Best simple onion marmalade recipe - quick & only 5 ingredients (2024)

If you’re looking for a simple, quick onion marmalade recipe (a delicious condiment), look no further than this 5 ingredient version.

Best onion marmalade recipe: easy + only 5 ingredients

This onion marmalade recipe came about from a serious over-supply of onions.

I could have sworn I was out of them so bought a kilogram bag at the markets on Sunday.

Little did I know, I not only had onions but, I already had a full bag in the fridge along with a few loose ones.

I know onions last a while but even I didn’t need 2.5kg of onions sitting around nor did I have the fridge space to spare.

This onion marmalade recipe came about from a serious over-supply of onions.

I could have sworn I was out of them so bought a kilogram bag at the markets on Sunday.

Little did I know, I not only had onions but, I already had a full bag in the fridge along with a few loose ones.

I know onions last a while but even I didn’t need 2.5kg of onions sitting around nor did I have the fridge space to spare.

My night time reading is quite often cookbooks and last weeks book of choice was the Country Women’s Association preserves book which just happened to have a recipe for onion marmalade that used 1kg of onions – perfect!

It’s a delicious savoury jam that goes well on a cheese platter or my favourite was spread with a little goat cheese on a sourdough cracker.

How is it different from caramelised onion?

It seems they’re actually quite similar but mycaramelised onionrecipe is not as sweet as the onion marmalade.

How to make onion marmalade

Ingredients for onion marmelade

It’s another recipe for the4 ingredient ladiesthis one. All you need is:

• onions
• salt
• sugar
• vinegar

It’s seriously low-budget too with the total cost coming in at about $6 total.

I didn’t even need to buy anything else.

Which onions should you use to make onion marmalade?

You can use red onions, white onions or brown onions for this recipe.

Whichever you can get your hands on will be delicious.

Which vinegar works best

The original recipe just called for ‘vinegar’ so I had to take a punt on what sort to use.

I used 1/8 balsamic vinegar and the rest white vinegar. You could also use apple cider vinegar.

Which sugar to use

This really is a flexible recipe in that you can use whichever onion, vinegar or sugar you have on hand.

We used soft brown sugar but have also made it with white sugar.

You can lessen the amount of sugar you use if you have sweet onions but you do need a decent amount for caramelisation.

How to make caramelized onions (aka onion jam)

First you will need to prepare the onions to make this delicious onion marmalade.

How to prepare 1 kilogram of onions

You can hand chop them if you have super tough eyes.

I used the slicer attachment on my food processor because I don’t think I’d be able to see cutting up 1kg by hand.

My eyes were tearing up just peeling the onions.

The cooking process for this balsamic onion jam recipe is really simple. It does take a long time (a couple of hours) but there’s barely any hands-on time.

You’ll need a rather large pot to make sweet onion jam in and the wider the better.

Start with just the sugar and red wine vinegar in the pot and heat it over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved then bring it all to a boil.

Add all the onions to the pan and again bring it to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer and let it simmer away on low heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the onions are transparent and golden brown and the liquid is syrupy.

I left mine for 2.5 hours.

I gave it a stir with a wooden spoon about every half hour to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

After that time, taste it and adjust the seasoning if you need to.

I added a little extra salt to mine.

You can also add black pepper for a little extra flavour.

Two days before I’d had a terribly failed attempt at a new multigrain bread recipe.

It was meant to be a tall, fluffy loaf.

As you can see from the slices, it was miserably flat.

All was not lost though.

I sliced it up very finely, lay the slices on a baking tray and sprayed them with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt then baked them until they crisped up.

Stored in an air-tight container, they’ll keep for ages.

Once the onions are ready, bottle them up.

Apparently they will keep for ages and ages at room temperature and only get better with time.

How to use onion marmalade

This caramelized onion marmalade recipe makes a great condiment with so many dishes but can also be used to add flavour.

I’ve already got recipes flying around in my head but pairing it simply with feta in a fritata or tart sounds like a great way to use it for starters.

Other ideas to serve:

• top a steak with it
• serve it with cheese and homemade water crackers
• stir it into a casserole
• serve it on top of baked potato
• it would make the perfect condiment with Saturday morning crispy bacon and eggs
• add it to a grilled cheese toastie for extra flavor
• use as a savoury jam on a charcuterie board with baguette slices and blue cheese
• gift a jar with somehomemade water crackers
• use it in caramelized onion and blue cheese sausage rolls

Enjoy!

What about you?

Do you tend to over-buy things?

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Onion marmalade

Onion marmalade

Yield: 1L

Ingredients

• 1kg sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 tbsp salt
• 1kg onions sliced into rings

Instructions

1. In a big saucepan, stir the sugar, vinegars and salt together and then bring to the boil.
2. Add the onions to the pot and stir them through then bring it to a boil again.
3. Reduce it to a simmer and leave it to cook away for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until the onion is transparent and the liquid is thick and syrupy.
4. Transfer it into sterilised jars.