5-Ingredient Keto Caramelized Red Onions (Skillet Red Onion Jam)

Sweet, tangy, flavorful – these Keto Caramelized Red Onions hit the spot when you need something exciting to jazz up your main course or side dish. When cooked long enough, you’ll end up with an enormously tasty sweet and savory jam that accompanies several types of dishes beautifully. Find out great variations and also my personal favorite way to use this tasty condiment.

How to make these 5-Ingredient Keto Caramelized Red Onions aka Skillet Red Onion Jam

This condiment is very easy to make just with one skillet. Sure, it takes some effort to slice the onions and to cook the jam, but in general, this keto recipe is easy to make.

Talking about slicing onions: the thinner you slice them the better the result will be, and the shorter time you have to cook the jam. Use a very sharp knife for slicing — and be careful with your fingers!

This recipe uses erythritol-based brown sugar substitute, but you can leave out the sweetener altogether if you avoid any added sweetness or sweeteners whatsoever. The red onions, when cooked long, release their natural sweetness, so basically, you don’t need any sweetener to get a hint of sweetness to this condiment. However, I wanted to make this recipe sweet, so I’m using my favorite sweetener, Sukrin Gold.

The good thing is that as this sweet and savory jam is so flavorful, a little goes a long way. I usually use less than one tablespoon as a serving and to accompany my dishes.

So, that’s it. Let’s take a look at how to prepare this flavorsome condiment:

Take 1 pound (450 g) red onions.

Peel them and slice as thinly as you can.

Here we go.

Heat a skillet over high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil…

…the sliced red onions…

…1/4 cup (60 ml, or to taste) erythritol-based brown sugar substitute such as Sukrin Gold.

Mix until well combined.

Like this. Turn the heat to the minimum. Cover with a lid and let cook slowly until very soft, sticky, and jam-like, about 40-50 minutes.

Stir occasionally (every 5-10 minutes) while cooking.

Looks good now!

Add 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar…

…and 1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) natural salt like unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt. Personally, I often add a pinch of freshly ground white pepper to lend a gentle kick.

Mix well and let cook without lid for about one minute, until all fluid has evaporated. Let cool to room temperature. Store refrigerated.

You can serve the condiment at room temperature or chilled, however you like.

My personal favorite way to enjoy this tasty condiment is with scrambled eggs — they rise to an entirely new level with these Keto Caramelized Red Onions!

How I came up with this Keto Caramelized Red Onions recipe

Believe it or not, this recipe is pretty old. I had actually developed it back in 2016, and it has been my to-go recipe whenever I need something sweet and tangy to accompany my keto dishes — or egg dishes like scrambled eggs, as I already mentioned. I remember I used to enjoy this onion jam a lot with goat cheese salad as well. The sweet jam is such a perfect condiment with savory soft goat cheese like chèvre! I really cannot say why I haven’t posted the recipe here on my blog. Well, that blunder is now fixed!

I remember when I started developing the recipe, I didn’t use any sweetener or any vinegar. As I wanted some more sweetness than the red onions were able to provide, I chose brown sugar substitute as it further enhances the caramelized flavor and deliciously sticky texture of this jam.

Since the sweetened version tasted too sugary and, to be honest, a bit bland, I added raw apple cider vinegar to balance out the sweetness. That worked unbelievably well and was definitely the icing on the cake (I cannot think of a better idiom here… well, maybe ’the missing link’).

I still fine-tuned the amounts before I was completely happy with my recipe. Once I was totally satisfied, I enjoyed every bit of the super scrumptious creation with great pleasure. So yum!

Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy:

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5-Ingredient Keto Caramelized Red Onions (Skillet Red Onion Jam)

Yield: 20

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Sweet, tangy, flavorful – these Keto Caramelized Red Onions hit the spot when you need something exciting to jazz up your main course or side dish. When cooked long enough, you'll end up with an enormously tasty sweet and savory jam that accompanies several types of dishes beautifully. Find out also my personal favorite way to use this tasty condiment!

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Ingredients

• 1 pound = 450 g red onions
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup = 60 ml Sukrin Gold or another erythritol-based brown sugar substitute
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt

Instructions

1. Peel the onions and slice them as thinly as you can.
2. Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil, sliced onions, and the sweetener. Mix until well combined.
3. Turn the heat to the minimum. Cook, covered, until soft, sticky, and jam-like, about 40-50 minutes. Stir occasionally (every 5-10 minutes) while cooking.
4. Add the vinegar and season with salt to taste.
5. Serve hot or cold, for example, with beef, goat cheese salad, or scrambled eggs.
   

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  Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar With the Mother– USDA Certified Organic – Raw, Unfiltered All Natural Ingredients, 16 ounce, 2 Pack
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  Sukrin Gold - Natural Brown Sugar Alternative - No Calorie Sweetener for Keto, Low Carb and Diabetic Diets - 1.1 lb Bag (1 Pack)
• 
  Terra Creta | Certified PDO ORGANIC Extra Virgin Olive Oil 5Ltr | Award Winning | Single Origin & Single Estate Kolymvari | 100% Pure Greek Olive Oil | Cold Extracted | Certified Kosher

Tips for variation

Instead of red onions, you can use regular yellow onions. Nothing prevents you from using other onion varieties as well, like leek. Actually, leek has the lowest amount of carbs of all onions, so if you really want to keep your carbs at the minimum, go for leek.

Talking about onions, I bet garlic would be a wonderful addition here. You can add few crushed garlic cloves with the sliced red onion and cook them soft. Garlic actually loses its strong flavor when cooked, so I bet you can add pretty many cloves to get enough garlicky flavor.

As I mentioned, I often add a pinch of white pepper to this jam at the end. You can undoubtedly add black pepper as well — or any other pepper. I bet pink peppercorn would lend a very elegant taste!

In fall-time, feel free to add warm spices like cloves, nutmeg, star anise, or even cardamom or a tiny pinch of Ceylon cinnamon. A couple of tablespoons of grated ginger amp up the taste and will certainly make the condiment even more delectable.

You can replace the vinegar with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice. This sweet and savory jam needs some tang, and citrus juices are just perfect for that.

For a real kick, add cayenne pepper to taste. Louisiana hot sauce or Sriracha sauce works well, too.

Here, I really have to mention other excellent and flavorful keto condiments that you might want to try out as well: 1-Minute 5-Ingredient Smoky Keto BBQ Sauce, 1-Minute Sugar-Free Sharp Cocktail Sauce, and especially this Fiery Jalapeño Jelly.

Chutneys are fantastic to accompany any savory dish. Check out these keto chutneys: Rhubarb Chutney and Spicy Keto Plum Chutney.

General prattling

This week has passed really quickly. I’ve been — again — doing lots of Ketokamu experiments. For example, I’ve tested my baking mix with different baked goods. It made a lovely cake — fluffy and tasty.

Happy Easter for those who are celebrating! Here’s a cheesecake I made using our Ketokamu Ketolla nut and chocolate spread. The recipe in Finnish is on our website. Many people have made their Ketolla cheesecakes for Easter according to the recipe, and they have been totally amazed at how easy-to-make and delicious it is!

Related posts:

Rhubarb Chutney (Vegan) Pico de Gallo (Vegan) Best-o Keto Pesto + Pesto Deviled Eggs Sweet Keto Dill Mustard Sauce