Onion powder

Onion powder is made from dehydrated, then finely ground onions. The powder can be sprinkled on meats before cooking or incorporated into sauces, soups, or dips. Use onion powder in casseroles and meatloaf or other dishes where you want to add onion flavor and fresh is not available.

The only difference between onion powder and granulated onion is that onion powder has been ground finer.

Where To Buy Onion Powder

This is a readily available grocery store item, so look for it in the spice section of your local grocery store. For convenience, you may want to just add it to your next Amazon order: Onion Powder.

Substitute For Onion Powder

 If you don't have onion powder you can substitute per teaspoon needed:

• 1 tablespoon onion flakes. Simply grind the flakes in a mortar and pestle if it needs to be dissolved, for instance, for a sauce. If you're using it for a dish like meatloaf, then just use the whole flakes. This is the best substitute if you happen to have this on hand.
• OR - 2-3 tablespoons jarred minced onion will work well too.
• OR - 2 teaspoons granulated onion. Granulated onion is just like onion powder but more coarsely ground.
• OR - 1/2 cup chopped, fresh onion. You need quite a bit more freshly chopped onion to replace the more concentrated flavor in onion powder.
• OR - 1 teaspoon + of onion salt. If you have to use onion salt, make sure to reduce the amount of salt in your recipe.
• OR - 1 teaspoon garlic powder. You can use garlic powder, but this will change the flavor. You'll be using less because it is stronger in flavor than onion powder.
• OR - use 2-3 tablespoons, thawed, onion paste, see recipe below.

Make Onion Paste and Freeze It

I seem to always have half of an onion in my refrigerator. I try to use the unused portion, but they end up in the compost pile far too often. I finally came across a tip to puree the raw onion and freeze it ice cube trays for use whenever I need some onion flavor.  

1. Cut up your peeled onion.
2. Place the onion in a blender then blend until it becomes a smooth paste.
3. Spread the paste into an icecube tray and cover it with plastic wrap. Covering the tray helps to keep your freezer from picking up too much onion-aroma. Freeze until the cubes become solid.
4. Once the cubes are frozen, remove them from the tray and place them in freezer-safe zippered bags.
5. Unless you're using the paste in a sauce or stew where it will melt easily, then thaw the onion first before you use it.

Convert Onion Powder from U.S. measure to metric