How to Caramelize Onions – Without Adding Sugar

Here’s an easy recipe on how to caramelize onions without adding any sugar. All you need are onions, water, and salt to create one of the best condiments.

Caramelized onions add a deep, rich flavor to so many savory dishes. 

Whether it is pizza, sandwiches, frittata, soups, or casseroles, to name but a few, the taste contribution is undeniable. 

The color transformation, from bright white to a golden brown, is equally amazing.  

This old school method on how to caramelize onions creates a rich, deep, sweet flavor condiment with a visually appealing golden brown color. With a time investment of just one hour, once you realize how easy they are to make, you will want to make a batch every week. 

The process

Caramelization is defined as the process by which the browning of sugar occurs. [source]

These sugars, in the form of carbohydrates, are naturally found in fruits and vegetables. 

Fruits like apples, bananas, peaches all make spectacular desserts when their sugars are allowed to heat up and caramelize. 

The same is true for vegetables like carrots, potatoes and of course onions. 

Slow cooking is the key to this process in order for the natural sugars to brown and contribute to a major taste transformation.

Mise en place

There is only one food item to prep for this recipe and that is one pound of yellow onions. If you don’t have a scale, that’s about 3 medium onions. 

That’s it!

Although slicing one pound of onions might sound like a lot, you will see that by the end of the caramelization process, on average this recipe yields approximately ¾ of a cup. 

So pick up your sharpest knife, perhaps a set of goggles and let’s start chopping. 

Place the onion sideways and cut off the stem. 

Then, place it flat on the cutting board and cut in half, from the root to bottom, where the stem used to be.

Keeping the root intake, remove the outer skin. Place flat on the cutting board and make ¼ inch incisions, as close as possible to the root. 

Then simply chop off the root. 

Repeat this procedure until all the onions are sliced.

It’s now time to caramelize onions! 

Instructions

Over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, wide cast-iron pan or large, heavy skillet at least 12 inches in diameter. Swirl to coat the pan.

Add the sliced onions, one-third at a time, and toss in the oil until properly coated.

Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt and stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes or until they start to soften.

Lower the heat to low and cook, uncovered for about 45 minutes or until the onions become very soft, slightly sticky and a deep golden brown. Stir the onions and /or shake the pan every 3-4 minutes. 

If they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon or so of water and simply scrape the bits off. Consider lowering the heat if they start to burn. 

Towards the end of the process, a few minutes before the onions are done to your liking, add 1-2 tablespoons of water, stock or wine to de-glaze the pan. When the liquid evaporates, they are done. 

Use immediately or cool to room temperature and refrigerate for up to three days or place in an airtight container, cover and freeze for up to one month.

Tips

• One pound of yellow onions = 3 medium 
• Make soup stock with the unused outer skins. Simply freeze until you have enough vegetable scraps to make a flavorful broth. 
• Keep the root intact in order to hold the layers of the onion in place. This makes it easier to slice evenly.
• Use a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, at least 12 inches in diameter. This encourages the water accumulation, released by the onions, to evaporate quickly. This, in turn, provides the perfect environment for the onions to caramelize properly. 
• Add salt at the beginning.  This helps draw out the moisture from the onions. 
• Use low heat and stir. Do not be tempted to increase the temperature to speed up the process. 
• Use stock or wine to de-glaze the pan instead of water to release the onion bits stuck on the pan.

The best onions to caramelize

When given the choice of which variety of onion to caramelize, keep in mind that each variety will contribute a slightly different taste. Whether it is the yellow, red, or sweet variety like the Vidalia, experiment to see which you prefer. You might also try mixing different varieties. 

A non-stick skillet vs cast iron pan

Using a cast iron or heavy pan, which is recommended, creates those little brown bits throughout the onion caramelization process. Deglazing these flavorful morsels stuck at the bottom of the pan contributes a whole lot of flavor to the final product. In comparison, a non-stick skillet can be used but the overall flavor is inferior. 

Recipe source

As you can well imagine, caramelized onions were not the food of my childhood.

In fact, it wasn’t even a part of my teenage years nor my young adult life.

Yes, I am embarrassed to say that I was late to appreciate the miraculous transformation of onions.

Thank goodness for the Food Network!

Do you remember when you were first introduced to the magic of caramelized onions? 

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Maria

★★★★★ If you use this procedure to caramelize onions, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!