26 Savory Onion Recipes
Not only are onions the perfect foundation for just about any savory recipe, but they also shine in starring roles. Fry them up into glorious, golden onion rings, roast and puree them to make a killer salad dressing, or caramelize them and load them into cheese sandwiches or onto pizza. There is no wrong way to use the almighty onion. Here are our favorite sweet-salty, onion-centric recipes that make foolproof side dishes and main courses.
French Onion Chicken Pot Pie
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
We took the best parts of French onion soup and chicken pot pie and brought them together in one savory and delicious dish. Roasted and shredded chicken thighs form the base of the pie, along with the deeply caramelized onions and carrots that lend some sweet notes to the dish.
Baked Onions with Fennel Breadcrumbs
These simple, incredibly flavorful onions from chef Nancy Silverton are baked in the oven until they're falling-apart tender. Fennel seeds punch up the crispy breadcrumb topping.
Caramelized Five-Onion Dip
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
A mix of five different alliums — shallots, scallions, and sweet, yellow, and red onions — upgrades this classic caramelized onion dip with layers of flavor. Yellow and red onions give it bite, while Vidalia onion and shallots lend a pleasant sweetness.
Mixed Onion Agrodolce
The combination of shallots, cipollini onions, and pearl onions delivers a lovely contrast of shapes and texture; feel free to simplify by using just one type of onion. Dried plums add a jammy sweetness and make this dish a perfect pairing for rib roast or turkey.
Cobb Salad with Roasted Sweet Onion Dressing
Everything you love about a Cobb salad is taken to the next level with a roasted garlic and onion vinaigrette. Chef Sean Doty roasts sweet Vidalia onion and garlic until they are lightly charred, then purees them to make the apple cider vinaigrette that gives this Cobb salad its tang and depth of flavor.
Free-Form Onion Tart
When she was the cooking school director at Cavallo Point, chef Kelsie Kerr taught the basics of preparing seasonal recipes. The buttery dough for her savory onion tart, for instance, is great with all kinds of fillings, like fruit.
Pork Medallions with Onion Marmalade
This recipe from superstar chef Massimo Bottura is simpler than the food he now cooks at his avant-garde three-star Michelin restaurant, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. Still, it’s incredibly delicious: The savory marmalade made by cooking onions in butter and sugar is intensely rich in flavor.
Crispy Onion Rings
? Zubin Schroff
"There's nothing better than a simple tempura of a primo vegetable," states chef Peter Hoffman. For this sensational version, he coats thick onion rings in an ultralight batter and quickly fries them.
Onion Jam and Goat Cheese Rugelach
Originating in Eastern Europe, recipes for rugelach evolved after landing in America. The crescent-shaped cookies are typically layered with jam and chopped nuts and topped with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, but the dough makes a surprisingly compatible home for savory fillings. These are spread with a thick homemade onion jam flavored with balsamic vinegar, sumac, and coriander.
Gorgonzola-Roasted Mushrooms and Onions
? Tina Rupp
For this simple six-ingredient recipe, mushrooms and onions roast for about 30 minutes before they're tossed with fresh thyme, topped with Gorgonzola, and returned to the oven to melt the cheese.
French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Former F&W food editor Grace Parisi reinvented the classic grilled cheese sandwich with this version, which emulates the gooey, cheesy top of a bowl of French onion soup. Give yourself time to cook the onions slowly; caramelized onions take almost an hour to achieve their sweet flavor and melty texture, but are worth the wait.
Slow-Roasted Sweet Onions with "Licorice" Powder
? John Kernick
One of chef Michel Bras' favorite garnishes is a sweet-savory combination of ground almonds, dehydrated olives, and demerara sugar (a coarse, raw cane sugar with a subtle molasses flavor); the taste reminds him of licorice. Here it serves as a topping for buttery-soft, slow-roasted whole onions.
Vidalia Onion Soufflés
This recipe, which is a bit lighter and airier than the traditional Southern onion soufflé, can be prepared in individual gratin dishes or in one big baking dish.
Cheddar and Onion Smashed Burgers
Inspired by the sliders at White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey, Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman creates beef patties by flattening balls of ground meat on the griddle.
Pull-Apart Cheesy Onion Bread
? Frances Janisch
This recipe is as fun to eat as monkey bread (little balls of yeast dough that are baked in a pan together, then pulled apart at the table) but a lot less time-consuming to make. We spread buttery biscuit dough with a savory onion-Gruyère mixture, stack layers of it sideways in a loaf pan, then bake it until golden and fluffy.
Pearl Onions au Gratin
Inspired by the pickled pearl onions that became a family tradition ("Mom just served them straight out of the jar and threw a toothpick at them"), chef Barbara Lynch bakes fresh pearl onions in a mixture of cream, garlic, shallots, and bacon, then tops it all with a crispy panko crust.
Garlicky Mushroom-Onion Toasts
Grilling guru Francis Mallmann is a master of efficiency. Here, he creates a delicious first course using only a cast-iron skillet, first toasting the bread in it, then quickly searing the mushroom, onion, and garlic toppings right after.
Caramelized Red Onion Rice with Tamarind
In Fresh India, cookbook author Meera Sodha uses sweet-and-sour tamarind paste to turn plain rice into a show-stealing side. The tamarind is essential here; find it at well-stocked grocery stores and Indian markets.
Rib Eye with Charred Spring Onions and Salsa Verde
For this recipe, chef Hillary Sterling makes a sweet, tangy marinade to tenderize the meat and add intense flavor to the skillet-seared steak. A drizzle of fresh lemon juice just before serving brightens up the smoky, umami-rich steak alongside an herb-packed salsa verde and juicy spring onions.
Focaccia with Caramelized Onions, Pear, and Blue Cheese
? Quentin Bacon
Pear and blue cheese are a classic pairing. This simple focaccia adds sweet caramelized onions and comes together in just four steps.
French Onion Soup with Roasted Poblanos
At Tzuco, in Chicago, the French onion soup arrives to the table piping hot, topped with a bubbling layer of Gruyère cheese. Hiding under the blanket of cheese, a thick slice of baguette soaks up a soup suffused with flavor from a mountain of jammy onions, balsamic vinegar, and bay leaves.
Fennel and Sweet Onion Pizza with Green Olives
At Harry's Pizzeria, Miami chef Michael Schwartz uses brown ale and whole-wheat flour to flavor his chewy crust. Toppings can range from potato and house-cured bacon to this pie, made with Pernod-braised fennel, caramelized onions, and Trugole, a semisoft Italian cheese that melts beautifully.
Grilled Peach, Onion, and Bacon Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
? John Kernick
The secret to this salad is using big, juicy sweet onions like the Vidalias that chef Linton Hopkins favors, which get nicely charred on the grill.
Grilled Pepper and Onion Panzanella with Peperoncini Vinaigrette
Cookbook author Molly Stevens' panzanella uses grilled sweet peppers and red onion in place of tomatoes as the centerpiece of this dinner salad. The charred vegetables are tossed with cubes of grilled bread, drizzled with a peperoncini vinaigrette, and topped with creamy feta and crisp slices of peperoncini, which add pops of flavor and contrasting texture.
Frothy Lettuce Soup with Onion Custard
This stunning recipe calls for a head of Boston lettuce per person, resulting in a soup with pure, intense flavors that is then poured over a delicate custard. It's a riff on petits pois à la fran?aise, the classic French dish of peas, lettuce, and spring onions braised in butter and chicken stock.
Chicken Livers with Caramelized Onions and Madeira
? Ben Dearnley
Rich-tasting caramelized onions combined with Madeira make a spectacular sauce for chicken livers. Serve with rice or over toast so you won't miss a single drop.