• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Life Jolie logo
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work with me!
    • Video Production
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work with me!
    • Video Production
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    The Life Jolie » How-to's » How to chop an onion | The Life Jolie Kitchen Basics

    How to chop an onion | The Life Jolie Kitchen Basics

    Published: Jan 16, 2018 · Modified: Aug 31, 2022 by Jessy Freimann · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    I want to show you how to chop an onion the easy way! Check out this tutorial with tons of great tips for getting the perfect chopped onions.

    I want to show you how to chop an onion the easy way! Check out this tutorial with tons of great tips for getting the perfect chopped onions.

    I want to show you how to chop an onion the easy way! Check out this tutorial with tons of great tips for getting the perfect chopped onions.

    This post contains Affiliate Links. Please see the disclaimer here.

    An onion on a cutting board.

    An onion with the top cup off.

    An onion sliced in half.

    I used to struggle with chopping onions. And I'm not talking about onion tears (I'm not crying, you're crying!). Interestingly, I don't often deal with onion tears, which I think it's due in large part to my wearing contact lenses, or perhaps my cold, evil heart....bwahahahaha! Kidding.

    Anyway, I struggled with the layers of the onions constantly falling apart when I would try to chop them. I'd end up with all sorts of jagged bits of onion, in various sizes. And it typically took double the time that it should have.

    Well, those days are long gone and I'm going to show you the steps that I take for chopping onions the quick and easy way! I think a big thing that makes this successful is using the onion stem to hold the whole operation together. And pretty soon, I'm also be posting about how to store chopped onions!

    A half an onion on a cutting board.

    A tutorial showing how to chop an onion.

    A knife cutting into an onion.

    An onion with cuts in it.

    A knife chopping an onion.

    Here are some tips for how to chop onions:

    • Make use your knife is really sharp. You're much more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife. I'm speaking entirely from experience here!
    • Use a big enough cutting board. That way you're not focusing on the bits of onion that are getting everywhere.
    • Let the onion help you. Put it to work! You can use the stem to hold it all together.
    • Don't throw away leftover chopped onion- freeze it!
    • Keep in mind that you can chop an onion in advance to using it. But the longer you wait to use it the more intense the flavor will be. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially if you're cooking them. But if you want a more mellow flavor (particularly if you're going to be consuming them raw) then you might want to wait until just before serving to chop.

    Chopped onion on a cutting board.

    Here are the tools you'll need for this tutorial on chopping onions:

    1. A good Chef's Knife
    2. A Cutting Board
    A square image of chopped onion on a cutting board.

    HOW TO CHOP AN ONION

    Jessy Freimann
    I want to show you how to chop an onion the easy way! Check out this tutorial with tons of great tips for getting the perfect chopped onions.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 mins
    Total Time 2 mins
    Course Prep
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 serving

    Ingredients
      

    • Onions
    • A sharp chef's knife
    • A decent size cutting board

    Instructions
     

    • Place the onion on the cutting board and cut the end that is not the one with the stem, so that the onion has a flat bottom.
    • Turn the onion on the cutting board with the stem facing up and the flat bottom is down on the cutting board.
    • Take the knife and cut down into the onion, directly through the stem so that there are two halves.
    • Remove the outer layer of papery skin from each half, leaving the stem intact.
    • Lay one of the onions halves on the cutting board, so that the center of the onion (that you just cut through) is facing down.
    • Turn the knife sideways and cut in toward the stem starting on the lower part of the onion and working your way up at whatever thickness you want the onion pieces to be. Make sure to stop when you get close to the stem (the stem holds it all together).
    • Now slice down into the onion working your way from one side to another- the tip of your knife should be facing the stem but not cutting through it. Once again slicing to whatever thickness you want your final pieces to be.
    • Now slice through the onion in the opposite direction starting on the side that's farthest from the onion and working your way in toward the stem. The pieces of onion will fall as you cut.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    A square image of chopped onion on a cutting board.

    How to chop an onion | The Life Jolie Kitchen Basics

    Jessy Freimann
    I want to show you how to chop an onion the easy way! Check out this tutorial with tons of great tips for getting the perfect chopped onions.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 mins
    Total Time 2 mins
    Course side
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings

    Equipment

    • cutting board
    • chefs knife

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 raw onion

    Instructions
     

    • Place the onion on the cutting board and cut the end that is not the one with the stem, so that the onion has a flat bottom.
    • Turn the onion on the cutting board with the stem facing up and the flat bottom is down on the cutting board.
    • Take the knife and cut down into the onion, directly through the stem so that there are two halves.
    • Remove the outer layer of papery skin from each half, leaving the stem intact.
    • Lay one of the onions halves on the cutting board, so that the center of the onion (that you just cut through) is facing down.
    • Turn the knife sideways and cut in toward the stem starting on the lower part of the onion and working your way up at whatever thickness you want the onion pieces to be. Make sure to stop when you get close to the stem (the stem holds it all together).
    • Now slice down into the onion working your way from one side to another- the tip of your knife should be facing the stem but not cutting through it. Once again slicing to whatever thickness you want your final pieces to be.
    • Now slice through the onion in the opposite direction starting on the side that's farthest from the onion and working your way in toward the stem. The pieces of onion will fall as you cut.

    Notes

    Raw onions will last up to 5 days covered in the refrigerator.
    You can easily vary your cuts to whatever size onions you need.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.25cup
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    One of my favorite recipes that features chopped onions is:

    Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Bread Rolls

    A hand pulling apart a Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Bread Roll with stretchy cheese.

    I also love this recipe which features chopped onions:

    Baked Ravioli Casserole

    A close up image of one of the cheese ravioli in this baked ravioli dish.

    You can find a full index of my recipes here.

    Don't forget to follow The Life Jolie on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration!

    Or if Pinterest isn't your style, bookmark this post!

    Let's keep the conversation going- join my Facebook group!

    « Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Bread Rolls aka Philly Cheese Steak Bombs
    Monster (Edible) Cookie Dough Truffles Recipe »
    • Share
    • Flipboard
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Jessy in a kitchen holding a white casserole pan and smiling.
    Hi, I'm Jessy!

    Welcome to The Life Jolie! I share simple, delicious recipes and ingredient prep tips to make your weeknight cooking a breeze!

    More about me →

    Fall Recipes

    • Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup
    • Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Fall Apart Slow Cooker Pork Chops
    • Roasted Spatchcock Glazed Turkey with Bourbon
    • Baked Brie Phyllo Cups
    • Candied Pecans

    Popular Recipes

    • How to Melt Chocolate Chips in the Kitchen
    • Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
    • Very Best Shrimp Macaroni Salad Recipe
    • Cheese Sauce for Broccoli Recipe
    • Reader Request: Copycat Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps
    • Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken Thighs Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy + Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Video Production

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright 2014-2021 - Jolie Ventures, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.