Vegan Caramelized Onions

Square cropped image of a small cast iron pan filled with golden brown caramelized onions. Pan sits on a white-grey marble background with a wood dish of salt, sprig of basil and toasted crostini in the back left corner.

This recipe creates incredibly delicious vegan caramelized onions, perfect for adding tons of flavor to all your favorite recipes!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword Vegan caramelized onions

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings Servings

Calories 60kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

2 large onions (white or yellow)
2 tablespoons cooking oil (I use avocado)
¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Instructions

Step 1: Prep Onions

Peel and cut the onions into thin, even slices. Thinner onions cook faster and even slices are important for the best result.
2 large onions
I recommend slicing the onions in half then slicing from root to tip (rather than half-circles) for the most even slices.

Step 2: Caramelize Onions

Warm some vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Add the onions and break apart layers into individual pieces.
Once the onions begin to soften and turn translucent, add salt (feel free to adjust to your taste preferences).
¼ teaspoon salt
At this point, lower the heat to medium or medium-low. Let the onions sit in your pan for 1-2 minute intervals to brown. Every few minutes, toss the onions around to brown evenly on all sides. Do not continuously toss the onions around or cooking will take much longer.
It will take 25- 40 minutes to caramelize your onions. Stop as soon as they’re all lightly golden brown, or keep going until they’re a dark, rich brown color. The darker color is more flavorful.
Towards the end of your cooking process, toss 1-2 tablespoons of water into the pan. This helps the browning lift from the pan and stick onto the onions. This isn’t necessary but I find it speeds the process (use warm water, not cold).

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition