1-ingredient burnt onions recipe! Here’s how to make flavorful skillet blackened onions in just 20 minutes. Top them on soups, stews, burgers, or enjoy as a side dish.
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Hi, Rhubarbarians! Have you tried burnt onions? They are super flavorful and delicious!
Yep, you read that right. We are burning onions ON PURPOSE. You may be skeptical, but blackened onions are more versatile than you might think.
Top them on soups, stews, lentils or beans and rice, burgers, anything that could use some savory charred onion flavor.
What do burnt onions taste like? Burnt onions have a sweet taste along with a pleasant bitter char flavor around the edges. The combination is wonderful atop rich, hearty dishes.
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Why you'll love these
If you like caramelized onions, give onions a bit of a burn instead! It's much quicker and easier than caramelizing onions.
Blackened onions are full of sweet and pleasantly bitter flavor and are great to add as a garnish or topping to many savory dishes. Anywhere you would use caramelized onions, you'll love the flavor of burnt onions!
What type of onions are best?
Any type of onion will char nicely, but the best onions for burnt onions is the simple yellow onion.
Yellow onions have a strong onion flavor but become sweet when cooked. The perfect balance of onion flavor and sweet flavor!
Ingredients and equipment
Here is everything you need to make perfectly burnt onions at home. Full ingredient amounts with instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
Ingredients:
- Yellow onion. Yep, that's it!
Equipment:
- Skillet. Cast iron skillet is best.
- Stove top or cook top.
- Stirring utensil. I like to use metal tongs.
Step by step instructions
Here is a step by step guide to making skillet blackened onions at home. Full instructions with ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
- Slice your onions. Don't make the slices too thin, as you want burnt edges with soft, sweet middles of the slices.
- Heat a skillet over fairly high heat.
- Add the onions, and let them cook!
- Stir them fairly often, but not so often that they don't get a chance to char.
- When the onions start to dry out and shrivel slightly, start stirring them more often.
- When you see the onions with a bit of char on the edges, they are done. Any longer and they will be too burnt.
- Remove from the heat and remove the onions from the skillet.
- Use as a topping for savory dishes.
- Enjoy.
Serving suggestions
Burnt onions are best when served as a condiment or topping on savory dishes. Rich and hearty soups, stews, lentils or beans with rice, etc are perfect with the flavor of burnt onions.
They are also great on salads, sandwiches, burgers, eggs, so many savory dishes!
Anywhere that you would use caramelized onions or crispy shallots, try burnt onions!
Recipes to serve with burnt onion:
- Vegan split pea soup with dill and burnt onions
- Mujadara (Middle Eastern lentils and rice)
- Cauliflower quinoa burgers with mushrooms and onion
Recipe tips and substitutions
- If you'd like to char the onions in some fat, I recommend oil over butter. Butter will burn at high heat. Use an oil that has a high smoke point like canola oil.
- A cast iron skillet is best for getting the char on the onions, but any pan that can handle high heat will work.
- I recommend at least ½ an onion per person as a serving. This is just enough for a small topping. Use more onion if you'd like larger servings.
- Don't make the onion slices too thin, as you want burnt edges with soft, sweet middles of the slices.
- Add a bit of flour and a bit of oil to the pan for crispy, fried onions.
FAQs
According to Epicurious, it's the Maillards. "Charring food takes the Maillard reaction to its furthest possible conclusion—the longer a food is cooked, the more pronounced and complex that caramelized flavor can become."
Burnt onions have a sweet taste along with a pleasant bitter char flavor around the edges. The combination is wonderful atop rich, hearty dishes.
More recipes with onions:
- Savory spring onion dutch baby
- Cheese tortellini with caramelized onion sauce
- Asparagus pasta with caramelized onion sauce
- Roasted spring onions with dill butter and lemon
- Split pea soup with blackened onions
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
1-ingredient burnt onions
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions sliced
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion slices and saute, stirring often but letting the onions char, until just the edges are blackened and crispy, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve as a side dish or as a topping.
Notes
- If you'd like to char the onions in some fat, I recommend oil over butter. Butter will burn at high heat. Use an oil that has a high smoke point like canola oil.
- A cast iron skillet is best for getting the char on the onions, but any pan that can handle high heat will work.
- I recommend at least ½ an onion per person as a serving. This is just enough for a small topping. Use more onion if you'd like larger servings.
- Don't make the onion slices too thin, as you want burnt edges with soft, sweet middles of the slices.
- Add a bit of flour and a bit of oil to the pan for crispy, fried onions.
Nutrition
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