• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Go Cook Yummy

  • Browse Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Traybakes
    • Slow Cooker
    • Easy Dinners
    • Baking
    • Sauces
    • Collections
  • Cooking Tips
    • Freeze
    • Substitute
  • Units Converter
Home » How to Caramelize Onions

How to Caramelize Onions

August 14, 2019 by Victoria 11 Comments

Share This Recipe!

4.2K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Last updated on March 28th, 2022 at 06:31 pm

Caramelized onions are one of my most preferred toppings. Why? Because using the caramelized onions, you can transform a regular dish into something special. I can recommend using it to all of those who are in love with sweet and sour food. For me, the best fit for the caramelized onions is used with the meat. The caramelized onions are perfect to use when you are planning to make some burgers for yourself and your friends.

Caramelized onion into a plate

Although, the typical usage of the caramelized onion is near to a roasted slice of bread and a delicate chicken or duck pate. Also, a good idea will be to serve the caramelized onions just on a few slices of traditional Italian focaccia.

This particular taste brings us to classic french cuisine. This recipe is very easy to make, and it will help you to transform regular food into something special.

As simple as it seems, it will take you a lot of patience, because the process of caramelization lasts a little bit. The best part here is that you can make it in a larger quantity, and keep it in the fridge in a well-closed jar.

📌
Caramelized onions on a plate

Quick Tip: When you will start to caramelize the onions, close the door to the kitchen because these caramelized onions have a very strong smell that will fill your entire house.

In This Post: show
1 What ingredients do you need to caramelize the onions?
2 How to caramelize the onions?
3 Card Recipe:
4 How to make Caramelized Onions

How to Cut Onions Without Shedding Tears?

Avoiding tears at all is probably not possible, but I’ll share with you some ideas I’ve heard from others about how you can reduce the effect.

  • Leave the onions for a while in the water. Water will absorb the gas eliminated by the onions, and you can avoid the tears.
  • Wear a pair of glasses. They will cover your eyes and do not let the volatile particles from the onions come directly into your eyes.
  • Don’t use any fans while cutting the onions. A big mistake that many of us are making is that we are turning on the fans to ventilate the kitchen. In reality, the air is in constant circulation, which will lead to the spread of gas and increase the burning sensation in our eyes.
  • Refrigerate the onion before cutting. By refrigerating, you freeze the enzymes from the onions and the sulphuric acid will not be formed when you will chop the onions.
  • Light a candle or a lamp near the chopping board. Because of that, the gas that is emitted from the sliced onions will get drawn towards the flare of the burning fire.
  • Another essential thing: Use a sharp knife. Otherwise, you will press on the onions, which will cause the destruction of more cells and the elimination of more volatile substances in the air that will cause us tears.

Quick Tip: How to clean the onions easier? Put the onion for a few minutes in a bowl with water. This will make the peel soften a little bit, and they will peel much easier.

What ingredients do you need to caramelize the onions?

  • Onions. Obviously. For this recipe, I used yellow onions because I have them in the house. But, if you want to reduce the quantity of added sugar in that recipe, you can replace the yellow onions with the red ones. They are sweeter, and you can add less sugar.
  • Salt.
  • Sugar. You can replace the regular sugar with brown sugar or honey bee. A general recommendation will be to use the sweetener that you are using daily in your food.
  • 1 tablespoon of good quality balsamic vinegar.
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Let’s get started!

How to caramelize the onions?

  1. Choose four medium onions, peel them and if you tear your eyes, as I said earlier, put them into a bowl with water for 10 minutes. This will help you to minimize the tears.
4 onions on a plate

2. Slice the onions into pieces 1/8″ thick. Or, if you want, you can cut the onions into small cubes. As a result, you will get a texture that will be more like a jam.

Sliced onions on a plate

3. Take a non-stick pan and pour the extra virgin olive oil.

Quick note: It’s important to use a cold pan because if you use a preheated one, the onions will start to fry but not caramelize. Our main goal here is to warm gradually the onions, which will allow us to extract the natural sugar from the onions.

4. Put the onions into the pan, add the salt and pepper. By adding the salt and the pepper from the beginning, we will help the onions to eliminate quicker the juice.

Sliced fried onions with pepper

5. Cover with a lid and let it cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. The onions should start to become succulent.

Caramelized onions covered with a lid

6. Take off the lid of the pan, and when all the juices evaporate, the caramelization process will begin. Don’t forget to mix the onions periodically to avoid burning the onions.

Caramelized onions into a pan

7. Add the balsamic vinegar and mix the onions well.

Caramelized onions into a pan

8. Add the sugar, and caramelize the onions for a few minutes to get an easy taste of fried onion, but do not exaggerate. We need caramelized onions instead of burned onions.

Caramelized onions macro view

9. Put the caramelized onions into a bowl and cover them with a towel or a plate. Let the onions to cool down.

Here is the result that I got:

Caramelized onion into a plate

Now you can enjoy this delicious topping that gives a french and refined taste to your favorite dishes. If you plan to use the caramelized onions for a burger, check our recipe of how we made a healthy and delicious burger at home.

Card Recipe:

Caramelized onion into a plate

How to make Caramelized Onions


★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

  • Author: Go Cook Yummy
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 Onions
  • ½ teaspoon of coarse salt or sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
  • 1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Slice the onions into pieces of 1/8″ thick.
  2. In the non-stick pan, put the olive oil.
  3. Drop the onions into the pan and add the salt and pepper.
  4. Cover with a lid and let it simmer on low heat. It should leave juice.
  5. When all the juices evaporate, the frying process will begin — brown the onions a little.
  6. Add the balsamic vinegar.
  7. Add the sugar, and caramelize it for a few minutes to get an easy taste of fried onion, but do not exaggerate. We need the caramelized onions. But not burned onions.
  8. Put the caramelized onions in a bowl, cover them, and let the onions to cool down.
  9. Now you can enjoy this delicious topping that gives a french and refined taste to your favorite dishes.

  • Category: Toppings

Keywords: caramelized onions

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @gocookyummy on Instagram and hashtag it #gocookyummy

We are participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Share This Recipe!

4.2K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Toppings

Recipes You Should Check:

Cauliflower leek potato soup with crackers on wooden table.

Cauliflower Leek Potato Soup

Best 35 Instant Pot Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Close top look of air fryer zucchini chips with white sauce.

Air Fryer Parmesan Zucchini Chips with Garlic

Previous Post: « Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup
Next Post: How to Make Homemade Burger Buns »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle

    August 13, 2020 at 10:59 AM

    Super easy recipe that looks delicious. Also loved the tips about how to avoid crying when slicing onions, some of them were new to me.

    Reply
  2. Lauren

    August 13, 2020 at 11:01 AM

    Look amazing! I’ve been looking for a new recipe to caramelize onions ❤️

    Reply
  3. Alisa Infanti

    January 4, 2021 at 4:50 PM

    I am going to try your candle trick so I can hopefully lose the tears. Love all the tips in this recipe!

    Reply
  4. Jen

    January 4, 2021 at 5:06 PM

    Thanks for the tip about starting with a cold pan. I never knew that’s what I kept messing up on in the past. Worked like a charm!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Claudia Lamascolo

    January 4, 2021 at 5:31 PM

    What greats tips and tricks to make this so easy, I love how you shared all those secrets and thank you will have to make this soon

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Shashi

    January 4, 2021 at 5:39 PM

    Oh my – I swear I can smell these from on this side of my screen! Nothing quite like caramelized onions and yours are caramelized perfectly!

    Reply
  7. Maria

    January 4, 2021 at 5:43 PM

    Very helpful tutorial! Another thing to avoid the tears, leave the onion butts intact.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Marie-Charlotte Chatelain

    January 4, 2021 at 6:07 PM

    Oh these are PERFECT! WOuld totally love to stir them into some sour cream now and call it dinner along with some crackers

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Megan

    January 6, 2021 at 5:33 PM

    Thanks for the tips! For some reason I always have the hardest time with these. I’m a little impatient for them.

    Reply
  10. Nicky

    January 6, 2021 at 7:58 PM

    Thanks!! I’ve always wanted to know how to do this correctly!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Nicolas Risin

    April 7, 2021 at 10:08 PM

    My first time making these tonight hotdogs with melted cheese, caramelized onion, ketchup, and mustard. Delightful!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Happy to Have you there!

Hey, I'm Victoria, the blogger behind the Go Cook Yummy. I'm running this blog with my husband, Alex, where we share our family recipes that actually work. Read more about us...

Latest Recipes

Close look of a plate with air fryer nachos loaded with cheese.

The 17 BEST Air Fryer Nachos Recipes

Close look of air fryer cauliflower steak in panko.

The 18 BEST Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipes

Close details of stuffed mushrooms with breadcrumbs and mozzarella.

The 25 BEST Air Fryer Appetizers

Top view or cooked scallops with chopped green onions.

Can You Eat Undercooked Scallops?

3 Grilled sausages with chopped onions and rosemary brunch on a plate.

Which Is the Healthiest Way to Cook Sausages?

Woman hand holding boiled chicken quarter.

Should You Boil Chicken Before Cooking It?

Copyright © 2022 Go Cook Yummy • Web Stories • Contact Us