Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

Slow cooker caramelized onions – for those times when you don’t want to spend an hour caramelizing them on the stovetop – these cook while you sleep!

 

I’m head-over-heels in love with caramelized onions. If I’m at a new restaurant and I see a menu item with caramelized onions, there’s a very good chance that’s what I’ll be ordering. They’re like candy, so sweet and flavorful.

But when it comes to making my own caramelized onions, I’m often hindered by the fact that they take a good 45 minutes to an hour to prepare, with some amount of babysitting and monitoring.

My neighbor and I were sitting outside discussing this the other day and we decided I would try making them in the slow cooker. Same idea, right? Low, slow, gradual process.

So I turned on my slow cooker before I went to bed and woke up to the smell of onions. (Possibly one drawback of this method, but I was okay with the smell.)

I also woke up to caramelized onion….soup. Okay so, we’re almost there. One of two things can happen next:

• Continue to cook for 3-5 hours with the lid ajar to evaporate some of the liquid.

OR

• Drain them and be done with it.

I continued to cook my slow cooker caramelized onions for about 5 hours more to achieve a nice thick consistency, almost jam-like. I’m really super happy with the result! They’re not 100% the same, so if you’re a purist, this recipe might not be for you.

I used these onions for baked chimichangas and you can’t tell the difference one bit. They are delicious topping this homemade French onion dip. 

Used in this recipe: 

• 6-qt slow cooker – I have a KitchenAid

Have an abundance of onions?

I love it when onions play a starring role in a recipe, don’t you? Here’s a few more recipes that you might like:

• Vidalia onion tart with bacon, kale, and feta
• How to pickle red onions (so easy!)
• Homemade onion soup mix

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 hours hrs

Total Time: 15 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

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Slow cooker caramelized onions – for those times when you don’t want to spend an hour caramelizing them on the stovetop – these cook while you sleep!

Ingredients

• ▢ 8-10 onions, sliced in half moons
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 10 hours (I do it overnight).
• If desired, cook for another 3-5 hours with the lid ajar to evaporate the extra liquid and thicken the onions. This will also result in a darker, sweeter onion. If you’re in a rush, drain the extra liquid from the onions.
• Store covered in fridge for 4-5 days or freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 cup, Calories: 46kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 2mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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