Caramelized Onions Recipe

Today I’m sharing my favorite caramelized onions recipe.

When I was avidly traveling prior to the pandemic, Brad and I would often live at Airbnbs for weeks or months on end. The funny thing about traveling with nothing more than a backpack is you learn to identify the things you can and cannot live without.

I realized this is an odd introduction for a caramelized onion recipe, but this recipe is one that I wouldn’t want to live without. It’s easy to make and incredibly versatile.

If Brad and I were staying at an Airbnb – anywhere in the world – for longer than three days, I’d always make up a batch of these onions. Traveling, although incredibly interesting and exhilarating, is also absolutely exhausting. And mornings when I woke up, I just wanted to stay in our temporary home, gaze out the window at our temporary view, sip black coffee and eat toasty bread with hummus or cheese and a scoop of my caramelized onions.

Something about it brought me back to lazy mornings in my NYC apartment and for a brief moment I’d feel home.

This recipe reflects my preferred cooking method when I’m in my comfortable kitchen. But, in a pinch I’ve made batches with just onions, fat (butter, olive oil or both) and water.

Add Caramelized Onions to:

• Omelets
• Salads
• Focaccia bread
• Sandwiches
• Pizzas
• Steak
• Pasta

Caramelized onions are quite fool proof and it’s so satisfying when they begin caramelized to the perfect tawny brown. Just don’t walk away with them on high heat or they’ll scorch!

Yield: about 2 cups of caramelized onions

Caramelized Onions Recipe

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These easy to make sweet and savory Caramelized Onions will elevate any dish. Add them to eggs, salads, pizza, pasta, etc for a pop of flavor.

Prep Time 3 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 medium yellow onions, or any type of onion you have on hand
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine, sherry or water

Instructions

1. Peel and slice onions about 1/4 inches thick.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once butter begins to bubble, swirl the pan to ensure the entire surface is coated in the melted butter-olive oil mixture. Add onions.
3. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until all onions are coated in the melted butter-olive oil mixture.
4. Continue stirring onions around pan for about 3 more minutes. Add white wine (or sherry or water) and immediately continue stirring onions for 1 more minute.
5. Reduce heat to medium to medium-low, and stir every 2 minutes until all onions are soft and light brown, about 10 minutes.
6. Remove pan from heat, cover and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Notes

Vegan: to make this dish vegan, use plant-based butter such as Earth Balance or omit butter all together and add an additional 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Check out more of my favorite side dish recipes.