Caramelized onions are amazing. Really, they are. It’s hard to believe that a simple, inexpensive onions can transform into a sweet and buttery delicacy. Caramelized onions are the base of French Onion Soup (a repeat offender in my house), they make a great pizza topping, they’ll take your burger from meh to wow, they can dress up a simple piece of toast, I’m sure they’d make a great taco filling although I’ve never tired it…you get the point. Once you’ve mastered the art of caramelizing onions you’ll feel like a real-life chef. Get excited!
That’s a lot of onion
If this is your first time making caramelized onions, don’t be alarmed at how many you just sliced. Trust me…these bad boys will cook down A LOT, so much so that you might just wish you’d thrown in an extra onion or two. I remember the first time I made them I was disappointed; I’d decided to cook only two and after all that stirring and waiting, I barely had anything to show for it. I will say the few bites of goodness I had to show for all my work were utterly delicious. I never made the two-onion mistake again! So, trust me and cook at least six! I often caramelize eight to ten at a time, but keep in mind this will up the cook time a bit.
Your food processor is you BFF
While you can of course slice your onions by hand (just be sure to but out your Kleenex because I don’t know how anyone could slice six onions without crying), using a slicing disc and your food processor will save you both time and tears. Whenever I use my food processor to slice onions (for this Vegetarian French Onion Soup) or shred carrots (like when I make Carrot Ginger Bread) or pulverize dates (for these delicious (Pea)nut Date Granola Bars) I am literally amazed at how fast and strong the machine is. I even wrote a post titled Why You Should Start Using Your Food Processor Today to try and encourage people to bust theirs out more often. It truly is a cook’s best friend. I hope I’m making my point here and you’re feeling motivated to dust yours off.
This is not a set it and forget it task
Making caramelized onions takes time and, more importantly, attention. They need to be stirred often to encourage even caramelizing. You need to adjust the heat, especially as they cook down, to prevent burning. There is nothing sadder than spending 30 minutes tending to your onions to have them burn at the end. No one likes a burnt caramelized onion. I’ll admit that I usually stop cooking once the onions are blonde (after about 25 minutes). By this point, the rest of my meal is coming together, and the onions are caramelized enough to taste pretty damn good. Plus, if I’m making Vegetarian French Onion Soup the onions have another 15 minutes of simmering in wine and broth anyhow. When I’m feeling luxurious in my time, I cook them for another 15 minutes or so, but, in my humble opinion, to the untrained palette it’s hard to tell the difference. Once they turn golden blonde, they are already so yummy that you should feel good about serving them.
Get caramelizing!
Once you’ve made caramelized onions and realize that it’s worth the time and the stirring, you just might become addicted like I am. These bad boys are good so many different ways, from Vegetarian French Onion Soup to a burger topping (try them on a Quinoa Black Bean Burger) to a fancy toast (one of my favs is ricotta cheese topped with caramelized onions). Get creative! They really are a wonderful treat. As always, let me know how your Caramelized Onions come out (and how you decide to use them) by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
Caramelized Onions
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
Ingredients
- 6 or more medium to large yellow, white or red onions, peeled and halved
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt to taste
- pinch of sugar (optional: will help bring out the sweetness of the onions)
Instructions
- Place the onions face down on a cutting board and slice lengthwise as thinly as possible, creating half-moons. Alternatively, use a food processor with the slicing disc fitted (I use my 3 mm disc) to slice the onions.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven (choose a wide cooking vessel so that the onions caramelize and don’t steam) heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and season with salt and optional sugar. For the first few minutes stir and flip often with a wooden spatula make sure that the same batch of onions isn’t always on the bottom.
- After about five minutes, once the onions have started to sweat and soften, turn down the heat to medium low (you might even have to cook on low depending on the strengthen of your flame). Stir every 2-3 minutes to prevent onions from sticking and ensure that they cook evenly. As the onions starts to caramelize, be mindful of the heat, lowering if you feel that they are browning too quickly (you want them to brown slowly and not burn). If the bottom of your skillet starts to brown in spots, use the wooden spatula to scrape it clean (you also might rotate the skillet since the heat might not be distributing evenly). Keep cooking and stirring onions until they turn a blondish brown, about 15-20 more minutes. While you can cook your onions longer for a sweeter end result, this is how I like them (they are also perfect at this point for French Onion Soup; link to recipe in notes).
- Optional: For a sweeter, more caramelized onion, keep cooking until onions are a deep golden brown. This should take about another 15-20 minutes. Be sure to pay attention and stir often; you don’t want to burn them after all that work! As they cook down even more, you might need to lower the heat. If you feel they are starting to burn even at the lowest heat, add a splash of water or broth. They are done when they are a unmistakable deep golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.
