These caramelized onions are the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. They are the perfect topping or condiment for any burger, hot dog, wrap, or even a nice way to jazz up your fresh salads. I’ll show you how to make them and then preserve them for long storage in your pressure canner.

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****Disclaimer: Please note that this is NOT and APPROVED method according to the USDA and Center for Home Canning. It is considered a Reble canning method so please do you research and can at your own risk.

How To Make Caramelized Onions In The Slow Cooker

Caramelized Onions are onions that have had the natural sugars within them caramelize due to cooking them a long time with a slow heat process.

If you’ve never had caramelized onions before then man have you been missing out! They go great with many foods like burgers, hot dogs, roasts, even tacos, and salads!

I recently shared an Easy Caramelized Onion Dip recipe here on the blog so if you haven’t seen that dip yet I totally hope you check it out after you finish with this post on canning the onions. That dip is so amazing!

It is easy to cook caramelized onions on the stovetop but the process can be lengthy to develop all the flavors. So I really like to have these onions on hand in my pantry so that when I’m ready to use them it is super easy to grab a jar and serve them up.

This is a pretty easy recipe to can if you are newer to pressure canning then just follow the proper instructions for your canner, the recipe carb below, and always check the National Center for Home Food Preservation for some great food after guidelines for canning.

Here Are The Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe:

• 10 pounds of onions
• butter or avocado oil
• salt, pepper, garlic
• Balsalmic Vinegar
• Brow Sugar Option of Choice

With just those five things this recipe comes together super quickly. When it comes to the onions you’ll see that I didn’t specify and that’s because I use whatever onions I have in bulk to make this recipe.

If you would like them to be extra sweet then you could opt for a Vidalia onion or any kind of sweet onion, but we don’t like the overly sweet so I tend to just use white or yellow onions.

When I sweeten my caramelized onions I typically use a low carb brown sugar alternative like Golden Monk Fruit or even the Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet. But if you aren’t carb sensitive regular brown sure will work out great.

Once you have all your ingredients gathered and you are ready to get started loading the slow cooker with your sliced onions and the rest of your ingredients.

I like to prepare these in the evening and let them cook all night as I sleep that way they are cooked and ready to process in my canner by mid-morning. I love the hands-off cooking you get with the slow cooker!

Once the onions have cooked to a nice dark golden brown you are ready to prepare your canner and fill your jars. You can see the full step by step of how to can the onions on the recipe card at the end of this post.

What Tools Are Needed For Pressure Canning These Onions?

When it comes to this recipe you’ll need some pretty basic canning equipment. All of these tools can be purchased at local hardware stores, retail stores, or online through Amazon of course.

I love to have all my equipment out, wasted, and ready to go before I start the canning process. It is important when you are pressure canning that you follow the proper steps and the timing of each recipe.

So having all your tools out and at hand’s length will ensure that you are having to stop and step away to gram them in the thick of things.

Here is the list of tools that will help you have success with this caramelized onion recipe and canning it up for your pantry.

• crockpot or slow cooker
• half-pint canning jars with lids
• clean hand towels
• a ladle
• canning funnel
• Canning Bubble Remover
• jar lifter
• and of course a pressure canner

Most of these tools such as the funnel, bubble remover, and jar lifter can be purchased in a Complete Kit Like This One on Amazon or your local store that carries canning supplies.

Nothing has to be fancy, you just need quality tools that will help you safely can your recipes. If you are new to canning I suggest finding a lot of great canning books like the Ball Complete Book Of Home Preserving or the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.

You’ll learn so much and the books are super handy to have on your bookshelf because you can never double-check and recheck things too much when it comes to food safety.

Also, don’t underestimate utilizing some of the amazing YouTubers that specialize in canning videos, they can be a total gem to glean so much knowledge from also.

Update To This Recipe’s Note 07/27/2022: 

Disclaimer: Please note that this is NOT and APPROVED method according to the USDA and Center for Home Canning. It is considered a Reble canning method so please do you research and can at your own risk.

I’ve had someone tell me that 12 hours was way too long in their crock pot and sadly it didn’t yield good results there, which I hated to hear.

So since I did some research and found that different crock pots may get hotter than some I’ve added some extra notes to the recipe card instructions.

I’ve never had issues with doing the whole 12 hours, but then again it might be that my crock pot is larger and older than some so it might not get as hot as some new brands.

With this new information I recommend you cook the onions on high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally, then at that point decide whether or not you are happy with the amount the onions are caramelized.

If at this point after the 6 hours on high, you want to go further with cooking you can keep them on high and watch them carefully, or you can turn them down to low and check them in another couple of hours until you reach your desired color and consistency.

Yield: 4 to 6 Pints

Canning Caramelized Onions

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes

A delicious caramelized onion condiment that is sweet and tangy. These golden brown onions go amazingly well on wraps, burgers, hot dogs, and even on salads.

Print

Ingredients

• 10 pounds of onions, peeled and sliced thin
• 1/2 to 1 cup of brown sugar ( or 1/3 cup Low Carb Brown Sugar)
• 5 tablespoons Avacado Oil or Butter
• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions

1. Cut, peel, and slice the onions into thin slices and add them to the slow cooker.
2. Once the slow cooker is full add in the sweetener of choice if using any, the butter, and the balsamic vinegar.
3. Set the slow cooker on high for 6 hours, make sure to check them from time to time. I cooked mine down for a total of 12 hours, but you may need less time. If after 6 hours they are not cooked down enough you can always turn them to low and keep cooking until they reach your desired caramelization.
4. Prepare your pint-size mason jars by washing them with hot soapy water and rinsing thoroughly. Place the lids in hot to boiling water to soak while you fill your jars.
5. Before filling your jars you need to prep your pressure canner per the directions in your users manual of your canner and verify the pressure you should use to pressure can your onions at your elevation.
6. Begin to heat up the canner then once the water is warm start filling each of your jars.
7. Fill the pint jars with the cooked caramelized onions leaving a 1-inch headspace on each jar.
8. Clean the top rims of each jar with a paper towel and white vinegar and place the lids on each jar. Secure the ring on the jar on finger tight. Do not overtighten them or the lids will buckle and not seal properly.
9. Place the jars in the canner and attach your pressure canner lid. And let the canner heat up until there steady stream of steam coming from the value. Place the timer on 10 minutes and let the canner continue to steam.
10. Next, when the timer has ended place the weight on the canner and let it begin to build up pressure until it reaches the correct pressure for your area and process the pints of caramelized onions for 75 minutes. If you choose to do half pints pressure can those for 70 minutes.
11. After the canner has completed the 75 minutes turn off the heat and canner completely cool down and slowly release all of the steam before removing the weight or trying to open the canner.
12. Now that the canner has cooled off completely and has released all the steam carefully open the lid and remove the jars with a jar lifter. Place them on a wire rack or a kitchen towel and let them cool and set for at least hours.
13. Lastly, remove the rings from the jars and test to make sure all the lids are sealed. Using warm soapy water clean the jars thoroughly and dry well before dating and labeling them for the pantry.

Notes

**Disclaimer: Please note that this is NOT and APPROVED method according to the USDA and Center for Home. It is considered a Reble canning method so please do you research and can at your own risk. 

**Adjust the sweetness of these onions by just adding 1/2 cup of brown sugar or for sweeter onions use 1 cup to a larger crockpot full of onions. I like to use less if using real sugar or if I do the full cup I add more vinegar to balance it out. So they are easy to adjust to your liking.

Did you make this recipe?

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Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!