White Onions Vs. Yellow Onions: Is There A Difference?

When a recipe calls for an onion, it might be easy to reach into your pantry and grab the first one you see. Maybe it’s yellow, or maybe it’s white. They’re basically the same thing, right? Wrong.

To start, white onions and yellow onions are different colors. As the name suggests, white onions have an opaque white color beneath their skin and yellow onions have a yellow hue, but the true difference lies in taste and use.

“The primary difference besides the color is the level of sweetness and flavor once they are cooked,” Fred Tiess tells Southern Living. 

If you are still wondering the best uses for white onions and yellow onions, here is everything you need to know about these vegetables.

Similarities Between White Onions and Yellow Onions

As opposed to green onions and leeks, both yellow and white onions are technically bulbs. 

“The most effective way to grow onions is by planting them as bulbs, versus the seeds for home gardening,” Tiess says. “Leeks and green onions grow very quickly from seeds.”

How To Select The Right Onion

Tiess says an easy way to remember which onions to use in recipes is that white onions are best in raw preparations and yellow onions are best for cooking.

“The rule of thumb is to use white onions for raw preparations like pico de gallo, or as a topping for chili,” he explains. “Use yellow onions for cooking, because the flavor becomes sweeter and more complex the longer you cook it. For instance, use yellow onions for caramelized onions in soups, in a braise, or to top off a burger.”

“Yellow onions are full-flavored and are a reliable standby for cooking almost anything,” the National Onion Association states on their website. “White onions are often used in prepared salads, white sauces, and is the traditional onion for classic Mexican cuisine.”

The Best Uses for White Onions

Tiess says to use white onions when you do not want the flavor of the onions to linger in raw applications, or when you desire a more subtle flavor.

“I love white onions in German potato salad, and as a replacement for pasta by simply cutting them into a long julienne and then blanching them in water,” he explains. “Then either substitute it entirely for a linguine or use 50% cooked linguine and 50% blanched white onions for your favorite pasta dish to reduce the amount of starch in a preparation.”

The Best Uses for Yellow Onions

When it comes to yellow onions, Tiess recommends using them as the essential flavoring agent in cooked preparations like soups, stews, braises, and rice pilaf.

How To Cut Onions Without Crying

Tiess tells Southern Living that people “cry” when they cut onions thanks to Propanethial S-oxide, an irritating gas, which is released when an onion’s skin is cut. He offers a simple way to avoid this reaction when preparing onions.

“When peeling an onion remove both ends—the sprout [top] and the root [bottom]—by making a conical incision to remove both ends,” he explains. “Then rinse the ends before peeling. This will help reduce the airborne agent that makes one’s eyes tear up.”