Caramelized Onion Galette Recipe (2024)

By Sue Li

Caramelized Onion Galette Recipe (1)

Total Time
1½ hours, plus chilling and cooling
Rating
4(2,869)
Notes
Read community notes

This rich, autumnal galette takes its inspiration from the flavors of French onion soup. Seasoned with Gruyère and lots of cracked black pepper, the galette dough takes the place of the crostini, and the caramelized onion filling is fortified with beef broth and sherry. The dish is great for entertaining — it can be prepared in advance — but requires a little bit of patience: You’ll need to let the dough rest for at least four hours, which allows the flour to hydrate and will make the dough less crumbly to work with. Let the tart rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Eat it while it’s hot or serve at room temperature alongside a salad or steak.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Dough

    • cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
    • 2tablespoons granulated sugar
    • Kosher salt and black pepper
    • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into ½-inch cubes
    • 1⅓cups/4 ounces grated Gruyère
    • ¼cup ice water

    For the Onions and Assembly

    • ¼cup/55 grams unsalted butter (½ stick)
    • 4large sweet onions, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rings
    • 4fresh thyme sprigs, plus more fresh thyme leaves for serving
    • Kosher salt and black pepper
    • 1cup beef broth (or vegetable broth)
    • ¼cup dry sherry

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

391 calories; 22 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 730 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Caramelized Onion Galette Recipe (2)

Preparation

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  1. Step

    1

    Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt and 1½ teaspoons black pepper. Add butter and 1 cup grated Gruyère to the flour mixture and toss to coat. Using your fingertips, pinch the butter and cheese into the flour to make pebble-size pieces. Drizzle in the ice water and stir to make a shaggy dough. Dump the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and knead a few times to combine. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

  2. Prepare the onions: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme sprigs, season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and lightly golden on the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add broth and sherry and cook until the onions are browned and the liquid has mostly evaporated but the mixture is still saucy, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes.

  3. Step

    3

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into a 13-inch round on a sheet of parchment. Spread the cooled caramelized onions on the dough, leaving a 1- to 2-inch border. Fold the edges in, over the onions, transfer to a baking sheet and bake until the dough is golden brown and some of the onions have browned on the edges, 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the galette halfway into the baking process.

  4. Step

    4

    Remove galette from the oven and sprinkle remaining ⅓ cup grated Gruyère on the crust. Bake another 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Top with remaining thyme leaves, for garnish.

Ratings

4

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2,869

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

diana

i cheated and used puff pastry...worked out great! I covered the dough with 1 cup of the cheese before I added the onion. I sprinkled the remaining as per directions. Came out delicious!

dennis

Whenever caramelizing sweet onions, always go big (softball).If you've made too much for this recipe you'll have yummy onions for a grilled cheese sandwich or 3.Can't miss with more here.

stephen

Looks delicious. I'm definitely trying it.I wish recipes gave weights for onions. What's a "large onion?" Tennis ball size? Baseball? Softball?

Jeanette Goryl

I suggest doing the onions in a crock pot. Put onions, butter and thyme sprig in pot at bedtime. Cook on low overnight and they are beautifully golden brown in the morning. A plus is the amazing aroma that greets you when you wake up.

leighann

As stated, this recipe requires time and patience, but the result is worth it. The dough was easy to make and chill, and rolled out easily. I substituted white wine for the dry cherry, used chicken instead of beef stock, and cooked down four sweet walla walla onions for 15-20 minutes longer than the recipe suggested, which made the perfect amount of caramelized filing. 30-35 min in the oven, and the crust was perfect. It’s even better the day after.

Michael

Add a layer of goat cheese between the crust and the onions. Adds an umami zing that balances the richness of the onions. Also don’t skimp on the black pepper in the crust. Great, simple recipe with complex flavor. A hit in my house.

N in NC

This is delicious! I cut the salt in the crust back to 3/4 tsp, and also used some dried porcini mushrooms which were on hand and a very nice addition. Thank you for the recipe.

J Z

This onion galette was a monster hit. “When you make it again, just serve it with a simple salad.” The key was cooking the onions until a significant fond developed on the bottom of the pan. Then add the liquids and scrape the fond until it dissolves into the liquid. Cook off the liquid until the onions are of jam like consistency. Cool the onions before creating the galette.

Jonathan

The amount of sugar is concerning. I used only half a tablespoon and it was enough. Onions caramelize, so there is no need for that much sugar at all..otherwise a fine recipe

Tom

My French Canadian Grand-me're (1640 Breton immigration descendent) rolled the dough (made with a whole egg) 3/16" thick, cut them into 1 1/2" squares and slipped them into thickened boiled beef broth. They puffed up into an exquisite textural-taste to die for. She pronounced them (phonetically): "gull-ettes". Never knew of "galettes" until recently! And I'm 77! Thank you NYTime's Cooking.

jmack

Long time ago, in a place far away, we shared Thanksgiving with a neighbor who always brought a caramelized onion dish. He always carried the pan home, empty. The only thing I could glean from the cook was that he used onions, shallots and leeks. Which I think I will try for this recipe.

Arianna

You can certainly wrap it in plastic wrap and let it hang out in the fridge all night - letting it hydrate will give you a better texture when you eventually bake it.

Bradford

This was delicious! Great for a vegetarian Thanksgiving main. The only thing I'd suggest is to break up the Gruyère on the ingredients list the same way as the butter, since only 1 cup / 3 oz is supposed to go in the dough, with the other 1/3 cup / 1 oz used for topping. (But when I mistakenly added all 4 oz to the dough, it still turned out great!)

Steve

If ever a recipe called for mushrooms, this one does.

katrinahw

Meh! I wanted to love this galette but...the onions were not completely caramelized and were a little watery despite cooking for 20 additional minutes. Not sure if an onion weight would have helped but next time, and my SO wants a next time, I'll use three onions and cook them for longer. The pastry/dough was great. I've made French Onion Soup many times and the onions take along time to cook down: 40-45 minutes is not enough! Particularly if your onions are big and thus have more water.

marion

1 cup = 120 grams1,5 = 1801 1/3 = 1601 cup = 240ml1/4 = 60ml

Ph' Ma

What is the weight of the "4 large sweet onions"?

kathyandzac

If you put all the gruyere in the dough, just add a few more tablespoons of ice cold water.

Julia in Loveland

Why try to cut onions in rings? The globe shape makes it diffcult, especially the last bit near the root. I cut mine pole-to-pole, then have a flat side down on the cutting board to make ice thin slices. The only time I mess with making perfect rings is for hamburgers , cuke and onion salad or bread and butter pickles.

Steve

Followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out quite good. My only input is that Gruyere cheese is quite expensive. I see other people substituting various cheeses, so perhaps someone could suggest an equivalent, less expensive cheese to use. Thanks to the person who posted the recipe, it is quite appreciated.

Excellent!

Veggi broth works just fine, use yellow onions not sweet, this is excellent!

Judy A

so yummy!

lauren

Made this over NYE weekend and it was delicious! I did make one slight modification and spread a very light layer of stone ground mustard (specifically Lusty Monk) on the pastry prior to adding the onions.

stephen d

The best. Fun to prepare, a wow to serve, and absolutely delicious. The rustic galette dough is much better here than puff pastry. I really don’t understand all the whining and tweaking — this recipe is a total winner.

David B.

I made this galette for the first time as part of our Christmas meal and it was a big hit!! I will definitely make it again. Before I made this I read the comments and someone warned to make sure to only use 1 cup of gruyere in the crust and save the remaining 1/3 cup for the topping (the ingredients list is confusing in this regard). I still goofed and put the whole 1 and 1/3 cups gruyere in the dough, but it still turned out just fine - the crust was just a bit cheesier.

Gary Lim

Just made this yesterday for a Christmas party, it was a huge hit! Everybody loved it! I didn't have Sherry, so I subbed it with Brandy which gave it a subtle floral taste, lovely! Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!

j

I use way more onions than this recipe calls for, an entire bag of 2kg (about 4,5 pounds) of onions. To caramelize the onions, I use the same method Julia Child uses for her French onion soup. The recipe can be found on YouTube, I recommend it! If there’s caramelized onions left over, put them in a small ziplock bag and press to flatten. Then freeze. Whenever you feel like making a decadent French onion grilled cheese, or just to add some umami to a recipe, break off some of the onion sheet.

Annie

Can I refrigerate dough for two days?

Marie

My son and I made this together: I made the pastry; he made the filling. I NEVER make pastry, but it was really easy. The video inspired me. The dish was absolutely delicious and I will try it again with mushrooms or cheese as a variation.

delicieux

O.h.m.g. This is so good and my new go to for Christmas dinner. Making 2 this year. I love Vidalia onions cooked in butter for a long time.

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Caramelized Onion Galette Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do onions caramelize faster covered or uncovered? ›

The first phase of the process is softening the onions so that they collapse into a tender mass while releasing a good deal of their liquid. If you cover the pan, you'll trap steam, which will speed up their softening, heat them more quickly, and help release their liquid more quickly.

How do you know when caramelized onions are done? ›

Around 30 Minutes: Onions should be light blonde in color and starting to become jammy. More fond is starting to build up, but it should still be fairly easy to scrape it up with the evaporating liquid from the onions. Around 40 Minutes: Onions are golden and starting to smell very caramelized.

Why are my caramelized onions not browning? ›

Not cooking the onions long enough.

→ Follow this tip: Cook times will vary depending on the number of onions you're cooking and the type of onion (its sugar content and age), but plan to cook caramelized onions for 40 to 50 minutes (at least) until they have a dark-brown, rich color.

Is it better to caramelize onions with butter or oil? ›

Our Test Kitchen likes to use butter when caramelizing onions, as it offers the richest flavor. If you avoid dairy or don't have butter, you can caramelize onions in other fat such as margarine or olive oil. Add the onion slices. It's okay if they overlap a bit here because they'll shrink as they cook down.

How long should you caramelize onions for? ›

Simply put, caramelized onions aren't quick. It takes at least 45 minutes (and often over an hour) over low heat for the natural sugars in the onions to caramelize. Still, the time is totally worth it. Packed with irresistible umami flavor, caramelized onions add complexity to all sorts of savory dishes.

How long to caramelize onions in the oven? ›

Cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the onions are a deep golden brown (shake the packet or open and stir the onions about halfway through to prevent burning). For oven baking; place the sealed foil packets on a small jelly-roll sheet. Bake 375 degrees F for about 45-50 minutes.

Should you add sugar to caramelized onions? ›

It's not necessary, but it will add some additional flavor.

Why add vinegar to caramelize onions? ›

Tip: use apple cider vinegar for white and yellow onions and balsamic vinegar for red onions. Tip: the vinegar serves to deglaze the pan, adds acidity, and brings this recipe together by boosting the tangy and savory flavors of the caramelized onions. If the onions stick to the pan, that's fine.

Do you caramelize onions on low or high heat? ›

The key to making Caramelized Onions is cooking them low and slow. No more than medium heat and plan for it to take awhile.

Can you overcook caramelized onions? ›

On the other hand, you can not caramelize onions for too long – they will be bitter. You need to cook the onions for 45-60 minutes – they will be soft and light brown in color. The onions are done and ready to use in any recipe that calls for caramelized onions!

Why do you add baking soda to caramelize onions? ›

When you add baking soda during cooking it changes the pH which increases the Maillard reaction causing the onions to brown more quickly. The higher pH also causes the onions to soften more quickly, which we cover below when we discuss the texture.

Can you put too much butter in caramelized onions? ›

You definitely want the flavor of butter in your onions—but butter has the tendency to burn. For insurance, use a combination of butter and oil, which has a higher smoking point. But how much do you use? Depending on the consistency you want your onions, you can use more or less fat.

What color onion is best for caramelizing? ›

You can caramelize any kind of onion, but yellow or Spanish onions tend to offer the most balanced-sweet-savory flavor profile and are the most versatile for different dishes. Sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla work too, but keep in mind that their flavor will become even sweeter once caramelized.

Do onions cook faster covered? ›

Also you can cover them which greatly speeds up the process. I always put a lid on mine for the first 20 minutes or so, especially if I'm doing a big batch. The lid allows the steam to cook the onions down to translucency, which speeds up the point at which you can start working on caramelization.

Do you saute onions with lid on or off? ›

Sautéing uses a small amount of fat, and it's done in an uncovered pan. As fat reaches higher temperatures than water, cooking usually occurs quickly, and you can easily see the onions become translucent as they move from raw to cooked.

Why are my onions taking so long to caramelize? ›

Before onions can caramelize, enough moisture has to evaporate out of the pan for the cooking surface to climb above 212 degrees. That alone takes a while, and once it happens, you're still committed to stirring and scraping so the onions' natural sugars break down evenly.

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