Making Caramelized Onions is way easier than you think with minimal ingredients and your going to use them for ALL the things. They’re jammy and sweet, and they make everything extra delicious!
These Caramelized Onions make my heart go pitter patter. They are like candy! I make them as an accompaniment to New York Strip Steaks, but I seriously could and DO eat these by the forkful. I don’t have very many staples in the house, but these caramelized onions are definitely one of them. Once you give them a try, you’ll get it!
Why You MUST Make These Caramelized Onions
Caramelized onions are magic!
- Just 5 ingredients. And two of those ingredients are salt and pepper! These onions don’t need a lot of ingredients to add big flavor to any meal.
- Caramelized for real. Some people confuse sautéed onions for caramelized onions, but there’s no comparison! These caramelized onions are truly caramelized, making them jammy and sweet.
- Versatile. You can use these caramelized onions as a condiment on a sandwich or Italian Cheeseburger, put them on top of steak or chicken, top them on a salad or add them to crostini. There are endless ways to put them to use!
What You’ll Need
These caramelized onions have a short and sweet ingredient list! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Sweet onions – You can also use yellow onions if that’s what you have on hand. Shallots can be caramelized too!
- Olive oil – Any cooking oil will work, but I like olive oil.
- Salt and ground black pepper – I like using freshly ground black pepper for the best flavor.
- Butter – This adds a nice richness to finish.
How to Make the Best Caramelized Onions
Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Get started. Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add the olive oil and onions.
- Sauté. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
- Sweat. Keep cooking! The onions will begin to sweat and release their liquid. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 12 minutes more.
- Soften. Reduce the heat to medium and keep cooking for about 15 minutes more, until the onions are very soft and browned.
- Add butter. Stir the butter into the onions until it melts.
- Finish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Your caramelized onions are ready to use or store for later!
Tips and Variations
I’ve got a few more pointers for making perfect caramelized onions.
- Don’t rush the process. Caramelized onions take time! That’s the difference between sautéed onions and caramelized. Just keep cooking until the onions are jammy and sweet. If the pan gets dry, you can add a splash of water to keep the onions from drying out.
- Cut the onions thinly and evenly. A mandoline slicer is the best way to do it. Thin slices soften faster!
- Use a big pan. The onions will cook down, but at the beginning of the recipe, there will be a LOT and you need to have enough room to stir often.
- Add balsamic vinegar. I love adding balsamic vinegar to caramelized onions for a little extra depth and tanginess. Add a few splashes with the butter and cook until the vinegar is syrupy and thick.
How to Use Caramelized Onions
There are so many ways to use caramelized onions! I stir them into jarred pasta sauce for extra flavor and we love using them as a topping for burgers (they’d be amazing on these Zesty Chimichurri Burgers). Add them to a grilled cheese sandwich, use them as a topping for Skirt Steak Tacos, or swap them for the crispy onions in Green Bean Casserole.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Transfer the caramelized onions to a jar or airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You can also freeze caramelized onions in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
- To reheat: Warm up the onions in a skillet over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
More Recipes for Onion Lovers
Caramelized Onions
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Condiments, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
You’re going to use these Caramelized Onions for ALL the things. They’re jammy and sweet, and they make everything extra delicious!
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to medium high heat.
- Add olive oil and sliced onions to the pan.
- Saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- The onions will start to sweat and release liquid in the pan. Continue to cook and stir for another 10-12 minutes, to be sure they don’t burn or blacken.
- The liquid should be evaporating from the pan at this point. Reduce the heat to medium, continue to cook and stir for another 15 minutes. They will start to look slightly brown.
- Add butter to the pan, stir into the onions until the butter is completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve or store in a air tight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 73
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 305 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 4 mg
26 comments on “Perfect Caramelized Onions”
Made these for pizza night, so good! Used leftovers in mac and cheese, and. on plant-based burgers. Thank you for this excellent recipe!!
Ohhhh yes that sounds delicious on pizzas! These are my absolute favorite!
Made these tonight! Outstanding.
Oh they are by far my favorite!
Hi Krista, I have been making caramelised onions for a long time now and have never thought of using red onions. Stupid me, Red onions seem to make them sooooo much better and there is no brown sugar added.
Love this recipe, thanks
I know right! The red onions are the key! They are sweet already, ah-mazing! So glad you liked them Andrew!
I LOVE caramelized onions, especially on sandwiches, in pasta, on pizza..pretty much everywhere! I loved that you added balsamic, I can imagine that it adds a lot of flavor.
Right! They are the best culinary invention ever! That and ice cream. 🙂
You are so beautiful Krista. I just love your heart and how passionate you are about other people! I didn’t picture myself blogging either….I didn’t even know what it was really. But I am so grateful that God led me to it and that I found your blog because you are such an inspiration!
It may not have been what you pictured but you do it so well!
You are too sweet Mariah and totally made my day! Thank you so much girl and right back at ya! Its so fun where life leads us, who it leads us too, and how different gifts come out of us that we never knew we had until we start living what God designed us to do!
Caramelized onions are one of the greatest toppings ever! Yours look and sound fantastic, great job as usual 🙂
They are right! Totally my favorite topping! Thanks Eric!
That does sound like a cool job – the admin assistant! I wanted to be a real estate investor. I even have a degree in finance. But then life got in the way and God put me in a different place. I’m happy where I am and I am even dabbing in real estate. And these onions look amazing lady! I’ll have to try them soon!
Real Estate Investor! That sounds awesome!!! How fun and love that you are still dabbling in it a bit! 🙂
Thanks girl, hope you like them! (well.. i know you will hehe)
I totally understand the community need! For my “real job” , I am a Dietitian for a University and it’s the BEST job ever. I love working with college students, they are such an incredible population. These onions look SO good! Cannot wait to try them, especially on veggie burgers this summer!
They are an incredible population! Most are eager to learn and going through alot at that time so very moldable… at least i know I was at that time! 🙂
Love that you are an RD! I thought about going back to school to become a dietitian. 🙂
So fun to hear about your college experience! It is so crazy how things usually don’g go as we thought they would. These onions look so good!! I would pile them on everything!
It is fun how life surprises you in the best way possible! 🙂
Thanks so much Cate, pile away!
You and I are on the same wavelength! I killed an entire pan of these last week… SO GOOD!
I know I liked you for a reason! Foodie sole mates. 🙂
Who would think that something so delicious could be made with just 5 simple ingredients? This recipe is a must try.
Right!! Soooo good!
Ahhhh! First off, beautiful! Secondly, balsamic vinegar is my go-to in caramelized onions! I always tell myself I am not going to caramelize my batch of onions for a recipe, but I always put in the extra effort because they are THAT good!
Thanks Kacey! And you are so right, they ARE that good.. totally worth the extra effort!
It’s funny where life takes you, huh? There is no major in college for “food clogger” 🙂 I just want to face plant in this bowl!
I know.. love how life surprises you! 🙂