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What Is Indian Browned Onion Paste?
Browned Onion Paste is a simple three-ingredient paste that is used to enhance the flavor and thicken the gravies of a variety of Indian dishes. It consists of sautéed onions that are then pureed into a paste.
Technically, you could make your onion paste fresh in every instance you need it. However, I have to admit that making your browned onion paste from scratch is tedious and time-consuming. If you’ve got a hunger pang and want to eat immediately, then unfortunately if you make your browned onion paste before the rest of your meal, you’re delayed about a solid 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re preparing a dish that can be quite involved that may already take about 40 minutes to make, then this time really adds up! I highly encourage you to take some spare time out of your day to prepare a batch of browned onion paste to save lots of time and a blender to clean! You’ll see later on in this post how to store your browned onion paste in individual portions so you can grab and go!
My top 5 tips to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, goes more details on how having an awareness of what’s in your pantry, fridge and freezer can inspire you to use up those ingredients into something new and delicious! Having had taken the time to prep your Indian Onion Paste will totally encourage you to use it so it doesn’t sit in your freezer indefinitely. Is India Destinations Unseen for you? Having the basics prepped will go a long way! Check out the list at the bottom of this post for ideas on how to use your fried onion paste, and perhaps try one of them out as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! You can get started on your cooking journey for free by signing up to my newsletter!
Watch the video to see in real time how to cook your Indian Browned Onion Paste from start to finish and how to store it! Additionally, if you’re not already, I’d appreciate if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t forget to hit the bell button to get notified when all my video recipes are live! Let’s get cooking!
Tools for Fried Indian Onion Paste
- Cutting board: To chop your onions.
- Sharp chef’s knife: The right knife will help make the chopping process effortless!
- Non-stick pan: To sauté the onions with ghee.
- Wooden spoon: To stir the onions in the pan when they are sautéing.
- Blender: To puree the sautéed onions.
- Ramekins: To store your browned onion paste if using it immediately!
What Is Onion Paste Made Of?
Check out the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD at the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button to see all ingredient quantities and
- Ghee: To cook our onions.
- Onions: I’m using sliced red onions here. Technically you can use any onion of your choice, but red onions will work best here.
- Salt: To season the paste.
- Water: Use enough as needed to completely blend the sautéed onions and to create a smooth puree.
Tools Needed
How to Make Onion Paste
Slice your onions thinly. In the meanwhile, heat a large pan or wok on medium heat and add the ghee.
Once the ghee is hot, add the thinly sliced onions, along with the salt.
Continue to sauté as the onions cook and turn soft and golden brown. Keep stirring the onions to ensure they cook evenly, as they cook, they will reduce in volume. After around 20-30 minutes, the onions should have browned completely.
Transfer the browned onions to a food processor and add 1/4 to 1/2 Cup of water, add less to start and puree to a smooth paste.
Portion out the onion paste as needed and use in any recipe you desire.
Tips for Nailing This Onion Paste Recipe
- Be patient while sautéing the onions so that they fully caramelize and release their flavors.
- Be sure to thinly slice the onions so that they can cook faster.
- Use a big wok or pot to provide a larger surface area to allow the onions to cook evenly and quicker.
- Use salt to help cook down the onions and assist them in releasing their moisture.
How to Use This Onion Paste for Cooking
Here are a few examples of how you can incorporate this paste into your favorite Indian dishes:
- Chicken Kofta Curry: In this recipe, I made a variation by also adding ginger, garlic, and green chilies.
- Homestyle Chicken Curry: In the original recipe, I use sliced onions and sauté them. However, after making the paste, I followed the recipe and substituted the sautéed onions for the onion paste. This sped up the cooking process and transformed the chicken curry into a more restaurant-style curry because the gravy was paler and slightly creamier. A simple swap in ingredients and cooking can totally transform a dish!
- Slow-Cooked Instant Pot Chicken Changezi: Again, a variation of this simple paste is made with the addition of cashews and almonds to add some body and creaminess to the paste.
How to Store▼
The best way is to store the browned onion is to first portion out the paste based on the number of onions used to make the paste. If you used 4 onions to make the paste, divide it into 4 equal portions and store them in a freezer-safe bag. This way if you are using a recipe that needs 2 onions, you can take out 2 portions. And the best part, you save the 20-30 minutes making your dish that needs sauteed onions, since that pre-prepared paste will taste amazing.
Refrigerator
You can store the onion paste in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
Freezer
Be sure to place the portioned out browned onion paste in a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Be sure to label the bag to keep a track of the preparation date.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Master Indian Brown Onion Paste at home with this simple, flavor-packed recipe. Build rich, deep flavor into your curries and sauces with just a few pantry staples.
Stovetop
5.0 · 1 rating
10 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
40 min
Total
12
servings
makes ¾ cup
medium
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
- (30 ml) ghee · make your ownShop →
- medium red onions(thinly sliced)
- (3 g) saltShop →
Instructions
- 1
Heat large pan or wok on medium heat and add the ghee. Once the ghee is hot, add the thinly sliced onions, along with the salt.
Heat large pan or wok on medium heat and add the ghee. Once the ghee is hot, add the thinly sliced onions, along with the salt.
- 2
Continue to sauté as the onions cook and turn soft and golden brown. Keep stirring the onions to ensure they cook evenly, as they cook, they will reduce in volume. After around 20-30 minutes, the onions should have browned completely and caramelized.
Continue to sauté as the onions cook and turn soft and golden brown. Keep stirring the onions to ensure they cook evenly, as they cook, they will reduce in volume. After around 20-30 minutes, the onions should have browned completely and caramelized.
- 3
Transfer the browned onions to a food processor and add ¼–½ cup of water, add less to start and puree to a smooth paste. Portion out the onion paste as needed and use in any recipe you desire.
Transfer the browned onions to a food processor and add ¼–½ cup of water, add less to start and puree to a smooth paste. Portion out the onion paste as needed and use in any recipe you desire.
Nutrition per serving
37
Calories
0g
Protein
3g
Carbs
3g
Fat
1g
Fiber
2g
Sugar
197mg
Sodium
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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3 comments
Hi Anadi, Thankyou for this information. For the first time ever I got browned onions. Not off white, not burnt, but browned and caramelised! Genuinely appreciate the tutorial. Paul:-)
I always use this recipe and method and it had never failed. Definitely adds a richness to gravies and I’ve used it Tandoori marinade with excellent results (using a domestic fan oven). Absolutely make a big batch and freeze. It takes time to make but very much worth the effort.
Freezing this paste is the best way to save time and add that dose of flavour to your creations! Thanks again for sharing your feedback!
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