How To Caramelize Onions

Learning how to caramelize onions is so worth the effort! They bring such great flavor to so many dishes.

recipe originally published December 17, 2018

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How to caramelize onions

To achieve the glorious deliciousness that is a caramelized onion, you mostly need patience. That's about it. Get yourself a skillet, large yellow onions, butter, salt, and patience.

Try to find a large skillet so the onions have space to sizzle in a single layer. 

Slice the onion in half, then in half moon slices.

I use tongs or a spatula to pick up and flip the onions as they cook, so they caramelize evenly.

...and then just watch the onions cook. and wait.

I am often doing other prep work or cooking while caramelizing onions. Something else that doesn't require constant work - like chopping or mixing. Something that I can stop while I take a minute to stir the onions as they cook.

See the recipe below for full details about how to caramelize onions.

Recipes with caramelized onions

• Warm Caramelized Onion Bacon Dip
• Caramelized Onion Kabocha Sandwich
• Cool Caramelized Shallot Dip

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Yield: 1 cup

How To Caramelize Onions

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To achieve the glorious deliciousness that is a caramelized onion, you mostly need patience. Grab a skillet, an onion, butter, and salt.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons dairy free butter or olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Peel onions. Slice each onion in half from the top, then slice each half onion into half rounds.
2. In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter.
3. Add sliced onions to melted butter, keeping heat at medium to medium low.
4. Sprinkle with sea salt. Stir to coat the onions with melted butter. Arrange onion slices in an even layer, covering the entire surface of the skillet. Stir occasionally as the onions cook, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Add water by the tablespoon as needed.
6. (Depending on the onion, sometimes they dry out faster than other times - I do not always need to add water if the onions are not drying.)
7. Continue to stir occasionally and cook over medium to medium low heat, until onions reach a deep caramel color. This process generally takes 25 to 30 minutes - you can caramelize onions as you are prepping another dish (like the ingredients for this dip).
8. Use this recipe for this Warm Caramelized Onion Bacon Dip, or cool completely and store covered in refrigerator. Add to sandwiches and all sorts of recipes, use within 3 days.

Notes

dairy, egg, soy and gluten free, vegan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

2 tablespoons
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 67Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 238mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 0g

nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.

about Kristina:

Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food!  Read more...

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