Buzz
I’d love to think of myself as the type of person who meticulously washes, dries, and chops a range of veggies for a salad, but honestly, I’m not. I’m a bit lazy, which is why I’ve been all about bagged salads lately. They make sure I get some greens, even if they’re not exactly fresh out of the garden. But, I’m not so lazy that I don’t try to jazz them up a bit, and right now, my go-to trick is tossing some dehydrated caramelized onions onto every salad I make.
I wouldn’t call these crispy little bits “vegan bacon bits” or anything as absurd as that, but I will admit they easily slide into the role of bacon bits. Sure, they’re not made from pork and they don’t have a smoky flavor, but they’re salty, savory, and sweet with a rich umami that makes them perfect for adding depth to a bowl of chopped kale and cabbage.
Dehydrated caramelized onions are not just for raw veggies—they’re the ideal topping for nearly anything. I’ve enjoyed them on scrambled eggs, sautéed directly into egg whites, stirred into mashed potatoes, and scattered over a bowl of lima beans. If you mix them into sour cream, they’ll rehydrate and make a delicious dip. Grind them up with salt and you’ll have caramelized onion salt (use a 3:2 onion-to-salt ratio).
How to Dry Out Caramelized Onions
The process for dehydrating caramelized onions is all in the name, albeit in reverse order: First, caramelize your onions (I like to do mine on a sheet pan in the oven), and then dehydrate them. If you own a food dehydrator, just follow the instructions. No dehydrator? No problem! Set your oven to its lowest setting. For me, that’s 185℉, but 200℉ works just as well. I also use the convection setting on my oven to speed things up.
Spread the caramelized onions evenly on a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place them in your 185℉-ish oven until the onions are dry and crumble easily when you squeeze them between your fingers. (If you stop too early, you’ll end up with something that tastes like caramelized onion jerky, which, by the way, is also delicious.) I dried my last batch for eight hours at 185℉, then turned off the oven and let them cool inside for another hour. They turned out perfect.
Once your onions are fully dried and crumble easily, it’s time to start breaking them up. Sprinkle them over proteins, veggies, grains, pasta, popcorn, soups, salads, sauces, or anything else that could use a burst of salty, sweet umami.
