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These Instant Pot Caramelized Onions add a ton of flavor to any dish. This easy caramelized onion recipe in your pressure cooker cuts the cooking time in half compared with traditional cooking methods.
We’re making this caramelized onion recipe in the Instant Pot in half the time of the normal way. Go put on some fancy pants because you’re about to rule the kitchen with your awesomeness.
“Why not just caramelize onions on the stove” I’m sure you’re asking yourself right now. Well, for a few reasons.
One: the Instant Pot heats consistently so you’re unlikely to get hot/cold spots. Even and consistent cooking is the goal here. Two: caramelizing onions can make your house smell like a boys’ middle school locker room. With the Instant Pot, you can move the cooking process outside if you’d like.
This recipe uses just four simple ingredients:
- Onions (shocked?!) – I like a mix of white, yellow, purple/red, sweet, or even shallots. You do you!
- Unsalted butter
- Sea salt
- Baking soda – optional but highly efficient at cutting down the total cooking time.
Pro tip: I have never had success using the pressure cooker function on the Instant Pot while caramelizing onions. All of my attempts turned to mush. I recommend only using saute mode and never actually pressure-cooking your onions.
Knowing when caramelized onions are done cooking will all come down to personal preference for deciding the “doneness” of your onions and the color of the onions you use.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- If you have issues with onions making you cry (I totally do), you could wear swim goggles, onion goggles, or even cut them outside in fresh air. But I find the simplest way to prevent the constant watery onion eyes is to put the onions in the fridge for 1 hour before cutting. This method has never failed me.
- The pressure cooker caramelized onion method works best with at least 4-6 cups of sliced onions. I found a smaller amount led to burning issues. There is some safety in numbers with this one!
- Unsalted butter or ghee works best. My first attempt used salted butter, and it was scorch city!
- The baking soda can add a bitter aftertaste if you use too much. I don’t recommend exceeding 1/4 tsp.
- Onions cook down a lot when you caramelize them. I recommend cooking a bit more than you think you’ll need. The 6 cups of raw onions used in this recipe yield about 1.5 cups of caramelized onions.
Instant Pot Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 cups onions, sliced {~4 large onions}
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda {optional}
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to saute. Wait for the display to turn from "on" to "HOT".
- Add butter to the Instant Pot and allow it to melt before adding onions.4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add onions, salt, and the (optional) baking soda to the butter, stir, and let everything sit for 2 minutes.6 cups onions, sliced, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp baking soda
- Stir occasionally for 15-25 minutes or until onions are browned/caramelized to your preference.
Notes
- Makes ~1.5-2 cups
- The baking soda can add a bitter aftertaste if you use too much. I don’t recommend exceeding 1/4 tsp.
- The pressure cooker caramelized onion method works best with at least 4-6 cups of sliced onions. If you need to cook smaller amounts, it is best to stick to the stove top or the slow cooker.
- Unsalted butter or ghee works best.
- I have never had success using the pressure cooker function while caramelizing onions. All of my attempts turned to mush. I recommend only using saute mode and never actually pressure-cooking your onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for this
I skipped the oil or butter used tiny bit water
Red onions
Punch of baking soda sat ans sugar
Delicious !
Have you ever tried adding fresh herbs? I have some lemon thyme I think would be delicious with Caramelized red onions on salads, but not sure what point to add it in…
I haven’t, but that sounds delicious! I would probably add fresh herbs in the last few minutes.
How do you reheat the frozen caramelized onions exactly?
It depends on how you intend to use it. I add it (frozen) to beef broth to make French Onion Soup. If I want to use it on something like burgers, I would defrost overnight in the fridge. I’m a fan of a gentle reheat in the microwave.