National Onion Ring day, June 22, is right around the corner. As a college student, I’m a fast food connoisseur. If you’re an onion ring lover like myself, I’m sure you often struggle to decide which chain’s greasy goodness you want to consume. Not to mention that drive-through onion rings are hard to come by. In fact, many fast food restaurants have either never carried or discontinued onion rings from their menus (I’m looking at you, Arby’s). In order to avoid any future beer-battered debacles, here is a comprehensive list of my favorite onion rings and why they are each uniquely delicious.
1. Dairy Queen
By far my favorite on the list, Dairy Queen's onion rings are the perfect mixture of crunch and salt. DQ is one of the more expensive chains in the ranking, offering a small order for $4.79, but it’s not without good reason — the onion rings are huge. A serving comes with about 10 rings that are easily the width of baseballs. My favorite part about DQ onion rings is that the onions actually stay intact. For those who are looking for bar-style onion rings without having to leave the comfort of the car, Dairy Queen is the best drive-through to stop at.
2. Sheetz
A new addition to Sheetz's menu, onion petals are a delicacy at this gas station. The petals differ from traditional onion rings in that the onions are sliced perpendicular to the layers, creating thick, arched pieces — think mozzarella stick adjacent. The smallest size available, the bag, costs $4.79 and includes approximately 15 petals. The online and in-person menus provide a variety of “dipper” options when ordering, including Dr. Pepper BBQ, Boom Boom Sauce, and Jalapeno Ranch. Like Dairy Queen, this side is both salty and crunchy. Sheetz has perfected the art of deep frying without making its food overwhelmingly greasy. In short, these onion petals are certainly worth a gas station pit stop on your next road trip.
3. Burger King
Burger King's onion rings are the complete opposite of DQ’s — they’re mini! A small of this bite-sized side retails at $2.99 and even comes with the option of Zesty Sauce for no additional charge. These onion rings have the most subtle onion taste out of those in the ranking, so Burger King’s batter is the star of the show. It’s more doughy than crunchy and the batter has a black pepper-forward flavor. Although they’re a great side overall, BK’s onion rings would be higher on my list if they were saltier. Unfortunately they don’t meet my (very high) fast food standards, no matter how sharable they are.
4. White Castle
White Castle offers several ring-shaped foods including chicken rings and cheddar cheese rings, so it’s only natural that its onion rings are delicious. Similarly to Burger King, White Castle’s onion rings are on the softer side with very little crunch. The thick batter is almost sweet tasting, which helps highlight that distinct onion flavor. The chain’s small, which retails at $2.99, contains a serving of around 10 moderately-sized onion rings.