How to Microwave Whole Onions
Vidalia onions are so sweet you can eat them whole! But can you cook them fast? The test results are in: Microwaved Vidalia onions are great!
If you love baked Vidalia onions but don’t have an hour to wait (who does?!), you can get pretty close by cooking them in the microwave.
Compared to their oven-baked counterparts, the microwaved onions aren’t as strongly flavored, but they are virtually identical in texture. The microwave method is best for cooking just one or two onions, since most microwaves and/or containers can’t fit larger quantities. Follow these easy instructions to have butter-soft onions in under 10 minutes!
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
How To Microwave Whole Onions, Step-By-Step
Step #1
Peel your onion, leaving the root intact. If your onion sits level, you can leave it alone. If not, cut a thin slice off the root to create a flat bottom.
Step #2
Use a paring knife to cut a 1-inch deep cone into the top of the onion.
Step #3
Insert a vegetable, chicken, or beef bouillon cube into the hole.
Step #4
Fill the rest of the hole with butter, about 1-2 tablespoons. Season with salt and pepper.
Step #5
Place the onion in a microwave-safe container and cover loosely with a lid.
Step #6
Microwave on high until tender, 6-8 minutes. Serve warm. Drizzle with the remaining liquid for extra flavor.
More Great Onion Recipes
If you love this recipe, try out some of our other recipes with delicious onion flavor.
- Best Grilled Onions Recipe
- Cucumber Onion Salad
- French Onion Chicken Recipe
- Instant Pot Caramelized Onions
- Easy French Onion Soup
Podcast Episode: Making Microwaved Whole Onions
Listen to our editor, Christine Pittman, explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
How to Microwave Whole Onions Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Vidalia onions are so sweet you can eat them whole! But can you cook them fast? The test results are in: Microwaved Vidalia onions are great!
Ingredients
- 1 Vidalia onion
- 1 vegetable, chicken or beef bouillon cube
- 1–2 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
- Peel your onion, leaving the root intact. If your onion sits level, you can leave it alone. If not, cut a thin slice off the root to create a flat bottom.
- Use a paring knife to cut a 1-inch deep cone into the top of the onion.
- Insert a vegetable, chicken, or beef bouillon cube into the hole.
- Fill the rest of the hole with butter, about 1-2 tablespoons. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the onion in a microwave-safe container and cover loosely with a lid.
- Microwave on high until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Serve warm. Drizzle with the remaining liquid for extra flavor.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
This post originally appeared in August 2016 and was revised and republished in September 2024.
Simply wonderful!
I appreciate it, Barbara! Thank you.
This is a wonderful method. Any combination of flavouring and fat can be used, for example curry powder instead of stock cube, and/or sesame oil instead of butter.
After following this recipe, slicing/chopping the onions provides a starting point for many other recipes. There’s no need to soften them first, and microwaving is a quick and cheap alternative to other cooking methods.
Sometimes the outer layer can end up a bit chewy – just remove it 🙂
Great tips, John. Thank you! And I’m really happy you like it. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Perfect. My spouse cannot tolerate onions so I can’t put them in pot roast. This allows me to create a flavorful onion that I can add to my portion of the roast at the end!!! Thanks
Oh, that’s a great solution, Terry! Thanks for sharing.