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Top view of caramelized onions in a small white bowl with some hanging over the side
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5 from 1 vote

Caramelized Onions

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
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Condiments, Ingredient
Cuisine: American
Keyword: great for pizza toppings, great for sauces
Servings: 12
Calories: 49kcal

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.)
  • *Please note that the times listed could vary slightly, depending on the thickness of your pan and how high or low the heat is.
    Caramelize the onions. Turn the heat to medium-high and add all of the onions.
    The entire caramelization process will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes.
    During the first 15 minutes, stir the onions every couple of minutes (I like to use metal tongs at this early point).
    For the second 15 minutes, turn the heat to medium and continuing stirring, but not as often -- maybe every 4 minutes or so. 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.
    Now lower the heat to low. At this point, the onions should be periodically stirred with a wooden deglazing spatula. 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 1 hour and 15 minutes, 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

*Try your best to use a pot with a very heavy/thick bottom. And be sure it's a pot (deep!) and not a skillet (shallow).
Calorie count is only an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcal