Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Onion

Discover the best flavour pairings for onion based on data analysis of thousands of recipes. Find perfect ingredient matches & delicious recipes.

Onion conjures the evocative embrace of sulfur and the bracing kiss of caramel, but beneath its umaminess lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as dipropyl disulfide, garlic, and hints of molasses, giving it remarkable depth. And the gastronomic enchantment begins when we seek out partners that allow these notes to truly sing.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the umami, savory monosodium glutamate in beef fillet can enrich onion, and how roast potato's starchy notes forge a beautiful synergy with its intense aroma.

An ingredient's flavour comes from its core characteristics, like maillard, vegetal, and acidic, combined with its unique aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim to include a broad variety of core characteristics for a balanced dish. And choose aroma notes that complement each other for a harmonious combination.

Unlocking Flavour Combinations

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Sulfurous Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of sulfur is strongly associated with the flavour of starch. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a starchy flavour, such as roast potato, when pairing with the sulfurous aroma notes of onion.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing onion with roast potato.

Harmonious Flavours Of Onion

Just as our analysis showed that sulfur and starchy flavour notes often complement each other, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the notes present in onion. For instance, the caramel notes of onion are strongly associated with cabbagy and rosemary notes.

The aromas linked to the various accents of onion can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of beef fillet offers many of the accents complementary to onion, including glutamic and ferrous aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of beef fillet has many of the of the features that are complementary to onion, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of beef fillet across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with onion.

Recipes That Pair Onion With Beef Fillet

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of onion, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of onion, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the accents complementary to onion.

What To Drink With Onion

The glutamic notes in pecorino make it a perfect pairing with onion. Likewise, the glutamic flavours in sake create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of onion below.

Which Cheese Go With Onion?

Choose cheese that enrich its pungency or awaken its intense aroma. Parmesan and manchego offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Pecorino Romano add a gentle, oniony brightness, while tuscan pecorino introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace cheese that harmonise with onion's sweetness. The addition of american cheese, with its subtle lacteal notes, can complement the honey beautifully, while blue cheese lends a savoury richness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Onion), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.