Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

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by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated 45 Comments

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Sonic Onion rings are made fresh every single day. I worked at Sonic as a teenager and had to help make the Sonic onion rings EVERY DAY…the secret is using vanilla ice milk mix, but using melted vanilla ice cream works just as well.

Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (1)


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Sonic onion rings are made fresh every single day – these are definitely not prepackaged onion rings. I worked at Sonic as a teenager and had to help make the Sonic onion rings every day.

Sonic had bags and bags of onions in the back room. The secret ingredient is vanilla ice milk mix, but using melted vanilla ice cream works just as well. Making onion rings for Sonic was one of the more memorable and pleasant experiences of my young life.

Table of Contents

The Sonic Drive-In Story

What eventually became Sonic was opened in 1953 in Shawnee, Oklahoma under the name Top Hat. In the beginning, Top Hat customers parked their automobiles anywhere on the gravel parking lot and walked up to place their orders. However, Top Hat’s founder, Troy Smith, saw a drive-in that used speakers for ordering.

This gave him the idea of controlling the parking so his customers could order from curbside speakers without ever leaving their cars. Carhops would deliver the food to customers sitting comfortably in their vehicles.

This technology led to the slogan Service at the Speed of Sound, which translated into one word: Sonic. So, in 1959 the name was changed from Top Hat to Sonic Drive-In. Read more about Sonic.

Sonic’s Menu

Sonic has lived up to its sonic name by surging forward while specializing in fresh, made-to-order meals. Nowhere else can you order from a drive-in menu featuring toaster sandwiches (sandwiches served on thick slices of Texas toast), quarter-pound foot-long coneys (hot dogs topped with chili and cheese), and onion rings that are sliced, breaded, and made fresh every day in every Sonic drive-in.

And the Sonic way includes topping off your meal with a hand-mixed shake made with real ice cream in a variety of flavors or a drink featuring Sonic’s beloved craveable ice.

Make Sonic Onion Rings at Home

You can make this wonderful fast-food favorite at home. You don’t even have to be too exact in measuring everything out. However, making these onion rings can be messy.

Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Spanish onions
  • Water
  • All-purpose flour
  • Vanilla ice cream, melted
  • Cornmeal
  • Vegetable oilfor frying
Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (2)

How to Make Sonic Onion Rings

  1. Peel and cut onions into slices that are between 3/8 and 1/2-inch thick.
  2. Remove the small center of the onions, you can chop those into diced onions for later use. See how to freeze onions.
  3. Separate onions into rings and place them into a large bowl of water.
  4. Place three containers in a row.
  5. Place flour in the first container, melted ice cream in the second, and cornmeal in the third.
  6. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
  7. Prepare onion rings by shaking off the water and then dip into the flour. Shake off excess flour.
  8. Dip floured onion rings into the melted ice cream and then into the cornmeal. Gently shake off excess cornmeal.
  9. Place onion rings on acookie sheetto dry for a few minutes before frying.
  10. Fry onion rings until golden brown.

Recipe Notes

I suggest trying to use one hand for dry ingredients and the other for dipping the onion rings into the melted ice cream. It will go easier this way. These are messy, but they taste so good and you will never buy store-bought onion rings again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Sonic onion rings taste sweet?

It is because they are made with sweet onions and breaded with vanilla ice milk mix (or melted vanilla ice cream).

Are Sonic onion rings gluten free?

No, flour is one of the ingredients of the breading.

Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (3)

Looking for more Sonic copycat recipes? Try these!

  • Sonic Breakfast Burrito
  • Sonic Frito Burrito
  • Sonic Chili Cheese Tots
  • Coconut Cream Milkshake
  • Strawberry Lemonade Sonic
  • Strawberry Limeade Sonic
  • Cherry Limeade Sonic
  • Root Beer Shake
  • Ocean Water

Popular Fast Food Sides

  • Popeye’s Cajun Rice
  • KFC Fries
  • Culver’s Fried Cheese Curds

Be sure to check out more of my easy side dish recipes and the best fast food copycat recipes.

Original Sonic Onion Rings

Make your own copycat Sonic Onion rings at home.

5 from 12 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Onion Rings, Sonic Recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 829kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Spanish onions sliced, and rings separated
  • 24 ounces water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 12 ounces vanilla ice cream melted
  • 8 ounces cornmeal
  • vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  • Peel onions. Slice onions into slices that are between 3/8 and 1/2-inch. Remove the small center of the onions, you can chop those into diced onions. Separate onions into rings, and place the rings into a large bowl of water.

  • Place three containers in a row. In the first container, place the flour, in the second container, place the melted ice cream, and in the third container place the cornmeal.

  • Preheat oil to 350 degrees.

  • Prepare onion rings by shaking off the water, dip onion into the flour, shake off excess flour. Dip into the melted ice cream, and then dip into the cornmeal. Gently shake off excess cornmeal. Place the onion ring on a cookie sheet to dry for a few minutes before frying.

  • Fry onion rings until golden brown.

Notes

Sifting the flour and cornmeal once in a while keeps lumps out and makes it easier to coat the rings When placing on cookie sheets to save room, lean on top of each other to allow the entire ring to dry.

Nutrition

Calories: 829kcal | Carbohydrates: 130g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 749mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 17.3mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 5.1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dorothy

    Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (5)
    I made these and they were great. I used the ground ritz crackers instead of corneal. Definitely recommend making these.

    Reply

  2. Steve B

    Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (6)
    I made those onion rings and we used Nabisco Cracker meal to bread them with. Sadly, it’s no longer made since Nabisco was bought but the cracker meal added to the flavor, We never used cornmeal.

    Reply

  3. TJ

    Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (7)
    I worked at a Sonic in NM for ten years. We used the flour, ice cream mix, cornmeal method the whole time for battering. We soaked the onions in ice water for a day and the next day removed the thin skin from the onion. This is a critical step for ultimate onion rings. After we battered we dried in walk in fridge for a day. However, I tried this with gluten free flour at home and it cracked the batter badly.

    Reply

  4. Noah

    As early as the 90’s, Sonic didn’t use condensed milk or ice cream mix. There were two different breadings and a batter mix.

    Reply

    • Texas

      Sonic also uses ground rits crackers instead of cornmeal. Made them at Sonic for many years.

      Reply

  5. Charles Case

    I helped start the sonic industries. At age 13, Back in 1960 I started working at the sonic in Stillwater Oklahoma as a carhop making 40 cents an hour. The busness had shortly eariler been transformed from Top Hat to Sonic Drive In, Service with the speed of sound. The owners were Charley Pappy, Troy smith and Gene Longworth, Gene was the manager of the busness in Stillwater. The first new built Sonic was built in Shawnee Oklahoma.
    I worked unger Gene and worked my way up to manager as the years rolled by. Gene was a very good person to work under. Other coworkers were David Castleberry, warner Riley, Loretta Toles. We prepared daily the onion rings, french fries, sliced the lettece and tomatos. Made our own tarter sauce and a liquid smoke sauce. We opened each morning at ten oclock, and closed at midnight. The work was long and hard. We only closed one dat a year and that was Christmas Day. We did close early on Christmas Eve.
    I worked steady at the Sonic until I left to go to the Army
    The menu was a simple minu to prepare, unlike what it is today. The original batter was made with a condensed milk called milnot and not ice cream mix as eariler stated.
    Also they do not fill the busnesses ketchup as we did earlier.
    I went back to work at the Sonic after the military but left shortly after due to wages.
    The Sonic Drive In will always have a special spot in my heart and remember my first pay check of nine dollars. I thought I was rich, that I had earned every penny with no help.
    Charley.

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      First off, let me thank you for your service! We are free because of people like you.

      It sounds like you had long hard hours, but it sounds like you really enjoyed working with your co-workers. Good co-workers can make or break a job. It sounds like the onion ring recipe has changed a little bit over the years.

      Thank you again for sharing your history with us!

      Reply

    • Leisa Wilson

      Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (8)
      Thank you for the history of Sonic, I live near Woodard Oklahoma and in my opinion it’s the best Sonic!

      Reply

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Sonic Onion Rings - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What kind of onion does Sonic use in their onion rings? ›

Vanilla ice cream is the secret

Other ingredients in the recipe include Spanish onions, flour, cornmeal, oil, and water. According to a commentator on the blog, the original Sonic onion rings did not have ice cream mixed into the recipe. They wrote, "The menu was a simple menu to prepare, unlike what it is today.

What makes Sonic onion rings so good? ›

According to a 2009 CopyKat post, Manley asserted that Sonic uses sweet onions for their onion rings, but that's only half of the magic. The other half involves that aforementioned unexpected ingredient: vanilla ice cream. Or rather, vanilla ice milk mix, to be more specific.

How does Gordon Ramsay make onion rings? ›

For the aspiring chefs out there, Ramsay revealed that he whipped up the batter for his onion rings with a mixture of flour, rice flour, salt, beer and, surprisingly, gin. “It [the gin] comes from Japan,” he said. “And it's an incredible way of making a beautiful batter that gives a touch of authenticity.

How to make soggy onion rings crispy? ›

Reheat your homemade onion rings in the oven or air fryer set to 350°, and bake until the fried onion rings are crispy and heated through, about six minutes.

Why do you soak onions for onion rings? ›

Soaking onions in water for 15-20 minutes helps to neutralize the flavors of the onion and lessen the “bite”. It also brings out a sweet flavor and makes them a bit crunchier.

What are the ingredients in Utz onion rings? ›

Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour.
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper.
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper.
  • 3 tsp salt.
  • 1 cup plain yogurt.
  • 2 eggs.
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs.
  • 2 cups crushed Utz potato chips.
Jul 5, 2021

Where does Sonic get his rings? ›

Rings are small, round, golden objects that turn into large portals when thrown. The portals are capable of transport to any location that the user can imagine within the universe. Sonic was given a bag of rings from Longclaw when he was being chased by the Echidna Tribe.

Why does Sonic lose rings? ›

In most cases, the player will drop all of them when taking damage, while in other games, only a portion of them will be dropped. The Rings' scattering pattern also varies in many later games, like in Sonic Rush where they bounce farther away the more hits the player takes.

Why are onion rings so expensive? ›

The limited supply is largely due to a bad crop year for the onions that are used for the fried appetizers. The cost and availability of French fries are also a concern, Osanloo said in an interview in Chicago, adding that prices for the two items have gone up dramatically.

How do you keep batter from falling off onion rings? ›

A trick for getting your breading to stick better and not fall off as much when frying is to cover the breaded onion rings with a damp paper towel for 10-15 minutes after breading while the oil heats up. This helps it get a little bit tacky and stick better so less of it falls off in the hot oil.

Why are my homemade onion rings soggy? ›

If the oil isn't hot enough, your onion rings can turn out soggy; too hot, and the oil can start to smoke. To use a frying thermometer, just clip it on the side of the skillet so you can monitor the oil temperature throughout the entire frying process.

Why did Mcdonald's stop onion rings? ›

The McExpert also reasoned that the chain would probably have to charge customers an extra dollar or more for the onion rings because they are “not as efficient” as making them compared to french fries.

Why soak onions in milk before frying? ›

There seems to be general agreement about preparation of fried onion rings, either for home consumption or in a restaurant: the onion rings should be soaked in cold milk and/or water before frying. It crisps them up. Rather like putting parsley in a plastic bag with the water left from rinsing it to perk it up.

What is the onion ring strategy? ›

Onion Ring Students form an inner and outer circle facing a partner. The teacher asks a question and the students are given time to respond to their partner. Next, the inner circle rotates one person to the left. The teacher asks another question and the cycle repeats itself.

Do Sonic tots have onions? ›

Ingredients. Idaho Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following: Canola, Palm, Soybean, Sunflower), Salt, Corn Flour, Dehydrated Potato, Dextrose, Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate (to Promote Color Retention), Natural Flavors, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder.

What kind of onions does McDonald's use? ›

"McDonald's uses both dehydrated onions (that have been rehydrated) as well as actual onions," according to Angel Livingood, a former manager at an Iowa McDonald's. Dehydrated onions are exactly what they sound like: onions that have had their moisture removed and are now dry.

Are Sonics onion rings vegan? ›

Unless you're bothered by potential cross-contamination (which would rule out practically everything else on this list), then the onion rings can be considered vegan! Onion rings usually contain eggs, so this is a rarity as far as vegan fast-food options go.

Are spring onions pearl onions? ›

Pearl onions are not a specific variety but are small round onions harvested when 25 mm (1 inch) or less in diameter. They are usually white and pickled and used as a garnish and in co*cktails. Spring onions are small white onions that are picked

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