These Quick Caramelised Onions are packed with flavor and have a delightful sweetness to them. In 30 minutes from start to finish you can have a huge bowl of caramelised onions ready to top your burger, grilled cheese, pizza or cheese platter! To make fast caramelized onions you only need to use a little bit of time to create results that will blow the lid off jarred onions any day!
Recipes like the Crumbed Mushrooms, Roasted Capsicums, Mashed Peas and the Bacon Wrapped Asparagus are all about vegetable sides.
The Skin on Roast Potatoes, Creamy Garlic Potatoes, Potato And Broccoli Bake and the Potato And Sweet Potato Bake are all about potato side dishes.
Did you know: in Australia we call and spell these as 'caramelised onions'. However, in the USA, Canada and other countries who use American English they are known and spelt as 'caramelized onions'. But yes, they are the same thing!
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the caramelised red onions recipe in the points below:
- Simple ingredients: each of the ingredients needed to make the recipe can be sought from your local grocery store. They are year round available ingredients that will be easy to get your hands on.
- Quick and easy: realistically the fastest approach to caramelised onions is using a store bought jar. These take no time at all! However, for juicy and delicious homemade caramelised onions, you need only 30 minutes of your time (including prep) and the results will speak for themselves.
- Versatile: use the onions in a variety of ways! Pop them on a burger, pizza, stirred through pasta, on a Grazing Board or stored in the fridge until a grilled cheese craving hits 😉👌.
- Full of flavor: with balsamic vinegar in the mix, we know we are going to be getting a delicious flavor in the recipe. It is such a fantastic ingredient to cook with and ensures that the onions are flavor packed and delicious.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the caramelised onions 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:
- Salt: we use a little bit of salt to season the onions. Cooking salt is recommended over table salt.
- Olive oil: we use a little bit of olive oil to cook the onions.
- Butter: we add a small amount of butter after the onions have softened to help them stay moist and juicy.
- Balsamic vinegar: the balsamic vinegar helps to create an aromatic depth of flavor in the recipe.
- Brown sugar: this combined with the vinegar is how we caramelise the onions.
- Red onions: my preference when making this recipe. They have a natural sweet flavor. However, you can use brown onions or a combination of both if you prefer.
Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which you can skip down to if you wish 😉👌.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the quick caramelized onions recipe. We start by preparing the onions.
- Slice the onions (Photo 1)
- Seperate into rings (Photo 2)
- Add oil to the pan (Photo 3)
- Add sliced onions to the sauce pan (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Caramelised Onions
To make the caramelised onions, start by using a knife and cutting board to slice the onions into rings. Once done use your fingers to separate these rings out as you see in the photo above.
Next, place a medium sauce pan onto the stove top, add the olive oil and turn the heat to high. Add the sliced raw onions and let the cooking begin.
Stir the onions frequently so that they don't burn and after an initial 5 minutes turn the heat down to medium. Keeping cooking and stirring and the oil will be absorbed so it will look like just the wet onions in the pan. At the 10 minute mark, add the butter and keep stirring.
- Add the salt (Photo 5)
- Cook the onions, 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 then add the brown sugar like you see me doing in the photos above.
Now all you have to do is stir the onions occasionally, moving everything around in the saucepan as you go. Once the onions have caramelised, they will be juicy and moist with no additional liquid left in the pan.
Then you can turn the heat off, remove the softened onions from the pan and put your feet up 😉👍.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
When it comes to using your caramelised onions you are practically unlimited in the number of ways that you can serve them.
Some ideas are on top of a juicy beef patty in a burger, on a pizza, stirred through pasta, on a Grazing Platter, in a grilled cheese sandwich, French onion dip or the Caramelized Onion Burger, Caramelized Onion Brie, Goat's Cheese And Caramelised Onion Tarts or Caramelised Onion Sausage Rolls 😄👌.
Of course, that is just the start of ways that you can use your juicy caramelised onions and the more that you cook with them, the more you will find alternate ways to serve them!
How about in a quiche, in chutney, as relish, paired with hummus and crackers, on baked cheese, in sausage rolls, paired with bangers and mash, pie, gravy or a hot dogs topping!
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Let the onions fully cool. When they have, use a wooden spoon to transfer them into an air tight container. They can be kept in the fridge for 5 days and are best reheated before being consumed.
How to Freeze
Follow the step above to let your onions fully cool then transfer them into the airtight container. Or you can portion into smaller amounts and use sealed, sandwich bags with the air pushed out. These can then be laid flat in the freezer. Caramelised onions can be frozen for 3 months.
How to Reheat
Place the onions into a heatproof bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
Or use them cold on a sandwich as a filling, straight from the fridge.
😉 Substitutions and 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:
- If you want to use white onions or a combination of white and red onions you can.
- If you want to omit the butter you can. In its place, you can add a bit of water as this will re moisturise the pan and ensure that the onions stay moist and juicy.
- Or if you are looking to make caramelised onions without balsamic vinegar, you can simply omit it. No need to use anything in its place.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Thin slices of onions are recommended over super thick slices. If you cut any too thick when getting to the root, these slices can be cut down into smaller pieces to create an array of textures within the dish.
- Re the point above, it is ok to have 'bits and pieces' when it comes to slicing the onions. The only cut approach I don't recommend is fully dicing your onions as then you loose the delight of the long stringy pieces of sweet onions. A bit of both is fine! 😁👍.
- Avoiding burning the onions is key to this recipe. We stir often but not constantly and turn the heat down using the 'low and slow' concept to ensure that the onions are buttery and soft without crispy charred edges.
- Using a combination of an initial high temperature to heat the oil then medium-low temperature to cook the onions is the key to successfully cooking but not burning the onions.
- If you love recipes with onion in them you might also like the Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops, Slow Cooker Curried Sausages, Slow Cooker Pork Chops With Apples or the Slow Cooker Sausage And Peppers 😉👌.
- Or if you love caramelising vegetables then you might also like the Caramelised Fennel.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
You don't need a lid on the saucepan to caramelize onions. So you can make the whole recipe on the stove top with the lid off.
We add salt to season the onions and then brown sugar to caramelize them.
We start with olive oil to cook the onions but then add some butter after the oil has been absorbed to keep the onions moist and juicy.
You don't need to stir the onions constantly however, you need to stir them reasonably regularly so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Yes you can freeze caramelized onions. Simply let them cool, portion into containers or sandwich bags and lay them flat in the freezer for up to 3 months.
😍 More Easy Side Recipes
If you like the sides more than the main (hey me too 😁), then I have some more ideas for you to try out. These recipes work for many occasions and are versatile without being difficult or time consuming to cook.
- Tortilla Garlic Bread
- Garlic Butter Potatoes
- Air Fryer Breaded Mushrooms
- Brown Rice Fried Rice
- Potato And Onion Bake
- Fried Cabbage and Bacon
- Potato And Sweet Potato Bake
- Garlic Pizza Bread
- Microwave Coconut Rice
It is time to get our caramelised onions on my friend! You can also find all of my side dishes, family favorites or quick and easy recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Quick Caramelised Onions
Ingredients
- 4 large red onions Note 1
- 2 tablespoons olive oil Note 2
- 1 tablespoon butter Note 3
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar Note 4
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar Note 5
Instructions
- Onions: use a knife and cutting board to peel the skin from the onions and slice them into thin rounds. Next use your fingers to separate the onions rings and push apart any thick chunks of onion.
- Cook: place a large sauce pan on the stove top, add the olive oil and turn the heat to high. Next add the sliced onions and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring every now and then to ensure that the onions don't burn till the onions soften.
- Butter, sugar and balsamic vinegar: at the 10 minute mark, turn the heat down to medium-low add the butter to the pan, stir as it melts then add both the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar. Keep reducing the heat to low then stir and let the onions caramelise. Allow the onions to cook for an additional 10 - 15 minutes until they are moist and juicy.
- To serve: use the onions as a burger topped, on a cheese platter, stirred through pasta or tart filling.
Notes
- Note 1 - Red onions: my preference when making this recipe. They are naturally sweeter than white onions and allow us to get fantastically sweet (but not overly) tasting caramelised onions. If you want to use brown onions or a combination of brown and white onions, you can.
- Note 2 - Olive oil: we use a little bit of olive oil to cook the onions. For an alternative you can use another neutral flavored oil such as canola, sunflower or avocado oil.
- Note 3 - Salt: we use a little bit of salt to season the onions. Cooking salt is recommended over table salt.
- Note 4 - Butter: we add a small amount of butter after the onions have softened to help them stay moist and juicy. As we are using salt in the recipe as a sperate ingredient, unsalted butter is recommended. If you want to omit the butter, you can add a splash (about 2 teaspoons) of tap water as this will help to create the same effect ie extra moist and juicy cooking environment.
- Note 5 - Balsamic vinegar: the balsamic vinegar helps to create an aromatic depth of flavor in the recipe.
- Note 6 - Brown sugar: this combined with the vinegar and heat is how we caramelise the onions.
- Note 7 - Measurements: an Australian tablespoon is used for the recipe, this measures 20 ml.
- Note 8 - Volume: the recipe will make about 2 cups of caramelised onions.
Belinda says
On a burger sounds great to me. Trying these for lunch.
Adrianne says
Thanks Belinda, enjoy!