How to Sauté Onions

May 15, 2025

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In just 10 minutes, you can make tender, perfectly golden-brown sautéed onions. I’m sharing all of my pro onion chopping and sauté secrets.

Sautéing onions is a simple but essential kitchen skill that’s worth mastering. Sautéed onions are fast, easy, and instantly add a layer of savory flavor to whatever you have planned. In just 10 minutes, you get tender, golden brown onions perfect as a side dish or in sandwiches, dips, and more.

As with any onion recipe, there’s a sweet spot between undercooked and charred onion slivers. My tips here will have you well on your way to tossing, folding, and piling these sautéed onions onto all of your favorite foods.

Pro Cutting Tips

Cutting onions is one of those basic skills every home cook should master, if only because onions show up in so many recipes. For this sautéed onions recipe, I like to cut the onions in a style called French cut.

This results in lovely sliver shapes that look more attractive than the long strings you get when you cut the other way. Here are the easy steps:

Slice the ends off your raw onions, then cut them in half. Once the ends are removed, stand the onion on its flat cut side and cut it down the center.
With your fingers, remove the paper and outer layer of the onions.
Place the onion on its flat side, then cut slices following the curve of the onion, from the tip to the root. For a visual, go to minute 1:40 of my knife skills video on cutting onions.

Time to Sauté

Whether you need a side or a sandwich component, these quick sautéed onions only take 10 minutes from start to finish. Here are the steps:

Use butter for the best flavor, but olive oil works too. There’s something about the rich, savory flavor of butter that gives it the edge, but olive oil is nearly as good!
Keep the heat on medium-high. If you go higher, the sliced onions will burn before they’re tender.
Cook your onions until browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Taste-test toward the end as you add seasoning for your sauteéd onions with black pepper and a pinch of salt. You may find you want to go a little longer, especially if you reheat from frozen.

Sautéed Onions vs. Caramelized Onions

So what’s the difference between these and caramelized onions? Caramelized onions are great, but most of the time, I know I don’t have 40 to 50 minutes to spare. (That’s how long it takes for onions to break down under low heat for that intensely sweet flavor.)

The onion flavor in sautéed onions is also more pronounced compared to caramelized onions. If caramelized is what you’re after — they’re a must for French onion soup — I have tips on every stage in my recipe for caramelized onions. Stick to yellow onions over white onions for both.

Top 5-Star Review

“Thx for the onion cutting video — very helpful! Also, I really like the sauteed onion option, good flavor with less time–thank you!”

– Marsha M.

Add in Some Balsamic

I mention balsamic as an optional addition to your onions, but it’s become a must in my kitchen for these and roasted onions. Add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar about 5 minutes into the sauté. It evaporates, but leaves behind a tangy, sweet essence. You can also add a splash of red wine to infuse complexity into the flavor.

My Favorite Ways to Use Sautéed Onions

Sautéed onions are an easy, flavorful addition to so many different dishes. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them:

Side dishes: Add a sprinkle of fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or chives and serve them with steak or pasta.
Sautéed veggies: Add mushrooms for a killer side to steak or vegan dishes, or make classic sautéed peppers and onions to bump up the sweetness in your bell peppers.
Grilled cheese: Add these onions to your favorite grilled cheese for even more savory flavor.
Garnishes and toppings: Serve on top of your favorite chicken or steak to elevate the meat’s flavor, or add them as a topping for your beef, turkey, or veggie burgers.
Tacos: I love pickled onions on my tacos, but you can try them sautéed on black bean tacos or vegan carnitas tacos for a sweet compliment to spicy and smoky fillings.
Crostini: Make homemade goat cheese crostini and top with sautéed onions to balance the tangy richness of the cheese.
Onion dip: Chop them finely and use them as a stand-in for caramelized onions in one of my favorite onion dips.
Skillets: Include them in your stir fry or stovetop skillets, featuring your grains, like my farro with mushrooms, or a hearty breakfast skillet.
Omelets or galettes: Add them to a mushroom galette or sneak them into a goat cheese omelet. (You’ll want a good non-stick pan for egg-based dishes.)

Dietary Information

This recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. Make it vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free by opting for olive oil.

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Sauteed Onion

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5 from 2 reviews

These sautéed onions come out golden brown and tender every time for an easy, savory addition to breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings as a side
Category: Side Dish
Method: Sauteed
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

3 medium yellow onions (or sweet onions)
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter (or 1 tablespoon of each)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Optional adder: Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar with the kosher salt

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Instructions

Slice the onions.
In a large sauté pan or large skillet, heat the olive oil or butter over medium-high heat.
Add the onions and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste to assess doneness and add a few pinches of salt, to taste.

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FAQs

Why do cooks sauté onions and garlic first?

Many cooks sauté onions first as part of their cooking process, even before the garlic, to get them down to the right consistency and to release their natural sugars and aromas. If you’re cooking with both onions and garlic and like to toast your garlic, you can start with the garlic.

You just want to ensure you don’t overcook or even burn your garlic. It cooks much faster than onions! Either way, both are a great savory base for dishes that benefit from aromatics.

When sautéing onions and bell peppers together, should one go in the pan first?

I like cooking my peppers and onions together to achieve a similar level of char. Cook them both for 10-12 minutes for crisp-tender veggies or 15 minutes for more tender veggies.

The other option is starting with onions to develop their sweetness. Sauté them for a few minutes until they begin to turn translucent, then add bell peppers to retain the texture and color of both.

How do you cook onions on the grill?

To cook onions on the grill, slice the onions into wedges, leaving the root ends intact. Toss them with olive oil and salt, and grill over medium-high heat for a total of 8-10 minutes until they’re tender, turning them several times. You’ll want your onions right on the grill grates.