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These are the best ever grilled onions!  Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about!
These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about! Grilling Recipes | Onion Recipe | How to grill onions | grilling side dishes | BBQ recipes

These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about! Grilling Recipes | Onion Recipe | How to grill onions | grilling side dishes | BBQ recipes

I usually hesitate to use the “best ever” title when naming my recipes.  Partially because it it is setting really high expectations, and also it’s a little braggy.  I never share anything on the blog unless I think it is really great, but I still avoid claiming best ever – most of the time. There are a few recipes in my repertoire, however, that I really, firmly believe are the best ever.  These grilled onions are one of them.
These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about! Grilling Recipes | Onion Recipe | How to grill onions | grilling side dishes | BBQ recipes
This recipe for grilled onions is one we have been working on for several years, tweaking until we had it down to a science.  A few years ago, my husband and I lived in Arizona.  Because Arizona is at least as hot as hell, we started grilling anything and everything rather than turning on our oven and straining our AC.  Being that my husband is an engineer, he is constantly trying to improve things, so  even though the grilled onions that we were making were pretty good, he knew they could be better.
These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about! Grilling Recipes | Onion Recipe | How to grill onions | grilling side dishes | BBQ recipes
We developed this recipe to create tender, sweet, golden grilled onions that wouldn’t slip through the grates or cook unevenly.   There are a few crucial components that make this recipe a true “best ever”.

  1. Use sweet onions such as Walla Walla or Vidalia.  The sugars in the onion caramelize perfectly.
  2. Use wooden skewers.  They can be cut to fit the onion, so each onion is skewerd individually.
  3. Running the skewer through the center of the onion will keep the tender, middle part of the onion (the best part!) from falling out through the grates.
  4.  Cook low and slow.  If you use high heat the outside of the onion will burn while the inside will be underdone.
  5. Slice onions into even slices to ensure even cooking.

These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about! Grilling Recipes | Onion Recipe | How to grill onions | grilling side dishes | BBQ recipes
We developed this based on a recipe from Alton Brown, but one major change is that we use wooden skewers so that we can cut the skewers to fit the onion.  That was each onion is individually skewered and can be moved around the grill as they fit.  I also brush them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  This will give you beautiful golden onions instead of onions that are dry and floppy.

These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about! Grilling Recipes | Onion Recipe | How to grill onions | grilling side dishes | BBQ recipes
These perfectly grilled onions are always a hit at our BBQs.  We have people raving about them, even years later.  Served as a side for a  perfectly grilled ribeye or on top of a juicy burger and you will be a happy camper.

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Best Ever Grilled Onions

5 from 15 votes
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 40 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
These are the best ever grilled onions!  Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about!

Ingredients 

  • 2 sweet onions such as Walla Walla or Vidalia
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • fresh ground pepper

Instructions 

  • Hold the onion on a cutting board, with the root end facing sideways.  About 3/4 of an inch in from the root, drive a wooden skewer through the center of the onion.  Push the skewer all the way through, so that the flat end of the skewer is next to the onion and the pointy end is as far away from the onion as possible.
  • On one side of the skewer, slice the root end off of the onion.  On the other side of the skewer, leaving about 3/4 inch of onion, slice the onion so that the skewer is going through the center of the slice.
  • Use a knife to cut the part of the skewer that is sticking out of the onion.  Repeat until both onions have been sliced into even slices, about 3/4 inch thick.  Trim the skewers so that there is not excess sticking out of the onion.
  • Brush the slices on both sides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

On A Charcoal Grill:

  • Make a two zone fire - coals on one side and no coals on the other.
  • Place the onions on the cool side of the grill and flip and rotate every 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden brown.  The total time will depend on how hot your coals are and how close they are to the fire, but is usually 25-40 minutes. Onions are done when golden and tender.

On A Gas Grill:

  • Heat the grill for 5-10 minutes.
  • Lower the burners to low and cook the onions on the low burner, flipping every 10 minutes until golden brown, about 25-40 minutes. Onions are done when golden and tender.

Video

Notes

  1. Use sweet onions such as Walla Walla or Vidalia.  The sugars in the onion caramelize perfectly.
  2. Use wooden skewers.  They can be cut to fit the onion, so each onion is skewerd individually.
  3. Running the skewer through the center of the onion will keep the tender, middle part of the onion (the best part!) from falling out through the grates.
  4.  Cook low and slow.  If you use high heat the outside of the onion will burn while the inside will be underdone.
  5. Slice onions into even slices to ensure even cooking.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!

 

These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about! Grilling Recipes | Onion Recipe | How to grill onions | grilling side dishes | BBQ recipes

Hello! I’m Meghan.

I am so glad that you are here! I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at my blog Fox and Briar. I am a passionate, self-taught home cook and believe that most things are better homemade and that good food doesn’t need to be complicated.

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67 Comments

  1. I halve med.-large yellow Vidalias,marinate for 2-3 h in a mixt. of apple cider vinegar,honey,salt& pepper, sourmash bourbon& olive oil.After skewering, grill (cut face down) over low-med.coals.

  2. 5 stars
    We grow our own onions (Candy Red, white and yellow) and we’ve been looking for new ways to enjoy eating them. This recipe is the best we’ve found for grilling them! Wow! They really tasted great! Using the wooden skewers is such a smart idea. It made it so much easier to turn the slices while grilling without the onion falling apart. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.

  3. 5 stars
    Hi – these onions look amazing. So how many slices to you actually get out of each onion….2? I’m assuming this because they’re pretty thick and that the root end doesn’t have a skewer. Definitely trying these!!

  4. Not having sweet onions available, I brushed yellow onions with Balsamic vinegar and let them marinade for about 1/2 hour. Came out great

  5. 5 stars
    Wow! I just made this recipe using a large white onion. The taste was out of this world. I can’t wait to try it with a yellow onion. Thank you for sharing.

  6. 5 stars
    These came out great! Sometimes the easiest recipes are the best. I won’t lie my first batch I tried to flip too soon! Will definitely make them again. Oh! My 4-year o loved them.

  7. I am going to try this today but I’ve never seen such confusing directions on how to skewer before. Hope I can figure it out.

  8. Awesome so sweet and delicious thank you for a great recipe
    Confusing on skewing and slicing but still came out great. I’ve got it down pat for next timr

  9. Simple advice to deal with onion rings on the grill. I just tried and it was gorgeous. Thank you

  10. 5 stars
    I added a little Dill Weed to the S/P and topped with Cilantro when served. We loved them.

  11. These look great! Are onions sliced in half? Hard to tell from pics and instructions. 🙆🏼‍♀️

    1. Hi Suzanne – the onion is cut into 3 or 4 slices – rings or coins is the best way to describe it. The skewer holds the rings of each slice together, otherwise they sometimes fall apart during cooking.

  12. I could literally eat this as an entire meal. So obsessed with onions, especially grilled!!