Caramelized onions are a simple yet transformative ingredient that adds deep, rich sweetness to everything from burgers to soups. This recipe walks you through the easy steps to get perfectly caramelized onions every time.
You will never catch me eating a raw onion. Sorry, not sorry! Pickled onions, roasted onions, and caramelized onions are the only way to go! If you’re looking to add flavor to a sandwich, burger, or taco, cooked onions are the easiest condiment to add on! Trust me on this! While these caramelized onions take time and patience, they are easy to make and a must-have for your kitchen prep.
A common question patients with diabetes ask me is whether a food will impact their blood sugar levels. Enter onions, a non-starchy vegetable that contains carbohydrates and fiber, making its impact on blood sugar levels minimal, if at all. While patients experience individualized responses to various foods, it’s also essential to consider the whole meal and the combination of other foods. This might sound complicated at first, but you can learn to understand your body’s response over time.
Enter caramelized onions. The cooking process draws out their natural sugars, helping them caramelize. The volume of what someone is eating, along with what else they eat, will be key factors to consider in determining if caramelized onions impact their blood sugar levels. As a dietitian, I want patients to incorporate more non-starchy vegetables. Caramelized onions are a great way to add flavor, fiber, and fullness to your dishes!
Ingredients: Caramelized Onions
- Onions: Any onion will work; however, I use sweet Vidalia onions. The amount of onions you use is really up to you. I used just two *as this was for myself), however, remember that the onions will cook down tremendously. Not to mention that if you’re taking the time to cook them low and slow, you might as well make enough for all to enjoy!
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Many will debate whether to use butter or olive oil. The dietitian here aims to keep your heart healthy and lets you know that olive oil is fine for cooking caramelized onions. Leave the butter and saturated fat out (since they’re not necessary!).
- Salt: I didn’t add any, but salt does help draw out some of the natural moisture in the onions and helps move the process along. This allowed me to test and see if it was needed, proving you could leave it out!
How To Make Caramelized Onions
- Slice your onions! Cut the stem and root ends off the onion. Then halve the onion and cut it into thin slices. The onion should naturally separate into half rings. Try to cut them as evenly as possible so they cook evenly.
- Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
- Heat the pan on medium heat until the oil is shimmering.
- Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out as evenly as possible over the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softening.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes. The trick is to stir, but not too often. You want the onions to brown a bit, and if you over-stir, they won’t have a chance to brown. Additionally, if the onions start to burn or stick to the bottom of the pan, either reduce the heat to low or add a splash of water to the pan to help.
- Low and slow – cook time will vary and depend on the size of your pan, the size of your onions, and the heat on your stove.
You can use any onion, as they will all caramelize. However, I love Vidalia sweet onions, not just because they’re sweeter but also because I cry less when I cut them!
I recommend using a cast-iron skillet. Save your non-stick pans for making pancakes or eggs, but now is the time to pull out your cast-iron skillet and use it! The pan should be large and wide so you have room to let the onions cook and release their moisture. If you use four onions, use a skillet at least 12 inches in diameter.
Many people think that adding sugar will help the onions caramelize even more. The onions already have more than enough natural sugar to help them caramelize, and truthfully, adding sugar will make them taste sweeter, almost too sweet. All you need is enough time and heat to let the natural sugars do their thing!
Enjoy your caramelized onions immediately or store them in the refrigerator for up to four days. For extended storage, they can be frozen in freezer-safe bags or containers for up to three months.
The options are endless! Use caramelized onions as a topping for burgers or sandwiches. Add them to eggs (in your scrambled eggs or frittata!). Stir them into a one-pot pasta or add them as another condiment to your tacos. They’d even go great on pizza! My mouth is watering, and I am just thinking about enjoying caramelized onions!
Recipes to Enjoy with Caramelized Onions
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Caramelized Onions
Caramelized onions are a simple yet transformative ingredient that adds deep, rich sweetness to everything from burgers to soups. This recipe walks you through the easy steps to get perfectly caramelized onions every time.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium Vidalia onions, halved and sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, *optional
Instructions
- Slice your onions! Cut the stem and root ends off the onion. Then halve the onion and cut it into thin slices. The onion should naturally separate into half rings. Try to cut them as evenly as possible so they cook evenly.
- Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
- Heat the pan on medium heat until the oil is shimmering.
- Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out as evenly as possible over the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softening.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes. The trick is to stir, but not too often. You want the onions to brown a bit, and if you over-stir, they won’t have a chance to brown. Additionally, if the onions start to burn or stick to the bottom of the pan, either reduce the heat to low or add a splash of water to the pan to help.
- Low and slow – cook time will vary and depend on the size of your pan, the size of your onions, and the heat on your stove.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Sides
1 thought on “Caramelized Onions”
Didn’t know they could caramelize without butter! Thanks for the instructions!