How Did the Onion Become the “It” Ingredient of 2024?

There are certain recipes you expect to go viral: the cheesy (mac and cheese), the decadent (the crookie), the nostalgic (7UP Bundt Cake), and, of course, the so oddly named you just have to try it (Swamp Soup). That’s why when something as simple as a cucumber salad or scrambled oats takes the internet by storm, it takes us by surprise. 

While 2024 has seen its fair share of unexpected culinary hits—we’re looking at you Sprite Gummy Bears—one ingredient in particular has been having a major moment: onions. Long regarded as a kitchen workhorse and pantry staple, the humble onion has stepped into the culinary spotlight in a big way recently, captivating home cooks via TikTok-famous recipes.

2024’s Viral Star: The Onion Boil 

This fall, the Onion Boil emerged as the season’s “it” dish. Created by Mimi Baretela, the recipe has few ingredients and even fewer steps. In her now-viral video, Baretela douses two cored white onions in vegetable oil, various seasonings, and a pat of margarine, then pops them into an air fryer. Twenty-five minutes later, the onions emerge softened and swimming in a flavor-packed oil. To enjoy, you simply break off the onion layers and dip them in the now-bubbling concoction. 

Onions have long been one of Baretela’s favorite foods and her recipe was inspired by the heavily spiced seafood boils she grew up with in the South, plus her family’s grilling traditions. “My family always put onions on the grill, and I would just ask them to eat it like that. Since I didn’t have a grill at home, I thought the air fryer would probably just be the easiest way to go and it actually turned out so much better.”

As she preps her onions, Baretela tells audiences that her recipe is about working with what you have. “You can season this how you like,” she reassures viewers. “There’s no wrong or right way.” This sentiment has resonated with home cooks around the world. Videos of others riffing on Baretela’s onion boil—trying it doused in Cajun spices, Old Bay, and even brown sugar and cinnamon—have garnered millions of views on social media and spurned copycat recipes across the internet.

The Power of the Onion 

Onion-forward recipes aren’t a new phenomenon—classic dishes like French onion soup, Tennessee onions, onion rings, and the iconic blooming onion have long celebrated the ingredient—but data confirms that interest in the allium is rising. According to Whole Foods, the onion category has experienced a 10% growth in the last 16 weeks, with sweet onions seeing the biggest jump at 27%.

“We have had really strong onion sales here over the course of the last year,” says Travis Nordgren, the grocer’s principal produce buyer. “The category has been one of my top-performing categories that I manage.” 

What exactly is behind this newfound obsession with onions? The answer seems to lie in a combination of factors: their affordability, accessibility, and the comforting nature of the trending recipes. Onions have always played a foundational role in cooking—countless recipes begin with onions sizzling in oil, their aroma signaling the start of something delicious. While the onion boil was Google’s eighth most-searched recipe this year, it’s far from the only onion-forward recipe to gain traction in 2024. Caramelized Onion Pasta, Iraqi dolma, and Julia Child’s Braised Pearl Onions have been enjoying a moment in the limelight. 

Another Viral Onion: This One Stuffed

Chef and cookbook author Danilo Cortellini, whose stuffed onion dish has garnered 6.6 million views on TikTok, sees the trend as a renewed appreciation for simplicity and resourcefulness. “In all the restaurants I’ve worked at, there was always a recipe using either onions or shallots as the star, so it’s not something recent,” he notes. “There was always a striving to champion ingredients that might be discarded at first glance, but with some more attention, you can make them really shine.”

His viral recipe is a perfect example. In his video, Cortellini provides just enough intrigue (“If onions were my last meal,” he declared) to keep viewers captivated by a well-known ingredient used in a seemingly new way. His preparation calls for filling onions with a creamy, indulgent mix of cheese, egg yolk, and truffle. While the truffle adds an element of luxury, the recipe is rooted in everyday ingredients and simple cooking techniques.

This balancing act—creating recipes that are nostalgic yet new, simple yet elevated—has been a hallmark of the onion renaissance. For Baretela, these dishes are all about rediscovering the onion as a standalone ingredient, rather than a supporting player. “I think it’s an uncommon vegetable that people don’t think to utilize this way,” she says. “With all of these different recipes coming out, people are like, ‘Oh my god, I totally forgot that you can just eat it alone.’” 

Nordgren, the Whole Foods produce buyer, agrees that a good onion, one that’s firm without any soft spots or sprouting, doesn’t need much to stand out. “Grilling sweet onions is fantastic,” he says. “Throwing them on the grill, getting a nice char on them, and having them either with kebabs or even just the side dish, they’re really, really, really tasty.”

As food trends continue to reflect cultural shifts, onions are likely to remain in the spotlight. Current movements like recession-core and underconsumption celebrate frugality, simplicity, and making the most of affordable staples—qualities that the onion so perfectly embodies. As Julia Child once famously said, “It’s hard to imagine a civilization without onions.”