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These are the best ever grilled onions! Learn how to make perfectly grilled onions that everyone will rave about!
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.
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.
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”.
- Use sweet onions such as Walla Walla or Vidalia. The sugars in the onion caramelize perfectly.
- Use wooden skewers. They can be cut to fit the onion, so each onion is skewerd individually.
- 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.
- Cook low and slow. If you use high heat the outside of the onion will burn while the inside will be underdone.
- Slice onions into even slices to ensure even cooking.
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 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.
Best Ever Grilled Onions
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
- Use sweet onions such as Walla Walla or Vidalia. The sugars in the onion caramelize perfectly.
- Use wooden skewers. They can be cut to fit the onion, so each onion is skewerd individually.
- 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.
- Cook low and slow. If you use high heat the outside of the onion will burn while the inside will be underdone.
- Slice onions into even slices to ensure even cooking.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
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.
I’m so glad to hear that! I bet they are amazing with home grown onions!
Wow
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!!
Depending on the size of the onion, we usually get 2 or 3 slices per onion.
Not having sweet onions available, I brushed yellow onions with Balsamic vinegar and let them marinade for about 1/2 hour. Came out great
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing John!
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.
Oh yay, so happy to hear that!
Great tips! I never remember how to make them so I’ll be bookmarking this page
Video of this please. I don’t understand how to put the skewer in.
I have made these twice now. The first time they were too salty, so I cut back and they were GREAT!
So glad you loved them Lisa!
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.
So happy you loved them Beryl!
Thank you! I love this recipe! I’ve made this twice now, it’s definitely a keeper 🙂
So glad you love them Blanca!
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.
Hi Melissa – thank’s for letting me know it is confusing! I’ll see if I can make it more clear.
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
So glad it worked out George!
Simple advice to deal with onion rings on the grill. I just tried and it was gorgeous. Thank you
So glad it was helpful!
I added a little Dill Weed to the S/P and topped with Cilantro when served. We loved them.
I’m so glad you loved them!
These look great! Are onions sliced in half? Hard to tell from pics and instructions. 🙆🏼♀️
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.
I need a video about skewering and slicing the onion 🙁 ok? 🙂
I’ll do my best 🙂
I love onions and these look so delicious!
I love grilled onions and this one looks amazing!
Thank you Julie!
I could literally eat this as an entire meal. So obsessed with onions, especially grilled!!
Thanks Lindsay! They are the best grilled!