Easy Onion Jam Recipe

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As if caramelized onions couldn't get any better, someone had the brilliant idea to turn them into jam. Unlike fruit jams that have a dessert-like decadence, onion jam stays savory, with just enough sweetness to perfectly complement meats, cheeses, and breads. It's a great topping for beefy burgers and a unique way to jazz up a charcuterie board, offering something that satisfies both sweet and savory palates. Onion jam is also a good ingredient to have on hand for elevating dishes beyond simple sliced onions, and is easy enough to make anytime.

This easy onion jam recipe is made by adding sugar and white balsamic to onions while they caramelize, absorbing the flavor and thickening into a jammy consistency. The tang of balsamic vinegar is cooked off during the long simmer, making it less acidic and instead a bit sweeter. Contrasted with the onion, rosemary, and thyme flavoring the jam, it becomes a mixture of flavors similar to caramelized onions but with added layers of flavor. Similar to onion confit, this jam can be used on virtually anything as both a sweet and savory topping.

To make onion jam, you'll need several Spanish or yellow onions, which cook down significantly during caramelization to about half their volume. You'll also need butter (oil works too), as well as rosemary, thyme, sugar, salt, and white balsamic. White balsamic is loved by chefs for its light color and mild flavor compared to regular balsamic vinegars, but can be swapped for the deeper red balsamic in a pinch.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet over medium-low heat.

Add the diced onions and begin to caramelize, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. The onions should be about halfway to caramelized by this point.

Tie the rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine and add to the onion mixture.

Add the sugar and let dissolve into the onions without stirring, about 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until darkened in color and thick, about 5-10 minutes. Avoid stirring unless the mixture starts to burn.

Reduce the heat to low and add the white balsamic vinegar, stirring until thick, about 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, remove the herb bundle, and stir in the salt. Let the onion jam cool completely, then store or serve as desired.

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As with adding anything into a hot skillet, it's tempting to want to stir the sugar while it dissolves into the onions. The reason you'll want to avoid stirring the sugar into the onions is due to clumping, which happens when sugar is shocked out of the dissolving state and crystallizes. This is a mistake often made when making caramel sauce, which is similar in technique to making onion jam.

If you mindlessly stirred or have a pan that is unevenly heating the sugar, there are ways to avoid (or fix) clumping. For uneven pans, gently swirl the skillet by the handles to distribute the heat, allowing dry spots to begin dissolving at the same rate as hotter spots. For stirred, and possibly clumped, batches, add a small splash of water then allow to dissolve into a smooth mixture without stirring. Do not raise the heat until the mixture is smooth and clumps are dissolved.

One of the small differences between jam and confit is the sweetness, which is more prominent in jam. This is partially due to the caramelizing onions, which release natural sugars, but also due to the sugar added directly to the onions and dissolved into a sort-of caramel. To make the jam less sweet, you can either use less sugar, or omit the sugar entirely.

To omit the sugar completely, simply skip the sugar and dissolving step and add the balsamic vinegar when the onions are nearly caramelized, about 40 minutes. The consistency will be less jammy, and will look more similar to simple caramelized onions. If you want to thicken the mixture without using granulated sugar, you can chop and cook dates into the onions while they caramelize, using the vinegar and water to help the dates break down. Once the dates are dissolved and the onions are soft and caramelized, reduce any remaining liquid until the consistency is jammy. If your jam is still too sweet (or you simply want a different flavor), try adding red pepper flakes, garlic powder, or even a few slices of jalapeño to the jam while cooking to offset the sweetness a bit.

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