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Home » Slow Cooker
4.6 from 8 reviews

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

onion
By: Pamela Reed
Posted:1/18/20
Updated:5/16/23
Jump to Recipe

Easy Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions recipe that is ready in 5 hours. This quick 4 ingredient recipe is the best and will make your mouth water!

Easy Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions recipe that is ready in 5 hours.  This quick 4 ingredient recipe is the best and will make your mouth water! Step by step instructions on how to make these sweet onions in the crockpot.

Too many onions? Make Caramelized Onions!

These Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions came at a perfect time since we just planted our onion seeds for Spring, and I was able to use the remaining 3 pounds of last years onions for this recipe.    It’s always magical when the timing works out perfect and you can go from harvest to seed without much waiting in between.    

These onions (and fried onions!) are what dreams are made out of.   By slow cooking them we’re bringing out the natural sweetness of the onions as the sugar caramelizes.   What starts as a full Crock-Pot of onions is going to turn into a much smaller amount as they melt down.  

Fresh Yellow Onions

What you’re left with (besides an amazing smelling house that is going to make your neighbors jealous) is savory, sweet onions that are ready for you to add anywhere – soups, casseroles, sandwiches, salads, pasta, pizza – seriously, you can add them to anything!   Just throw them in your mouth already!

Easy Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions recipe that is ready in 5 hours.  This quick 4 ingredient recipe is the best and will make your mouth water!

Ingredients

The ingredients are simple because this recipe is simple!

  • 3 pounds onions – peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup butter – melted
  • Salt
  • Sugar

How To Make Caramelized Onions

Onions in slow cooker

This recipe calls for 3 pounds of sliced onions.  I use my 6 quart Slow Cooker and the onions take up about 75% of the space when they begin.  Peeling and slicing 3 pounds of onions is tough business so if you have sensitive eyes like me I suggest wearing sunglasses while doing this. 

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a large slow cooker and stir so the butter coats the onions.
  2. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until the onions are soft. For me this usually takes 5 minutes.
  3. Serve with your favorite dish or freeze the onions for later. That’s it. Easy, right?

Matthew came home and he started to immediately swoon upon the first smell of these sweet onions.   On the first bite, his knees buckled and I had to catch him!  People will fall in love with these onions!

Easy Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions recipe that is ready in 5 hours.  This quick 4 ingredient recipe is the best and will make your mouth water! Step by step instructions on how to make these sweet onions in the crockpot.

Not only do I love the results of this recipe but I love how easy it is to make too!   This recipe will be for sure one that will stick around with us for years to come after we pick our garden onions. I hope you give them a taste – I think you’ll be really happy you did!

FAQ

How many cups of onions does this make once the onions melt down?

Approximately 2-3 cups.

Can I freeze THESE?

Yes! Caramelized Onions freezes amazing! I use my Ball silicone trays or WeeSprout containers to freeze them – this makes it easy to pop one or two cubes out at a time. Alternatively, you could freeze in ice cube trays. Just make sure to pop them out of the ice cube trays if they don’t have lids once frozen and transfer to freezer safe bag.

Easy Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions recipe that is ready in 5 hours.  This quick 4 ingredient recipe is the best and will make your mouth water!

What are the best onions to caramelize?

Yellow onions tend to be sweeter so they’re best for caramelizing. We grow “candy” yellow onions in the garden which in my opinion have perfect sweetness.

How Can I use Caramelized Onions?

Soups, casseroles, grilled cheese sandwiches, salads, meats, pasta, pizza and more – seriously, you can add them to almost anything!  

How do you store onions to make them last longer?

Use pantyhose to store onions (seriously) or these bags (I recommend them in size XL) – ours keep for about 8 months this way

Other Recipes You May Like:

  • Slow Cooker Onion Dip
  • Candied Jalapenos
  • Green Tomato Relish
  • Slow Cooker Taco Soup
  • Slow Cooker Cabbage and Kielbasa
  • Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll

Pin for later:

Easy Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions recipe that is ready in 5 hours.  This quick 4 ingredient recipe is the best and will make your mouth water! Step by step instructions on how to make these sweet onions in the crockpot.
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4.63 from 8 reviews

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

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Easy Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions recipe that is ready in 5 hours. This quick 4 ingredient recipe is the best and will make your mouth water!
By: Pamela Reed
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours hours
serves 12

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds onions peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  • Add everything into a large slow cooker and stir so the butter coats the onions completely.
  • Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until they are soft and caramelized. My slow cooker usually takes 5 hours.
  • Serve with your favorite dish or freeze for later.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 114kcal (6%)
Author: Pamela Reed
Course:Side Dish
Cuisine:American
Keyword:Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions
Did you make this?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @BrooklynFarmGirl and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below.

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  1. Matthew says

    October 12, 2020 at 10:02 am

    We have too many onions and this is a great way to save them for later.

    Reply
  2. Steve Warren says

    October 19, 2019 at 4:46 am

    The secret to tear free onion slicing is a very sharp knife.
    I start with a small serrated edged paring knife to top and tail the onions,
    then placing a now flat end on the cutting board, I slice the onion in half with a thin bladed small japanese cleaver – which I also use to slice the onions.
    Next I slip my thumb under the outer layer of the onion (inside the brown skin which may slip off anyway) and pry this layer off and discard it because it is often tough, sometimes a bit green and cooking doesn’t usually compensate for that.
    Then I place the onion half flat side down and slice away with the very sharp knife – and hardly ever get teary eyed. Well, not from cutting onions anyway!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      October 21, 2019 at 11:26 am

      Hey Steve, thanks for sharing your tips!

      Reply
  3. Nisha @ Honey What's Cooking says

    April 8, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    OMG ,these look insanely good! Just wow.

    Reply
  4. [email protected] says

    April 7, 2017 at 10:20 am

    This is genius! You have changed the way I will caramelize my onions forever!

    Reply
  5. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    April 6, 2017 at 9:21 am

    I have a serious obsession with caramelized onions. Like, I will make VATS of the stuff, because i want to be able to eat it by serving spoon full and still have enough left over to use it in actual dishes. But, I’ve never tried making it in the slow cooker! For some reason I didn’t think it would turn out well, but obviously it does because yours looks amazing!!! SOOOO DOING THIS! Cheers, girl!

    Reply
  6. Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says

    April 4, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    Caramelized onions in a slow cooker for real? This sounds like a genius idea. Would love to try this recipe.

    Reply
  7. Amy (Savory Moments) says

    April 4, 2017 at 2:50 pm

    This is a terrific idea! It would be perfect for making all the onions for French onion soup ahead of time.

    Reply
  8. [email protected]'s Recipes says

    April 4, 2017 at 5:00 am

    Didn’t even know that you can make caramelized onions in slow cooker…so cool! Definitely give this a try.

    Reply
  9. Sues says

    April 3, 2017 at 11:22 pm

    Oh yum!! I’ve never thought to caramelize onions in my slow cooker, but this is such an awesome idea!! I bet my kitchen would smell soooo delicious 🙂

    Reply
  10. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says

    April 3, 2017 at 8:09 pm

    ooooh I love caramelized onions too–my knees would probably also buckle 😛

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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