This easy guide show you how to make perfect caramelized onions! Added to sandwiches, pizza, salads, you name it – this onion recipe adds a deliciously sweet and rich flavor to so many dishes! 
What are caramelized onions
Caramelizing onions is the process of cooking down raw onions until they get brown and sweet. They are a fabulous and versatile addition to burgers, appetizer, pizza, and so many more dishes. The only thing you need at a few simple ingredients, a pan, stovetop, and some time.
INGREDIENTS
- Onions: yellow onions are the most common but you can also use red, white, or sweet onions.
- Salt: a sprinkle of salt helps to sweat the onions (draw out the moisture) and add flavor
- Fat: butter and oil are the most common to help coat the onions and pan. Either or a combination of both works just fine!
- Liquid: this is used to deglaze the pan. Water is the easiest, but you can also use liquid too add flavor like vinegar, wine, broth, or liquor for more unique flavored onions. You can really get creative. Beer caramelized onions to top a bratwurst? Yes please!
- Sugar: this is optional, but you can add a sprinkle of sugar to help enhance the sweetness
Process of Making caramelized onions
Making the onions is easy, although slightly time consuming.
- You start by slicing onions about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. You can also dice or chop them if you’re using them in a recipe like a dip or sauce where you do not want the standard long pieces of onion. They’ll still caramelize beautifully.
- Add fat or choice and the onions to a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Stir the onions to coat in the butter or oil and sprinkle on the salt. Then, slowly cook 40-60 minutes. You’ll be stirring every 5-10 minutes and deglazing as necessary, making sure to keep an eye on the onions so they do not burn.
Deglazing
Deglazing is the process of adding liquid to a pan to dissolve any cooked bits of food stuck to the pan. It's really common in sauces and gravies, and of course cooking caramelized onions. You'll deglaze whenever it looks like the onions are starting to stick to the pan, every 10-15 minutes is a good guideline.
Deglazing is a very simple process. Add a little bit of liquid and then stir the onions, scraping the bottom of the ban while the liquid boils away:
How long to cook the onions
Below is a timeline of the onions cooking down:
- 10 Minutes: they've just started to cook and are still white and opaque
- 20 Minutes: starting to get translucent and yellow in the corners
- 30 Minutes: starting to yellow and get brown around the edges
- 40 Minutes: onions are getting brown and very translucent, but are still somewhat holding their shape
- 50 Minutes: in addition to being very brown, the onions are starting to cook down and lose their shape.
- 60 minutes: the onions are very mushy, brown, and have cooked down immensely. They form almost a onion jam or spread and are very sweet and caramelized.
This is rough estimate and can vary depending on your stovetop. I cooked at medium heat and it takes about an hour to get very, very caramelized. You do not need to cook them down this much. Most caramelized onions are cooked anywhere from the 40-60 mark. It is really a matter of preference how caramelized you want them.
Tips for Making Caramelized Onions:
- You can use any type of onion you want for this recipe.
- The larger the pan you use, the more the onions can spread out and the shorter the cooking time.
- When deglazing, a good guideline is about 1/4-1/2 cup total liquid, added 1-2 tbsp at a time. But, there are no hard and fast rules. You can even save deglazing until the very end. Just make sure to keep a close eye on the onions so they don’t burn.
- The onions really cook down – to about 1/2 cup per large onion depending on how much you caramelize them. You can easily double or triple the recipe as needed.
storing caramelized onions
Caramelized onions will last 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. And, did you know you can freeze them? Yup, caramelized onions are freezer-friendly.
There are many different ways to freeze them. You can put them in ice cube trays or silicone muffin trays, then transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag. Or, spread them out flat in a ziplock freezer bag. It helps to spread them flat and fairly thin when freezing so you can break off chunks for recipes. Otherwise, if you freeze in one big chunk of the onions, you will need to defrost the whole thing to use them. They will last up to two months in the freezer.
When you’re ready to use, let them defrost in the fridge. Or, if using in a sauce or soup you can toss the frozen onions right in.
HOW TO USE
- Toppings: Caramelized onions are a delicious topping to keep on hand for for soups, salads, grilled meats, burgers, pizza, sandwiches, the sky is the limit!
- Appetizers and Dips: Fun dips like caramelized onion dip, on top of crostini like this roast beef crostini, or paired with a soft cheese for a simple profiterole filling. So good!
- Tarts and Quiches: These onions a great filling for savory tarts, quiches, and other pastries and baked goods.
- Regular or Sautéed Onion Replacement: Cooking onions for gravy, pasta sauce, casserole, or curry? Try cooking them longer until they are caramelized. It adds a great flavor profile and can already be found in many recipes.
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Caramelized Onions
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden or Silicon Spatula
- Knife
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large onions yellow, red, or white
- 1-2 tbsp butter or oil
- water or liquid of choice
- pinch salt
- pinch sugar optional
Instructions
- Remove peel and thinly slice onions, about ¼ inch thick.
- Add olive oil or butter (or both) to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the sliced onions and salt and using a wood spoon or heat proof spatula stir to coat in the butter/oil.
- Add salt and sugar (if using)
- Cook for an 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes.
- If you need to deglaze, add a few tablespoons of liquid and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula
- Cook to desired caramelization and then use in favorite recipe or as a delicious topping for pizza, sandwiches, and more!
Notes
- You can use any type of onion you want for this recipe.
- The larger the pan you use, the more the onions can spread out and the shorter the cooking time.
- When deglazing, a good guideline is about 1/4-1/2 cup total liquid, added 1-2 tbsp at a time. But, there are no hard and fast rules. You can even save deglazing until the very end. Just make sure to keep a close eye on the onions so they don't burn.
- The onions really cook down - to about 1/2 cup per large onion depending on how much you caramelize them.
- You can easily double or triple the recipe as needed.
- These will last 3-5 days in the fridge or can can be frozen up to 2 months.
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