[Instant Pot] Caramelized Onions

Once, many years ago, I heard a rumor that it was possible to make caramelized onions using a slow cooker. I dutifully followed the directions and ... no. I got soft, sautéed onions, but not caramelized like I wanted.

Then came a long series of Reddit rabbit holes which ended up with me checking out The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook from the library (How much do we love our libraries?) and reading the recipe for Caramelized Onion Jam (page 61). Wait a minute, caramelized onions? Hmmm. Can Instant Pot do what the slow cooker couldn't?

Table of Contents

Caramelized Onions vs. Sautéed Onions

from Martha Stewart

While both caramelizing and sautéing onions means cooking them until mellow and softened, there's a big different between the two.

Caramelized onions: To caramelize onions means to cook them until they are deep golden in color, very soft, and ultra sweet in flavor. Typically, they're cooked low and slow for nearly an hour on the stovetop, which caramelizes the alliums' natural sugars.

Sautéed onions: When you sauté onions, you're still cooking them down to remove their intense bite and soften their texture but are stopping far short of caramelization. Sautéing is usually done over medium heat and takes closer to 10 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 4 yellow onions
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 pinch baking soda [substitute 1/4 tsp baking powder]

Materials

Method

  1. Start by slicing the yellow onions (4 aka 2 lbs) lengthwise, then into thin rainbows (half-circles).
  2. Put the butter (2 TBSP) into a cold Instant Pot's inner pot and set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ on low. Allow the butter to melt as the Instant Pot is heating up.
  3. Once melted and the Instant Pot reports "HOT", press CANCEL and then add the yellow onions (4, sliced) into the Instant Pot with salt (2 tsp), and pepper (1/2 tsp). Give a quick stir.
  4. Secure the lid and adjust vent to SEAL.
  5. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes.
  6. At the conclusion of the 5 minutes, allow the Instant Pot to NATURAL RELEASE for at least an additional 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, it is optional to QUICK RELEASE any remaining pressure.
  7. Here is a very important step -- strain any excess liquid, and this means letting it drip drip drip drip slowly in the strainer for a long time or many journeys in the salad spinner, then sprinkle the onions with baking soda (1 pinch) and toss thoroughly.
  8. Switch the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ on normal/medium heat, and once the display reports "HOT", return the now-strained and baking-soda-ed onions to the pot.
  9. Sauté the onions for an additional 3 to 5 minutes until they are golden and caramelized. Note that the color won't be as dark, dark, dark as a stovetop caramelization.

Notes

If you are like me and impatient at step 7 and you return wet onions to the Instant Pot, then your sauté time in step 9 will be much higher. Don't be me.

If you stop at the end of step 6, you will make some of the best onion soup you've ever had in your life. Not French Onion Soup, just normal onion soup. But extraordinary normal onion soup.

Caramelized onions freeze nicely and I try to do it in 2 TBSP portions using some cool freezer trays I've got. I like to use caramelized onions as a topping on burgers, in place of the half/reserved onions from the Mujadara recipe, in French Onion Soup, and as an umami mix-in for Japanese Golden Curry/Katsu Curry. Yum. My favorite.

Bibliography. Aside from the previously cited Martha Stewart explanation of sautéed onions vs caramelized onions, I also made use of DuckDuckGo's AI results summation, which itself cited tidbits-marci.com and lisasdinnertimedish.com as sources. I double checked those sources against The Spicy Apron, The Cookful, and Fork to Spoon.