Let’s talk grilled onions, shall we?
It still blows my mind that such a strong vegetable (onions are vegetables, right?) can cook down to something so sweet and caramelized. It completely transforms the flavor.
I love sauteed grilled onions on my burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, even on my salads. But they have to be cooked just right. The first few times I made grilled onions it was a disaster. As in, the smoke detector went off and I was left with a pan full of charred remnants of what used to be an onion. It may have looked like I was crying, but that’s only because I was slicing up a new onion to start the process all over again, and slicing onions make my eyes water like crazy.
So to help you avoid my same mistakes, here is exactly how I make grilled onions so they turn out perfect every time.
I think grilled onions taste way better when they’re cooked in butter. But you have to make clarified butter, otherwise the milk solids burn and therefore your grilled onions will taste burnt. Just let the butter foam up, tilt the pan, and scrape off all the white foam.
The easiest way to get all the onions to fit in the pan is to cut the onion a little less than 1/2″ thick, and just lay those slices right in the pan. If you were to break all the rings up it’s almost impossible to fit, and your onions will cook unevenly. After they’ve cooked for about 45 minutes, they’re soft enough to break up and all fit.
The whole process takes 90 minutes, but by cooking them on the lowest heat possible for so long gives you perfect, evenly cooked grilled onions that are soft but still have the slightest hint of firmness in the middle.
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Exactly How I Make Grilled Onions
Prep Time: 5 mins- Cook Time: 90 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins
Yield: 2 people 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into thick slices a little less than 1/2″ thick
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add in the butter, and cook until the butter begins to foam. When it begins to foam, tilt the pan and scrape off all of the white foam until you are left with clarified butter.
- Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, and add in the onion slices (do not break apart the rings of onion).
- Leaving the pan uncovered, cook the first side for 30 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for another 15 minutes. At this point the onions should be soft enough to break apart the rings and cook in an even layer. After you have broken up the layers, add a pinch of salt. Continue cooking on the lowest setting uncovered for another 45 minutes, stirring roughly every 5-10 minutes. In the end you want the onions to be very soft with the slightest hint of firmness in the middle.
- Serve warm or cold. Will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Nutrition
- Calories: 125
- Sugar: 4.5g
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: <1g
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Mimi says
April 2, 2014 at 4:54 amA great tutorial!
Sarah@WholeAndHeavenlyOven says
April 2, 2014 at 5:27 amI love caramelized onions! This is an awesome tutorial, Natalie. I will definitely be trying this next time I make caramelized onions! — They’re so good piled high on hamburgers— Yum!
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
April 2, 2014 at 6:26 amAnd then you pretty much just eat them like jam over anything. Haha. I’m a weirdo like that. LOVE LOVE LOVE caramelized onions.
★★★★★
Kelly - LEFT SIDE OF THE TABLE says
April 2, 2014 at 9:45 amWhat a great technique and thing to know! Slow cooked, grilled, carmalized onions are so worth the time! Glad you showed the best method to make them. They really are that addition to any dish that makes it something more! I think sometimes people try and speed up the process of something that is meant to cook slow, which is definitely these onions. Thanks for sharing ;)
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
April 2, 2014 at 10:13 amThanks for this useful little snippet, Natalie! I didn’t know that the onions needed 90 mins … I bet they are so beautifully sweet after all that buttery pan treatment!
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
April 2, 2014 at 12:09 pmI’m convinced! I usually caramelise mine for 20 minutes, but this 90 minute grilling method looks insane! I am in love with the sweet taste onions get after being cooked down, I just did it on Monday. I’m going to try this out – thanks Natalie!
Pam says
April 2, 2014 at 12:13 pmOne of my very favorite things on earth… I could eat them on anything. Great tip about the butter!
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
April 2, 2014 at 1:54 pmHave I ever explained my love for onions? Oh so good. I wish I could smell them now.
Have a beautiful Wednesday!
cheri says
April 2, 2014 at 2:24 pmGreat instructions Natalie, I love caramelized onions and only tried making them once, it wasn’t pretty.
Brooke says
April 2, 2014 at 6:28 pmOh Yum! I love caramelized onions. We make them at least once a week but I’ve never had a real method, so sometimes they’re great and sometimes they’re…well you know how that goes! I’m definitely going to try this out!!
Kelly @ The Pretty Bee: Cooking + Creating says
April 3, 2014 at 6:29 pmThanks for this detailed tutorial! I love carmelized onions, they are so fantastic on burgers!
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
April 4, 2014 at 6:33 amLOVE grilled and caramelized onions. I’ll gladly eat them out of the pan :)
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
April 4, 2014 at 7:40 amAwesome step by step tutorial. :)
Corina |Wine Dine Daily says
April 6, 2014 at 5:33 pmThank you for this great tutorial, Natalie! Love caramelized onions and yours look so sweet and buttery.
C
★★★★★
Ashley @ My Midwest Table says
April 7, 2014 at 7:47 amJust catching up on blog life. Whew! It’s been awhile. :)
Caramelized onions are the perfect addition to a lot of recipes. Love the flavor! Great idea to do a post just about them! Simple and delicious!
Kelly says
April 16, 2014 at 6:31 amI love caramelized onions! This is such an awesome tutorial Natalie and yours look perfect and so tasty:)
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James Dunton says
July 1, 2019 at 12:10 pmWow! I just made this recipe using a large white onion. The taste was out of this world. I can’t wait to try it with a yellow onion. Thank you for sharing.
Natalie says
July 5, 2019 at 12:23 pmI’m so happy to hear that! Thank you James!