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    Home » How To (Cooking Techniques) » How to Caramelize Onions

    How to Caramelize Onions

    Oct 2, 2019 · by Valentina · 21 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    You'll love to 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 side

    We'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.

    How to Clarify Butter (Quick Method)

    - Add butter to a heavy-bottomed pot and turn the heat to low to melt the butter. Melted butter in a pan with red handle

    - Use a metal spoon to remove the milk solids from the surface.Melted butter in a red-handled pot with a metal spoon

    -  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.

    For this method of making caramelized onions, the raw onion slices are added at this point.Thinly sliced onions in a large red-handled pot

    (More detailed instructions are below.)

    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!

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

    Recipes with caramelized onions:

    • Mini Red Potato Appetizer
    • Smashed Potato Casserole
    • Stuffed Honeynut Squash Recipe
    • French Onion Mushroom Casserole
    • Grilled Sausage Portobello Mushroom Pizza
    • Grilled Avocado with Egg and Bacon Compote
    Top view of caramelized onions in a small white bowl with some hanging over the side

    Caramelized Onions

    Valentina K. Wein
    You'll love knowing 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.
    Makes about ¾ cup / serving size: about 2 tablespoons
    Print
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 2 hrs
    Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins
    Course Condiments, Ingredient
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 49 kcal

    Equipment

    • large, heavy-bottomed pot
    • wooden deglazing spatula
    • kitchen tongs
    • large metal spoon

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
    • ¼ cup unsalted butter
    • salt and pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Clarify the butter. Add the butter to a large heavy-bottomed pot and turn the heat to low. Melt the butter.
      Use a metal spoon to remove the milk solids from the surface, which will appear as a creamy colored foam. This is essentially a quick way to clarify the butter. (The butter should appear clear once the milk solids are removed. It's okay if a few spots remain.)
    • Caramelize the onions. Turn the heat to medium-high and add all of the onions.
      The caramelization process will take about 1½ 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 should be very soft and the bottom of the pan and some of the onions should be browning a bit.
      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 the deglazing spatula to work that back into the onions. After about 1½ hours, the onions will have reduced in size a lot and be very brown.
    • Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's how to season to taste.)

    Notes

    Calorie count is only an estimate.
    Keywords great for pizza toppings, great for sauces
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shef from Shef's Kitchen

      July 10, 2011 at 4:02 am

      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
    2. averagebetty

      July 12, 2011 at 4:36 pm

      Great photos and step-by-step! I like the clarified butter tip, too! I've always used olive oil...

      Reply
      • valentina

        July 13, 2011 at 6:51 am

        thanks ladies! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Diane {Created by Diane}

      August 21, 2011 at 8:38 pm

      YUMMY! I love caramelized onions, great post!

      Reply
      • valentina

        August 24, 2011 at 4:29 am

        Thanks, Diane! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Lia

      November 18, 2017 at 12:15 pm

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

      Reply
      • valentina

        November 18, 2017 at 9:57 pm

        Thank you, Lia. Oh my goodness, your dip sounds absolutely FABULOUS! Enjoy. 🙂

        Reply
    5. angiesrecipes

      October 02, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      My favourite! I love those back to basics posts. I am going to make some with bacon fat today too. Thanks, Valentina.

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 03, 2019 at 9:53 pm

        Oooooh yummy! Thanks, Angie. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    6. David Scott Allen

      October 03, 2019 at 6:12 am

      Lovely tutorial! I appreciate that you give lots of options for both method and fat!

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 03, 2019 at 9:53 pm

        Thanks, David. I must say, they sure are tasty in bacon fat. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    7. sippitysup

      October 03, 2019 at 8:37 am

      Just like jelly. Sweet and savory onion jelly! GREG

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 03, 2019 at 9:52 pm

        Yep! Thanks for visiting, Greg! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    8. 2pots2cook

      October 04, 2019 at 3:29 am

      So grateful to see how easily this delicacy can be done from scratch ... special thanks for step by step photos. Enjoy your weekend dear ! 🙂

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 04, 2019 at 8:38 am

        Thanks! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, too! 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    9. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop

      October 05, 2019 at 6:31 am

      Your step by step directions are great! Making caramelized onions is such a great idea and I love that these can be done fairly quickly!

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 05, 2019 at 1:19 pm

        Thanks, Kathy. Hope you have a great weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina

        Reply
    10. Eha

      October 06, 2019 at 4:25 pm

      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

        October 07, 2019 at 7:33 pm

        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

      October 07, 2019 at 4:59 am

      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

        October 07, 2019 at 7:09 pm

        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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