Ever wonder if it's tough or tricky to make your own organic onion powder? It's SO EASY! This post will walk you through how to make onion powder at home, and it's so wonderful you might never use store-bought again!
Originally published March 2019. Updated Sept. 2021.
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I was walking through the garden a few days ago, and was caught by surprise when I noticed that all my onion tops had slumped over.
It hardly seems possible that we're already at onion harvest time - but those flopped over tops are a signal that just can't be ignored. Time to pull the onions!
This would generally be a pretty quick and easy, one-woman job. I only planted 600 onions, after all. But I had four little hands helping me this time around, so it took all morning. Which was perfectly fine by this mama.
Most of the harvest is in and curing now, preparing to be stored away for winter. But there were quite a few bulbs that had mysterious blemishes on them.
You really can't cure and store onions that have been nibbled on by varmints or toddlers.
So we needed to do something to use the blemished onions right away. And we ended up with quite a heap that fell into that category, since poor Duncan seemed determined that ONE of those onions had to be a real treat...if only he could taste enough of them to find it.
I use quite a lot of onion powder through the year, and my supply had just run out. So making a huge batch of onion powder was an easy choice.
It's really the simplest stuff to make, and the difference between homemade onion powder from homegrown onions, and store-bought onion powder is pretty life changing.
How to make onion powder from fresh onions
Clean your onions, and slice thinly - I shoot for 1/4" or less. The thinner the slices, the more quickly they'll dehydrate.
Separate the slices into rings, before laying them out on the dehydrator trays. (This is the dehydrator I use...it's a workhorse!!)
Separating the onion layers makes an enormous difference in drying time. I tested this, because I can't help myself when it comes to kitchen experiments. Separate rings took 4 hours. Slices...ELEVEN HOURS. It is ok if the rings overlap though!
Fill those dehydrator trays, then dehydrate at 135 degrees, for 4-6 hours. When onion pieces are completely dry and brittle, they're ready.
Fill the bowl of your food processor, or large cup of a magic bullet, with the dried pieces.
Process until the onion pieces are finely ground into powder.
Pour into a perfectly dry container with a tightly sealing lid. As with all spices, keep covered tightly and store in a cool, dry location.
It's really that easy! The onions do dehydrate WAY down. I found that six comfortably-filled trays of my dehydrator ground down into a scant two pints of onion powder.
It's worth noting though, that I feel my homemade onion powder is more flavorful and potent than anything store-bought that I've tasted, and a little goes a long way!
Here's a printable version of this method for making your own onion powder from scratch, in case you'd like to have a printed copy handy:
How to make onion powder from scratch
Equipment
- dehydrator
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- fresh onions
Instructions
- Slice onions thinly. 1/4" or thinner works well.
- Divide slices into rings - rings dehydrate MUCH faster than whole slices.
- Lay rings out on dehydrator trays - it's totally ok for them to touch and overlap.
- Dehydrate at 135 degrees, for 4-6 hours, until onion slices are dry and brittle.
- Using a food processor, blender, magic bullet, or even a mortar and pestle - grind dried onion rings into powder of the consistency you'd like. For coarse powder, this doesn't take long at all! Finer powder takes a few extra seconds.
- Store in a tightly-sealed container, in a cool, dry location.
Nutrition
I really hope you enjoy making your own onion powder! It's so easy, and the taste difference is so significant - I'll never go back to buying it again!
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Cristina says
I love using onion powder for my dishes. I am tempted to make my own onion powder but I don't have any dehydrator. Are there any other alternative ways you can recommend? WIll it be possible for me to dry it up inside an oven?
Anna says
Hi Cristina! You could absolutely use your oven! Just spread the onion pieces on a baking sheet and put them in at the lowest heat your oven will allow. I don't know exactly how long this would take, but I'd start checking on them every half hour, starting about 3 hours. Good luck!!
Kari - Get Inspired Everyday! says
I've never made my own onion powder before, but I have noticed that homemade dried herbs are so much more flavorful too like you mentioned! Can't believe you had 600 onions to pull, and then all the processing!
Carol Little R.H. @studiobotanica says
I love my dehydrator and it's time to get it out and make onion powder!
I have made but years ago and I am re-inspired to do it again. Great tutorial!!!
I have the same dehydrator and an Excalibur too so no excuses!!!
Katie Walsh Beck says
This is genius and I am sure so much more flavorful than store bought stuff!
Anna says
Thanks Katie! Before I made my first batch, I had no idea what a difference there could be in flavor - I kind of thought that onion powder was onion powder. But wow! That first batch totally converted me. The fresh, wonderful onion flavor just blew me away!
ChihYu Smith says
I need to get a dehydrator because I love homemade onion powder!
Megan Stevens says
This is so well written! I am convinced. Love how potent it is and all your tips and photos. Thank you!!
Lindsey Dietz says
I've been dehydrating lots of kale and blueberries lately, so why not add onions to the mix? I can't believe I've never thought of doing this before!
Tessa Simpson says
So genius...I love using my dehydrator, but never thought to make my own powder, and now I must! i can bet the flavor is far superior!
linda spiker says
Wow! Great tutorial! The step by step really helps:)
Anna says
Thanks so much Linda! It's so easy - I actually have a dehydrator full right now!!
jennifer says
This is genius, I never even thought to do this! It makes sense that separating the onion layers would help dehydrate faster . . . since I also use a long of diced onion in recipes, I wonder how it would turn out just to dry chopped/diced onion. Thanks for the ideas!
Anna says
Hi Jennifer! YES - chopped onions work super well with this method as well! I like to dry them on a sheet of parchment or a fruit roll up tray so the little bits don't fall through the cracks of the dehydrator trays. 135 degrees for about 3 hours usually works well for me!
Christina says
Oh my goodness I need a dehydrator now!! I l or how you did this!!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This is so cool and such a great idea! I have never made my own onion powder before. I had no idea how simple it is and so much better than the store-bought stuff.
Renee Kohley says
Oh man I bet that tastes SO fresh! So easy too!
Jean says
Wow, I never knew how easy it was to make onion powder! This definitely goes under my must-try list.
Sandy says
I do not have a dehydrator. Could I drive them in the oven on the lowest temp possible? Or do you know any other way they could be dry naturally?
Anna says
Hi Sandy! You can absolutely dry them on your lowest oven setting. I've never dried them open-air on a drying rack, but I really feel that chopped fine, in a very warm and well-ventilated area, they might do ok. It would certainly be a really interesting experiment!!
Lisa Myers says
I don't have a garden, but if I wanted to go to the store or farmer's market to buy onions for this, what type is best: white or sweet/Vidalia?
Anna says
Hi Lisa! Both would be great - the flavor profile will just be a little different, depending on which you choose. For the most versatility in terms of flavor, I'd probably opt for white or yellow, myself!
Jenn Thompson says
I really want to try this... How long does it keep?
Anna says
Hi Jenn! So sorry to just see your question now! I have to be honest - I go through it so quickly that I've yet to store a batch for longer than 4 months. It's perfect in flavor and consistency for at least that long though, and I believe that under good storage conditions (dry, cool, out of direct sun) it should stay good for significantly longer than that. Hope this helps a bit!
Chickadee Market says
I learn something every time I'm on your site! I can't wait for our farm to be in full production next year and I can implement so many of the things I've learned from you. Thanks again for a great blog!
Anna says
Aw, you are so sweet! LOVE the name of your farm, by the way!! And I'm so excited for you with getting your farm up and running, and into full production. What a lot of work, but SO very rewarding! Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words!!
Tee says
Great idea! How long does it keep?
Anna says
Hi Tee! Honestly, I go through it so quickly that I haven't yet stored a batch for longer than 4 months. It stays perfectly wonderful for that length of time, so I believe that in good storage conditions (dry, cool, out of direct sun) it should maintain excellent flavor and texture for much longer than that. Hope this helps!
Coco says
I am definitely trying this. Do you know what the shelf life of the onion powder is ?
Anna says
Coco, I'm so sorry I'm just seeing your comment now! The longest I've ever kept it is right about 8 months, because I never make enough. As long as it's kept in a tight container, it last very well - no clumping or loss of flavor,. It seems to me it could last easily a year, kept tightly covered like this!
Karen Merhalski says
I can't wait to try this!
Sandra says
Thank you. I will have a go at this.
I do not have a dehydrator but plan to try with a halogen oven using the temperature you suggest.
Eileen says
Any hints on how to dehydrate using an oven? Thanks.
Lora says
Can you do the same with garlic?
Anna says
You sure can! I slice large cloves open, and honestly leave the smallest cloves whole - it works very much like dehydrating onion, and is absolutely wonderful!
L walker says
If the flavor is stronger, how do you adjust your recipes for the stronger flavor?
What type onion tastes most like store onion powder?