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Caramelized Onions
Caramelizing onions is an essential skill for any cook. This recipe will show you how to make caramelized onions that are sweet and earthy every single time.
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: Makes about ½ cup
Ingredients:
- 2 large yellow onions, peeled (about 1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Low-sodium chicken broth or water (for pan; optional)
Instruction:
- Halve both onions through root end. Using the tip of your knife, cut a V-shaped notch around root to remove it (this will ensure that all slices separate when you cut the onion).
- Place 1 onion half on your cutting board so root end is facing you, then thinly slice onion lengthwise, starting at one side and working all the way to the other (so your knife runs through the root halfway through, not starting or ending at the root end). You’re going for slices that are ¼”–⅛” thick.
- Repeat same slicing procedure for remaining onion halves. It’s a lot of onion! But it will cook down quite a bit, so it’s best to start with a large quantity.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan over medium until melted and sizzling. You can use a skillet to cook the onions, but a pan with high sides will keep the onions from flipping out onto your stove. Using a pan that also has a wide base gives water room to evaporate, allowing the onions to caramelize rather than steam.
- Instead of dumping in all of the onions at once, which would fill the pot and make it hard to stir (which would then cause the ones on the bottom to cook faster), start by adding just a couple of large handfuls to the pot. Cook, stirring, until onions are soft and starting to turn translucent, 1–2 minutes. Stir in a few more handfuls of onion and repeat cooking and stirring process until you’ve added all the onions. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook onions, stirring every few minutes to prevent them from sticking and coloring too much in any one place, until blonde-colored, 15–20 minutes. This is the point of doneness for French onion soup! If you feel like onions are getting too brown around the edges or they’re sticking, reduce your heat a bit.
- If you’re going for onions that are both softer and more caramelized (say for a patty melt or onion dip), keep cooking, stirring on the regular, until onions are unmistakably golden brown, another 15–20 minutes. Because most of the water has cooked off at this point, there might be some bare spots where the pot could start to burn. If this happens, stir in a splash of broth or water. The liquid will dissolve the cooked-on bits, which the onions will re-absorb.
- For extra-dark onions, the kind that make a great burger topping, cook until they start to almost blacken around the edges and go slightly crisp, another 10–15 minutes. This requires constant attention so they don’t burn. No one said caramelized onions were quick!
- Let onions cool in the saucepan, then use or transfer to an airtight container and chill. They will keep up to 1 week. Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published on August 3, 2017.
Caramelized Onions
Learn how to caramelize onions perfectly every time! Rich, sweet, and deeply golden brown, they’re delicious in soups, dips, pastas, and more.
Prep: 5min
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium yellow onions (halved and sliced)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instruction:
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until starting to soften.
- Add the salt, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 50 to 80 minutes, stirring every few minutes, or until the onions are very soft, golden brown, and caramelized. The timing will depend on the size of your onions and the heat of your stove.
- If at any point the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, reduce the heat to low. If the onions aren’t deeply brown after 50 minutes and you’d like to speed things up, you can turn the heat higher to get more caramelization. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
How to Caramelize Onions Like a Pro | Food Network
FAQ
What is the trick to caramelizing onions?
Add sugar: some cooks swear by adding a pinch of sugar to enhance the onions’ sugar content and help them caramelize faster. Add baking soda: dissolve a 1/8 teaspoon baking soda in 1 tablespoon of water and add the mixture to the onions toward the end of cooking (about 15 to 20 minutes in).
Is butter or oil better for caramelized onions?
While you can make caramelized onions with only one of either butter or oil, the best result will be if you use a bit of both. If you have to choose just one, choose a high quality oil (extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil). Cooking in only butter may burn the onions too quickly because it has a lower smoke point.
Do you add sugar to caramelize onions?
No! Onions already contain natural sugars, which is why they’re so perfect for caramelizing. This process brings out those sugars to make them more prominent. Adding more sugar would make them too sweet and mess with the flavor.
Why add vinegar to caramelize onions?
This is our secret ingredient to make the best caramelized onions. Vinegar adds a touch of acidity and sweetness to the onions. It elevates their flavor wonderfully. We recommend balsamic vinegar if you use red onions and apple cider vinegar if you use white or yellow onions.
