Learn how to caramelize onions perfectly every time! Rich, sweet, and deeply golden brown, they're delicious in soups, dips, pastas, and more.
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT60M
Total time: PT65M
Rating
4.99 stars (66 reviews)
Keywords
Caramelized onions, How to caramelize onions
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium yellow onions (halved and sliced)
½ teaspoon sea salt
Categories
Component
Cuisine
American
French
Steps
Heat the oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until starting to soften.
Add the salt, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 50 to 80 minutes, stirring every few minutes, or until the onions are very soft, golden brown, and caramelized. The timing will depend on the size of your onions and the heat of your stove.
If at any point the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, reduce the heat to low. If the onions aren’t deeply brown after 50 minutes and you’d like to speed things up, you can turn the heat higher to get more caramelization. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
Reviews
Kimberly Fournier on 2026-02-07 17:41:12 (5 stars): First time I’ve ever not burned the onions 🤷♀️😂 thanks for the recipe tips!
Wayne on 2026-01-17 15:54:24 (5 stars): Simple but perfect! Doesn’t take 50 minutes which is nice…maybe 30.
Beverley. Als on 2026-01-17 07:24:24 (5 stars): 5
R.A. on 2025-07-21 12:01:07 (5 stars): I cook 2lbs fresh green beans in instant pot (1c water, bean in steamer basket) on “zero” minutes (they are crispy-done). Then stir the green beans into the hot pan on carmelized onions, adding salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Heat only until onions and beans are well mixed together. Always receive raves about how good the beans are!
Angelo Montana on 2025-07-05 09:38:31 (5 stars): 5
Goodnews Earnest on 2025-07-05 05:05:18 (5 stars): I haven’t try caramelized onions at home before
Susana on 2025-05-25 08:27:45 (5 stars): Absolutely delicious! Took an eternity but so, so worth it!
Brian on 2025-03-29 17:09:26 (5 stars): These onions are amazing. I used ghee instead of olive oil and both yellow and Vidalia onions. Took an hour to cook, but well worth the time spent. On my first attempt, I was impatient and I used too much heat. They weren't as good. Low and slow is much better.
Erin on 2025-03-26 21:01:31 (5 stars): Absolute perfection. Patience makes the difference. This is a new staple in my house as a topping for all meats
Maria on 2025-02-02 16:08:26 (5 stars): Second time making this recipe, and I'll keep making it, because it's insanely delicious! The hardest part is to not eat all the onions before they're done. I'm definitely going to double the recipe next time to give more room for "tasting"!
