The Best Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onions are a naturally sweet and savory addition to your favorite steak, chicken, or dip recipe.  Learn how easy it is to caramelize onion slices by sautéing them in a pan with only a few simple ingredients.

Want a few other easy cooking tips?  You might also enjoy learning How to Cut an Onion, How to Cut Cauliflower, and How to Roast Garlic.

Caramelized Onions – Naturally Sweet and Savory

There is something so addicting about perfectly caramelized onions.

Oftentimes I find the sweet and savory onions make my taste buds dance even more than a perfectly cooked filet mignon.

And while yes, there are methods for quickly cooking caramelized onions…

The true magic happens when you give it a little time and have a bit of patience.

Adding sugar to sweeten the onions does not even compare to the flavor found when the natural sugars are released.

So while this is not a technique that can be done last minute, it is a super simple and easy way to add a depth of flavor to your favorite recipes!

Ingredients

One of the best things about this cooking technique is how few items you actually need.

There are only a few simple ingredients required to make caramelized onions at home:

• Onions – Sweet, red, or yellow onions can all be used but will give you a different finished product.
• Oil – Any type of oil can be used when caramelizing onions.
  • Opt for a more mildly flavored oil so it does not overpower the sweet flavor of the onions.
  • The onions are cooked over relatively low heat, so an oil with a high or low smoke point may be used.
• Butter – A high-quality butter is added towards the end of cooking for an extra depth of flavor.
  • Feel free to leave this out if you are dairy-free or vegan.
  • You can also substitute the butter for a vegan butter alternative or ghee if you are on a Paleo or Whole 30 diet.
• Salt – Add just as much salt as you need to taste.

Best Onion for Caramelizing

Any type of onion can be caramelized, but a sweet onion is the best type of onion to use.

Not only does a sweet onion have more naturally occurring sugars (up to 7 grams per onion!) but it is also not nearly as pungent as the other onion varieties.

Red, yellow, and white onions can also be used, but you may need to add a touch of white sugar to get them to the level of sweetness you desire.

Slicing Onions

The thinner you slice the onions, the faster the onions will caramelize in the skillet.

Typically, you’ll want to slice the onions about ¼-inch thick for the best results.

You can either slice them lengthwise as in the top image, or make shorter slices as in the bottom image above.

Before adding the onions to the skillet, make sure you separate them from each other.  This enables them to have even contact with the skillet and the heat so they cook at similar rates.

You can learn more about how to cut an onion in this article.

Best Skillet for Caramelizing

A large, stainless steel skillet is the best to use when making caramelized onions.

Stainless steel is a wonderful conductor of heat and will cook the onions more evenly than a non-stick skillet will.

Additionally, make sure you use a large enough skillet so all of the onions fit.

Towards the end of cooking the onions will have lost a lot of moisture and you should have plenty of space.

How to Caramelize Onions

There are not too many steps to this caramelized onions recipe.

While it does take almost an hour to get them to turn a beautiful golden color, and have a wonderfully sweet taste, it is totally worth the time!

Caramelized Onions Recipe:

1. Thinly cut onions into ¼-inch slices.
2. Add olive oil and onions to a large stainless steel skillet over medium-low heat.  (About a 4 out of 10.)
3. Cook onions for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes.
   1. In the beginning you can wait a little bit longer between stirs. 
   2. Towards the end you will want to keep a pretty close eye on the onions.
4. After about 30 minutes the onions will start to become a light yellow color. 
5. Add butter and stir to combine.
6. You’ll know the onions are done cooking when they reach a caramel color and have a natural sweetness to them.

FAQs

What are the best onions for caramelizing?

Sweet onions are the best onion to use when making caramelized onions due to their natural sweetness.

What do I do if I burn my onions when caramelizing?

Making sure your heat is low enough that it does not scorch the onions, but hot enough that it cooks them is the most important part of the caramelization process.

If you happen to burn some of the onions you can save them by adding a few tablespoons of water to the skillet.  Scrape the bottom of the skillet to remove any loose bits or pieces and continue cooking as directed.

Will sugar speed up the process of caramelizing onions?

No.  Adding sugar will not speed up the caramelization process of onions but will make them slightly sweeter.

How do I quickly make caramelized onions?

To reduce the cook time by about 10 minutes, add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet full of onions and cover with a lid.  Cook the onions over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Continue cooking uncovered for an additional 20-30 minutes or until caramelized.

Serving Caramelized Onions

This sweet delicacy is most often known for accompanying a juicy piece of steak or a filet mignon.

There are also quite a few other dishes that can be taken over-the-top with just a bit of caramelized onions:

• Honey Balsamic Chicken
• A baguette with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
• Caramelized Onion and Sausage Quiche
• Filet Mignon

5 from 2 votes

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How to Caramelize Onions

Caramelized Onions are a naturally sweet and savory addition to your favorite steak, chicken, or dip recipe.  Learn how easy it is to caramelize onion slices by sauteeing them in a pan with only a few simple ingredients.

Course Appetizer, Dinner, lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword caramelized onions, how to caramelize onions

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 82 kcal

Author London

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. sweet onions about 4-5 small onion
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• ½ tsp. salt to taste
• Sugar optional*
• Water optional*

Instructions

1. Thinly cut onions into ¼-inch slices.

2. Add olive oil and onions to a large stainless steel skillet over medium-low heat. (About a 4 out of 10.)

3. Cook onions for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes.*

4. (In the beginning you can wait a little bit longer between stirs. Towards the end you will want to keep a pretty close eye on the onions.)
5. After about 30 minutes the onions will start to become a light yellow color. Add butter and stir to combine.
6. You’ll know the onions are done cooking when they reach a caramel color and have a natural sweetness to them.

7. Serve caramelized onions with your favorite filet mignon or baked chicken recipe.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• This recipe yields 1 cup of caramelized onions.
• To reduce the cook time by about 10 minutes, add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet full of onions and cover with a lid.  Cook the onions over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Continue cooking uncovered for an additional 20-30 minutes or until caramelized.
• Too high of heat can end up scorching your onions and evaporating off all of their natural liquid.  If this happens simply add a couple tablespoons of water and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up the bits that are stuck.

Nutrition Facts

How to Caramelize Onions

Amount Per Serving

Calories 82 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 4mg1%

Sodium 142mg6%

Potassium 135mg4%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 46IU1%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 23mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.