Crisp, golden “blooming onion” bites—petals of sweet onion battered and fried—served with a creamy, tangy dipping sauce. Perfect as a fun appetizer or snack.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Eye‑catching presentation: onion “flowers” you can pull apart.

• Crunchy exterior with tender onion inside.

• Flavorful dipping sauce adds kick and balance.

• Great for sharing or entertaining.

• Uses pantry staples and doesn’t require complex technique.

Blooming Onion Bites with Dipping Sauce

The Blooming Onion Bites are a playful twist on the classic onion bloom—each onion cut into petal‑like slices, dipped in seasoned batter, fried to golden perfection, then offered with a flavorful dipping sauce to complement the onion’s sweetness. The process begins with a large sweet onion: trimming its top and bottom, removing the papery skin, then cutting a center core so petals stay intact. The slicing must be careful: you only cut about three‑quarters down the onion, avoiding cutting all the way through at the base, which keeps the onion whole as a base. Repeated slicing in alternating directions ensures you get multiple petals, ideally sixteen, that you can spread outward like a flower.

Once sliced, you may plunge the onion briefly into boiling water then to cold water to help separate the petals—this helps the coating adhere more evenly and allows better expansion during frying. Meanwhile, the batter and dry mix are prepared: the wet mix (egg + milk) softens, while the dry mix brings spice—cayenne, paprika, black pepper, oregano, thyme, cumin, salt. The double‑dipping technique (wet → dry → wet → dry) ensures that each petal is coated thoroughly, even between layers, so when fried the coating stays on and crisps fully.

Frying is done at around 350°F in enough oil to submerge the onion. The key is frying with the onion upright, so heat circulates through the petals evenly, approximately 10 minutes until golden. The result is a flower of crispy batter enveloping tender onion petals. When removed, petals are gently pulled apart—each piece individual but still part of the bloom. The dipping sauce, made earlier by combining mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper, offers cool, tangy, slightly spicy contrast, perfect to cut through the richness.

Eating a blooming onion bite is part fun, part flavor explosion: crisp batter, tender-sweet onion, and the creamy sauce all in one bite. Serve this at gatherings, game nights, or when you just want something special to share. It’s visually stunning, enjoyable to prepare, and satisfying to eat.

Servings

Serves about 4–6 as appetizer

Time

Ingredients

Dipping Sauce:

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon ketchup

• 2 tablespoons cream‑style horseradish

• ⅓ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano

• Pinch ground black pepper

• ⅓ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blooming Onion:

• 1 egg

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup all‑purpose flour

• 1½ teaspoons salt

• 1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ⅓ teaspoon dried oregano

• ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 large sweet onion

• ¾ cup vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, ⅓ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp oregano, pinch black pepper, and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate until serving.

2. Wet & dry mixes: In one bowl whisk egg + milk. In another bowl combine flour, salt, cayenne, paprika, black pepper, oregano, thyme, and cumin.

3. Slice onion: Trim top and bottom, remove skin. Cut a 1‑inch core. Slice downward in crosses and subdivisions to create 16 petals, cutting about ¾ down so base stays intact.

4. Optionally plunge onion into boiling water for 1 minute then cold water to help separate petals.

5. Double dip: First dip onion in wet mix, then coat with dry mix (sprinkle between petals), then dip again in wet, then again in dry, being thorough.

6. Fry: Heat oil to ~350°F (175°C) in deep fryer or pot. Place onion upright and fry ~10 minutes until golden.

7. Drain on rack or paper towels. Gently open petals and place a small dish of dipping sauce in center. Serve immediately.

Tips

• Use a very sharp knife for clean petal cuts.

• Ensure coating gets between petals—don’t miss inner sections.

• Maintain oil temperature; too low yields greasy coating.

• Drain well so sauce doesn’t dilute.

• Serve immediately for crunch.