• About
  • Work with Me
  • Contact
  • Food Photography

Chef Janet

So good, they'll never know it's gluten-free.

  • Gluten-Free Recipes
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Baked Goods
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Salads
    • Sauces and Dressings
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
  • Cooking Basics
  • Gluten-Free Diet Tips
Home Β» Cooking Basics Β» How to Cut an Onion

June 2, 2020 (last updated March 18, 2021)

How to Cut an Onion

(with minimal tears)

How to cut an onion with minimal tears. Is it possible? The answer is yes, so put away the tissues and follow these simple rules and steps.

Be sure to check out more of my cooking lessons and time-saving kitchen tips.

close up shot of pile of peeled red and white onions with blurry green leaves in background

Rule #1

The “experts” say store your onions at room temperature. I’m sure there’s a good reason for that but I know that a warm onion is a sure path to fast tears. Those oniony fumes are slowed down when the onion is cold. If you still prefer to store your onions at room temperature, I suggest putting them in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before cutting.

Rule #2

The fewer times your knife touches the onion, the better. Most people cut the onion into slices or quarters and then start banging at it with the knife. Another sure path to tears.

So refrigerate your onions, be efficient with your knife cuts and get it to the size you want with as few cuts as possible. Here’s how it’s done . . .

How to Dice an Onion (see below for onion rings)

Time needed:Β 2 minutes.

How to Dice or Mince an Onion

  1. Trim the root

    Trim a thin sliver off the root end leaving some of the root visible. You’ll leave some of the root so that the onion does not fall apart while cutting. Just trim enough to cut off the dirty, stringy roots.peeled red onion with root end trimmed on wood board

  2. Trim the stem

    Trim off the stem end.red onion on cutting board with stem end trimmed off

  3. Cut in half

    Place the onion on the cutting board root side up and cut it in half, cutting through the center.whole red onion on cutting board with knife cutting through root end

  4. Peel

    Place one of the halves on the cutting board cut side down, slice a slit from stem to root and peel off the papery outer layers.

  5. Do not cut through the root end

    Place one of the halves on the board, cut side down. Begin making cuts starting from about 1/8″ below the root all the way towards the stem end. DO NOT CUT THROUGH THE STEM. The idea is keep the onion held together. This will make the next step much easier. Follow the next steps, but notice in this photo that the knife cut did not go to the root.half red onion on cutting board with slits cut

  6. Lengthwise cuts

    Follow the contour of the onion by starting at one side with the knife parallel to the cutting board.half red onion on cutting board with knife cutting into it

  7. Continue to slice following the contour

    Angle the knife to 90 degrees as you reach the middle. half onion on cutting board with knife cutting slits

  8. Continue slicing

    Then angle the other direction until the final cut is about parallel to the cutting board.half red onion on cutting board with knife cutting into it

  9. Curl fingers

    Then use your non-knife hand, with fingers curled, to hold the onion steady.half onion with slits cut on cutting board with curled fingers holding steady

  10. Cut across

    Then start cutting across starting at the stem end.half red onion on cutting board with knife cutting into it

  11. Finish

    When you get close to the root end, lay the remaining piece with the root up and cut this way.onion on cutting board being diced

diced red onion on cutting board with knife blade on left

How to Slice an Onion into Rings

Trim a thin slice off the stem end and root end leaving some of the root intact so that the onion holds together.

red onion on cutting board with stem end trimmed off

Cut a thin slice off one side of the onion. This will create a flat surface to lay the onion on the cutting board so that it will be steady.

red onion with slice cut off on wood cutting board
whole red onion on cutting board

Curl your fingers of your non-knife hand to hold the onion steady and cut straight down to create rings.

how to cut an onion into slices - onion on cutting board being cut into rounds
round slices of red onion on cutting board
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Posted In: Cooking Basics · Tagged: cooking lesson, how to

Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe Cancel reply

If you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and review when you post a comment. Star ratings help people discover my recipes online. Your support means a great deal to me.

Thank you!
Janet

Recipe Rating




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

About Me
Hi, Welcome! I'm Chef Janet and I create gluten-free recipes that everyone will love, gluten-free or not.

Set up a customized lesson with me to learn basic cooking techniques, gluten-free, menu planning and kitchen tips to make your life easier. Follow me on instagram to keep up with my latest and let me know how I can help.

Follow along on Instagram

These Peanut Butter Whiskey Cookies are the new fa These Peanut Butter Whiskey Cookies are the new favorite of my taste testers. They were begging for more the second they took the first bite. If you like sweets with your cocktail, then this is the cookie for you! Link to the brand new recipe in my profile.
πŸ₯œπŸ₯ƒπŸͺ
I found that the whiskey flavor faded a little bit in baking so I created a peanut butter whiskey icing to make sure that they taste boozy.
πŸ₯œπŸ₯ƒπŸͺ
#peanutbutterwhiskey #glutenfreecookies #peanutbuttercookies #glutenfreepeanutbuttercookies #boozydesserts #boozycookies #thefeedfeed #losangeleschef #glutenfreechef #boozydessert #glutenfreebaking
Spring means berries, so get ready for new recipes Spring means berries, so get ready for new recipes with berries. These Gluten-Free Fresh Strawberry Muffins are first up! Link to the new recipe in my profile.
πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
I normally make my baked goods dairy-free too, but I wanted a buttery tasting muffin. So these muffins start with creamed butter and sugar for a muffin with a beautiful texture and flavor. I used Namaste Gluten-Free flour, but the recipe works well with other gluten-free flour blends.
πŸ“πŸ“πŸ“
#glutenfreemuffins #strawberrymuffins #glutenfreebreakfast #muffinrecipe #glutenfreebaking #glutenfreelosangeles #losangeleschef #thefeedfeed #glutenfreeblog #glutenfreechef #muffinrecipes #glutenfreestrawberrymuffins
These buttery Gluten-Free Drop Biscuits are my new These buttery Gluten-Free Drop Biscuits are my new favorite comfort food. Link to the recipe in my profile.
🧈πŸ₯›πŸ₯„
The recipe includes real butter and buttermilk and just a few more simple ingredients. It is super easy and makes it to the oven in less than 10 minutes if you use a food processor.
πŸ₯„πŸ₯›πŸ§ˆ
#glutenfreebiscuits #dropbiscuits
#buttermilkbiscuits #glutenfreerecipe #biscuitrecipe #losangeleschef #glutenfreeblog #glutenfreebreakfast #glutenfreebaking #thefeedfeed #easyglutenfreerecipe #glutenfreebreakfastideas
These Gluten-Free Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes are These Gluten-Free Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes are a sweet and tart spring treat. Link to the recipe in my profile.
πŸ‹πŸ§πŸ‹
This recipe is super easy and mixes up in just a few minutes. I include tips for making sure that the raspberries don't all sink to the bottom. I top them with my vanilla buttercream frosting but they'd also be amazing with my pipeable cream cheese frosting.
πŸ‹πŸ§πŸ‹
#glutenfreecupcakes #raspberrylemoncake #glutenfreebaking #glutenfreedesserts #thefeedfeed #losangeleschef #glutenfreetreats #beautifulcupcakes #prettydesserts #raspberrylemonadecupcakes #raspberrylemonade #glutenfreeblog #creamcheesefrosting
These Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes combine These Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes combine 2 of my favorite flavors. They are moist, fluffy and super easy to make. Link to the recipe in my profile.
πŸ«πŸ‹πŸ«
Top them with my vanilla buttercream frosting or tangy cream cheese frosting. Add a tiny bit of blueberry juice to either one for this pretty purple frosting.
πŸ‹πŸ«πŸ‹
#glutenfreecupcakes #lemonblueberrycupcakes #lemonblueberry #glutenfreedessert #losangeleschef #thefeedfeed #glutenfreechef #glutenfreebaking #purplefrosting #blueberrydessert #lemondesserts #springcupcakes
Lemon week continues with this 5 Minute Lemon Basi Lemon week continues with this 5 Minute Lemon Basil Dressing. No chopping, no slicing, the blender does all the work. Link to the recipe in my profile.
πŸƒπŸ‹πŸƒ
I may post a lot of baked goods on my insta, but I am really a salad person. I live on them year-round. So coming up with new and interesting dressings is key. The combo of sweet basil, tangy lemon and a small amount of sweet and salty, makes for a perfectly balanced dressing. The recipe includes instructions on how you can easily turn this into a creamy dressing if you prefer.
πŸƒπŸ‹πŸƒ
#lemonbasil #saladdressings #lemonsalad #5minuterecipes #losangeleschef #freshbasil #glutenfreeblog #5minuterecipe #saladdressingrecipe #saladdressing #thefeedfeed #buzzfeedfood #saladrecipe
This Gluten-Free Lemon Cake is like a bite of suns This Gluten-Free Lemon Cake is like a bite of sunshine. It is one of my all-time favorites. If you ask me what cake I would want for my birthday this would be it. Link to the recipe in my profile.
πŸ‹πŸŽ‚πŸ‹
The cake gets a double dose of lemon flavor from lots of lemon zest and lemon extract. I tried lemon juice and found that I had to use way too much to get the lemon zing that I wanted. So I leave it out and rely on the zest and extract.
πŸ‹πŸŽ‚πŸ‹
The recipe is super easy and can be made dairy-free with the use of your favorite dairy-free milk sub. I like soy milk for baking the best.
πŸ‹πŸŽ‚πŸ‹
#lemoncake #lemondesserts #glutenfreecakerecipe  #glutenfreelemoncake #glutenfreedairyfreecake #losangeleschef #thefeedfeed #easyglutenfree #glutenfreecakes #glutenfreebirthdaycake #glutenfreeblog #kingarthurglutenfree
Happy Friday! These 2 Peanut Butter Whiskey Milksh Happy Friday! These 2 Peanut Butter Whiskey Milkshakes are perfect for a sunny happy hour. Which would you choose? Raspberry peanut butter or cookies & cream and PB? Link to the recipes in my profile.
πŸ₯ƒπŸ₯œπŸ«
Both of these boozy milkshakes start with a base of vanilla ice cream, a big spoonful of peanut butter and a shot or two of peanut butter whiskey. And good news, these can easily be made dairy free and gluten-free. My blog post provides info on the best dairy-free ice cream and creamers to use for a shake as well as gf cookies.
🍫πŸ₯œπŸ₯ƒ
#boozymilkshake #peanutbutterwhiskey #peanutbuttermilkshake #milkshakerecipes #happyhourideas #dairyfreemilkshake #veganmilkshake #veganmilkshakes #losangeleschef #veganicecream #boozyicecream #whiskeymilkshake

Copyright © 2022 Chef Janet · Support by Foodie Digital · Privacy Policy · Accessibility Policy