This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
A friend served roasted pearl onions at a dinner party years ago, and they’ve been on my holiday table ever since. They bake in a glaze of honey, dry sherry, and a little apple cider vinegar until they turn golden brown and tender. I start with a bag of frozen pearl onions that are already peeled. Put the dish together the night before and roast it while your people are on the way.
My friend Ashley made these roasted pearl onions years ago at a dinner party and shared the recipe with me. Everyone at the party ate these onions until we were scraping the bits off the bottom of the bowl. They were that tasty.
Testing results for roasted pearl onions
- We tested this recipe with fresh pearl onions that were blanched and peeled, and we can’t tell the difference between those and frozen pearl onions that some other poor soul peeled. Go with frozen.
- There is no good substitute for the dry sherry in this recipe. It has such a unique flavor and makes the glaze so tasty. The alcohol cooks off, leaving you with a tangy, sweet glaze that perfectly complements the onions.
Our family loves these roasted pearl onions as part of our Southern Thanksgiving menu of turkey, sides, and desserts, and they are probably the easiest thing on my list to make. The glaze takes about 10 minutes to whisk together, and then you roast the onions until golden brown. So easy!
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Dry sherry and a bag of frozen onions
I tried using fresh pearl onions the first time I made these. Blanch and peel…let me tell you, I’d rather have a root canal. Now I buy frozen bags of already-peeled pearl onions and have had nary a complaint from any guest.
Dry sherry: Buy a bottle of dry sherry, not sherry cooking wine. They are not the same thing. If you can’t use sherry, chicken stock or a dry white wine will do, but the onions lose the tangy sweetness the sherry gives them.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email and we'll send it straight to your inbox.
Frozen pearl onions: Thaw them before adding them to the dish. Fresh onions work too, but you’ll need to peel them and cook them for 3 minutes first.
Pin this now to save it for later
Make roasted pearl onions a day ahead
You can do this side dish the day before. Pour the glaze over the onions in the baking dish, refrigerate overnight and roast when you’re ready to serve. On Thanksgiving morning, that’s one less pot on the stove and a few more minutes with your people when they come through the door.
You can also roast the onions a day early. Let the dish come to room temperature, then reheat it slowly in a 350 degrees F oven.
Serve them with the holiday roast
I serve these every Thanksgiving next to a roast turkey with crispy skin, and they’re just as good beside a bourbon-glazed ham with a caramelized crust. They make a good side for beef, too, especially a Southern pot roast braised in red wine.
A cider-brined pork roast with potatoes and fennel is another good match. You don’t need a special occasion for this one, either. They’re just as good next to a weeknight supper or on a meatless night.
If pearl onions have never been part of your holiday table, put a dish of these out this year. It’s an easy tradition to start, and you only need a bag of frozen onions and a bottle of dry sherry.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
Want more from my kitchen?
Members of The Red Clay Society view the entire site with no ads, plus they get:
- The Red Clay Journal, my magazine
- The Red Clay Kitchen, a seasonal cookbook
- The Front Porch, our private member community
Honey-Glazed Roasted Pearl Onions Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dry sherry
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds frozen or fresh pearl onions, thawed (if using fresh then you have to peel and cook for 3 minutes)
- 4 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar, to splash in the pan if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine 3/4 cup dry sherry, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and whisk until blended.
- Spray an extra-large baking dish or two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes with cooking spray and pour in the onions. Pour the sauce over the onions and stir gently to mix. You can make ahead to this point and store the dish in the refrigerator until ready to roast and serve.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. If onions start to dry out, add a splash or two of red wine or balsamic vinegar.
Notes
Nutrition
Questions and tips
Storage
Store leftover onions in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. If the glaze dries out when you reheat them, add a splash of red wine, sherry, or balsamic vinegar.
The onions need to be spread out so they roast, not just steam. We have a Pyrex dish that is bigger than a standard 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Alternatively, you can use two smaller dishes or even baking sheet pans.
If you really want to use fresh pearl onions, soak them in hot water for about five minutes, then immediately plunge them into ice water. Then drain and peel. If you cut the root end of the onion and squeeze the opposite end, it should pop right out of the skin.
Is there something I can use in place of dry sherry?
Maybe a dry white wine but the sherry has a pretty unique flavor, which is what really makes this recipe. The alcohol cooks off.
It is the flavor we find offensive, not the alcohol which wine would have also.
Oh, I see. You could probably just substitute chicken stock but the flavor of the sherry is really what makes this dish.
Tried them…OMGoodness!
I absolutely have to make these!