June 22nd is National Onion Ring Day! When we think of onion rings, we often think of our favorite restaurant, and most often, I think of fast food restaurants with deep fried onion rings that barely taste like onion. One might think of this treat in a modern setting, but they have been around for a few centuries, at least. On 18th Century Cooking, with Jas Townsend and son, we see how some people made dumplings in the 18th century. Watch the below video to see how this sharp-flavored food was made according to a recipe in “The Art of Cookery” by John Mollard.

For those of us brave enough to try, below are some onion ring recipes with unique twists.

Homemade Onion Rings – A simple recipe that speaks for itself, with visuals and instructions. This article includes a link to instructions on making your own buttermilk, also. I’ve found that buttermilk can make all manner of fried foods taste better, though I prefer getting it by making homemade butter, with a mixer or a simple mason jar.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings – An old classic, favored by many of my friends and family.

Baked Onion Rings – Many people nowadays have given up fried foods like onion rings because they are watching their weight, or get acne, or for other reasons. These baked onion rings could be the solution for them.

Raw Spicy Onion Rings – I’ve never heard of using cashews in onion rings before, but if you are vegan and interested in a raw, spicy, and unique dish, this is certainly worth a try. Let me know if it tastes good.

Vegan Onion Rings – A less brave vegan onion ring recipe. Who knew there were so many vegan recipes out there?

Spur-Style Onion Rings – These are actually half-moon shaped. They are a style of friend onion that is popular in South Africa. While they are technically not rings, the recipe seemed interesting enough to extend this celebration to all fried onions!