This Baked Blooming Onion is a healthier version of a favorite restaurant appetizer. A Superbowl spread wouldn’t be complete with this Bloomin’ Onion recipe! Make this Blooming Onion Recipe healthier by baking it instead of frying it. It’s just as delicious!
Baked Blooming Onion Recipe
This baked blooming onion recipe is my take on a popular restaurant appetizer that everybody loves. Baked instead of fried makes it a whole lot healthier!
This Baked Blooming Onion is my idea of a classic dish. Growing up in Missouri, the fine dining options were…slim. Don’t get me wrong, there is some delicious food here (hello BBQ!!!), but the options are definitely limited.
As a kid, I seriously LOVED Outback Steakhouse (I know, I know). It felt like such a treat every time we went there, and my favorite thing to get was the Bloomin’ Onion!
Kids don’t have to worry about consuming thousands of calories for an appetizer, but my 32 year old body DOES have to worry about it. I still want my blooming onion, but I really don’t want that to be the only thing I can afford to eat for days!
That’s why this Baked Blooming Onion recipe is perfect! It’s easily just as tasty, but just a fraction of the calories and fat.
Now that I know how to make a blooming onion at home (just a little bit healthier), I can make this tasty appetizer any time I want!
This Baked Blooming Onion Recipe is a healthier version of a restaurant favorite!
How to Make a Blooming Onion
It was a real game-changer when I realized I could make this Blooming Onion Recipe at home. I no longer needed to use any special occasion as an excuse to go out to eat and spend a bunch of money on this epic appetizer.
Now I can make it myself any time I please! And the fact that this Baked Blooming Onion is much healthier the way I make it is even better.
I always wondered how to make a blooming onion when I saw it at the restaurant. It’s almost like a work of art. I was surprised by how easy it actually is to make though. Just follow a few steps and you’ve got this delicious baked appetizer to share.
Step by Step Instructions:
- Cut the onion to create that awesome bloomin’ onion shape
- Combine Panko breadcrumbs, paprika, & Cajun seasoning in a bowl
- Whisk the egg whites together in a separate bowl
- Coat each onion petal with egg white and then sprinkle with panko mixture
- Work from bottom top top, then add a final layer over the whole thing
- Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 5 minutes
- Bake another 10-15 minutes uncovered
Now the Baked Blooming Onion is crisp and ready to serve!
Easy Super Bowl Appetizer
You can make your man (or woman!) super happy by making this Bloomin’ Onion Recipe for the Superbowl. This crispy, flavorful appetizer is so great for sharing and it will be gone in no time! It makes the perfect addition to any game day menu. And even though it tastes fried, it’s not!
I know that Pat will be propped in front of the TV for the day, only getting up to get more food. I’ll be sure to have healthier options like this for him while he watches the last of the season’s football (hallelujah), and I watch the commercials. It should be a good time.
Copycat Bloomin’ Onion Sauce
I adapted this recipe from one of my VERY favorite blogs, Gimme Some Oven. I’ve talked about Ali before…she is just so good. I got to meet her at a conference earlier this year and she is just as sweet as she is talented. Her photography is some of my favorite on the web, I hope you check her out!
Her recipe includes an easy and delicious dipping sauce to pair with this delish Baked Blooming Onion…get some!
This Baked Blooming Onion Recipe is just too good. I’m craving it right now! And since it’s baked instead of fried, I feel a little bit better about serving it up whenever I feel like it. Make this Bloomin’ Onion Recipe and see for yourself!
See the recipe card below for details on how to make this Baked Blooming Onion Recipe. Enjoy!
Be sure to try these other delicious appetizers too:
- Bacon Cheese Fries with Ranch
- Best Guacamole Recipe Ever
- Pigs in a Blanket with Cheese
- Avocado Egg Rolls
- Baked Chicken Wings Recipe
Baked Blooming Onion
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a large knife to cut off the top about 1/4-inch of the onion until a few of the inside layers are exposed. Be careful to cut the top side, not the root side. Peel the outermost layer of the onion down to the root, leaving the root as is.
- Lay the onion cut side down on the cutting board. 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. You can cut more sections if you have an especially large onion. Once all cuts are complete, turn the onion over and set on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. The onion will fall open, but you’ ll also want to use your fingers to separate the onion petals and open it completely.
- In a small bowl, combine panko, paprika, Cajun seasoning, and salt. Whisk the egg whites together in a separate bowl.
- To coat the onion, I started in sections. I would coat each onion petal with egg whites and then sprinkle liberally with the panko mixture. I worked from the bottom to the top in each section, and then turned the onion to work on the next section. I brushed the entire onion with one more layer of egg white and sprinkled the mixture over the entire onion once done with the sections.
- Bake covered with aluminum foil for 5 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the onion is tender and the edges are browned.
- This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite blogs, Gimme Some Oven. She also includes an awesome sauce that tastes great with this onion!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Honestly, we didn’t like it at all.. the sauce we round a recipe for was good and it was somewhat edible. Idk what we did wrong but it was pretty raw and just tasted like an onion. It wasn’t disgusting but it wasn’t our favorite :) also, the page is broken it won’t let my attach the photo. It was a pretty cut :)
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe, Michelle! It sounds like your onion was a bit undercooked. Next time, try poking the meaty center with a fork to check for tenderness, and continue cooking until the fork pierces easily!
this one looks easier to cook and healthy. Watching the calories a bit. Never had these. Thankyou.
I hope you enjoy it!
Hey :)), Jesus Loves you!! He died on the cross for our sins so we could be completely forgiven, have new abundant life and spend eternity with him. He resurrected from the grave and now we can experience his life changing love. Have an amazing day.
Not relevent to this recipe. Not necessary to put your opinions into someone elses work.
Awesome and healthy recipe! Delish and my hubby licked the dipping sauce bowl😂
LOL I’m glad you both enjoyed it!
Too spicy, onions were very dry. Next time I’ll get a deep fryer.
I’m so sorry you didn’t love this one!
I will definitely try to make this recipe
Let me know what you think once you do!!
Great and simple recipe. Thanks Linda.
Where’s the sauce recipe????
After over 3 years, I’m surprised you never proofread your instructions.
I always proofread Sally. I try my best…I have over 1200 recipes. Is there an issue with the recipe? Please let me know and I’d be happy to fix any mistakes. Thanks so much.
Keep posting your wonderful recipes. The onion was so tasty considering it wasn’t deep fried
Thanks for stopping by, David! Be sure to check out all the others!
Every so often I come across a comment that seems to have no purpose to a post other than to be critical. Usually I scroll past but today I felt like commenting to only say shame on you Sally. If you have nothing nice to say simply scroll on by. It takes a lot of work to run a blog and those who do are doing to best they can. You are a mean lady.
I wish someone who actually made this would post how it came out instead of all the oh can’t wait to try it cause it looks so good!
I made the bloomin onion and it was bloom in good. Deep fried would be better.