Last updated on May 22nd, 2023
Bourbon and brown sugar give these slowly simmered caramelized onions a rich, creamy flavor and buttery texture. Delicious on just about everything!
These bourbon and brown sugar caramelized onions have already made a cameo appearance on the blog. You may recall seeing them on top of these yummy Pepper Jack Stuffed Burgers. I’ve been making them a lot lately. The Husband and I won’t eat burgers without them anymore. I thought it was high time to give them their own post.
You don’t have to be an onion lover to appreciate these little gems. Sautéing them brings out their natural sugars. Eventually they become soft and jammy and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be eating them straight from the pan.
While creating the perfect pan of caramelized onions isn’t hard, you can’t rush things. They like to take things slow. That means you can’t turn up to heat too high in an effort to speed things up, you’ll just end up scorching the whole pan. Keep the heat low for best results. Luckily, onions aren’t terribly high maintenance. You don’t have to spend every waking minute coddling and nurturing them. Just give them a good stir every few minutes and they can pretty much take it from there.
These onions are rich and creamy, sweet and savory. They add flavor to pretty much everything – burgers, hot dogs, steaks, or pizza.
Try these caramelized onions on:
- Pepper Jack Stuffed Burgers
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
- Sauteed Green Beans With Ginger And Caramelized Onions
Bourbon Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 large yellow onions sliced into rings
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup bourbon
Makes about 2 cups
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and stir to coat in the oil. Reduce heat to medium low. Saute for 10 minutes.
- Add salt, stir to coat. Saute for 10 minutes.
- Add brown sugar. Stir to coat. Saute for 10 minutes.
- Add the butter. Stir to coat. Saute for 10 minutes.
- By this time the onions should look caramelized and there will be some browned “gunky” stuff on the bottom of the pan. This is good! Pour in the bourbon and scrap up the bottom of the pan. Saute for another 10 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Use onions immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Hi Kathy, yes! You can absolutely freeze these. An ice cube tray works great.
Do you think that the caramelized onions could be frozen in small portions?
Hi, I would not recommend it. The alcohol burns off as it cooks. And I think the onions will be too soft to hold up to canning.
Looking forward to using this recipe.
I am thinking of gifting this and wonder if it can be bottled/preserved since it contains alcohol?
Thanks
Hi! They should keep for up to five days.
Hello, how long can you keep them in the fridge?