Fried Tobacco Onions Recipe (2024)

Published July 26, 2023.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

These tasty fried tobacco onions are breaded with spices and flour and fried to a golden brown, giving them incredible flavors. You will be blown away at how delicious this recipe is.

If you’ve never heard of these or aren’t quite sure what to use them in, try them out in my Green Bean Casserole Recipe or my famous Cowboy Burger.

Tobacco Onions

Tobacco onions are sliced onions that are coated in a zesty breading and fried until golden brown until they resemble dried tobacco leaves. This procedure gives incredible flavor to the onions through the breading and the frying, which caramelizes the onion.

These onions are fantastic and eaten as is or served as an accompaniment to the top of a burger, steak, casserole, etc. This recipe was said to be created by Chef Dean Fearing of the Mansion restaurant in Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s. If you want to take your next meal to the next level, add these tobacco onions.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Onions – Yellow, white, sweet, or red onions will work for this.
• Egg – a large egg that is chilled or at room temperature is perfect.
• Buttermilk – I like to use buttermilk whisked with egg before breading the onions. You can use just milk.
• Flour – All-purpose flour is what you will need.
• Seasonings – My southwest seasoning is perfect for this recipe. However, you can use salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika.
• Oil – Any frying oil will work for these.

How to Make Tobacco Onions

Remove the ends and peel the onion. Thinly slice it using a mandolin. They should be almost translucent.

Next, in a deep bowl or cake dish, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, salt, and pepper until combined. Set it aside.

In a separate deep bowl or cake dish, mix the flour with the southwest seasonings. Set it aside.

Fill a medium-sized pot of oil filled to the halfway mark to 350°.

Take a handful of the sliced onions and place them in the buttermilk-egg mixture pan and mix until coated.

Shake off any excess buttermilk and transfer them to the pan with seasoned flour and thoroughly mix until the onions are breaded on all sides.

Remove any excess flour and place in the hot oil, and fry them for 2 to 4 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon move the onions around so they don’t clump together and cook evenly.

Place on a sheet tray with a rack or paper towels and drain any excess oil. Cook in batches.

Serve hot or keep warm.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 30 minutes ahead of time. Keep them on a rack on a sheet tray in the oven at low temperatures (<200°) until you are ready to serve.

How to Store: Cover and keep these in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. These will not freeze well.

How to Reheat: Place them on a rack on a sheet tray and bake them in the oven at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes or until crunchy and warm.

More Side Dish Recipes

• Fried Potatoes
• Roasted Tomatoes
• Glazed Green Beans
• Hasselback Potatoes
• Roasted Garlic