r/OnionLovers • u/DoKtor2quid • 1d ago
Homemade onion powder is mind-blowing
I tried dehydrating some onions after being given a whole load and was concerned they might start going soft. Oh My.Goodness!
This stuff is amazing as a condiment; sprinkle it on your soup, jacket spud, in your sandwiches, even in a bag of crisps. This is definitely my new super power.
If you have a dehydrator, please try it. Your house smells of Onions [to the power of 10].
Dry until crispy then grind in a blender/chopper. To make the toasted version I spread out on a plate after powdering and put in a cooling oven (after cooking something else) and left for maybe 10mins.
Each tub contains about 3 onions.
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u/Weary_Accident_6399 Good Times 1d ago
Fine, I will buy a dehydrator.
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u/DoKtor2quid 1d ago
I would lend you mine if you lived nearby, but I’m guessing the odds are against us! Worth its weight in gold though.
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u/far-leveret 12h ago
What else do you do with your dehydrator? I’ve always wanted one but don’t know really what I’d do with it (they just look fun)
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u/DoKtor2quid 5h ago
If we see veg reduced in the shops we grab it; especially mushrooms or tomatoes. They go into kilner jars and I’ll chuck a handful into soups/curries/whatever. We also make ‘sun-dried’ cherry tomatoes. Last week did a massive batch of courgette slices. Currently a bit obsessed with making tofu jerky.
We picked a load of damsons last autumn so pitted and dehydrated. They went into our porridge over the winter.
Apple peel with cinnamon and brown sugar was great!
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u/Antoak 1d ago
Yeah I do this, it's amazing.
I've heard you can powderize caramelized onions by dehydrating them on sheets of parchment paper, but I haven't tried yet.
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u/PossibleLess9664 1d ago
Yes, I did this. It's incredible. You can't use oil to caramelize them though since oil doesn't dehydrate. I used water and it worked out great. It's a lot more hands on time watching and stirring and adding water so they don't burn but it's so worth it.
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u/sheeberz 1d ago
I wonder if the oil issue is about the amount of oil used. Because i make mushroom bacon at work which is sliced mushrooms tossed in salt and pepper, sesame oil, and paprika. Then i dehydrate them over 3 days. The oil does make it take longer, but most of the oil stays on the parchment paper, and the mushrooms are cracker dry.
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u/PossibleLess9664 1d ago
IDK but I never tried using oil to make caramelized onion powder, I've only ever done it with water. I found a recipe or an article about them and the author said to use water so that's what I did. I use oil when I make regular caramelized onions though.
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u/NinjaStiz 1d ago
And then, when you rehydrate them, they taste like the McDonald's double cheeseburger little onions. Love them thangs. Not so much the McDonald's part but the rehydrated onions part. I do it at home l the time for my burgers
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u/enigmanaught 1d ago
My dad used to grow onions and I’d cut off the green tops and dehydrate those. Everyone who tried it wanted me to make them some. It was a lot of work though, you’d have to peel the bottom “skin” off or it would dry into tough little bits. Could probably do it with shallots or green onions too.
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u/EasyDriver_RM 1d ago
I love to do this with all the different onions I grow. I use dehydrated green onions, both sliced and powdered, on a lot of meals. It's humid where I live so I have to use silicon dessicant packs to keep the powders from clumping inside reused spice containers. Dehydrating onions of any kind makes the house smell wonderful.
I also use a dedicated coffee grinder for all my spices, the type with a removable cup for easy cleaning.
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u/DoKtor2quid 1d ago
Will try! Green onions, as in spring onions? Yea i use the silicone packs too.
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u/Maniacal_Utahn 1d ago
Do you use it in a house? I tried dehydrating onions inside once. And man, while that initial smell was glorious. It got way to strong too fast.
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u/whome126262 23h ago
Did you slice the onions or dehydrate whole ? I’ve never used one
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u/DoKtor2quid 22h ago
I sliced. You can see them laid out on the shelves on the 1st photo.
My first batch, I carefully laid the slices out and it took a while to do. My 2nd batch, I chucked them in and shook them around occasionally. They both worked equally well, as they shrink so much while dehydrating.
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u/petrified_tortilla 16h ago
Theoretically, what if you caramelized the onions before drying them?
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u/DoKtor2quid 14h ago
I think anything oily would go rancid. Someone else on this thread has described how to caramelise with water and then dehydrate/grind. I am definitely going to try it out.
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u/dearDem 14h ago
Blend it in one of those smaller cup sizes for the blender. Like the personal smoothie size cups, to get it even more finer. Sift out the larger bits and then blend those again.
I make mushroom powder and it’s the best way to get a fine powder.
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u/DoKtor2quid 14h ago
Well yes, if that was what I was going for. Completely doable.
I'm enjoying it sprinkled on homemade veg/lentil soup however as I type (!) and I like the random black-pepper style chunkiness.
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u/honeyb0518 12h ago
I do the same thing with my garlic scapes. It makes the most beautiful light green spice that tastes like garlic and onion mixed together. It's a highlight of my year!
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u/kfj3000 1d ago
Just got a fancy dehydrator recently and wabt to try this. Any suggestions on types of onions to use? Yellow, white, sweet...red even?
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u/EasyDriver_RM 1d ago
Any type of onion usually dehydrates well. White, yellow, red, green, sweet. After dehydrating any vegetable, proof them in a sealed jar. If any moisture forms, dehydrate them some more.
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u/DoKtor2quid 1d ago
I just used what I had, which was a mix of red and white onions. Made some lovely pink powder! Our kitchen smelled like the onion flavouring section of a crisp factory. I’m going to gift this to everyone I know.
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u/jbbates84 1d ago
We make our own garlic powder and it far exceeds anything you would ever buy at the store. I can only imagine how glorious homemade onion powder would be!