If you have ever wondered what the best way to caramelize onions is then you have come to the right place. Take your time, be patient and with just a handful of ingredients, you are going to have the best balsamic caramelized onions that can bring a dish from average to all kinds of amazing.
Balsamic Caramelized Onions
Balsamic caramelized onions can really take a dish from ok to OMG amazing. It is definitely worth the time it takes to babysit them on the stove to get it just right.
And it's not that hard. All you will need is a heavy-based saucepan and:
- thinly sliced onions
- olive oil
- salt
- balsamic vinegar glaze
That's it.
You heat the oil, add the onions and a dash of salt. Stir to combine and spread the onions out over the base of the saucepan. Let them cook and cook and cook while you occasionally stir and scrape up any stuck bits.
After around 20 minutes add the balsamic glaze. Stir. Cook cook cook again and you are good to go.
Trouble Shooting
A lot of little things can happen depending on how thinly you have cut the onions, how hot your stovetop gets and how good your saucepan is.
My onions are sticking: try adding a little bit of water or a little more oil and giving everything a good scrape to make sure nothing gets too burnt sticking to the pan. You may also want to reduce the heat, all stovetops are different so yours may run a little hotter than others.
It's been 40 minutes and my onions aren't brown enough yet: just keep cooking. Maybe try turning the temperature up a little.
My mum/grandma/great-aunt adds sugar: I know traditionally a lot of people do add sugar to their caramelized onions but I have never felt the need to. The natural sugars from the onions do the job just fine and the balsamic glaze adds a nice little boost of flavor whilst deglazing the pan.
Can I Make Caramelized Onions On The Grill/BBQ
Yes, you can.
The consistency isn't as good as those made on the stove-top and they can sometimes tend to get a wee bit mushy, but if you keep your eye on them they can make camping food taste so much better.
Simply add the onions, salt, and oil to a foil packet made with heavy-duty aluminum foil (I really don't like cooking with aluminum foil, but seeing as I don't do this very often I make the exception occasionally). Leave a little hole at the top for steam to escape.
They take close to an hour on the grill/BBQ, and you are going to want to stir them after about the first half-hour.
How To Store Caramelized Onions
Easy.
Just pop into a glass jar or container with a lid and store in the fridge for a couple of days.
You can also freeze them in individual portions in ice cube trays, muffin tins or freezer bags to have on hand for a weeknight meal when you don't have the time to make a whole batch.
I usually pop mine into an ice cube tray, freeze and then remove from the tray and keep stored in a freezer bag. This prevents big clumps sticking together.
Now You Have These Delicious Onions What Are You Going To Do With Them?
Don't worry, we have LOTS of recipes for you to use up these little morsels of deliciousness and make sure none go to waste:
- Mini Brie Bites With Onion Jam
- Add a nice dollop to the top of this Cauliflower Mash
- Caramelized Onion, Cheddar and Potato Pierogies from Or Whatever You Do
- Caramelized Onion Dip from The Love Nerds
- Throw it on a pizza (make your own bread machine pizza dough)
- Add it to the top of a steak
- Stir through some mashed potatoes
- Add it to your next batch of homemade bread
- Delicious on top of your morning eggs
Happy Eating.
xx
Recipe
Balsamic Caramelized Onions
Equipment
- Heavy based saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 large brown onions
- 4 tablespoon olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
- 2 tablespoon balsamic glaze
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the onions, cut in half and place the onions cut side down on a chopping board. Slice each onion as thinly as you can.
- Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a heavy-based saucepan (how much oil is needed is going to depend on the size of your pan). Heat over med-low heat until shimmering.
- Once shimmering add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt to the saucepan and mix to ensure they are covered with the oil. Spread the onions over the base of the pan.
- Leave the onions to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure to scrape up any bits sticking to the pan and incorporate them back into the mixture.
- At this point, you want to add in the balsamic glaze. Drizzle it over the onions and then stir to incorporate, making sure to scrape up any bits again. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the onions have become soft and a deep golden brown in color then they are ready. Remove from the heat and store in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Flo whitehead says
on cooking these up to add to the cheeses &onion whirl recipe, colouring up beautifully!!!
Tushar says
I am glad to read this article. Balsamic caramelized Onions are very tasty to eat. Thankyou
Toni says
This is really awesome! Thank you so much for the tips!
Dorothy Reinhold says
I wish I had some of these waiting in the fridge at all times! So many amazing uses.
Liren Baker says
So many great ideas for using caramelized onions!
Nellie Tracy says
Seriously love these! They're so versatile. Such a great recipe!
Donna says
Glad you enjoy them as much as we do 🙂
Robin says
These were just what I needed. The onions were perfect on steak.
Donna says
Oh yay I am so glad you liked them, my hubby LOVES them on his steak as well!