How to Make Caramelized Onions
These caramelized onions are cooked in a slightly unique way because you use a special ingredient to make the onions sweeter without adding sugar! Use some of the onions to make Caramelized Onion Dip, and store the rest in your fridge for multiple other uses!
Servings: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 3 pounds onions, halved, and sliced through the root end, ⅛-¼ inch thick
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Bring onions, ¾ cup water, oil, and salt to a boil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until the water has evaporated and the onions start to soften, about 10-15 minutes.
- Uncover, and use a rubber spatula to gently spread out and press onions to the bottom of skillet. Cook, without stirring onions, for 30-40 seconds. Stir onions, scraping any fond from skillet, then gently press and spread out onions to the bottom of the skillet again. Repeat this method until onions are softened, well browned, and slightly sticky, 20-30 minutes.
- Combine baking soda and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Stir baking soda solution into the onions at the last minute and cook, stirring constantly, until the solution has evaporated, about 1 minute. If you add the baking soda solution too early, the onions can break up too much and turn into mush. Transfer the onions to a bowl or jar. Onions can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month.
TIPS: Adding baking soda brings out the natural sugars of the onions, ensuring that they’re the sweetest they can be without adding sugar.