Grilled Onions
On June 16, 2021 (Updated April 15, 2022)
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These Grilled Onions are a sweet and tasty treat that come off the grill with a beautiful caramelization. They’re awesome on top of burgers or steaks or chopped up in a variety of recipes. In fact, these onions are so sweet, you can eat them as-is for a unique and tasty side!
Grilled Onions
I truly believe onions add a lot of flavor to recipes. They’re a must-have on my burgers, and I love to start many of my recipes with sautéed onions. While sautéing the onions helps to mellow out the sharp bite, grilling also helps to make the onions sweet and delicious.
The heat from the grill brings out the natural sugars in the onion, and they become soft, sweet, and truly delectable. If you’re not a big fan of onions, try out this recipe and see if your opinion changes (I’m betting it will!).
Best Onion for Grilling
You can cook any onion you prefer on a grill, but my personal preference is a large, sweet onion like the Vidalia onion. These taste amazing when grilled, and they stay sweet and crisp with an added caramelization when grilled.
If you can’t get a Vidalia onion, any other sweet onion will do. The sweet onions are the most kid-friendly as well if you’re planning on serving these to your family.
You can also grill white, yellow, or red onions, just keep in mind that each onion will taste a bit different once grilled. Definitely go with a sweet onion for this recipe, but try out other onions as well! You might find that you prefer one onion type over another on the grill.
How to Grill Onions
Ready to sink your teeth into these sweet grilled onions? Here’s how to make your own tasty onions at home:
- Prepare the onions. Peel the skin off the onions, and slice them into 1/2-inch rings. Slide a metal skewer through the center of the slices.
- Marinate. Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl. Pour or brush the marinade over each onion slice ensuring both sides are fully covered with the marinade seasoning. Reserve some marinade for basting while grilling.
- Grill. With your grill preheated to 400 degrees F, place the skewered and seasoned onions directly on the grill grates. Grill for approximately 4-5 minutes, basting while the onions grill. Flip the skewers and grill the other side of the onions for another 4-5 minutes. The onions should be dark, but not burned. Stay close by and move the onions if they start to burn (the sugars in the marinade will slightly char, but you don’t want them too dark).
- Serve. Once the onions are a perfect golden dark brown, remove them from the grill and serve while still warm.
You can enjoy these grilled onions on top of burgers or steaks, or you can even enjoy them on their own for a delicious side. Any uneaten onions can be chopped up and used in salads or in a variety of recipes that call for onions. Feel free to get creative with these!
More Grilled Sides
Looking for more awesome sides to cook on the grill? Check out these other awesome goodies that go great with all your BBQ lunches and dinners!
Grilled Onion Recipe
Ready to toss some grilled onions on your next burger or steak? I guarantee these guys will be total crowd-pleasers! It’s the simple things like these tasty onions that take your backyard BBQ game to the next level.
Grilled Onions
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet onions like vidalias
Grilled Onion Marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare your onions. Slice the root end off of your onions and peel the skin off of the exterior. Slice the onions into 1/2 inch thick slices, keeping the rings together. Discard the end slices on each onion.
- Skewer the onions. Carefully slide a metal skewer through the center of the onion slices. This is easier when you press the onions down onto a board with the palm of your hand and sliding the skewers into the onions parallel to the board. Repeat until all of the onions are on the skewers.
- Season the onions. Set the onions flat on a rimmed baking sheet. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Pour the marinade over the sliced onion, turning the skewers to coat the onions on both sides.
- Grill the onions. Place the onions on the preheated grill grates. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side. Baste the onions with the remaining marinade during the grilling process. The onions will darken and slightly char as the sugars in the marinade caramelize, but you don't want them to burn. Move the onions off of the heat if they are getting too hot. Once the onions are cooked to your liking, remove them from the grill and serve warm. The onions should be grilled on the exterior, but still retain their shape and structure.
- Serve immediately. Serve on their own, on a burger, or on top of a steak for a sweet and savory flavor punch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious and love the idea of the skewer. I subbed balsamic glaze and crushed red pepper because it’s all I had and came out great. We added on top of steaks.
Totally trying this! Looks so good with that glaze. Thank you!!