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Home » Gallery » How to make onion powder

How to make onion powder

Published Sep 3, 2018 · Last updated Nov 3, 2019 · By Anna · 36 Comments

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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!

how to make onion powder from scratch

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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!

how to make onion powder

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.

making onion powder with kids

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.

washing onions for making onion powder

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.

DIY onion powder

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!

how to make onion powder from fresh onions

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.

make your own onion powder

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.

onion powder from fresh onions

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!

how to make onion powder from fresh onions

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:

onion powder from fresh onions

How to make onion powder from scratch

Making your own onion powder from scratch is so easy, and it tastes SO much better than store-bought, you just might never buy it again!
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade condiments
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Dehydration time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 1 Tbsp
Calories: 24kcal
Author: Anna

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 Facts
How to make onion powder from scratch
Amount Per Serving
Calories 24 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 68mg2%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 27mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

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!

Read Next: How to Dry & Use Lambsquarter

If you liked this post, you may enjoy:
✦ How to Make “Sun-Dried” Tomatoes in a Dehydrator
✦ How to Make Leek Powder
✦ Duck Egg Mayonnaise
✦ Salted Maple Honey Caramels
✦ 18 Amazing Fruit Leather Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cristina says

    October 5, 2018 at 11:33 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      October 8, 2018 at 2:14 pm

      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!!

      Reply
  2. Kari - Get Inspired Everyday! says

    September 10, 2018 at 9:42 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  3. Carol Little R.H. @studiobotanica says

    September 9, 2018 at 11:47 pm

    5 stars
    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!!!

    Reply
  4. Katie Walsh Beck says

    September 9, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    5 stars
    This is genius and I am sure so much more flavorful than store bought stuff!

    Reply
    • Anna says

      September 9, 2018 at 8:10 pm

      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!

      Reply
  5. ChihYu Smith says

    September 7, 2018 at 10:21 pm

    5 stars
    I need to get a dehydrator because I love homemade onion powder!

    Reply
  6. Megan Stevens says

    September 6, 2018 at 6:05 am

    5 stars
    This is so well written! I am convinced. Love how potent it is and all your tips and photos. Thank you!!

    Reply
  7. Lindsey Dietz says

    September 5, 2018 at 7:26 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  8. Tessa Simpson says

    September 4, 2018 at 11:49 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  9. linda spiker says

    September 4, 2018 at 10:15 am

    5 stars
    Wow! Great tutorial! The step by step really helps:)

    Reply
    • Anna says

      September 4, 2018 at 2:18 pm

      Thanks so much Linda! It’s so easy – I actually have a dehydrator full right now!!

      Reply
  10. jennifer says

    September 4, 2018 at 6:59 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Anna says

      September 4, 2018 at 8:07 am

      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!

      Reply
  11. Christina says

    September 3, 2018 at 9:36 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness I need a dehydrator now!! I l or how you did this!!

    Reply
  12. Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says

    September 3, 2018 at 8:20 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  13. Renee Kohley says

    September 3, 2018 at 7:23 pm

    5 stars
    Oh man I bet that tastes SO fresh! So easy too!

    Reply
  14. Jean says

    September 3, 2018 at 5:42 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, I never knew how easy it was to make onion powder! This definitely goes under my must-try list.

    Reply
  15. Sandy says

    September 20, 2017 at 10:56 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      February 1, 2018 at 1:47 pm

      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!!

      Reply
  16. Lisa Myers says

    September 17, 2017 at 4:39 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      September 17, 2017 at 9:49 pm

      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!

      Reply
  17. Jenn Thompson says

    September 1, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    I really want to try this… How long does it keep?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      September 17, 2017 at 10:10 pm

      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!

      Reply
  18. Chickadee Market says

    August 31, 2017 at 7:52 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Anna says

      September 17, 2017 at 10:12 pm

      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!!

      Reply
  19. Tee says

    August 30, 2017 at 7:35 am

    Great idea! How long does it keep?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      September 17, 2017 at 10:16 pm

      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!

      Reply
  20. Coco says

    August 30, 2017 at 7:00 am

    I am definitely trying this. Do you know what the shelf life of the onion powder is ?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      January 26, 2018 at 4:52 pm

      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!

      Reply
  21. Karen Merhalski says

    August 30, 2017 at 4:08 am

    I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  22. Sandra says

    August 30, 2017 at 1:12 am

    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.

    Reply
  23. Eileen says

    August 29, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    Any hints on how to dehydrate using an oven? Thanks.

    Reply
  24. Lora says

    August 26, 2017 at 4:38 pm

    Can you do the same with garlic?

    Reply
    • Anna says

      January 31, 2018 at 9:49 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • L walker says

        October 5, 2019 at 7:52 pm

        If the flavor is stronger, how do you adjust your recipes for the stronger flavor?
        What type onion tastes most like store onion powder?

        Reply

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