Outback Steakhouse Blooming Onion turns a whole onion into a crisp pull-apart appetizer served with a bold creamy dipping sauce.
Photo by Mack Male
Copycat Outback Steakhouse Blooming Onion
Outback Steakhouse Blooming Onion features a large onion cut into petals, seasoned and fried until golden. It is crispy, savory and designed for sharing.
The key is the cut. Slice the onion carefully so the petals open while staying attached at the base. Once battered and fried, the layers bloom outward and become crisp without falling apart.
Quick Recipe Overview
- Best For: Party appetizers, game day spreads, steakhouse style meals
- Flavor Profile: Crispy, savory and lightly spiced
- Skill Level: Moderate – careful cutting and deep frying
- What Makes It Like the Restaurant: A whole onion cut into petals and coated in seasoned batter
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse opened in Tampa, Florida in 1988 and quickly became known for its Australian themed steakhouse concept. The restaurant’s menu focused on steaks, seafood and hearty appetizers designed for casual dining.
One of its most recognizable items became the Blooming Onion, a dramatic fried onion appetizer served with dipping sauce. The dish helped define the brand’s early success and remains closely associated with the restaurant’s identity.
THE Iconic Steakhouse Appetizer
The Blooming Onion belongs to a category of dramatic shareable appetizers that became popular in American casual dining during the late twentieth century.
By cutting a whole onion into sections while leaving the base intact, cooks create a flower-like shape that fries evenly. The technique produces dozens of crisp onion petals that guests pull apart and dip in sauce.
Its visual appeal helped make it one of the most recognizable appetizers in chain restaurant history.
Outback Steakhouse Blooming Onion Recipe
Outback Steakhouse Blooming Onion turns a whole onion into a crisp pull-apart appetizer served with a bold creamy dipping sauce.
Yield: 4 Appetizer Servings
Ingredients
- 1 large Sweet Onion
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- Vegetable Oil for frying
Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon prepared Horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
- Peel onion and cut about 1/2 inch off the top.
- Place onion cut side down.
- Slice downward into 12 to 16 sections while leaving the root intact.
- Turn onion over and gently spread the petals apart.
- Combine flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- Place onion in a bowl and coat with the flour mixture, working it between the petals.
- Dip onion in buttermilk and coat again with flour mixture.
- Heat oil in a deep pot to 375°F.
- Carefully place onion in oil cut side down.
- Fry until golden brown and crisp.
- Remove and drain briefly.
- Combine dipping sauce ingredients and mix well.
- Serve onion hot with dipping sauce.
Related Copycat Recipes
- Texas Roadhouse Fried Pickles – Crisp, salty, and packed with zesty flavor, these addictive pickle chips bring big crunch to every dip.
- Logan’s Roadhouse Fried Mushrooms – Golden-fried mushrooms made for dipping and sharing before the steaks land
- Red Robin Towering Onion Rings – Sky-high stack of crispy onion rings with crunchy batter and serious dipping appeal
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Questions People Ask
What type of onion works best? Large sweet onions such as Vidalia style onions open easily and fry evenly.
How do I keep the onion petals from breaking? Leave the base intact while cutting so the onion stays connected during frying.
Can I bake it instead of frying? Baking works but will not produce the same crisp texture as deep frying.
What dipping sauce is traditional? Many restaurants serve a creamy sauce with horseradish and spices.
Related Recipes
Applebee’s Onion Straws
This Applebee’s Onion Straws recipe recreates the thin-cut onions lightly battered and fried until crisp for the crunchy appetizer served at the restaurant.
Crispy, salty, and snackable.
A casual dining appetizer favorite.
Make Applebee’s Onion Straws at Home
Hooters Beer Battered Onion Rings
This Hooters Beer Battered Onion Rings recipe coats thick-cut onions in a crisp golden beer batter just like the restaurant appetizer.
Crunchy, savory, and satisfying.
A classic bar-style side.
Make Hooters Beer Battered Onion Rings at Home
Spotlight Recipes
Morton’s The Steakhouse Onion Bread
This Morton’s The Steakhouse Onion Bread recipe recreates the tender, slightly sweet and savory loaf topped with golden-brown sautéed onions served at the restaurant.
Soft, rich, and full of onion flavor.
A classic steakhouse bread favorite.
Make Morton’s The Steakhouse Onion Bread at Home
Ruth’s Chris Steak House Garlicky White Remoulade Sauce
This Ruth’s Chris Steak House Garlicky White Remoulade Sauce recipe blends mayonnaise, garlic, herbs, and spices into a creamy, tangy sauce served with the restaurant’s seafood dishes.
Rich, bold, and full of flavor.
A classic steakhouse seafood sauce.
Make Ruth’s Chris Steak House Garlicky White Remoulade Sauce at Home
Photo of “Bloomin’ Onion” is by Mack Male and is used by permission under the Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode. Photo of “Outback Steakhouse” is by Mike Mozart and is used by permission under the Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode. Thank you, Mack and Mike. Great Pictures. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Outback Steakhouse information courtesy of Outback.com and Wikipedia, where it is used by permission. Recipe is original to Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes. Recipe created by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes based on information from the restaurant and other sources on the internet – many courtesy of the Wayback Machine. Additional Information is from original research done by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
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August 20, 2012 @ 1:55 pm
Hey Guys checkout this Recipe for Out Backs Blooming Onion
December 17, 2012 @ 5:53 pm
@VionaMarieWorleyHowery:
May 4, 2013 @ 1:10 pm
@VionaMarieWorleyHowery:
August 22, 2012 @ 9:59 am
? Really cut 3/4 off the top of the onion and remove 1of the petals from the center. ? Typo.
August 24, 2012 @ 3:58 pm
Kathy, Thank you.
Those should have said “3/4 inch” and “1 inch.”
Not so much Typo as not noticing that the blog changed “in.” to a “?”. Who knows why. Teach me to spell things out next time. 🙂
I have changed it now in the recipe.
Thanks again and enjoy.
Mark
August 21, 2013 @ 3:36 pm
@Kathy Stephen: You must have looked over “inch” .
August 27, 2013 @ 5:30 pm
@Lisa: Lisa, Thank you for sticking up for us. But in Kathy’s defense, the blog did somehow change the word “inch” to a “?” Thanks to her comment we corrected the recipe to what you see today.
September 8, 2012 @ 5:10 pm
My Husband and I LOVE the Outback, however as much as we love to eat there, we can no longer order the Blooming Onion…to many Blooming Calories. DARN!!!
September 9, 2012 @ 4:00 pm
Jackie,
HA! Don’t I know it, Too.
Thanks for the comment.
Mark
September 10, 2012 @ 12:26 am
I have made this at many cookouts and it is a big hit
December 17, 2012 @ 5:54 pm
Could you please put a video on how to open the onion into petals? you put a video on how to stir the dipping sauce, but we could figure that one out. Please put the onion to video for us…. Thanks
April 29, 2013 @ 2:29 pm
I saw a cooking show once and they divulged the secret to opening the onion into pedals. You cut the onion then soak it in ice water. That loosens the pedals. @penny:
December 31, 2012 @ 4:39 pm
If we don’t have a deep fryer, can we place in oven?
February 28, 2013 @ 5:37 pm
Put Crisco or oil half way to top in large spaghetti pot and heat oil.After you deep fry the oions then, Wait for oil to cool down strain and put in glass contaner and put in refrigerator for next use.Very easy!
April 28, 2013 @ 3:25 pm
@Lorraine: How long do you fry the onion in the stock pot?
April 8, 2013 @ 9:42 am
I have found that after cutting the wedges into the onion, if you put the onion in a bowl of cold water, it begins to loosen and separate on its own, making plenty of room for the batter to get all the way to the bottom of the inside wedges.
July 12, 2013 @ 11:54 am
Blooming onion – outback
August 3, 2013 @ 11:54 am
To make the petals “bloom” better, after cutting, submerge petals (make sure root does not get wet) into ice water for 1 hour. This swells petals and the spread apart as if “blooming”.
August 8, 2013 @ 10:13 am
why dont you print a book with sauces for wing,barabecue sauces,chilirecipe,print a book for each one if avob recipe
August 13, 2013 @ 5:26 pm
Thank you, Hector.
We actually do have some recipe books we would like to write eventually. Right now they are just in the “idea stage.” But we will let you know as soon as we do.
Mark
August 22, 2013 @ 5:28 pm
Can you put something other than beer in this recipe?
August 27, 2013 @ 5:38 pm
@Christine: The “bubbles” in the beer are what gives the batter its light texture.
If you are worried about the alcohol — it burns off during the cooking. If it is the taste — I really don’t taste a heavy beer taste in the finished product (I do love beer, though. However, my Mom HATES the taste of beer, but loves Bloomin’ Onions.)
If you have other objections to beer — I have not tried anything else (I love beer. 🙂 ) but I have seen on a couple of boards that people have had success with Sprite (“makes it taste sweeter, though.”) and Club Soda. Basically, anything with “bubbles” should work in theory. You will affect the taste, though.
I hope this helps. Please let everyone know what you try and if it works.
Thanks for taking the time to write.
June 29, 2014 @ 12:43 pm
i used to work there and i have to say this is pretty close to how its actually made but there are some differences.
August 21, 2014 @ 6:26 am
Hi im from uk so would our cornflour be the same as your cornstarch? Party on sunday and think this would be fab to serve
August 26, 2014 @ 8:36 pm
Yvonne,
Sorry we didn’t see this until today. Did you try the Bloomin’ Onion? I hope the party was fun with or without the Bloomin’ Onion.
To answer your question – Yes. Corn starch, Corn flour, cornstarch, cornflour and maize starch are all different names for the same thing, a pure starch obtained from the endosperm of the corn (maize) kernel.
I hope this helps and, if we missed the last party, be sure to make one for the next. Your friends will LOVE it!
Alton
November 11, 2014 @ 8:37 am
I admit to being a simpleton at times but, I notice there are 4 onions in the Ingredients section but there’s no further mention of multiple onions in the directions. So, the question is are the ingredient quantities for 4 onions or for one?
The advice from others to place the cut onions in ice cold water to aid in the opening up of the onion is quite valid. In fact, if you take a small green onion and make several splits in the green part of the onion, place it in ice cold water, the green part will spread out in a flower like effect and thus becomes a nice decorative effect for use in salads
November 12, 2014 @ 4:24 am
Jim B.
I’m not sure why that said 4. It wasn’t meant to.
No, you can make as many as you want — until your breading runs out — but one will probably do you for most times — as you are probably aware if you have had a Bloomin’ Onion at Outback.
We have changed the recipe.
Thank you for the comment about the cold water.
Alton
November 23, 2014 @ 5:44 pm
Extended following his football and racing careers, Dan partnered with Lee Donabedian whose family owned and operated Rube’s Steakhouse in Simi Valley California. They became wonderful friends over the years and along with mutual friend Manny Asadurian, the three formed ‘Christmas for Young children,’ a non-profit fundraiser hosted each and every year at Rube’s exactly where they served the BBQ rubs.
February 20, 2016 @ 5:02 pm
What does Chile sauce consist of? Is it actual ground beef and chilli seasoning?
February 23, 2016 @ 5:22 pm
Chili sauce is a made with vine ripened tomatoes, garlic, sweet peppers and aromatic spices (according to Heinz.) It can be found in any grocery here in the US but may not be available where you live. Here are links to couple of good chili sauces available on Amazon. Heinz Chili Sauce – https://amzn.to/1L9Yh60 Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce – https://amzn.to/1T5gS6c
September 29, 2016 @ 11:58 am
Did you ever think about making these bloomin onions and freezing them to sell in grocery stores to be made at home?
April 20, 2017 @ 10:20 am
I think Outback would frown upon that, Shirley. We’ll just keep enjoying them at home and suggest you do, too.
Thanks for writing.
Alton
May 31, 2017 @ 4:33 pm
okay so i’m confused. The ingredient list has batter and seasoned flour as separate. The batter contains flour, does this mean the seasoned flour? I’m confused why there are two sections.
April 22, 2018 @ 11:55 am
I have the same question!
November 6, 2018 @ 10:52 am
Same question here. In fact I was searching the comments to see if that was answered. Directions say to add the beer to the flour mixture, then it says to dip onion in flour mixture then follow with batter……..
March 10, 2019 @ 9:34 pm
made it n it was a gross as it smelled.
October 13, 2019 @ 1:03 pm
I want to sign up for the free copycat recipes please.
August 28, 2022 @ 9:46 pm
You can use a carbonated non flavored sparkling water instead of beer.
August 29, 2022 @ 3:55 am
We’ve never tried it – But, I would say that would work.
Thanks for the question.
James