Description
A healthier and baked version of the classic blooming onion.
Ingredients
Scale
For The Blooming Onion:
- 1 large Vidalia onion (or any yellow onion)
- 2/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Tbsp. Cajun or blackening seasoning (**see alternate seasonings below**)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- optional sides: ketchup, spicy dipping sauce (see below), ranch dip, honey mustard
!For The Spicy Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or mayo)
- 2 Tbsp. ketchup
- 2 tsp. horseradish sauce
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp. oregano
Instructions
To Make The Blooming Onion:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- On a cutting board, use a knife to cut off the top (not the root) 1/4-inch of the onion until a few of the inside layers are exposed. Peel the outermost layer of the onion down to the root, but leave the root intact.
- Lay the onion on the cutting board so that the flat side (that you just cut) is facing downward. Then use a knife to section the onion into 16ths, beginning with your knife 1/8-inch away from the root and cutting straight down. Once all cuts are complete, turn the onion over and set on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Then use your fingers to gently spread apart the petals. If any of your cuts did not go all the way through, you can use a paring knife to be sure that the entire onion is cut into 16ths.
- (Update: I have had readers give the tip that if you soak your sliced onion in cold water overnight, it will open up naturally on its own.)
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the Panko, Cajun seasoning and salt until combined.
- In a separate (additional) bowl, whisk the eggs until combined.
- Beginning with the lowest (bottom) layers of the onion, brush the top of each petal with the egg mixture until coated, then immediately sprinkle with the Panko mixture. Repeat until all petals are coated. (The panko won’t totally “stick” when the egg is wet, but just press it on with your fingers.) It is kind of tedious, but worth it!
- Carefully form a tent with aluminum foil over the baking sheet until the onion is completely enclosed. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove tent and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the onion is soft and the tips are lightly crisped.
- Remove and serve with desired sauces.
To Make The Spicy Dipping Sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients together until combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
Notes
**Instead of the Cajun seasoning, you could substitute in Italian seasonings or whatever you love best. Just taste a pinch of the dry seasoning before applying it to the onion to see if it needs to be seasoned with salt and pepper.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe – can you tell me if you think this would work with another onion type as we dont have vidalia onions in Australia.
Made this tonight ……very scrumptious ….thank you from UK
Mmmm this just looks super yummy! I can’t wait to try it (mine is in the oven as I’m typing this)
I haven’t had one of these in YEARS!! But it used to be my favorite appetizer ever! Love that you found a way to lighten it up, and my husband will love that you made the sauce.
Are there any other onions that would work besides a vidalia onion? I can’t seem to find a vidalia onion at my local grocery store.
Texas sweet or Florida sweet would also do. Vidalia are fro.m Georgia
Could we get a few more pictures to show how you cut it? Maybe even a video? That would be helpful! I so want to try this, but I’m worried I’ll mess up the cuts!
I thought your cutting instructions were great, mine came out lovely. I left mine in for the whole 15 and sprinkled more crumbs on it half way thru when the moisture started coming out. It was great. Iixed hot sauce with sour cream and Cajun seasoning.
Go on Google and type in how to cut onion for blooming onion
you will find how too. enjoy
I love that it’s baked! I’ve had deep fried before, but now I’m going to try this. Beautiful photos.
This is just great, baked not fried and the variety of seasonings are incredible… trying this ASAP.
I’m sure this will be just yummmy.
I wish the comments were more helpful. Want to know how it turned out for others, if they liked it or not. mostly it’s just inane “looks pretty” or “can’t wait to try”. Yeah, we can all see how nice it looks, now if someone can just let the rest of us know how it’s worked out for them. I would have been more apt to trying this over others if people spent less time making flattering remarks about the photos.
With apologies to Ali, it’s not your fault, I’m just frustrated by the glut of unsubstantial comments. With so many different recipes out there user comments can be helpful when they offer more than “it looks so pretty”.
Giving this a bash tonight for dinner club…. will post feedback!!! Can’ wait to taste the finished product!!!
What happens if you dip the whole onion in the egg mixture? Too much goo?
Probably too much goo. I found it was easier to brush it on (although it does take an extra minute or two).
This looks like it’s going to be good. I’m going to make one tonight to try it. Then I’ll make another for the Super Bowl!!
This is the best the best Blooming Onion takes a little time but well worth it.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this — love onions, love the presentation and love that it’s baked. Thank YOU!
I just got the panko breadcrumbs! I’m making it tonight. So excited!!
what can i use as a substitute for the eggs to coat the onion? i just don’t like eggs at all ;(
You can just leave them out. I used olive oil instead.
Ha! Autocorrect… PANKO mixture, not Pablo mixture. ;-)
Ohhhh,I’m all about healthy recipes! I can’t wait to try this for our SuperBowl party this afternoon. Thanks for the great idea. I can’t wait to tell all my friends that it’s actually healthy!!
I even shared it on my Instagram page…and sent everyone to this page for the recipe.
Instagram.com/ValerieJTaylor
I hope you get alotta new followers.
Valerie
great and easy!! oh and healthy. Altered it a bit to be no carb and was still great
I am in love with the blooming onion, but am trying not eat less fried foods. Thanks for this.
Teresa
Just made this with my pita pizzas amd it was delish! Husband was very impressed. Thanks!
You’re my hero. I LOVE blooming onions but have no idea how to make one myself. Especially appreciate the healthy take on this as well. Thanks for sharing.
It looks stunning, I must put it on my menu.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have a beautiful large sweet onion that Just insisted it wanted to become a BLOOMING onion. I started looking for recipes–looked and looked and was about to give up because all the recipes called for deep frying. Then I found your recipe! The onion is soaking in ice water as I type. We will be chowing down very soon!
I read your remark about the blooming onion. I have never made this dish, but read that the onion is to be soaked in ice water before preparation. However, I didn’t see this step in this recipe’s instruction. Should it be done anyway?
This is another alternative to help the onion “bloom”, but it’s not required.
Love that there is a way to make this without oil!
These are great!!!!!
Wow, this looks fabulous! Any suggestions on making the blooming onion non-gluten? I want to make this for a Superbowl party, but half of them can’t do wheat.
Oh wait! I just found a recipe that used crushed non-gluten Rick Chex cereal as a substitute for panko crumbs. Gotta try this!!
Amanda — September 29, 2013 @ 8:13 pm (#)
Are there any other onions that would work besides a vidalia onion? I can’t seem to find a vidalia onion at my local grocery store.
. . . . . . .
I tried using a white onion, but I hear yellow onions can work too.
Please describe “making a tent with aluminum foil”, completely enclosing the onion…. Is the tent only 2 sides, or all 4 sides, totally enclosing the onion ?
Thanks
This is a great recipe. I made it for a nosh mid-afternoon because supper was a few hours off and we really enjoyed it. I baked it longer than the recipe said because I don’t like raw onion and it was perfect. I did add a couple of tsp of lemon juice to the sauce. Thanks for a fun appetizer!
Thanks, Judy, I’m glad it was a hit! : )
I just made this and took one bite….DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks, Anna!
I used both Yellow Onions and Purple Onions, and both dishes “blossomed” beautifully.
I also lightened up the marinades by using 2/3rds olive oil to 1/3rd balsamic vinegar and some garlic and pepper for a Mediterranean taste. Tasty! I went Cajun with just grapeseed oil and a Creole powder mix. Tangy!
Thanks for sharing with us J.D, we’re glad you enjoyed the recipe! :)
Sooo I worked at Outback (home of the blooming onion for years). Here are some tips you can apply.
Yes they do soak it in water, with a little salt (brine it) for 24 hours. This is done after its cut. Upside down so the petals get most the loving. Don’t feel bad if your cuts don’t look like the restaurant. Kingston onions are used and a special cutting tool patented just for Outback.
Other trick is its coated in buttermilk mixture special to Outback tossed into a liberal seasoning mixture (which is secret but I know very similar to the sauce. Your sauce is pretty on point, plus the Panko for home baking). Paprika in the seasoning is key!
Then it’s dipped again in the buttermilk and into seasoning.
So for some if you’re looking for a thicker coating like the original you might wanna do a second coating of eggs and seasoning. Once it’s recovered in seasoning it’s gently shaken to knock any thick excess off. Of course you’d vary it for this healthy recipe. I’m excited to try it because I have loved this onion for years!
Also Outback occasionally serves just plain petals, done the same way as the onion. (Individual onion strings). Texture sometimes varies but is another yum option!
Thanks for the healthy option!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share these helpful tips with us Samantha – you sound like a blooming onion queen! :)
This sounds amazing and I’m glad it’s a healthier option! Do you have any idea what the nutritional information surrounding this recipe is? Thanks in advance!
Thanks Destinee, we hope you enjoy! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
Did not really grab me
Meh. Won’t make it either. Does’t sound as if you would feel good after eating. Maybe a fresh herb yoghourt dip and some other roasted veggies to create some diversity could rescue this poser.
Rob if you’re not going to try it and just bitch, than don’t.
Why can’t I just pour the egg over the onion (may want to do it over a large bowl because you may want to repeat the process and reuse the egg) and then just sprinkle the Panko over the onion (maybe even the bottom sides? Would this work? I like Panko bread crumbs.
Hi Phillip! We haven’t tried it that way but you’re welcome to give it a shot!
Epic failure! In my opinion was not done in 20 minutes, mine is still baking an hour later!
thanks for the great onion …
So excited to try this! Thanks for the tip of soaking the onion first!!
Baking didn’t work well. It still pretty raw with temp and time. I ended up putting it in oil and finishing it there.