Yellow onion
Allium cepa
Balanced sweet-pungent; sulfur compounds mellow with cooking into deep umami sweetness.
About Yellow
The yellow onion is the workhorse cooking onion of Western cuisine — the foundation of mirepoix, soffritto, and countless braises, soups, and sauces. The papery golden skin covers white-to-pale-yellow flesh with balanced sweet-pungent character. Yellow onions are the only onion variety that consistently caramelizes well (the sugar content is high enough to develop deep brown caramelization without burning; the sulfur content is low enough to mellow during long cooking). Sweet yellow onions (Vidalia, Walla Walla) are distinct cultivars covered separately. The standard yellow onion is the variety to default to for cooking applications; sweet onions for raw applications.
Variety profile
Common uses
- Caramelized onion
- Mirepoix base
- French onion soup
- Onion rings
- Sautéed in braises
Editorial notes
Yellow onions store better than sweet onions — months in proper conditions (cool, dark, dry). Sweet onions go soft within 2-3 weeks even refrigerated.