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What Great Grandma Ate / Recipes / 30 Minutes or Less / Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions (Whole30, AIP)

Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions (Whole30, AIP)

Last Updated on November 15, 2019 by Jean Choi 16 Comments

30
AIP
EF
NF
P
V
W3
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These Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions are so much healthier and tastier than the store bought version, and you’ll love how crispy they are on casseroles or even on their own!

Paleo Vegan French Fried Onions

While I love all the holiday casseroles, I’ve been going without French fried onions in the recent years because they are not really an option for those of us who are gluten free and try to avoid processed foods.

Not-So-Healthy Ingredients in Store-Bought French Fried Onions

When I looked up the ingredients for them, this is what I found:

Onions, Palm Oil, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Soy Flour, Salt and Dextrose.

Yikes. It’s just a lot of unnecessary ingredients I’d rather not put in my body. However, I do love these crunchy onions as a topping for so many of my dishes, so I decided to make my own cleaner version. These Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions turned out to be surprisingly easy and super duper addicting and delicious!

Paleo Vegan French Fried Onions

Easy Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions Recipe

The best part is that these take less than 30 minutes to make. I sure do appreciate simple and easy recipes, especially when I’m hosting a holiday dinner and I have 12 things I need to cook at the same time.

You can use these Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions to top on casseroles, soups, salads, baked potatoes, or just on their own. They are essentially fried onion rings, so I ate half of these dipped in my homemade paleo ketchup. I had to portion it out because I couldn’t stop eating them!

If you are missing the crunch factor on your holiday dishes or any savory recipe, I recommend you try this French fried onions. I promise, you won’t regret it!

Paleo Vegan French Fried OnionsPaleo Vegan French Fried Onions

Paleo Vegan French Fried Onions

Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions

These Paleo & Vegan French Fried Onions are so much healthier and tastier than the store bought version, and you'll love how crispy they are on casseroles or even on their own!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiment
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Author: Jean Choi

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk or more
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup tapioca starch
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Avocado oil or palm shortening, lard, or tallow, for frying

Instructions

  • Place sliced onion in a wide shallow bowl, and pour coconut milk and apple cider vinegar over it. 
  • Toss a few times to coat, then let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Prepare a separate bowl with tapioca starch, coconut flour, and sea salt. Mix to combine.
  • Pour your choice of cooking oil in a large skillet until the oil is about 1 inch deep, and heat over medium high heat. Prepare a large dish with 2-3 layers of paper towels.
  • Use a tong or a fork to transfer a handful of onions from the coconut milk, then to the flour mixture. 
  • Coat and dust off excess flour, then fry in the skillet for 30 seconds on each side, or until crispy and golden brown.
  • Transfer to the paper towel lined dish. Repeat this process until you fry all the onions, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.
  • Use right away on casseroles or eat them on their own with a side of ketchup!

What Great Grandma Ate / Jean Choi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Regarding other affiliate links and affiliate relationships: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Thank you for your support and understanding.

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By Jean Choi | November 9, 2017

Comments

  1. jackie m says

    November 13, 2017 at 7:27 pm

    mmm these look good!!! I wait every year for these yummy onions (even though they are available all year, the holiday season is the only time I eat them) This year I will be making these and eat with out the side of guilt!!. Thanks for sharing this recipe…love your blog

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      November 13, 2017 at 8:07 pm

      Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy your holidays with these fried onions. You can definitely enjoy them guilt-free!

      Reply
  2. Kaity says

    November 18, 2017 at 6:18 am

    These look amazing! Could I use a substitute for the tapioca starch though?

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      November 18, 2017 at 7:37 am

      Cassava flour will work as well!

      Reply
  3. Skip says

    November 18, 2017 at 10:07 am

    Have you ever tried cassava flour instead of coconut flour? I am worried about the coconutty sweet flavor. I was thinking 1 cup of cassava flour instead of the 1/2 cup coconut flour?

    Reply
    • Skip says

      November 18, 2017 at 10:16 am

      Also, I want to use this on top of a green bean casserole! Would you recommend adding the friend onions on top partway through the oven bake? Maybe just for the last 5-10 minutes?

      Reply
      • Jean Choi says

        November 18, 2017 at 12:43 pm

        You can’t taste the coconut, but you can try using cassava flour and I think it should work. I’ve never tried it though so I can’t guarantee results. For the casserole you can add it in at the last 5 minutes, or just top it at the end.

        Reply
  4. Emily says

    November 22, 2017 at 3:59 am

    I know the recipe says use right away, but I started making these for tomorrow with out reading that first… (oops) Have you ever stored them over night? Will they loose their crunchiness?

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      November 22, 2017 at 8:41 am

      I haven’t tried storing them but if they aren’t crispy you can try re-frying them in a little bit of oil or just bake them in high heat if you using them as a topping on a casserole.

      Reply
  5. Sheri Gray says

    June 16, 2018 at 8:05 pm

    Do you think these would cook in an air fryer?

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      June 17, 2018 at 7:24 am

      I’m not sure, I’ve never tried. Let me know if you end up trying it out though!

      Reply
    • Brittany says

      November 14, 2018 at 12:49 pm

      I was planning on trying air fryer as well! How did it work? Also how long do these last and what’s the best way to store?

      Reply
  6. Loco says

    January 21, 2019 at 5:12 am

    5 stars
    I am doing Whole 30 and craving something crunchy. These fried onion rings are amazing. Great recipe.

    Reply
  7. Christina says

    July 23, 2019 at 3:40 pm

    5 stars
    Made these tonight and they came out amazing! Perfect thank you so much!

    Reply
  8. kazy says

    July 6, 2022 at 11:06 am

    Is this the kind of coconut milk like Almond and Soy or is this like Thai Coconut milk?

    Reply
    • Jean Choi says

      July 25, 2022 at 7:42 am

      I used Thai coconut milk that’s thick.

      Reply

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Welcome!

headshot of Jean Choi - blogger of What Great Grandma Ate

I’m Jean and I’m a food lover and content creator living in Southern California with my husband, 2 young daughters, and a French bulldog. Here, you’ll find simple and easy mostly gluten-free and nutrient dense recipes that focus on quality ingredients, and of course, never sacrifice on taste. I believe that the food you love should love you back, making you feel amazing inside and out. Whatever your health or cooking journey may be, I hope you find something delicious on my site!

More About Jean

Recipe Key

  • 3030 Min or Less
  • AIPAIP
  • EFEgg Free
  • LCLow Carb
  • NFNut Free
  • PPaleo
  • VVegan
  • W3Whole 30

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