Amazing Vegan Baked Blooming Onion
This oil-free vegan baked blooming onion is so good because it delivers all the crispy, flavorful goodness of the classic dish without the added fat, making it a healthier, guilt-free option that’s perfect for any occasion. Enjoy the delicious crunch and savory taste in every bite!
Baked to crispy perfection and drizzled with my amazing vegan chipotle sauce, these oil-free blooming onions make a delicious healthy appetizer for dinners, game days, and entertaining. This recipe is so good, that it was even published on the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies website.
We have more delicious healthy appetizers and snacks on this website like these Best Crispy Baked Onion Rings, my oil-free potato chips, and our creamy cashew vegan cheese ball.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Crispy and Guilt-Free: Enjoy the satisfying crunch of a blooming onion without the added calories and fat, thanks to a completely oil-free baking process that keeps this dish light and healthy.
- Perfect for Entertaining: Impress your guests with a visually stunning and delicious appetizer that’s both vegan and oil-free, making it a hit at parties, game days, or any gathering.
- Easy and Health-Conscious: With wholesome ingredients, these baked blooming onions are a great way to indulge in a popular restaurant favorite while sticking to a health-conscious, plant-based diet.
Ingredients you will need
- Onion- Vidalia, Walla Walla, or Texas sweet onions have a mild, sweet flavor that complements the crispy, savory coating, and their large size makes them ideal for creating the signature “bloom” shape.
- Vegan mayonnaise- Though you can purchase store-bought vegan mayo, I have a low-fat, eggless mayonnaise recipe that is perfect for coating the onions.
- Flour- Using whole wheat flour to batter a baked blooming onion adds a rich, nutty flavor and a slightly denser texture that enhances the overall crispiness of the dish.
- Bread crumbs- They create a crispy, golden coating that adds texture and crunch to the dish. The bread crumbs adhere well to the onion, ensuring an even and satisfying crunch while baking, and they help to lock in moisture, keeping the onion tender on the inside.
- Spices- Onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sea salt are the seasonings to create a delicious flavor.
How to make a baked blooming onion
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: To begin this oven-baked blooming onion recipe, preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut about 1/2 inch off the bottom of a large onion and peel the skin off. Check out the video showing how to peel and slice the onion.
STEP #2: Next, place the onion on the cutting board with the sliced side down. Starting approximately 1/2″ from the top, make a downward cut all the way through to the board.
Repeat to make four evenly spaced cuts around the onion. Continue slicing between each section until you have 16 evenly spaced cuts. The video included shows how to do this easily.
STEP #3: Turn the onion over and use your fingers to gently separate the outer pieces. I have been told that if you soak a cut onion in cold water overnight, it will open up on its own. I would just have trouble thinking that far ahead.
STEP #4: In a medium bowl add flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients to mix. Set to the side.
STEP #5: Hold sliced onion in your hand as you spoon my Vegan Mayonnaise Recipe on top and begin to rub into the onion. Make sure to get in between the petals as well. Coat well, even on the outside. Yes, it’s going to get messy, but it’s well worth it, I promise!
STEP #6: Put the mayonnaise-coated onion in the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Place a plate over the top of the bowl and GENTLY rock around to coat the onion. Use a spoon to sprinkle more inside petals, if necessary.
STEP #7: Place the breaded onion on a baking pan with parchment paper.
Another option is to make these in your air fryer. Recently, this has become my favorite way to cook them because they cook quickly in about 15-20 minutes and come out nice and crispy.
STEP #8: If baking in the oven, cover with an ovenproof bowl.
If you are making more than one onion, use a large rectangle baking dish to act as a tent over all of them at the same time.
Some people make a foil tent instead, but I don’t like to use foil to cook due to some research showing it may be linked to Alzheimer’s Disease.
STEP #9: Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes covered with the oven bowl.
Remove the bowl, and cook an additional 30 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and serve warm.
STEP #10: This is excellent with my Chipotle Ranch Sauce that only takes 5 minutes to make using some of the homemade mayo recipe called for above. Ingredients are included in the recipe card below.
*Originally published February 12, 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best onions to use for a baked blooming onion are large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, Walla Walla, or Texas sweet onions. These onions have a mild, sweet flavor that complements the crispy, savory coating, and their large size makes them ideal for creating the signature “bloom” shape. Their natural sweetness also balances well with the seasonings, making the final dish even more delicious.
Starting approximately 1/2″ from the top, make a downward cut all the way through to the board. Repeat to make four evenly spaced cuts around the onion. Continue slicing between each section until you have 16 evenly spaced cuts. The video included shows how to do this easily.
Absolutely! Air frying is my favorite way to make these. Set the temperature to 370°F and cook for 15-20 minutes.
More Vegan Appetizers & Snacks
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Baked Blooming Onion
Ingredients
- 1 large onion Vidalia or yellow onion
- 1/2 cup low-fat eggless mayo see recipe link
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup whole grain flour (gluten-free flour if needed)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Low-Fat Vegan Mayo
- 12 oz soft silken tofu, drained (up to 16 oz is fine)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sweetener pure cane, maple syrup, etc
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Chipotle Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup low-fat vegan mayo
- 1/2 to 1 whole chipotle in adobo sauce or use chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar pure cane, sucanat, date sugar, etc
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- To begin this oven-baked blooming onion recipe, preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut about 1/2 inch off the bottom of a large onion and peel the skin off. Check out the video of how to peel and slice the onion.
- Next, place the onion on the cutting board with the sliced side down. Starting approximately 1/2″ from the top, make a downward cut all the way through to the board.
- Repeat to make four evenly spaced cuts around the onion. Continue slicing between each section until you have 16 evenly spaced cuts. The video included shows how to do this easily.
- Turn the onion over and use your fingers to gently separate the outer pieces.
- In a medium bowl add flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients to mix. Set to the side.
- Hold sliced onion in your hand as you spoon my Vegan Mayonnaise Recipe on top and begin to rub into the onion.
- Make sure to get in between the petals as well. Coat well, even on the outside. Yes, it’s going to get messy, but it’s well worth it, I promise!
- Place the mayonnaise-coated onion in the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Place a plate over the top of the bowl and GENTLY rock around to coat the onion. Use a spoon to sprinkle more inside petals, if necessary.
- Place breaded onion on baking pan with parchment paper. Another option is to make these in your air fryer. Recently, this has become my favorite way to cook them because they cook quickly in about 15-20 minutes and come out nice and crispy.
- If baking in the oven, cover with an ovenproof bowl. Some people make a foil tent instead, but I don’t like to use foil to cook due to some research showing it may be linked to Alzheimer’s Disease.
- If you are making more than one onion, use a large rectangle baking dish to act as a tent over all of them at the same time. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes covered with the oven bowl.
- Remove the bowl, and cook an additional 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Take out of the oven and serve warm. Serve with my Chipotle Ranch Sauce.
Vegan Mayo
- Add all mayo ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. This will make more mayonnaise than needed for the dip. Pour leftovers into an airtight container and store for 7-10 days in the refrigerator. It is great on sandwiches and in other dips and sauces.
Chipotle Dipping Sauce
- Place all sauce ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. This will include a 1/2 cup of the mayo recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Thank you for yet another awesome looking recipe! You referenced a video but I am not seeing it. Can you describe where in on this page it is?
Hi Amelia- Absolutely! Here’s the link to the video Hope you enjoy the blooming onion recipe.
Finally, a Blooming Onion! Cannot wait to try this, I’m pretty sure it will be today 🙂
This was so good! Never thought of using tofu mayo for the batter and I love it. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much! I tinkered for a few weeks with different things that were just too heavy and ‘bready’ which did not make for a good finished product. It looked pretty, but tasted pretty bad. Using mayo was the magic bullet that finally brought it all together and made for a delicious blooming onion. So glad you like it!
Can we re-heat the onion after it is baked? I am planning a 15 guest party reunion and would like to make all my vegan food ahead of time.
Roxanne, when I was tinkering with this recipe last week, it was early in the day, so by the time my hubby got home to eat his for dinner it had to be reheated. He said it tasted good, but he could definitely tell it would have been better fresh out of the oven. I made them again this weekend, and he got to eat it right away and said it was a lot better fresh.
Thank you!
Awesome Onion! Can’t wait to try this, Terri! My husband will go nuts. Great recipe and terrific photos.
Thanks, Lauren! I hope you both enjoy! Also hope that I get to meet you in-person before too long. Jane Champion spoke very highly of you, and I love that we are in the same area and spreading the same healthy message of plant-based nutrition. Feels like 2016 is going to be our year! 😀