Learn how to caramelize onions in just a few minutes with very little effort for the perfect addition to dips, burgers, tacos and more!
It seems like such a simple thing, right? Well, I’m often asked how to caramelize onions and it’s one of those things I just do, without thinking about. Kind of like how my grandma baked – a little of this, a pinch of that. I realized when trying to explain to my sister that I should share how to caramelize onions in a little more detail. I use them on burgers, grilled cheese, tacos, pizzas, and dips. There’s rarely a week where I don’t have onions cooking to make something fabulous!
The basics for caramelized onions are easy – sliced onions, oil and the secret I rarely see mentioned, a lid on your sauté pan! It’s the key that reduces the need to add more oil.
How to Caramelize Onions:
Slice your onions – I generally use 2 because 1 is never enough. It may seem like a lot, but once they caramelize, they reduce significantly in size. The image above is just one onion, the image below is 2!
Place them in your pan over medium heat. I frequently use my cast iron skillet, but any will do. Drizzle them with vegetable oil, then toss using my secret weapon – tongs. Cover the onions with a lid and let them do their magic for 10 minutes.
Toss the onions, replace the lid and let them continue to caramelize for another 10 minutes.
Optional: add in a tablespoon of brown sugar or 1/2 tsp cayenne to kick it up a notch, but they’re perfectly delicious just as they are. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, when golden brown and soft.
The best Caramelized Onion recipe:
Notes: You may need to slightly decrease your time if you slice your onions thin and you can substitute olive oil for butter, though I prefer vegetable oil.
If you want to save this recipe for later, you can pin it here:
How to Caramelize Onions
Learn how to caramelize onions in just a few minutes with very little effort for the perfect addition to dips, burgers, tacos and more!
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil or butter
Instructions
- Slice onions and put them in a pan over medium heat.
- Drizzle with vegetable oil, then toss to coat. Cover the onions with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir the onions, replace the lid and let them continue to caramelize for another 10 minutes.
- Stir and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, when golden brown and soft.
Recipe Notes
This same technique applies to shallots, too! Some of my favorite recipes with caramelized onions / shallots are:
I’m a huge fan of caramelized onions—and I’ve never thought of using the lid to reduce the need for more oil. Brilliant!!!
The lid works like a charm, I’ve been doing it for years. It also helps reduce cooking time and that helps keep the onions tender not dried out.
So true, Michele! Have a great weekend!
Caramelized onions add so much flavor to so many things. LOVE!
One of my favorite things to put caramelized onions on is grilled cheese… or pretty much any sandwich. 🙂
Yes! It makes them ridiculously good, doesn’t it!
My hubby love carmelize onions, he could eat them all the time 🙂
These look delicious! How long do they last in the refrigerator?
A few days in an air tight container. Enjoy!