Caramelized Onion Brie is a quick and easy festive appetizer. Made by caramelizing onions, baking brie and topping the baked brie with the onions and fresh thyme. This simple combination of gooey melty brie and sweet onion jam is a match made in heaven. Serve with a crisp chilled wine on a Sunday afternoon.
- More brie recipes: the Baked Brie With Red Pepper Jelly, Baked Brie with Garlic, Brie Cranberry Tarts and the Baked Brie with Honey are all about this fantastic cheese.
- More caramelized onion recipes: the Caramelised Onion Sausage Rolls, Caramelised Onion Burger, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Bites and the Caramelised Onion Tarts are a great way to use the Quick Caramelised Onions.
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🤍 Caramelized Onion Brie
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the brie cheese with caramelized onions recipe in the points below:
- Simple ingredients: each of the ingredients needed to make the recipe are available year round and easy to get your hands on at the local grocery store.
- Crowd pleaser: I have never seen someone turn their nose up at a block of baked brie cheese! You won't either 😉👍. With rich flavors and gooey cheese combined we are onto a sure thing.
- Effortless: bringing together this brie appetizer needs only minimal effort. So it is a great choice when time is of the essence but you still want to plate up something fancy with a tasty flavor profile. It is a definite crowd-pleaser that will look like it took you a lot more time than it did!
- Vegetarian: not sure if all of your guests are meat eaters? Then this is a great vegetarian appetizer that won't have you second guessing.
- Flavor packed: both the day and a day after cooking caramelised onions gives your kitchen a perfume that I wish could be bottled! The combination is sweet and savory and offers a range of flavors that many recipes don't achieve! Be prepared to be asked for the recipe 😉👍.
🥗 Caramelized Onion Brie Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the brie appetizer recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Olive oil: we use a little bit of olive oil to start cooking the onions.
- Salt: we add a small amount of salt to season the onions.
- Butter: we use a little bit of butter to ensure that the onions are moist and juicy! This gets absorbed as they cook.
- Balsamic vinegar: an ingredient that not only tastes but also smells amazing! The vinegar helps to caramelised and colour the onions.
- Brown sugar: in addition to the vinegar above, used to caramelise the onion.
- Red onions: great for this recipe as their colour is a nice contrast to the yellow and white of the cheese.
- Brie cheese: we use 1 standard block (brie wheel) of creamy brie cheese for the recipe. The exact size won't make too much difference.
😉 Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- Onions: you can use brown onions in place of the red onions if you wish too.
- Salt: the salt being used to season the onions is optional. Whilst not the saltiest of cheeses all cheese do lean towards a salty flavor so if your not a salt fan, you can omit this.
- Herbs: fresh rosemary is another fresh herb that will work well in place of the thyme.
- Additional extras: for extra protein you can add some cooked bacon or bacon bits on top of the onions if you wish to.
- Fruit addition: or a healthy approach you can add some cut apple slices to the serving platter if you want an additional balance between the cheese and crackers. Or h add some chopped up figs and sprinkle them over the top to serve.
👩🍳 How to Make Caramelized Onion Brie
Here are the step by step instructions to make the brie and balsamic caramelized onions recipe. We start by preparing the onions.
- Slice the onions (Photo 1)
- Separate them into rings (Photo 2)
- Add oil to sauce pan (Photo 3)
- Add the onions (Photo 4)
🍳 Instructions
To make the caramelized onion brie, start by using a knife and cutting board to peel and slice the onions.
Once you have sliced the onions, use your fingers to seperate them into rings like you see in the photos above.
Next we cook the onions. To do this place a large sauce pan onto the stove top add the olive oil and turn the heat to high. Add the onions and let them start to cook. During this time use a wooden spoon to move them around in the pan. After about 8-10 minutes, turn the heat down and then add the butter.
- Add the salt (Photo 5)
- Cook then add the butter (Photo 6)
- Pour in the balsamic vinegar (Photo 7)
- Add the brown sugar (Photo 8)
Next pour in the balsamic vinegar and add the brown sugar like you see me about to do in the photos above.
- Cook till the onions caramelize (Photo 9)
When the onions are ready (20 - 30 minutes) they will look like the photo above.
Now that the onions are done, we move on to baking our brie.
Remove the wheel of brie from the packet and place it onto a piece of baking paper on a baking tray. Then use a sharp knife to score the rind in a diagonal pattern.
- Score the brie surface (Photo 10)
Next place the brie into a preheated oven and bake it for 7-8 minutes.
Once the cook time is up, remove the brie from the oven, gently transfer it to a serving plate, top it with the sweet caramelized onions, sprinkle some thyme over the top and get ready to dive in!😉👌
🍽 Caramelized Onion Brie Serving Ideas
When it comes to serving your baked brie some fresh thyme is a great finishing touch! It pairs well with the flavor of the caramelized onions and adds a few pops of colour also.
Firm crackers that won't break like you see pictured below will allow people to get their dunk on and a cheese knife is a handy thing to have on the plate. Or you can use toasted baguette slices as these have a robust texture.
Add this to the Baked Camembert Platter, Grazing Platter or Olive Platter serve it alongside a chilled glass of pinot gris or pinot noir and call it a night!
If feeding a crowd you can also make the Camembert Cob Loaf and have even more cheese to go around.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
If you have any leftovers 😂 you can place them in a sealed airtight container and keep them in the fridge. They are best reheated before being consumed and should only be kept for 1-2 days.
How to Reheat
Place leftover brie onto a plate (no plastic wrap) and reheat in 20 second increments in the microwave until the cheese appears to have melted again. Test it with the tip of your finger before serving again.
How to Freeze
The brie is not suitable to freeze. Nor is the combination of cooked brie and caramelized onions. The onions once you have caramelized them however, are freezer friendly. Simply let them cool then portion into a ziplock bag, push the air out and stack in the freezer. They can be frozen for up to 3 months and are best thawed then reheated.
💡 Expert Tips & Tricks
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Make ahead: you can make the caramelized onions in advance (ie the day before) if you wish too and then save time on the serving day by simply bringing things together.
- Freezer option: or you can make the onions in advance (fridge for up to 5 days) and freeze them then remove and assemble (give them a quick reheat in the microwave) again to save time.
- Microwave cooking option: or you want to use the microwave instead of the oven for the recipe? No worries, check out the Microwave Baked Brie recipe. It will show you how to take this short cut.
- Do you love using brie in your recipes? Then you might like the Puff Pastry Bites, Brie Grilled Cheese, Baked Brie Bread Bowl, Cranberry Brie or the Brie Croissant 😉👍.
- Homemade condiments: love this idea and want to explore more homemade toppings? Then try the Chilli Tomato Jam or Tomato Bacon Jam.
🤓 Caramelized Onion Brie FAQ's
A wide number of cheeses pair well with caramelized onions. Some top choices are brie cheese, goats cheese or blue cheese.
Both brown onions and red onions work well when making caramelized onions.
Sauteed onions are the kind you will see at a barbecue with sausages and bread. They are onions that have been cooked in oil. Caramelized onions on the other hand are onions that have been cooked in a combination of oil and butter with additions such as brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Caramelized onions take longer to cook than sauteed onions.
Absolutely. Cook the onions a day ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container and top with the brie just before cooking.
😍 More Easy Appetizer Recipes
If appetizers are your thing and you like to have an array of tasty morsels up your sleeve to get the guests satisfied from the get go then I have some more ideas that I know you will love:
- Dip recipes: Green Olive Dip, Spinach And Bacon Cob Loaf, Black Olive Dip, Smoked Trout Dip, French Onion Cob Loaf.
- Finger food recipes: Crumbed Mushrooms, Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates.
- More cheese recipes: Honey Walnut Cream Cheese, Baked Feta With Honey, Honey Pecan Cream Cheese, Cream Cheese Pepper Jelly, Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip, Goat Cheese Appetizer.
- Bread recipes: Slow Cooker Cheese And Bacon Bread, Bacon And Cheese Cob Loaf.
- Meat appetizer ideas: Mini Meatballs, Cocktail Sausage Rolls, Bacon Crackers.
- Festive recipes: Fruit Mince Tarts, Fruit Mince, Brie Croissant, Rum And Raisin Fudge.
It is time to get our caramelized onion brie on my friend! You can also find all of my appetizer recipes, dips and spreads or Christmas recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Caramelized Onion Brie
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 2 large red onions Note 1
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt Note 2
- 20 grams/1 tablespoon butter unsalted, Note 3
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoons brown sugar
Brie
- 200 grams/ 7 oz wheel brie cheese Note 4
To serve
- thyme
- crackers
Instructions
- Onions: use a knife and cutting board to peel the skin and then thinly slice your onions. Once done use your fingers to seperate the sliced onions into individual rings.
- Cook: place a large sauce pan onto the stove top, add the olive oil and then turn the heat to high. Next add the onions and then let them cook using a wooden spoon to move them around in the pan for 8-10 minutes. After this time turn the heat to low, add the butter, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Stir to mix in and then let the onions cook and caramelize on the low heat for a further 15-20 minutes. Stir every now and then during this time.
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Brie: remove the packaging from the brie cheese and place it onto a silicon baking mat. Use a sharp knife to score the top rind in a diagonal pattern. Place it into the preheated oven and bake the brie for 7-8 minutes.
- To serve: remove the baking tray from the oven and use a flat silicon turner slid under the brie to transfer it to a serving plate. Spread the caramelized onions over the top then add the thyme. Place a cheese knife on the plate and add firm crackers for serving.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 - Onions: you can use brown onions or a combination of red and brown onions ie 1 of each if you wish to.
- Note 2 - Salt: this can be omitted if you wish as the cheese does bring a salt component to the recipe.
- Note 3 - Butter: we want to use unsalted butter as a means to not add further additional salt to the recipe.
- Note 4 - Brie cheese: this is a standard size wheel of brie cheese. The recipe does lend itself to a wide range of sizes of wheels. The smaller the wheel, the more onions you will have on top.
Nutrition
Video added December 2024. Music credit: FASSounds. Recipe published September 2024, updated in October 2025 with more tasty tips.
Jenna Cartwright says
The perfect cheese! Combination is good. Next time I think we will make 2 as it was so good..
Adrianne says
Haha I love the idea of 2. Thanks Jenna. I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback 😄.