Are you running out of onion powder?
You can make one yourself!
Onion is one of every home cook’s kitchen staple.
Almost every savory dish requires onion. It brings in both flavor and aroma to the dish. Without onions, a dish can taste a bit bland.
Onion powder has become a more popular alternative.
While cooks would love to use fresh onions, a powdered version is more useful, especially in seasoning meat.
It has become one of the most useful spices in the kitchen.
Sure, the ones bought in stores make it more convenient and don’t come in as expensive. So, why make your own?
Because making your own onion powder gives you more flavor.
Yep, that’s right. It has more flavor than anything you buy in the grocery. And it’s not that difficult as it seems. All you need is some onions and an oven, and you’re good to go.
Ready to make your first batch? Let’s start.
You will need at least four onions which will yield you at most eight tablespoons of powder later. You can use any onion that you like.
Next is to chop the onions.
You have three options on how to do this, and each has its advantages. Chopping allows you to make even pieces, while grating makes it faster to dehydrate the onions. Using a food processor just makes things easier.
Drain the onions of their juice.
You can place a colander on top of a bowl and then press on the chopped onions to drain it of its juice. Set it aside because you can use it for other dishes that require it.
On a baking pan, lay out a baking sheet and parchment paper on top of it.
Spread the chopped onions evenly across the pan. This ensures that they dry out evenly. If there’s a part that lumps up, the tendency is that it won’t dry out when the rest does. Then, place it inside an oven at 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the onion dry out. It may take up to five hours.
Depending on how fine you chopped your onions, it may take a while to dry them out. Also, if your oven does not have a temperature as low as 170 degrees, you should start checking on your onions after an hour, as it may burn the onions faster.
Wait until onions turn golden brown.
You can check if the onions have dried out by pressing on some of them. If it crumbles easily, then you’re ready for the next step. Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool completely.
Once it’s cool, it’s time to grind them.
You can use a spice mill (an attachment that sometimes comes with your food processor or blender) or the simple mortar and pestle. Grind until it’s fine as your store-bought onion powder.
Store in a spice jar, and you’re good to go.
One tip – you can place uncooked rice inside the jar. This helps absorb moisture and is better than the “anti-caking agent” in the ones you can buy in the store – who knows what’s in that.
There you have it. You get yourself some onion powder in the pantry to last you for days!
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