Name: Quick & Easy Garlic Caramelized Onions
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large sweet yellow onions; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 tablespoon salt (I used pink Himalayan salt); 1 small-medium head of garlic

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Learn to make these Quick & Easy Garlic Caramelized Onions at home! These caramelized onions are rich and sweet, golden brown with a touch of garlic! Add them to pizza, pastas, plant-based burgers, soups, dips, and more!

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a skillet of caramelized onions and garlic

Table of Contents

I could grab a fork and eat these sweet caramelized onions right from the pan! And maybe unlike other caramelized onion recipes you’ve seen, mine are ready in 30 minutes. You could let them caramelize longer, but I find them to be perfectly delicious in just 30 minutes.

I wasn’t going to add this recipe to the blog, because I thought… it’s too basic, no?! But by the reaction I got on social media, I decided to dedicate a whole post to these delicious onions.

overhead shot of a skillet of caramelized onions and garlic

The Ingredients

Sweet yellow onions 🧅 . Maybe it’s the sweet yellow onions that allow for less than the normal hour it takes to make caramelized onions, they are already a bit naturally sweeter than regular white onions. You’ll need two large sweet yellow onions for this recipe.

Olive oil. Make sure you use a high quality olive oil. You’ll need 1/4 cup for this caramelized onion recipe.

drizzling olive oil over sliced sweet yellow onions in a skillet

Salt. I like to use pink Himalayan salt. I find the salt flavor to be a little milder and it really brings out the sweetness of the onions! You could of course use regular salt. You’ll need 1 tablespoon of salt for this recipe.

sprinkling pink Himalayan salt over sliced sweet yellow onions in a skillet

Garlic. Adding garlic is optional, but I’m Italian and I add garlic to anything I can 😂. I do really find adding garlic brings the flavor to a new level, not to mention garlic is really healthy for you. I used one medium head of garlic, about 12 cloves.

a skillet full of sliced yellow onions and garlic cloves

How To Caramelize Onions

Slice the onions. First I peel the onions and the. Slice them in half. From there I slice the onions as evenly as possible so that they cook at the same rate.

Sauté the onions. Add the sliced onions, olive oil, salt, and peeled garlic cloves to a large skillet. Be sure you select a good pan at the right size. Cast iron skillets also work well for caramelizing onions. Sauté the onions and over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions soften.

a close up shot of a skillet of caramelized onions and garlic

If the onions start to burn or stick to the bottom of the pan, reduce the heat to low and add a splash of water to deglaze the pan.

Adding water to the pan also speeds up the time it takes for your onions to caramelize, so it’s a good idea to add about a tablespoon or two of water anyway.

The exact timing will depend on the size of your pan and onions, and the heat of your stove, but mine took only 30 minutes. You’ll know they are done when they look like this👇🏻

a very close up shot of caramelized onions and garlic in a skillet

How To Use Caramelized Onions

There are lots of ways to use caramelized onions, but here are a few of my favorite ways to include them into a dish:

On pizza. Adding caramelized onions on pizza has become one of my favorite toppings! You can try them to this kale chickpea sweet potato crust pizza!

In pasta. Specifically my French Onion Gnocchi, but you can add caramelized onions to any pasta dish, they would add so much flavor! You can also add them to your pasta sauce like I did in my Caramelized Onion and Garlic Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe!

On a plant-based burger. Pile them onto these Cranberry Falafel Burgers, for example.

In a salad. These onions would be so good in my Cheeseburger Salad Bowls!

On a sandwich. Maybe even stuffed in a vegan grilled cheese.

In soup. I need to make French Onion Soup… but until I get a recipe for vegan French onion soup on the blog, you can try adding these caramelized onions to my minestrone soup!

What is your favorite way to enjoy to use caramelized onions? Let me know in the comments below!

If you like this Quick & Easy Garlic Caramelized Onions recipe, consider giving it a five rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover it! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make them!