Sweet and savory Instant Pot® Caramelized Onions – www.instantlydelcious.com – Instantly Delicious

One of the first recipes I shared on Instantly Delicious was a recipe for Instant Pot® Caramelized Onions.  It was a popular recipe, but I received a lot of comments that people had problems.  I did a quick test and one time it worked, another it didn’t.  I decided that since I didn’t have time to work on the recipe, I would just take it down until I could fix it.  Since then, I have received several emails asking where the recipe went.  In my haste, I deleted the post without saving my work (story of my life), so I had to start again.  I am kind of glad that I did, so I wouldn’t continue testing something that wasn’t working.  I did a lot of reading and revisited the Serious Eats post for Instant Pot® caramelized onions, which I originally read to see if I could learn why my method wasn’t working.  However, there were mixed reviews for that recipe, too.  I decided I would borrow the addition of baking soda to speed up the browning process (Maillard reaction), and rethink how I cooked the onions entirely.  I am really pleased with the results and am ready to share them again.

Instant Pot® Caramelized Onions
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
4 large yellow onions, sliced 1/8 inch thick
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of black pepper
pinch of baking soda

Directions:
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1. Combine butter, onions, salt, and pepper in the Instant Pot®. Lock the lid, making sure the valve is in the sealing position. Set to manual high-pressure for 5 minutes.  When finished, switch the valve to venting.  

2. When safe to open, remove lid, and set the pot to saute.  Add a pinch of baking soda and set a timer for 20 minutes.  Stir the onions every 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.  After 20 minutes, remove from heat. When cool, store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about a week. 

Enjoy,
Julie