I’ve missed a few things since going gluten-free, and crispy fried onions are one of them. You know the ones—those golden, crunchy bits that come in a can and taste like pure comfort. They’re the perfect finishing touch for casseroles, a delicious topping on sandwiches, a flavorful way to add crunch on salads and an irresistible garnish for soups. But every store-bought version I’ve found contains wheat, so I haven’t been able to enjoy that beloved texture and flavor.
That is, until now. I recently stumbled upon a genius hack shared on TikTok by content creator Neha Gandesha (@squashedpickle) and it just might be the solution I’ve been looking for to get that flavor and crunch I’ve been craving.
In her video, she shows how to make crispy, deeply flavored onions in the microwave using just onions and oil. The onions in her video looked delicious, but could they really be this easy? I decided to try this hack at my house to see if it was brilliant or a total bust.
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@squashedpickled Do you do this? My mum taught me this and it’s a game changer! If you love crispy onions on your biryani, salads…anywhere really! This is for you! This is the quickest and most simple crispy onion hack you have to try it! Slice your onion . Take a bowl and separate the bits. Add a tiny bit of oil and mix. Now put the in the microwave for 10mins (mixing every 2 mins) . When done take them out and let them cool so they crisp up. These are perfect! Try it! #indianfood #foodhack #crispyonions #viral #fyp #foryoupage #friedonions #indianstreetfood #mumhack
♬ original sound – Snack Queen
What Makes Crispy Fried Onions So Great?
Crispy fried onions are one of those multi-purpose ingredients that instantly elevate any dish. They have a way of adding both flavor and texture, which are hard to replicate when they’re missing. In the video caption, Gandesha mentions that her mum taught her this trick and that it’s a great topping for biryani and salads.
In American cooking, that salty, savory crunch of a fried onion is what makes green bean casserole iconic, what turns a simple sandwich into something crave-worthy and what makes a creamy bowl of soup suddenly feel complete.
The problem, of course, is that traditional versions rely on flour-based coatings to achieve their crunch. That means those of us who are gluten-free, or simply want low-carb options, are often left on the sidelines, looking for alternatives that never quite hit the mark. Sure, you can make them from scratch on the stovetop with a gluten-free flour substitute, but that can be messy, time-consuming and sometimes disappointing if the texture doesn’t hold up.
That’s why when I saw this simple microwave method for creating crispy onions without breading, I had to try it.
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How to Make Crispy Fried Onions in the Microwave
To make these onions, all you need is an onion and some oil. To start, peel and slice your onion into thin, even slices. Pull apart the layers into smaller sections to help them crisp evenly.
Place the onion slices in a microwave-safe bowl, drizzle with oil and stir to coat. (Vegetable oil worked best for me.) A sprinkle of salt adds flavor and helps draw out moisture.
Start microwaving in short bursts. Gandesha’s recipe called for 10 minutes total, stirring every two minutes, but that was for a full onion. After some trial and error, I found a slightly different method worked better for me. The timing depends on the amount of onion you’re cooking and your microwave, so you may need to play around with things a bit.
The method that worked best for me for the amount of onion I was making was to microwave it for two minutes, stir, then microwave for one minute and stir again. Finally, microwave for 30 seconds, then remove the onions from the microwave.
Let them rest. When they come out of the microwave, the onions will still be soft, but don’t panic. Spread them on a paper towel to drain excess oil, and within a few minutes, they’ll crisp up.
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My Honest Thoughts About Microwave Crispy Onions
This experiment wasn’t without its struggles. The first time, I microwaved too long and they burned. The second time, I tried a shorter cooking time, but still ended up with a mix of burnt and undercooked pieces. The trick was making sure the onion slices were as uniform as possible, using the right oil, laying them in an even layer in the bowl and stirring frequently.
But by the third round, I had perfectly golden, crispy onions. They were so tasty, I ate them plain, straight off the paper towel! They had the same salty, crunchy satisfaction as the fried onions I grew up with and there was no breading required.
This hack is an absolute win if you’re gluten-free or just want a faster, less messy way to make crispy onions. They’re versatile enough to sprinkle over a salad, pile onto a burger or stir into a grain bowl for extra crunch.
I’ll definitely be making them again and will probably double the batch next time!
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