National Onion Rings Day is on Tuesday, June 22, 2027, and it falls on June 22 every year. It celebrates the crunchy, golden side that sits next to burgers at diners and drive-ins. Whether thick-cut and beer-battered or thin and crispy, it’s a classic.
When Is National Onion Rings Day?
It’s always June 22. It’s an unofficial food day, not a federal holiday. Burger chains and local diners sometimes mark it with deals.
Who Invented Onion Rings?
No founder or start year has been documented for the food day itself. The dish’s own history has two main stories.
The 1802 English recipe
The earliest known recipe comes from England. In 1802, John Mollard published “The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined,” The Takeout reports.
He sliced onions into half-inch rings and dipped them in a batter of flour, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Then he fried them in lard. He served them with a sauce of mustard and melted butter.
There’s no sign the recipe caught on widely back then. American recipes for onion rings started showing up in the early 1900s.
The Texas Pig Stand claim
The Pig Stand, a Texas drive-in chain, has long said a line cook there invented onion rings in the 1920s. The story says the cook dropped an onion into batter and fried it.
The 1802 recipe shows the idea was older. Still, the cook may have come up with it on his own. The chain’s last location, in San Antonio, closed in 2023.
Why Celebrate Onion Rings?
Onion rings turn a humble vegetable into a treat. Frying softens the onion’s bite and brings out its sweetness, while the batter adds crunch.
Onions themselves are a kitchen staple. Americans ate about 21.9 pounds of onions per person in 2017, the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center reports. Washington, Idaho-Eastern Oregon, California and Georgia lead the country in growing them.
The day is a fun excuse to enjoy a diner favorite or try making them at home.
How to Celebrate National Onion Rings Day
- Pick a sweet onion: sweet onions, like Georgia’s Vidalias, give mild, tender rings.
- Soak first: soak the rings in buttermilk or cold water for 30 minutes to soften the bite.
- Keep batter cold: cold batter, or batter made with sparkling water or beer, fries up lighter.
- Dry, then dredge: pat rings dry and dust them with flour so the batter sticks.
- Watch the oil: fry in small batches so the oil stays hot and the rings stay crisp.
- Drain on a rack: a wire rack keeps the bottoms from going soggy.
- Bake or air-fry: for a lighter version, coat rings in panko and cook them in the oven or an air fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented onion rings?
No single inventor is confirmed. An 1802 English cookbook by John Mollard has the earliest known recipe. The Texas Pig Stand chain claims a cook created them in the 1920s.
What’s the best onion for onion rings?
Large sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, are popular. Yellow onions also work well and give a stronger flavor.
Why does batter slide off onion rings?
The thin skin between onion layers can stop batter from sticking. Peel off that film, dry the rings and coat them in flour first.