If you wonder how to caramelize onions quickly or fast, try this recipe for making easy, quick and perfectly cooked, sauteed, lightly fried or caramelized onions using sweet yellow onions or white onions or red onions as you choose! If you like this caramelized onions recipe, do try this fried cabbage and onions, sauteed, caramelized onions and mushrooms,simply sauteed onions and fried potatoes and onions too!
Caramelized onions are great additions to french onion soup, carrot ginger soups, pumpkin vegetable soups, burgers etc, but you can also simply add them to season rice, pasta, curry, vegetable stir fries etc for great flavor! Caramelized onions also make great vegetable side dishes, toppings for pizza, can be added to tacos, use in sandwich fillings and more!
Whichever onions you use in this recipe, it is easy to make caramelized onions at home using an iron skillet or good quality pan on stove top. The type of onion you use will affect the flavor the caramelized onions naturally, so make sure to choose the onions based on what flavor you need for the recipe. If you use yellow onions, they are slightly sweet in flavor and taste and so you can use that for recipes using mild, sweet flavored onions. The white onions and red or pink onions are not as sweet as yellow onions but they are delicious when caramelized if you want to add them to any recipes that do not want mild onions. Once you have picked the onions that you want to caramelize, you might wonder how to caramelize onions to make the best ever onions.
So in this recipe, you can see the easy, quick method to make caramelized onions in a large good quality skillet or pan on stove top!
How To Caramelize Onions Fast Or Quickly?
Is it possible to caramelize onions fast or quickly?
Yes, it is possible to caramelize faster and quicker, however it also depends on several factors.
If you want to quickly caramelize onions, the best method is to use the minimum required onions to make caramelized onions for a single serving.
If you want to make a large batch of caramelized onions, that will require longer cooking time for onions.
If you use just one large onion and cook the sliced onion in medium heat using good quality iron skillet or pan, you can caramelize the onions pretty fast!
How Long Does It Take To Caramelize Onions?
It takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes usually, however if you want a more darker color for the onions with intense caramelized flavor you may need to cook the onions for upto an hour.
I usually caramelize the onions (about 3 to 4 onions) for about 30 minutes time, but the time may slightly vary based on the size on onions, the heat of the stove, the pan used etc.
If you use only one large onion to make caramelized onion, you can even do it more quickly in about twenty minutes time if you only want a mild caramelized flavor.
However, as the number of onions increase, the cooking time will also increase and also the time will depend on your preferred flavor.
I usually use about 3 to 4 large onions when I make caramelized onions and I take anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes to completely cook and caramelize the onions.
If you use a lot of onions, the it could take so much more time and the process could be difficult so it is best to go with three to four onions at a time if you are in a hurry and if you want to save time, instead of cooking a large batch of onions at a time.
So here is how you can easily make caramelized onions at home!
Ingredients used to make caramelized onions
- onions 3 large sized
- oil 4 tablespoons (may use little more if needed)
- salt adjust to taste
- sugar 1 tablespoon (optional)
- lemon juice 2 tablespoons (or use white vinegar)
How To Caramelize Onions In A Skillet Or Pan On Stove Top?
To make caramelized onions at home, we follow the below steps.
Step by step instructions to make caramelized onions
Slice the onions in thin long slices.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a large good quality iron skillet or pan and add the onions, mix well with the oil.
Cook in low to medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to wilt.
Add salt, stir well to combine with the onions. Continue cooking the onions in medium low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir in between to make sure the onions are not burning at the bottom of the pan and also the stirring will help the onions to caramelize evenly on all sides.
At this point, we are about half way through cooking the onions and the onions should have started browning although it's only a light brown color at this point.
Add lemon juice and if you are using sugar, add that too, mix well to combine with the onions.
Continue cooking the onions for another 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir well, increase the heat to medium and add the remaining oil (2 tablespoons of oil is remaining as we only used 2 tablespoons in the beginning).
Once the oil is added, stir well and cook the onions in medium heat for another few more minutes until onions are caramelized to your preference!
If you want only lightly caramelized onions, you can stop cooking once it has reached that stage.
If you want darker golden brown or intense dark brown color for your caramelized onions, you will need to cook for more time in medium low heat until the desired color is reached.
Always, make sure to adjust the heat as needed between medium and medium low to avoid the pan getting too hot which may cause the onions to burn.
If the onions burn, that can cause bitter taste, so make sure to adjust the heat as needed.
In case the pan gets too hot in between and the onions start sticking, you can reduce the heat to low and cook while you stir the pan so the pan will cool down and the onions won't stick to the pan.
If anytime the onions stick, you may also add a splash of water and mix well if necessary to avoid the onions from burning.
How Long Do Caramelized Onions Last?
Caramelized onions can be kept in air tight food containers and store in refrigerator for about one week. If you store them properly, they do last in the fridge for even few more days. When you are ready to use the onions, just take what you need and heat in the microwave as needed.
How To Caramelize Onions Fast For Soups And More
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice the onions in thin long slices.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a large good quality iron skillet or pan and add the onions, mix well with the oil.
- Cook in low to medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to wilt.
- Add salt, stir well to combine with the onions. Continue cooking the onions in medium low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in between to make sure the onions are not burning at the bottom of the pan and also the stirring will help the onions to caramelize evenly on all sides.
- At this point, we are about half way through cooking the onions and the onions should have started browning although it's only a light brown color at this point.
- Add lemon juice and if you are using sugar, add that too, mix well to combine with the onions.
- Continue cooking the onions for another 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir well, increase the heat to medium and add the remaining oil (2 tablespoons of oil is remaining as we only used 2 tablespoons in the beginning).
- Once the oil is added, stir well and cook the onions in medium heat for another few more minutes until onions are caramelized to your preference!
- If you want only lightly caramelized onions, you can stop cooking once it has reached that stage.
- If you want darker golden brown or intense dark brown color for your caramelized onions, you will need to cook for more time in medium low heat until the desired color is reached.
- Always, make sure to adjust the heat as needed between medium and medium low to avoid the pan getting too hot which may cause the onions to burn. If the onions burn, that can cause bitter taste, so make sure to adjust the heat as needed.
- In case the pan gets too hot in between and the onions start sticking, you can reduce the heat to low and cook while you stir the pan so the pan will cool down and the onions won't stick to the pan.
- If anytime the onions stick, you may also add a splash of water and mix well if necessary to avoid the onions from burning.
Nutrition
Can You Freeze Caramelized Onions?
Yes, if you wish to store the homemade caramelized onions for longer periods than about a week in the fridge where it stays fresh if you store it properly, you may freeze the caramelized onions. If you want to freeze caramelized onions, make sure to transfer them to freezer safe bags or containers or even ice cube trays for smaller portions, and freeze for more time where it could last fresh for few more weeks time.
Are Caramelized Onions Healthy?
Caramelized onions can be made healthy too when less oil is used to make the caramelized onions and you may also need to skip the sugar or other ingredients in the recipe.
In this recipe, I have used 4 tablespoons of oil for 3 large onions but if you wish, you may even reduce the amount a little bit to keep it more healthy.
Also, sugar is an optional ingredient added only for flavor, so you do not need to use sugar if you want to make it more healthy.
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