Like the allium it involves, TikTok's latest food trend, the "onion boil," has many layers. Similar to the Southern staple the trend is named after (the seafood boil), an onion boil involves lots of butter and spices, including Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika. But that's where the similarities end. The actual cooking method for an onion is contrary to its name, plus it only requires one main ingredient versus the many shellfish and vegetable varieties in a seafood boil.
Still perplexed about why anyone would want to eat an entire onion in one sitting? Wondering how this comfort food became a top hit on TikTok? If so, read on to unravel the layers of the onion boil trend, including how to make your own onion boil at home!
The first TikTok user to start the onion boil trend was @doll_mimi, who posted herself eating what she thought was a "normal snack" back in July. Since that first onion boil post, there have been thousands of recreations posted to the app, including this one by @bigpapahannah.
Hannah starts off the video (which garnered 1.4 million likes) by removing the core of her onion with a knife. The hollow center serves as a well for the butter and seasonings that will enter the picture later on in the tutorial. Next, she pours a few drops of melted butter into the onion's center before adding her seasonings—Old Bay, garlic herb lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, parsley, and pepper—to the rest of the melted butter mix.
"All these seasonings aren't necessary, honestly—you can make a little bowl of butter-seasoning for the end and just dip it in there," says Hannah. "You really need to focus on mainly cooking the onion really good."
After combining the butter and spices, she pours it on the onion, making sure to get it in all of the crevices. Then, Hannah wraps the onion in foil and broils it at 370 degrees for 40 minutes to an hour. The end result is a golden brown, seasoning-encrusted onion oozing with buttery liquid.
But that's just one way to make the onion boil. Popular food YouTuber @stephpappas has a slightly different approach to the trend, which starts with cutting both ends off the onion before removing the core.
She then makes two perpendicular cuts across the top of the onion as pockets for a few chunks of chilled butter. Instead of mixing her spices in melted butter, Steph sprinkles them directly on top of the onion before sticking it in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour. For even more buttery goodness, she whips up another garlic-butter sauce on the stove to drizzle over the caramelized onion.
While the food creators at hand certainly seem to enjoy the pungent recipe, not everyone on TikTok agrees.
"How are people just straight up eating an onion?! 😅" One user commented on Steph's video.
Others remain perplexed on why it's called an onion "boil" when nothing in the recipe is being boiled: "This is just roasted onion... where's the boiling? lol," another commenter lamented.
At the same time, many viewers have an open mind about the tangy trend, like a top commenter on Hannah's video who noted, "This with a steak would be soooooo good!"
After learning how it's made, maybe you agree that onions are best left as an additive to other recipes. Or perhaps you're already planning to make it as an accompaniment to your next steak dinner. Share your opinions on the onion boil trend in the comments below! Then, try your hand at some of Ree's favorite onion recipes.
Nitya Rao is the editorial assistant at The Pioneer Woman, covering stories ranging from food, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, news, and more.
