Cooked low and slow until intensely golden and sweet, learn How to Caramelize Onions in this easy step-by-step tutorial.
Caramelized onions are a fantastic addition to many favorite family recipes including onion soup, salads, and sandwiches.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Caramelized Onions?
It will take at least 45-60 minutes to cook caramelized onions. It’s a long process, I know.
- Why does it take so long to caramelize onions? To draw out the natural sugars found in onions and which are responsible for caramelization, they must be cooked at a low temperature for a long period of time. Cooking at a higher heat or attempting to “rush” the process, will cook off the moisture too quickly, preventing the sugars from being drawn out and ultimately, result in burnt, flavorless onions.
Tips & Tricks
- Turning up the heat won’t caramelize your onions faster. Don’t rush it, making caramelized onions boils down to science.
- Do not walk away from your onions. Unlike the slow cooker or Instant Pot, you need to remain proactive when caramelizing onions. This is especially important in the second half of cooking when the fond really starts to build up.
- What is fond? The sticky brown bits that build up and sticks to the bottom of your skillet.
- How to prevent fond from burning? First, make sure your stove is set to medium-low or low and use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom of your pan every 1-2 minutes. You can also deglaze your pan with a bit of water.
- What onions are best for caramelized onions? Vidalia or white onions.
How to Caramelize Onions
To make these delicious jammy caramelized onions, you’ll need the following tools and equipment:
For the full list and amounts of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1. Prepare the onions
Use a sturdy knife to slice approximately 1/2-inch off from each stem-end and approximately 1/2-inch off from each root-end of the onions. Cut each onion in half, stem to root, and peel. Lay the onions cut-side-down and cut, again from stem to root, into slices approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with all onions.
- How thick should you cut your onions? This is largely based on personal preference. Or, not too thick and not too thin. A safe bet is anything between 1/4-1/2-inch.
Step 2. Start cooking the onions:
Set a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter (if using) and swirl to coat the bottom of your pan. Heat the oil until shimmering and hot, then add the onions. Mix well to coat the onions in oil.
- Pro-tip: Keep this recipe vegan by skipping the butter.
Step 3. Continue to cook your onions:
Allow your onions to cook, stirring occasionally. If you start to see your onions browning, immediately reduce heat to medium-low (remember: we’re cooking these onions low and slow).
After approximately 10 minutes, sprinkle with salt (approximately 1/2 teaspoon) and stir to combine. By this point, your onions should be softening and lightly golden. If your onions start to dry out and brown/burn prematurely (assuming your heat is already set to medium-low), add a few teaspoons of water to the pan.
Step 4. Continue to cook, stirring often:
Continue to cook your onions for an additional 30-45 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes to prevent burning. You don’t want to stir continuously, but just often enough that the onions have enough time to cook and stick to the bottom of your skillet, browning just slightly – but not burning. If you stir too often, they won’t brown. If you don’t stir often enough, they will burn. I like to keep my stove set to medium-low and cook my onions for at least 50-60 minutes.
Don’t stop here. Keep going.
Step 5. Use a metal spatula to scrape the pan often:
After the first 30 minutes, you’ll find that your onions are nice a deeply rich golden color.
Every minute or so, use a metal spatula to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of your skillet. Continue to cook, stir, and scrape the brown bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan until your onions are a dark rich golden brown color.
Step 5. serve and store
Remove from heat and serve with all your favorite recipes including mac and cheese, your favorite cheeseburger, grilled cheese sandwiches, and salads.
Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze in sealed ziplock bags for up to 3 months.
Recipes with Caramelized Onions,
- Cheesy Mashed Potato and Herb Stuffed Mushrooms
- Quinoa Salad with Garlic Roasted Butternut Squash
- Blueberry and Honey Caramelized Onion Naan Pizza
- Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf with Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Farro Salad with Walnut Mustard Dressing
Learn how to make caramelized onions and let me know how they turn out! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback!
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How to Caramelize Onions
Ingredients
- 5 large onions - yellow, white, or red
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter - (optional)
- salt
- balsamic vinegar - (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the onions: Use a sturdy knife to slice approximately 1/2-inch off each stem end and roots off the root end. Cut each onion in half, stem to root, and peel. Lay the onions cut-side-down and cut, again from stem to root, into slices approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with all onions.
- Start cooking the onions: Set a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter (if using) and swirl to coat the bottom of your pan. Heat the oil until shimmering and hot, then add the onions. Mix well to coat the onions in oil.
- Continue to cook your onions: Allow your onions to cook, stirring occasionally. If you start to see your onions browning, reduce heat to medium-low (remember: we're cooking these onions low and slow). After approximately 10 minutes, sprinkle with salt (approximately 1/2 teaspoon) and stir to combine. By this point, your onions should be softening and lightly golden. If your onions start to dry out and brown/burn prematurely, as a result, (assuming your heat is set to medium-low), add a few teaspoons of water to the pan.
- Continue to cook, stirring often: Continue to cook your onions for an additional 30-45 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes to prevent burning. You don't want to stir continuously, but just often enough that the onions have enough time to cook and stick to the bottom of your skillet, browning just slightly - but not burning. If you stir too often, they won't brown. If you don't stir often enough, they will burn. I like to keep my stove set to medium-low and cook my onions for at least 50-60 minutes.
- Use a metal spatula to scrape your pan often: After the first 30 minutes, you'll find that your onions are nice a deeply rich golden color. Every minute or so, use a metal spatula to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of your skillet. Continue to cook, stir, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan until your onions are a rich golden brown color.
- Serve or store: Remove from heat and serve with all your favorite recipes or transfer to a sealed container and keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Variations: At the end of cooking deglaze your pan with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Completely optional, but it adds a delicious, complex flavor to your onions (highly recommended when adding to pizzas or pastas).
- Turning up the heat won't caramelize your onions faster. Don't rush it, making caramelized onions is a slow process.
- What onions are best for caramelized onions? Vidalia or white onions.
- How to prevent fond (sticky brown bits) from burning? Make sure heat is set to medium-low or low and use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom of your pan every 1-2 minutes. You can also deglaze your pan with a bit of water.
- Some people add a teaspoon of sugar at the same time salt is added (approx 10 minutes into cooking). I find this unnecessary.
- Storage: Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze in sealed ziplock bags for up to 3 months.
