For More Flavorful Onions, Choose Frozen Over Fresh

Frozen onions might save you some time and stress (and maybe even some dollars, since they won't go bad), but the real question is, how do they impact your recipes? Onions show up as the silent star in most recipes around the world because that characteristic sprinkle of instant flavor is pretty unbeatable. Knowing when and why to freeze onions can help you approach your favorite recipes with a little more confidence — and maybe even convince you to reserve a dedicated onion spot in your freezer.

Keeping your onions fresher for longer may seem like a good reason for freezing them. But the benefits go well beyond minimizing food waste. The process of freezing onions leads to a deeper and fuller taste. As these vegetables freeze, their cell structure breaks down due to ice crystal formation. The precursor chemicals — called lachrymators — are then released and contribute to a deeper taste and a wobblier shape. The process leaves you with frozen onions that are softer once thawed, deeply aromatic, and enriched with greater antioxidant capacity. The same chemicals that contribute to the strong taste that everybody loves are also responsible for that hard-to-hide eye irritation you feel while chopping onions. 

For best results in the kitchen, it is worth knowing when to make use of frozen onions and when to reach for your fresh ones. Frozen onions work great when you're preparing them in caramelized, sauteed, grilled, or roasted form. They can be tossed into your favorite dishes, including soups, stews, casseroles, stir-fries, and sauces. If you are pressed for time, you don't need to wait for frozen onions to thaw before cooking. Save your time and creative energy for making the magic happen, be it through showing off your tomato sauce recipe or making use of the many ways to caramelize onions.

Frozen onions aren't ideal for recipes that call for this veggie in its raw form, so you're better off grabbing fresh onions for salsas, salad bowls, and your signature take on the potato salad recipe. Fresh onions work best at creating the crisp texture that salads require. For adding a more herbaceous taste to a dish, fresh onions will be more suitable, too, because frozen onions don't maintain this earthy flavor overtime, becoming stronger instead.