Fried Onions of any shape, size, or kind are a must at least a couple of times a year. Onion chips, rings, or even the store-bought kind that you toss on green bean casserole can add something really extra to a meal. While all that may be true, this post is specifically a Tastee Onion Chip Recipe.
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If you're unsure what that means, allow me to explain.
Tastee Inn and Out was a fast food joint dating back to the 60s in Lincoln, Nebraska. They were a loose meat sandwich restaurant that also served deep fried onion chips and their Tastees Onion Dip. Their onion chips were onion wedges lightly battered and deep fried. The onions were served in a bucket similar to fried chicken and would include Styrofoam containers of the onion dip. The Tastee restaurant closed down in 2013. However, now The Tastee Trailer in Nebraska is serving up the same great sandwiches, chips, and dip as I remember.
Unfortunately, I no longer live near The Tastee trailer, so I had to make my recipe for fried onions.
After researching online, it seems like most recipes are similar. So, no matter which deep-fried onions you make, they'll pair well with a loose meat sandwich and Homemade Tastee Copycat Onion Dip.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Despite the fact that these onion chips got their inspiration from the Tastee restaurant, they would be fantastic as a side at just about any cookout. Think, BBQ Bacon Burger topped with Fried onions. They may be a little messy to prepare, but they're well worth the time and effort! If you plan on making these Onion Chips, don't forget the Homemade Tastee Loose Meat Sandwiches!
Ingredients
Vegetables: All you'll need are some yellow onions.
Liquids: Water, Whole Milk, and Melted Crisco.
Batter: Regular All-purpose Flour and some sugar.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This particular recipe for the breading is very simple and slightly bland. Salt them after they are fried and serve them with the Tastee Onion Dip Recipe. You'll be glad they're a little bland unsalted and prior to being dipped.
The process is the same when making any deep-fried onions, either rings or chips.
Start by peeling the onions and slicing them in half, then in quarters, creating onion wedges. Separate the layers of onions and dust them with a bit of flour. To make that easier, toss the onion wedges in a plastic freezer bag with some flour and shake them up.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the other ingredients and stir. Once you have that all mixed, preheat a deep fryer to 375°, dip the onion wedges in the batter, allowing excess to fall off a little, drop them in the oil, and fry until golden brown. Remove the onions to a paper towel-lined cookie sheet with a slotted cooling rack on top, sprinkle with Kosher Salt and Serve.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to have a slotted cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet beside where you are frying your onion chips. The grease can drain as you pull them out, ensuring they stay crispy.
- There is no salt in the batter. This was intentional so they could be salted to taste just before serving.
- Don't skip the flouring of the onions. This helps bind the batter to the onions.
Recipe FAQs
Deep-fried onions are great in all forms, such as onion chips, blossom, and rings. The sweetness from the onions combined with a crispy, crunchy, and salty exterior makes them one of the best appetizers or sides available.
Depending on the type of deep-fried onions you're making, you may want to cut your onions into pieces for onion chips or onion rings. If you're making onion chips, I recommend slicing the onion in half, then quartering each half, leaving with medium to small-sized pieces to batter and deep-fry
Not only does milk cut the sharpness of the onions and help to bring out some of the sweet flavor, but it also helps the floured onions and batter stick.
If your onions aren't crispy, your oil wasn't hot enough, or they weren't placed on a slotted cooling rack after deep frying.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you made this Tastee Deep Fried Onion Chip recipe or any other of my recipes, please leave a Star Rating and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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📖 Recipe
Fried Onions (Tastee Onion Chip Recipe)
Ingredients
- 5 lb Yellow Onion
- 1 ½ Cups Water
- 1 ½ Cups Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Crisco, melted
- 3 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon Sugar
Instructions
- Peel Onions and Cut them into wedges, separating the layers.
- In a large mixing bowl or plastic bag cover the onions with a half a cup of flour.
- Mix remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat vegetable oil in a deep fryer set to 375°f.
- Dip the wedges in the batter and fry until golden brown.
- Place the fried onion chips on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet and serve with Tastees and Onion Chp Dip.
Notes
- Be sure to have a slotted cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet beside where you are frying your onion chips. The grease can drain as you pull them out, ensuring they stay crispy.
- There is no salt in the batter. This was intentional so they could be salted to taste just before serving.
- Don't skip the flouring of the onions. This helps bind the batter to the onions.
Terra says
we love in Sioux City but i feel Tastees onion chips have declined in the last few years! so we just tried them and I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk and boy that batter stuck! I ended up using my fingers to clear some batter off before frying the last few batches. Delicious!! great dip, I love the extra spice of the cayenne! I would probably add some spice to the batter next time. there was a LOT of batter on the onion peels! I am totally scared of deep frying but I dug out the old cast iron Dutch oven, found my thermometer and faced my fears after finding this recipe. well worth it!!
Jeremy Klae says
Hi Terra! I am so glad that these worked out for you. I haven't been to an actual Tastees in years! But I think these Onion and Chips and dip are as close as I need them to be. But I do agree the batter could always use a bit more seasoning. I like to salt mine afterward though and I'm not shy about it when I do...sooo...theres that too. Anyway, thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a comment. I hope you find some other recipes here that you'll enjoy.
Bob Gaul says
I grew up on Tastee Inn&Out as it was 1 block from my house in Sioux City. The Onion Chips and Dip are still a favorite of mine when I make it back to Sioux City, IA. Unfortunately there is only one in my home town now but I still enjoy those items.
I made the dip and it was almost right on except I think the dip was a little too spicy from the Cayenne pepper.
Regarding the chips I tried making them with an air fryer. It didn't work out. And the batter for the chips seemed a bit too thick. But I want to try and perfect this. My sister worked at Tastee Inn&Out and she recalls cutting the onions and how she hated that. I'm printing out both recipes and going to share them with her to see if she can recall anything about either of them. I wonder if thinning out the batter for the onion chips would make them more manageable. It seemed like I had a heck of a time coating the chips with the batter. And I'm guessing the air fryer method isn't a good substitute.
I'd love your comments or feedback as I want to continue remembering my childhood thru this all-time favorite of mine.
Jeremy says
Hi, Bob! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the dip! I agree, it is spicier than what is served at Tastee's. The batter is definitely thick and probably not suitable for the air fryer because of that. I think that getting the onion peels floured before hand allows the batter to stick better. The last time I made them I also dumped the onions right into the batter and mixed them all around to ensure they were all covered. It seems to make it a bit easier than trying to do it peel by peel. I would love to know if your sister has any feedback or recommendations. The sandwiches, chips, and dip are so nostalgic and my kids love it when I make them which makes me SO Happy!