Let’s talk caramelized onions, as in EASY caramelized onions!

How is it that every recipe that has you caramelize onions in the early stages, says 10 minutes! What? It’s more like 30 – 40 to get them to that beautiful golden stage of sweet. Is that just me?

However, did you know you can use your slow cooker for the easiest caramelized onions — five pounds of onions while you sleep, or while you binge an entire season of Schitt’s Creek or while you practice some self-care with yoga on the lawn followed by a home manicure, or whatever?

Crazy, I know!

But it’s true!

And soooo easy!!!! You’re welcome!

I’m so happy to share my work around. with you.

With this easy caramelized onions method, we’ll have 7 large onions done all together. So that 30-minutes X 7 of caramelizing onions — done!

You have a jumpstart on seven meals! Woo Hoo!!!

That’s a big win in my kitchen!

Let’s Get Started Caramelizing Onions – The Easy Way:

Start with onions, of course. Loads of them. These seven onions weighed just under 5 pounds to start.

I like to cut off the ends. Then cut in half lengthwise. This makes it easier to remove the outer skin. Also you now have a flat surface to cut your slices.

Holding your onion with the flat cut side down, slice.

Then I like to cut the outer rings that are quite a bit larger in half. This keeps the onions at a more similar size and you won’t end up with long onion strings in your soups.

For easier tossing, I transfer half the onions to the large crock of my slow cooker and half to another bowl.

With clean hands of course, I toss each bowl of sliced onions to make sure the rings are separated for the most part.

Next I add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each half. Since these are Easy Caramelized Onions, I just eyeball the oil.

Then I toss again to distribute the oil throughout.

Now add the bowl of onions into the slow cooker crock of onions.

And now your slow cooker should be between 1/2 and 3/4 full.

This is important!!!

Plug your slow cooker in OUTSIDE! On a balcony, screened porch, patio, etc. Otherwise your house will smell of onions for days. I promise you! Pay attention to me on this one!

All cookers are a bit different, and with the various outside air temperature, there is no absolute on the length of time. But as a guide, figure 8 -12 hours at low.

Now For Slow Cooker Magic!

(And For You to Enjoy the Next 8 – 12 Hours)

This is how they looked after six hours on low.

Optionally, you can tilt the lid the last 2 – 3 hours to let some of the excess moisture escape.

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This beautiful batch was outside for abut 12 hours on low.

Now that’s easy caramelized onions!

Look at how golden they are. And soooo sweet and delicious. They will add so much depth to many dishes to come.

After I drained a bit more juice off, the total weight came in at 2 lbs. So each large onion cooked down to about 4.5 oz.

Using my food scale and plastic wrap, I divvied that batch into 7 packets. Each representing a large onion.

All those packets slip into one freezer bag and now I have delicious caramelized onions ready to drop in soups, or layer on sandwiches, add to breakfast hash…. Sooo many tasty options.

Share with your friends and pin to find later:

Ad while your crock pot is working away, maybe you’d like to make a tabletop “concrete” birdbath centerpiece or maybe make a new lampshade.