How to Caramelize Onions in Record Time Without Sacrificing One Ounce of Flavor

We start our caramelized onions in a covered nonstick skillet over high heat with ¾ of cup water. The water and steam help the onions quickly soften. Then we remove the lid, lower the heat to medium-high, and press the softened onions into the bottom and sides of the skillet to allow for maximum contact with the hot pan. Instead of finishing with sugar or honey as many recipes call for, we add baking soda, which speeds up the reaction that converts flavorless inulin (a polysaccharide present in onions) to fructose.

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[garymooney]

If you touch on the title under the window, you'll see "Description" on the side, which says to lower the heat to med-high after removing the lid.

[housestarr]

Just tried this! The onions were perfect. First time I’ve actually gotten onions to actually caramelize. Thank you!

[Robwho]

I don't know why everyone is arguing about the time. I suppose many of you haven't even tried this recipe. I have and they come out amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe.

[toma]

Tried this this afternoon. Worked like a champ. Perfect taste and consistency and no burnt residue like my old method. Easy cleanup. Five stars.

[ccvolcj]

Just made this and have never been so proud of how they came out! I am canning French Onion Soup for the Winter but now I also want to can some of these onions! Thank you!

[edwinearl]

Remember, this is from America’s TEST Kitchen. They probably destroyed 50 batches of onions 🧅 to piece together a solid recipe and technique for a brilliant final outcome. I will try this. Doesn’t look hard. I usually lose patience and you can’t when caramelizing onions.

[breonthibodeaux]

you straight up taught me how to caramelize onions properly. best tutorial on the internet. thank you.

[cheesedude]

If the Baking Soda helps browning, why add it at the end? I add it as soon as the first water is gone, just as the caramelization process starts, speeds it up even more.

[srgareq]

This method is excellent. They come out so sweet it's like onion candy. Love using them in my steak tacos.

[anniesturman]

This recipe is genius. When I made it, no one could tell I didn't spend hours at the stove. Delicious! I put it on sliders for a family dinner. I'm making them again now to put in a recipe that I made once before with sautéed onions. I roast seasoned sliced Cauliflower. Using sourdough bread, I made grilled cheese with havarti, cauliflower, gouda and onions. I buttered the outside of the bread and made this on a griddle. It was great with the sautéed onions so now it will be outstanding!

[PongKingKong]

Used this technique in my culinary class for French onion soup - magic, cut my time in 1/2 while my classmates were still waiting for their onions to caramelized. The soup turned out delicious and nobody was the wiser. Thank you Lan!

[hasanghodrati]

I, too, tried it and this is my first caramelized onions; it worked like a charm! THANK YOU!

[graphicsfxcgy]

I've always used small amounts of water to keep caramelized onions from burning and to lift the fond off the bottom of the pan. But the added step of putting 1/4 cup of water at the beginning and cooking them down (covered) up will definitely speed things up getting them to the softened stage. I've also heard some people talk about adding a small amount of sugar to the onions.

[mikescandif]

I always had a problem with caramelizing onions, I always trust ATK, their recipes work out great. I wll give this a go.

[MongoMan]

I use caramelized onions with my French Onion Soup recipe, about 3 lbs total of sweet and red onions. My homegrown method of cooking onions is similar (the coincidence is really weird), but without the baking soda, uses butter instead of oil, lower heat, and takes 45-60 minutes to complete. This method will help shed time off my cooking process and hopefully minimize the "When is the soup going to be done, that smells so good..." remarks... Thanks ATK!

[ChadNierenhausen]

Love the new format. Tons of info packed into a nice package that wasn't any longer than it needed to be.

[lisale]

Great tip! Used my favorite cast iron skillet. Only had a pound and a half this time around, so cut everything in half. Wish I had more - haha. Smells so good!

[Sternertime]

if you add the baking soda near the beginning of cooking onions, you can turn them into a paste, which is very good in certain recipes

[beacheykeen]

I'm confused though, if baking soda encourages browning, why are you finishing with it? What effect does it have if you only add at the end??

[katiek]

I’m making sausage rolls for Xmas Eve and I’m putting caramelized onions in with it. This technique is what I was looking for. Can’t wait to try.