Onion fondue


Onion fondue
Onion fondue is a delicious classic of French cuisine: finely-sliced onions, cooked long and slow until they are melting and caramelized.

This can be used in many other recipes.
164 K 4.0/5 (45 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
Last modified on: March 25th 2020
For this recipe: Comment Send to a friend Ask me a question Follow Printable Diaporama Video
For 500 g, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 8 min.
Cooking: 45 min.
All in all: 50 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 7 min.
Onion fondue : Stage 1
Prepare 1 kg onion and slice finely.

This might look like a lot, but with the long, slow cooking, the weight will reduce by about half.

Stage 2 - ⌛ 2 min.
Onion fondue : Stage 2
Using a pan that is not non-stick, melt together 3 tablespoons oil and 20 g butter on high heat.

Add 2 bayleaves and 2 sprigs thyme, and stir round for a few seconds.

Stage 3 - ⌛ 1 min.
Onion fondue : Stage 3
Add the sliced onions, mix well, but do not salt.

Turn the heat down to its lowest and leave to cook gently uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 40 min.
Onion fondue : Stage 4
Each time you stir, remember to scrape the bottom of the pan to mix in the cooking juices that the onions will create, so that gradually...

Stage 5
Onion fondue : Stage 5
...they will take on the desired colour and consistency.

At about halfway, you can remove and discard the thyme and bayleaf.

Stage 6
Onion fondue : Stage 6
Once the onions have reached this colour (I like them really well caramelized), take off the heat, salt and pepper, then check the seasoning.

Stage 7
Onion fondue : Stage 7
Your onion fondue is ready for use in any recipe you like.
Remarks
You will notice how the long cooking really brings out the onions' slightly sweet flavour, so do salt quite generously at the end of cooking.

It is important not to use a non-stick pan, as a conventional metal pan helps the onions to stick and create the cooking juices. These should be scraped off the bottom frequently and mixed in.

You can use clarified butter instead of the mix of oil + butter, or just normal butter, but take care not to let it burn.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe10 RDI=5 %90 RDI=8 %60 RDI=9 %970 RDI=50 %4,050 RDI: 50 %
Per 100 g1 RDI=0 %8 RDI=1 %5 RDI=1 %90 RDI=5 %380 RDI: 5 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: milk
How much will it cost?
  • For 500 g : 3.00 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 8
Rosemary steamed fish
Rosemary steamed fish

In this recipe the fish is cooked in steam perfumed with rosemary, which makes it tender and aromatic, served on a bed of onions fondue and finished with a dry white wine sauce.
353 K3.8 1 hour
Eggs meurette
Eggs meurette

Eggs meurette or "œufs à la bourguignonne" is a great classic of French cooking, and of Burgundy in particular. It consists of poached eggs on a bed of fondue onions and bacon, served on a slice of fried bread. This is topped with a tasty reduced red wine sauce.
215 K 14.1 1 hour 15 min.
Eggs in tomato shells
Eggs in tomato shells

This is a novel way of cooking eggs: in tomato "shells" or egg-cups! For extra flavour, we'll put a spoonful of caramelized onions in the tomato first.
69 K3.9 1 hour 3 min.
Boulangère potatoes
Boulangère potatoes

This great classic of French home cooking consists of sliced potatoes with slivers of bacon between, on a bed of onion fondue, moistened with poultry (or beef) stock and baked in the oven. It takes a fairly long time, but is so good, and reheats very well.
56 K 2 1 hour 40 min.
Montlebon toast
Montlebon toast

Not just plain old cheese on toast, these slices are loaded with delicious toppings: bechamel sauce, caramelized onions and sticks of morteau sausage. The slices are finished with grated Comté, then browned in the oven.
58 K5 30 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Apple and blackcurrant tarts
Apple and blackcurrant tarts
These little tarts taste every bit as good as they look. The sweetcrust pastry cases are filled with a layer of stewed apple and topped with a blackcurrant crémeux. This offers your guests a delightful element of surprise, as the apple flavour is only discovered as they eat it (but only if you've been secretive, of course).
October 10th 202147 K 1 hour 8 min.
Bouquet garni
Bouquet garni
Used very frequently in French cuisine, a secret of French chefs, it adds flavour to a lot of recipes, and it's easy to prepare. The basic principle is to make a small bundle of herbs, bind them in green leek leaves and to tie it up, so that the whole thing can be removed and discarded easily after cooking.
March 21th 2017436 K3.5 15 min.
How to prepare cabbage
How to prepare cabbage
Cabbage can be used cooked or raw, whole leaves or in julienne. Here is how to prepare a cabbage julienne.
December 31th 20131.16 M 13.4 45 min.
Pilau rice
Pilau rice
Pilau rice (also called "restaurant rice" in France) is a way of cooking rice that's very different from using a rice-cooker. In this recipe, the rice is first "pearled" with onion in olive oil, then chicken stock is added, and the whole lot is put in the oven. This produces a very tasty moist rice, which can easily be kept waiting without drying out.
February 21th 2011407 K 14.4 35 min.
Hot box cheese
Hot box cheese
This recipe is a great classic from Franche-Comté (area of eastern France). A Mont-dor cheese (from this area) is oven cooked in its wooden box with a little dry white wine, and served melted over baked potatoes. It's a dish for a winter evening meal with friends, very easy to prepare, everything goes on the table around which you are sitting.
February 11th 2016366 K4.3 60 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-01-18)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing

Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page