Glazed Pearl Onions

Tender pearl onions in a sweet, glossy glaze.

Updated September 29, 2023

Why It Works

This recipe uses an incredibly simple one-pan method.
If the sauce accidentally breaks it can be very easily repaired, making this recipe fool-proof.

Glazing is one of the simplest, all-in-one-pan methods for cooking vegetables. You start by covering the vegetables with water (or unsalted stock if you prefer) and adding some butter, salt, and sugar. Then all you do is bring it to a boil over high heat and let that water simmer away.

As the water simmers, the vegetables soften, flavoring the liquid, which eventually reduces and emulsifies with the butter, forming a glossy, flavorful glaze that coats the tender vegetables. The whole process takes about 20 minutes. The key here is to stop cooking just before the sauce becomes very tight. Take it too far and you'll end up evaporating too much moisture, causing the butter to break into a greasy pool. If this happens, just stir in a bit of tap water or stock and shake the pan vigorously to bring it all back together.

A two-image collage showing pearl onions in a broken sauce and pearl onions after the sauce is emulsified back together. — Serious Eats

Both this recipe and our recipe for creamed pearl onions can be made with either fresh or frozen pearl onions. If you prefer to use fresh ones, which have a slightly firmer texture and a more mild flavor, start by cutting off the tops and bottoms with a paring knife and scoring one cut side with a small X in order to help you peel off the skin later on. A quick blanche in a hot pot of boiling water will help to loosen the outer layers. From there rinse them briefly under cold water and they should be easy to peel with your fingers.

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Knife Skills: How To Prepare Pearl Onions

November 2013

Recipe Details

Glazed Pearl Onions Recipe

Active 20 mins

Total 45 mins

Serves 6 servings

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Ingredients

2 pounds pearl onions (see notes)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Using a paring knife, trim off the ends of each onion and score a light "X" into one cut side. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add onions and cook until outer layers are soft, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain onions and run under cool water until cold enough to handle. Peel onions with your fingers and discard peels.
Transfer onions to a large saucepan or high-sided sauté pan and cover with water. Add butter and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring and shaking pan occasionally, until onions are completely tender and sauce water has reduced and emulsified with the butter into a glossy glaze, about 25 minutes (if butter looks greasy or broken, add 2 tablespoons of water and shake pan to bring glaze back together). Season to taste with salt. Stir in parsley, and serve.

Notes

Frozen pearl onions can be used in place of fresh. To use frozen onions, cook direct from frozen, skipping step 1.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
126	Calories
6g	Fat
18g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	126
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g	8%
Saturated Fat 4g	18%
Cholesterol 15mg	5%
Sodium 111mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 18g	6%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 10mg	48%
Calcium 37mg	3%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 260mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.