15 Onion Recipes to Try

Here’s an onion recipe every home cook should know. How to sauté onions! These easy Sauteed Onions are a building block of the kitchen! You can use them on sandwiches, in grilled cheese, in dips, or even as a side dish. They’re tender, golden brown, and make anything more rich and savory: yet they only take 10 minutes to whip up!

Here’s a skill every home cook should master: how to caramelize onions! Now, you can sauté onions in just 10 minutes. But cook them over the span of an hour, and it releases their natural sugars in a metamorphosis-like transformation. The onions go from raw and pungent to silky smooth and deep brown. The flavor is something other-worldly: sweetly savory, with an irresistibly luxurious texture. They turn burgers, dips, and pasta to pure gold. 

Next up in our onion recipes: pickled onions! If you’ve never tried these, now is the time! These tangy bright pink slivers are a perfect for topping tacos, sandwiches, and salads. They bring a bright zing to a dish that’s unlike any other condiment! Luckily, pickled onions are easy to make: though you have one hour to wait while they "pickle", the hands-on time is only about 5 minutes. Try them on our Mexican Pizza or Quinoa Tacos.

Roasting onions in a hot oven mellows their flavor until its deeply caramelized and sweet. Pair that with a hint of balsamic vinegar and herbaceous fresh thyme, and…just wow! Those simple flavors make an effortless side dish that goes with almost anything.

Here’s a pretty darn perfect onion recipe…if we may say so ourselves. Try these insanely delicious Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions! This recipe is truly exceptional. The amount of savory umami flavor you get from cooking mushrooms and onions with a little butter and Worcestershire sauce…it’s out of this world. Pair it with almost anything for an outstanding meal. They’re just as good in a vegan rice bowl as with steak!

There’s just something about silky caramelized onions topped golden, crusty cheese that takes your breath away every time. This is classic French cooking at its finest. It’s not just the flavor. It’s the promise that while the outside world is cold and brutal, every spoonful of soup is pure bliss. This vegetarian French onion soup is our spin on the classic: it’s so full of rich, nuanced flavor you won’t miss the traditional beef broth. 

The grill does wonders to onions: the flavor turns from spicy to sweet and a little smoky! Grilled onions are a tender and charred version of their former selves, and the bright pink color is simply vibrant! Throw in red onions with a pile of other grilled vegetables because they add incredible flavor.

Also try: Grilled Peppers and Onion

Looking for a healthy onion recipe where onions play side-kick? These sauteed peppers and onions are a rainbow of tender, caramelized flavor! Simply saute these veggies up in a pan: their sweet flavor and tender texture are truly irresistible! Even better: they’re full of nutrients and jam packed with Vitamin C. Eat them as a side or throw them in sandwiches, on pizza, or in tacos: you name it! 

Onions are the star in this red wine caramelized onion dip recipe! Make it the centerpiece of an epic happy hour platter surrounded by veggies, chips, olives, and cheese! You’ll find people congregate around this dip because it’s just that good: loaded with caramelized onions that were simmered in red wine and cool sour cream. It’s perfect for dipping: potato chips are our personal fave.

The only thing better than roasted carrots? Roasted carrots and onions! Yes, simply adding an onion to your tray of roasted carrots makes them even more fun to eat. Add part of a red and yellow onion, and you get a beautiful variation in color and texture. The onion gets tender with charred tips, with an unbelievably sweet flavor. It’s the perfect accent to carrot coins, seasoned with garlic and thyme.

This fried rice recipe is all about onions! Three types, in fact: yellow onions, shallots, and scallions (also called green onions). But really any onions will do, be it, shallots, leeks, scallions, ramps — you name it! Saute the onions and then add day old rice, frying it up into crisp bites with savory scrambled eggs. A bowl of warm, egg-y, crispy onion fried rice with sriracha and silky mayo is some of the best comfort food around.  

This savory tart is a stunning onion recipe that works for brunch or lunch. Fresh blackberries are combined with onions and a bit of balsamic to make a savory purple compote, which is smothered over a lemony, salty ricotta topping. And as a base: a savory tart crust made with whole wheat flour that’s flaky and crisp. Top it off with some lovely green thyme sprigs and you’ve got a truly beautiful and unique savory tart recipe.

Onions are perfect in raw salad recipes! One trick: if you're using raw red onion, rinse it or soak it in cold water for a few minutes before using it in a salad. It removes the harsh bite, leaving only the savory onion flavor. This cucumber tomato onion salad is seriously simple: pure ingredients that when marinaded bring together the richest of flavors. It's perfect as a side dish for meals on the patio or summer barbecues: it goes with anything and everything. And the flavor is like pure gold.

What's a better onion recipe than pizza? Here the onions are caramelized: cooked down on the stovetop until they turn caramely brown and sweet. Then they're used to top a pizza starring our best easy pizza sauce and thinly sliced raw Brussels sprouts. The sweet and savory onions make for a uniquely delicious pizza topping (if you're a pizza lover, here are 22 more).

Have you ever had onions...braised? Cooking this vegetable in broth in the oven makes it come out silky and savory. Combined with onions and carrots, these braised vegetables taste like they’ve been roasting under a chicken all day long! But they’re fully plant based and healthy, bursting with flavor that takes cozy to the next level. They're the perfect side dish for any special occasion, with the jewel toned purple onion and orange carrot.

Here's another onion salad recipe, this one a traditional German style cucumber and onion salad! It’s perfect for potlucks to patio barbecues to picnics, one of those salad recipes that accessorizes seamlessly with everything from salmon to a grilled burger. The thinly sliced cucumbers and white onions are salty, tangy, and lightly sweet all at once.

Last but certainly not least in these onion recipes: homemade vegetable soup! Here's an example of onions playing a crucial supporting role in the broth of a simple soup. It's cozy and comforting, made with noodles and straightforward vegetables like carrot, onion and celery. It's almost like a chicken noodle soup made only with vegetables...and it's full of hearty, savory flavor (thanks, onions!).