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Cook Out's onion rings beat seven chains and lose to five in The Daily Meal's ranking of 13 fast food onion rings. The May 2024 list put Cook Out sixth, ahead of Burger King, White Castle, Sonic, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, Smashburger, Dairy Queen and A&W, and behind Whataburger, The Habit, Fatburger, Jack in the Box and Culver's. The same list names the one flaw every reviewer repeats: you get very few of them.
- 6th of 13
- Daily Meal fast food ranking
- 128
- Calories in a side
- 1 g
- Fat in a side
- $2.69
- Full order price
May 2024
The lowest of any side
The lowest on the menu
Full order is 256 calories
Why did Daily Meal rank them sixth?
For size, batter and browning, with a note that some rings could be crispier. The ranking calls them large, evenly coated and well browned, and says they use a piece of whole onion rather than the onion paste that Burger King's rings use. The drawback is count. A Reddit user quoted in the piece warns that an order gets about three of them. Daily Meal says that if Cook Out were more generous, the rings could rank among the best in fast food.
| Daily Meal rank | Chain |
|---|---|
| 1 | Culver's |
| 2 | Jack in the Box |
| 3 | Fatburger |
| 4 | The Habit Burger Grill |
| 5 | Whataburger |
| 6 | Cook Out |
| 7 | A&W |
| 8 | Dairy Queen |
What are the side and full-order figures?
| Side | Full order | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 128 | 256 |
| Fat | 1 g | 2 g |
| Carbs | 28 g | 56 g |
| Protein | 3 g | 6 g |
| Sodium | 328 mg | 656 mg |
| Fiber | 2 g | 3 g |
The side is the lightest on the board by calories and fat. Replace one Regular Fries side (347 calories) with the rings and a tray drops 219 calories. The lightest Jr. Tray on our tray menu uses two ring sides to hit 501 calories.
How do they pair with a burger?
The Sun Herald's Gulfport reviewer paired onion rings with Cajun fries on a Cookout Style tray, and a TikTok reviewer called the rings perfectly crunchy and perfectly hot. Try them on a Cook Out Style burger, where the crunch offsets the chili and slaw.
Who should order the rings?
Anyone cutting calories or fat from a tray, and anyone who wants a crispy side. Order a full order if you want enough to share, since the side holds only a few rings.