Caramelized Onion Jam With Bacon
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This caramelized onion jam recipe is the perfect sweet & tangy condiment for burgers, bruschetta, crackers and cheese, and much more. Bacon onion jam is also great as part of a Christmas charcuterie board!
As a self-proclaimed “condiment girlie”, I try to keep plenty of sauces and spreads on hand at all times, and this caramelized onion jam recipe is one I end up making on a regular basis. This sweet & savory jam is great on burgers, sandwiches, and charcuterie boards, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Whether you use it to enhance a gourmet sandwich, add depth to meat and potatoes, or as a simple spread for your favorite snacks, you can’t really go wrong with a good bacon onion jam!
🥄 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Caramelized onion jam is easy to make, and fun too! (In my opinion, at least.)
- This tangy topping is versatile enough to pair with a wide variety of dishes.
- It only takes an hour and a half to whip up a batch of restaurant-quality bacon onion jam!
- The flavor of this recipe can easily be customized to your liking by adding chili peppers, herbs, aromatics, etc. There are no rules!
🛒 What You Need To Make This Recipe
- Onions: I like to use a combination of sweet yellow onions, red onions, and shallots, but you can also use white onions or any combination of all the above!
- Bacon: Thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon is my favorite, but feel free to substitute it for whatever kind you prefer. You could even use turkey bacon or a vegan bacon, but you’ll need to add a neutral oil (like olive oil or avocado oil) when caramelizing the onions to compensate for the lack of bacon fat.
- BBQ sauce: Any BBQ sauce will do, or you can even use ketchup in a pinch.
- Maple syrup: Or honey.
- Brown sugar: White granulated sugar is also fine, but I think brown sugar lends more caramel flavor.
- White pepper: Crushed black pepper is just as good!
- Mustard seeds: Totally optional, but I love them for some added texture.
- Worcestershire sauce: Soy sauce would be a good substitute here.
- Apple cider vinegar: This helps cut through the sweetness and sharpens the umami notes. You can use red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar or red wine, if preferred.
- Optional ingredients: Rosemary, thyme, garlic, jalapeno, red chili peppers, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper.
*See above image or recipe card for full list of ingredients.
🧅 How To Make Caramelized Onion Jam
Step 1: Dice bacon and cook in a large pan until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add thinly sliced onions and shallots to the pan, then give them a quick stir to coat them in the bacon fat.
Pro Tip: I prefer a more rustic cut for the onions, but you can dice them for a more paste-like texture.
Pro Tip: If there isn’t enough bacon fat, you can add 1-2 Tbsp of butter or olive oil to assist in the caramelization process.
Step 2: Caramelize the onions over very low heat for 20-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until onions are golden brown. Add brown sugar, smoked paprika, white pepper, mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and bacon, and stir to combine. Simmer gently 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and jam-like.
Pro Tip: Try not to let the bacon simmer longer than 10 minutes max, or it may get rubbery and chewy. If serving immediately after preparing, you can even add the bacon at the very end to keep the texture crispy.
Serving Suggestions
Bacon onion jam is great on burgers with blue cheese, gruyere, sharp cheddar, Swiss, goat cheese, and Gouda. It also pairs beautifully with grilled cheese sandwiches, paninis, pulled pork or prime rib sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, BBQ chicken flatbread, etc.
One of my favorite ways to eat caramelized onion jam with bacon is over a bed of truffle mashed potatoes and air fryer duck breast or steak bites.
Try it on toasted sourdough with leftover turkey, cranberry sauce, and pepper jack or on baguette slices with brie, prosciutto, and crisp apple slices.
Bacon onion jam is also a great spread to enjoy with charcuterie boards (or a char-boo-terie board for Halloween). You can even add a dollop of it to this gluten-free cream of mushroom soup (my favorite!) or this arugula goat cheese salad.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Not if bacon is included. For safe water bath canning, make a bacon-free caramelized onion jam or add cooked bacon only after opening. Sealed jars will keep in a cool, dark pantry for 12-18 months.
Sweet onions like Maui, Walla Walla, and Vidalia tend to yield the richest, sweetest jam, but you can use regular yellow, red, or white onions, and even shallots! Each will yield a slightly different flavor profile, so you can mix and match multiple varieties for a well-rounded caramelized onion jam.
If your bacon onion jam is too thick, you can add a splash of water, apple cider vinegar, or BBQ sauce to thin it out. If it’s too thin, you can simmer uncovered another 5-10 minutes over low heat. Using a wide pan speeds up the evaporation process.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- To make this recipe gluten-free, just ensure you’re using a gluten-free BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
- Store leftover caramelized onion jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- If you used turkey or vegan bacon, it may degrade faster, so I would try to consume it within a week.
- You can also freeze bacon onion jam for up to 3 months.
- Discard if it starts to smell sour or look cloudy.
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Caramelized Onion Jam With Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut hickory bacon
- 2 large yellow onions
- 1 large red onion
- 2 shallots
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Dice bacon and cook in a large pan until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add thinly sliced onions and shallots to the pan, then give them a quick stir to coat them in the bacon fat.
- Caramelize the onions over very low heat for 20-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until onions are golden brown. Add brown sugar, smoked paprika, white pepper, mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and bacon, and stir to combine. Simmer gently 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and jam-like.
Notes
- I prefer a more rustic cut for the onions, but you can dice them for a more paste-like texture.
- If there isn’t enough bacon fat, you can add 1-2 Tbsp of butter or olive oil to assist in the caramelization process.
- Try not to let the bacon simmer longer than 10 minutes max, or it may get rubbery and chewy. If serving immediately after preparing, you can even add the bacon at the very end to keep the texture crispy.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, just ensure you’re using a gluten-free BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
- Store leftover caramelized onion jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- If you used turkey or vegan bacon, it may degrade faster, so I would try to consume it within a week.
- You can also freeze bacon onion jam for up to 3 months.
- Discard if it starts to smell sour or look cloudy.
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