Whole Oven Roasted Onions (+ 33 Ways to Use Them!)

No peeling, no chopping! These whole oven roasted onions are sweet and flavorful, and are perfect on their own as a side dish or used in a recipe. Save time and energy with this simple recipe.

My friend Jill of 30 years and I had a 3-hour catch-up session the other night (we live on opposite coasts). We were talking about how much we both love Souper Cubes and she said she's surprised I love them so much because she pictures me cooking elaborate meals every night.

I laughed at this! It's true, I do cook a lot, but it's (mostly) a means to an end for me. I just love to eat, and I want to eat delicious food every time I eat, which means I cook so that can happen. And I constantly look for shortcuts so I can get to the eating part as quickly as possible!

These whole oven roasted onions are one of those shortcuts. It's not an overstatement to say that I LOVE onions of any kind. My favorite are caramelized onions, with creamed onions being a very close second. But this recipe is so simple that it's the one I find myself using again and again. I mean, you don't even have to remove the skins! That's my kind of easy recipe.

Ingredients

Yes, it's true: all you need are onions and a little oil for this easy recipe!

• 3 pounds sweet or yellow onions: We prefer using sweet onions but yellow onions will work just fine. You can also adjust the amounts up or down; the three pounds called for is the amount we like to roast since we enjoy having extras to use in recipes all week long.
• olive or avocado oil

Instructions

Making whole oven roasted onions truly couldn't be simpler! Here are the steps to make them:

1. As with all oven recipes, preheat your oven first.
2. Slice the core end off of the onions so the onions will sit flat on the pan. You can stop here (as seen in the step-by-step images below) or you can also slice off the other end. Neither way is better, although it's easier to slice the tops off before roasting than after (we just like the look of leaving it on if we're serving them whole). Yes, you leave the skins on!
3. Place all the onions on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil. You don't need a lot, just a quick drizzle over each onion.
4. Roast the onions for 45 minutes. At this stage, the skins will be loose enough to peel off very easily. Smaller onions (as in our images) will likely be sweet and ready to enjoy, and will be soft with a small bit of crunch left. You can sample an outer layer of one of the onions; if they're not soft enough for your liking, put them back in for another 15 minutes. Larger onions can be roasted for one hour before checking for doneness.
5. Once the onions are done to your liking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool until you can handle them easily (I usually go about 20 minutes). Slip the skins off and discard them. If you didn't slice the tops off before roasting the onions, you can either serve them as-is or slice the tops off now.
6. Now simply serve your whole oven roasted onions as a side dish, use one of our recommendations below, or save them for your favorite recipes!

33 Delicious Ways to Use Whole Oven Roasted Onions

You can use these oven roasted onions in any dish that calls for roasted or sautéd onions. Here is a list of our favorite ways to use them:

1. Serve as a simple side with grilled steak, chicken, pork chops, or fish
2. Add fresh herbs like thyme or parsley
3. Add to a grain bowl with farro, rice, or quinoa
4. Serve with scrambled eggs or omelets
5. Fold into mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower
6. Top baked potatoes or sweet potatoes
7. Add to a charcuterie or cheese board (they're especially good with aged cheddar or goat cheese)
8. Blend them into a creamy roasted onion soup
9. Use as the base for French onion-style soup
10. Purée into gravy or pan sauce
11. Stir into vegetable, chicken, or beef stock for extra depth
12. Blend with cream or yogurt for a roasted onion sauce
13. Add to tomato sauce or marinara for natural sweetness
14. Toss with pasta, olive oil, and Parmesan
15. Add to risotto, orzo, or pilaf
16. Mix into mac and cheese
17. Stir into fried rice or grain-based salads
18. Add to baked pasta dishes or lasagna
19. Pile onto burgers, steaks, or pork chops
20. Add to sausages and brats
21. Layer into chicken thighs or roasted chicken dishes
22. Fold into meatloaf or meatballs
23. Add to quiche, frittata, or egg bakes
24. Use as a topping for flatbread or pizza
25. Use in grilled cheese or melts
26. Add to tacos, quesadillas, or burritos
27. Layer into wraps or paninis
28. Spread onto flatbreads with cheese and herbs
29. Mix with mayo or aioli for a roasted onion spread
30. Freeze chopped onions in small portions
31. Freeze blended onion purée in cubes
32. Slice them and caramelize them (saves time if you need caramelized onions!)
33. Portion them for soup bases or sauces later

Related Recipes

Looking for more easy veggie side dish recipes? Try these:

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Whole Oven Roasted Onions

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

You can scale the amounts for this recipe up or down as needed. It's so simple you can make them anytime!

Print

Ingredients

• 3 pounds sweet onions (yellow will also work)
• 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Slice the core end off of the onions so the onions will sit flat on the pan. You can stop here or you can also slice off the other end (see notes).
3. Place all the onions on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil.
4. Roast the onions for 45 minutes. At this stage, the skins will be loose enough to peel off very easily. Smaller onions (as in our images) will likely be sweet and ready to enjoy, and will be soft with a small bit of crunch left. You can sample an outer layer of one of the onions; if they're not soft enough for your liking, put them back in for another 15 minutes. Larger onions can be roasted for one hour before checking for doneness.
5. Once the onions are done to your liking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool until you can handle them easily (I usually go about 20 minutes). Slip the skins off and discard them. If you didn't slice the tops off before roasting the onions, you can either serve them as-is or slice the tops off now.
6. Serve them as a side dish or save them for your favorite recipes!

Notes

It's easier to slice the tops off before roasting than after (we just like the look of leaving it on if we're serving them whole). Yes, you leave the skins on!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 58Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is a chef, recipe developer, and five-time cookbook author. A former personal chef and cooking instructor, she loves creating easy, delicious recipes to share!

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