Like onions, onion powder is essential for a flavor-forward kitchen.
Find out what onion powder is and how best to use this potent secret ingredient.
Simply Recipes / Lori Rice
Garlic powder was always my go-to.
Simply Recipes / Lori Rice
Whenever a dish needed a little zhushing up, Id turn to these golden grains.
That is, until I was introduced to onion powder.
Wow,I realized.
Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel
This is the subtle flavor that gives batters and breading for chicken and fish zip.
Its a zero-effort way to throw the earthy edges of steak into sharp relief.
With a bottle in hand, I suddenly possessed the power to amplify anything.
Simply Recipes / Irvin Lin
Onion Powder
Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel
What is Onion Powder?
Onions are part of one of the most necessary, personality-filled families of plants: alliums.
They are prepared in countless ways and essential to many global cuisines.
Onionpowder is theorized to come from Egypt, based on earliest records of dry grinding.
What Does Onion Powder Taste Like?
Onion powder has a flavor somewhere between raw and cooked onion.
Its snappy in its bite and aggressive from first contact.
Onion Powder vs. Garlic Powder
Being close relatives, its easy to confuse onion and garlic powder.
Its even easier to mistake onion powder for garlic salt, which are strikingly similar in color.
Depending on the variety, garlic powders color can range from pale and buttery to deep yellow.
Onion powder can be bright white to gentle amber.
Both impart savory, acidic, pungent elements.
Simply Recipes / Lori Price
These similar qualities make them complementary, but not exact swaps.
The salt helps to absorb moisture away from hydration-hungry onion powder and keeps the granules separated.
It also slows down onion oil evaporation, preserving its potency.
Simply Recipes / Marta A Rivera Diaz
However, using onion salt also means youre relinquishing a certain amount of control over your seasoning.
You wont have as much control over the amount of salt or the throw in of salt.
First, youll need to decide on texture.
True onion powder is the most concentrated and pungent.
Its flour-fine milling allows it to hit you immediately with flavor.
Onion powder is typically commercially made with inexpensive firm white onions.
Some brands are toasted, giving the powder a golden hue.
Toasting onions reduces pungency and warms up flavor, making it smoother.
Onion powder can also be easily found blended with other alliums, herbs, or both.
Some are irradiated to protect from microbial contamination, but not everyone sees that as a plus.
Onion flakes are fantastic for fragrance, flavor, and crunchy texture, particularly the toasted kind.
You may recognize them in everything bagel seasoning.
Granulated onion and onion powder are great for even onion flavor distribution with minimal effort.
With onion powder, you dont have to worry about inadvertently adding more moisture or drying out your dish.
Its an instant infusion of flavor with a potency 10 times stronger than fresh onion.
McCormick is a consistent everyday pick for most home cooks, and its not hard to find organic versions.
Additionally, you’re able to also find budget brands like Badia in the international foods aisle.
Specialty spice stores like Penzeys and online merchants including Amazon also sell it.
Unfortunately, you wont know if you have a fresh batch until you get home and open it.
Youll know it as soon as it hits you.
Under ideal conditions, it will deliver full impact for up to four years.
Onion powder is quick to cake in warm environments at the slightest hint of humidity.
To reduce risk, dont hold the bottle over a pot or skillet, letting steam infiltrate the spice.
Youll need one tablespoon per teaspoon.
If you have no onion products on hand, garlic powder will also do as a 1:1 swap.
Its extremely common in spice rubs, particularly those meant for meat,like barbecue.
Its often combined with flour and other spices in breadings.
