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How to Caramelize Onions

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I think anyone who cooks should know how to caramelize onions. Not only is it super easy, but they are incredibly delicious and can be used to greatly enhance hundreds of recipes. There are many ways to make them and my favorite is to use clarified butter. Caramelized onions in a small white bowl with some hanging over the sideWe’re creating an unbelievable, intensely rich, sweet flavored, caramel-colored, spreadable delicacy.

Some might say it’s like gold. And others might say it’s like candy. Either way, what everybody is trying to say is that they’re super, super special!

We’re going to learn how to caramelize onions.thinly sliced onlins on cutting board

There are Many Different Ways to Caramelize

  • You can caramelize onions in 15 minutes, by browning their surface quickly.
  • You can also use methods where you caramelize them in thirty minutes.
  • It can be done in the oven, on a grill or on the stove.
  • You can caramelize onions in olive oil, butter, clarified butter, bacon fat — really most fats.
  • You get my point — there are many ways to do it, and different results can be reached with each one.

I’m going to share a method in which we’ll learn how to caramelize onions very slowly on the stove. . . drawing all of their natural sugars to their surface.

I love watching a pot full of bright white onions slowly switch to contain only a slim layer of deep caramel, cooked onions. It’s a little like magic!four images of different stages of caramelizeing onions

What makes these caramelized onions special?

Although you can use olive oil, I love using clarified, unsalted butter to caramelize my onions. It adds flavor and the final result is almost spreadable.

Why clarified, unsalted butter for caramelized onions?

Butter has essentially three parts: butterfat, water, and milk solids. Milk solids can burn easily — even at a low temperature. When butter is clarified, the milk solids (and water) are removed and all that remains is the butterfat. This creates a higher smoke point, which makes clarified butter ideal for cooking and sautéing.

For cooking, I always prefer to use unsalted butter. You have more control over the final seasoning and flavor this way.

(Detailed instructions for how to make the clarified butter and caramelized onions are below.)

Top view of caramelized onions in a small white bowl with some hanging over the side

Uses for Caramelized Onions

  • Using this method, the onions become spreadable, making them perfect to add to a sandwich or a pizza.
  • The onions are perfect to add to bite-sized hors d’oeuvres, soups, stews, and sauces, and perhaps — on occasion — to a spoon!

update October 2019: This was originally published in 2011 and has been updated with new images and information.

Yield: 3/4 cup

How to Caramelize Onions

Top view of caramelized onions in a small white bowl with some hanging over the side

I think anyone who cooks should know how to caramelize onions. Not only is it super easy, but they are incredibly delicious and can be used to greatly enhance hundreds of recipes. There are many ways to make them and my favorite is to use clarified butter.

Prep Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours
Difficulty easy

Materials

  • 3 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tools

Instructions

  1. Add the butter to a large heavy-bottomed pot and turn the heat to low. Melt the butter. Melted butter in a pan with red handle
  2. Use a metal spoon to remove the milk solids from the surface.Melted butter in a red-handled pot with a metal spoon
  3. They will appear as a creamy colored foam. This is essentially a quick way to clarify the butter. Melted butter in a pot with a spoon above it holding the milk solids The butter should appear clear once the milk solids are removed. It's okay if a few spots remain.Clarified butter in a pot.
  4. Turn the heat to medium-high and add all of the onions. Thinly sliced onions in a large red-handled pot
  5. The caramelization process will take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. During the first 15 minutes, stir the onions every few minutes (I like to use metal tongs at this early point). After about 30 minutes, they will look something like this: Caramelized onions in a large pot with red handles
  6. After this point, the onions should be periodically stirred with a wooden deglazing spatula and the heat should be turned down to medium-low. Every so often the bottom and sides of the pan will begin to brown. This is what you want! Use a wooden deglazing spatula to work that back into the onions. After about 1 hour, 15 minutes, they will look something like this:Caramelized onions in a pot When the onions are done, they will be very soft, golden brown, and very sweet.
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's how to season to taste.)
© Valentina K. Wein
Project Type: cooking / Category: Comforting Savory Recipes
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Comments

  1. Shef from Shef's Kitchen says

    I love your description of eating it with a spoon! I also haven’t tried caramelizing onions yet with ghee (you doing it with clarified butter reminded me of that). I use caramelized onions in a perhaps unusual way: garnishing chicken biriyani! Great post and great step by step directions!

    Reply

  4. Lia says

    Trying it tonight. Going to make some savory Bacon, onion, Ranch dip… these caramelized Onions are KEY. thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

  10. Eha says

    Huge smile – If one is born in Scandinavia or the Baltics learning to caramelize onions is probably the first thing a little 4-5 year old would be cook is taught to do ! With the abysmal lack of spices and only a few herbs in use, what else would bring on the flavour ?! Admittedly, as a nutritionist, one uses the methodology less often in this day and age but for me it usually is a matter of half butter and half oil . . . . smiling memory that for many years as a child I thought that ‘sibulaklops’, ie beef escalope topped with caramelized inions, was the only decent way to cook beef outside the meatball or -loaf route 🙂 !

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Eha, I love that little kids were learning how to caramelize onions, and as a way to flavor. I often use have butter and half oil, too — or sometimes just the olive oil. All depends on my mood. ;-)Thank you for this fun comment. ~Valentina

      Reply

  11. David @ Spiced says

    Caramelized onions are an amazing thing! They’re such a great ingredient for soups, burgers and other comfort foods. Have you ever tried adding a tiny bit of sugar? I learned that trick from a chef friend years ago. The sugar helps kickstart the caramelization process so that it doesn’t take as long. Great post, Valentina! I hope you had a great weekend, my friend!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Hi David. I have tried with a pinch of sugar, but I love the long, slow process and find them so sweet without it. Excellent tip for when you need to save time. I agree, so delicious in soups and burgers! 🙂 ~Valentina

      Reply

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