These sautéed onions are relatively quick to make and incredibly delicious. The cooking process transforms them from sharp to sweet and flavorful.
Much like roasted onions and caramelized onions, sautéed onions are a delicacy. Their raw sharpness disappears, and they become wonderfully flavorful, enhancing dishes rather than overpowering them. And while you need to be patient and let the heat do its magic, the actual cooking time is just 10 minutes.
Ingredients and Variations
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
- Onions: I almost always use yellow onions, but white onions work, too (here's a look at different onion types).
- Olive oil: You can cook the onions in butter instead of olive oil. It's delicious!
- Kosher salt: After adding the onion rings to the hot oil, I sprinkle them with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. I highly recommend Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
- Optional: Sometimes, I add a teaspoon of aged balsamic vinegar for added flavor and to promote browning.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Peel the onion, slice it, and separate the slices into rings. Cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are soft, golden, and browned in spots.
The photo collage below shows the entire process, from the onions' raw state to the full ten minutes, when they become beautifully golden brown.
This was so good! I sauteed the onions in butter and used them to top your broiled hamburgers. Hubby said these were the best burgers he ever had!!!
Caroline
Read more comments
This was so good! I sauteed the onions in butter and used them to top your Recipe Tip
It's tempting to crank the heat up when cooking onions. But, while we don't necessarily try to get them deeply browned and soft like caramelized onions, we do want them evenly soft and golden.
So, while we don't need to cook them over low heat, we should stick with medium heat and avoid the temptation to cook them over medium-high heat, as this would result in uneven results, and they might even burn. See the photos below for a comparison between sautéed and caramelized onions.
Recipe FAQs
Be ready for the onions to lose quite a bit of volume as you slowly cook them! They end up being about half the volume they were before cooking. So take that into account when deciding how much to make.
I typically use a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet. However, other types of skillets work, too, including a stainless steel skillet and a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet.
There's no need to cover the pan. You will stir the onions often, so it's better to have easy access and leave the pan uncovered. In addition, if you cover the pan, you will be steaming the onions, and getting them browned will be more difficult.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. When ready to use them, reheat them in the microwave. They will be just as good as when freshly made.
You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months. I like to divide them into individual portions and freeze them for later use, as shown in the photo below.
Serving Suggestions
Sautéed onions have many uses! They make the perfect topping for steaks (like New York strip or ribeye steak) and burgers (like broiled burgers or turkey burgers). They're also great with chicken livers and beef liver.
Another great use is adding them to omelets and frittatas. Sometimes, I mix them into this mushroom frittata. Lastly, I like to add them to sandwiches like this grilled cheese sandwich.
Recipe Card
Simple Sautéed Onions Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
Instructions
- Peel the onion. Slice it into thin slices and separate the slices into rings.
- Heat the olive oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, about 2 minutes.
- Add the onion rings. Use a wooden spoon to spread them evenly in the skillet. Sprinkle them with salt.
- Cook the onions uncovered, stirring frequently, until they are soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- It's tempting to crank the heat up when cooking onions. But, while we don't necessarily try to get them super browned and caramelized in this recipe (here's a recipe for caramelized onions), we do want them evenly soft and golden, with some brown bits. So, while we don't need to cook them over low heat, we should certainly stick with medium heat and avoid the temptation to cook them over medium-high heat.
- Be ready for the onions to lose quite a bit of volume as you slowly cook them! They end up being about half the volume they were before cooking. So, take that into account when deciding how much to make.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to use them, reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. They will be just as good as when freshly made. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months. I like to freeze them in single-serve containers.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Caroline says
This was so good! I sauteed the onions in butter and used them to top your broiled hamburgers. Hubby said these were the best burgers he ever had!!!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! I'm so glad this was such a big success, Caroline! Thanks for the review.