around ¼ inch high. Heat the oil on medium-high heat.
2. Once the oil is hot enough, drop some onion rings into the pan, being careful as it might splatter.
3. Leave the onion rings to cook until they are crispy and cooked through.
4. Once cooked, remove the onion rings from the frying pan with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
5. Season and serve immediately.

Cooking Frozen Onion Rings In The Air Fryer:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
2. Spray the basket of the air fryer with a small amount of oil.
3. Place the onion rings into the basket of the air fryer, making sure not to overcrowd the basket.
4. Cook the frozen onion rings for 6 minutes in the air fryer, shaking the air fryer basket halfway through.
5. Remove the onion rings from the air fryer and serve immediately.

Cooking Frozen Onion Rings In The Deep-Fryer:

1. Place enough oil into the deep fryer to cover the onion rings, and preheat the oil.
2. Once the oil has heated through, lift up the frying basket and place the onion rings in. Slowly lower the basket with the onion rings into the oil, being careful of splatter.
3. Cook the onion rings in the oil until they begin to brown and float to the surface, this should take between 3-5 minutes.
4. Carefully remove the basket out of the oil and place the onion rings down onto a plate lined with paper towel to drain off the oil.
5. Sprinkle with some seasoning and serve immediately.

Why You Should Avoid The Microwave

It really is not advised to reheat onion rings in the microwave, as this is a sure way to turn them soggy and crumbly. 

Fried food usually does not reheat well in the microwave, as it usually takes away any crisp exterior and just reduces the fried food to a moist mess!

You should only reheat onion rings in the microwave if you have no other option available.

When the onion rings are removed from the microwave, they will not be able to hold their shape and they’ll be flimsy and greasy. Once cooled, they will likely be chewy and taste like cardboard.

Final Thoughts

You have a few options available on how to reheat onion rings, to have them be crispy and golden on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside.

Choose between using the oven, the stove top, shallow-frying or the air fryer to reheat onion rings, but avoid using the microwave, as it will give you soggy, limp onion rings that really are not that appetizing.

The oven is possibly the best way to reheat onion rings, but if done right, the other methods can also produce some crispy and delicious rings too.

Related Questions

Can I refreeze onion rings?

You should never refreeze food, but if the onion rings have not defrosted fully and still have some ice crystals, then it should be okay to refreeze them. If the onion rings are completely thawed, you should not refreeze them.

Can I keep onion rings in the fridge?

Onion rings can be kept in a shallow airtight container or plastic sealed bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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