How To Caramelize Onions
Learn how to caramelize onions on the stovetop with this easy step-by-step guide! While it takes some time to properly make caramelized onions, it's super easy and the result is so delicious. Caramelized onions add so much flavor to soups, burgers and dips!
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add the butter (or olive oil) to a 12 inch (or larger) cast iron skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the onions and spread them out evenly in the skillet.
- Cook for 5 minutes, sprinkle the salt over the onions, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- If the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, lower the heat to medium-low.
- Use the onions immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
- Every 1 pound of raw onions will equal approximately 1 cup of caramelized onions.
- Any color of onion will work for making caramelized onions. For even more depth of flavor, use a mix of different colors of onions.
- Caramelized onions can be frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing them in an ice cube tray, or small containers, so that you can simply thaw only what you need for one recipe at a time. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using them in a recipe.
- Always caramelize onions over medium heat, and keep an eye on them. There’s nothing worse than spending all the time to make caramelized onions, and then burning them! It takes a while to caramelize onions, so I know that the temptation is there to turn up the heat, but don’t do it! Just wait it out and keep an eye on them, stirring every 10 minutes during the caramelization process, so that you can make sure they’re never burning. You can also turn the stove down to medium low heat if they are cooking too fast.
- If you ever feel like the onions are starting to burn at the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down slightly and deglaze the pan with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Use a spatula to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom and continue to watch the onions to make sure they don’t burn.
- Always use a cast iron skillet, or dutch oven, when caramelizing onions. A cast iron skillet will get nice and hot, and maintain an even heat during the cooking process. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use the heaviest and largest pan you have available.
- Use a pan that’s big enough for the onions to spread out. If the pan is too small and there’s too many onions in the pan, they’ll steam themselves, instead of caramelize and it will take much longer to cook the caramelized onions. For this recipe, which calls for 3 pounds of onions, I recommend at least a 12 inch skillet or dutch oven, or something bigger.
- Only stir the onions every 10 minutes. Stirring them more than this will not allow them to brown and caramelize in the pan.
- Never slice the onions less than 1/4 inch thick. Slicing onions too thinly will mean that they’re more likely to stick to the pan and burn. Using 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices will prevent them from drying out and burning during the caramelization process.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 282kcal (14%)Carbohydrates 42g (14%)Protein 5g (10%)Fat 12g (18%)Saturated Fat 7g (35%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0.5gCholesterol 30mg (10%)Sodium 496mg (21%)Potassium 666mg (19%)Fiber 8g (32%)Sugar 19g (21%)Vitamin A 359mg (7%)Vitamin C 34mg (41%)Calcium 108mg (11%)Iron 1mg (6%)
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