Any home would hardly run out of onions and garlic since most of us would consider them as kitchen staples. Many savory or spicy recipes call for these two ingredients, and they are integrated with dishes in different ways. Thus, this article will discuss how garlic and onions go together in regular cooking.
Garlic and onions undoubtedly make such a good pair in many dishes. Their flavors complement each other, and therefore, these two ingredients become the base of a lot of recipes.
In fact, sauteeing would be the most typical and obviously the best way to get the most from garlic’s and onion’s raw forms. Additionally, powdered, granulated, and salted forms of these two are combined in an array of food items.
So, keep reading for further details!
How Do Garlic And Onions Go Together?
You must have seen that garlic and onions are often mentioned in many savory and spicy recipes. Did you ever wonder why they are always together? Well, that is probably because of their incredible ability to complement each other’s flavors.

Most often, raw garlic and raw onions are incorporated during the sauteeing process, which makes the base of many recipes. Generally, the sharp, intense, and powerful tones of garlic settle during sauteing.
And, its flavor and aroma get infused with the tangy and umami notes of onions. Accordingly, this combination makes a flavorful foundation for a particular dish.
In addition, garlic powder, granulated garlic, garlic salt, onion powder, granulated onion, and onion salt have a way of coming together in recipes beyond sauteing. These combinations are not usually used in sauteing because they have a probability to burn faster.
But granulated, powdered, and salted garlic and onions are employed together in many other pastes, spice blends, seasoning mixtures, etc. Refer to the table below to get a clear idea.
Food Item | Garlic and onion forms used and paired |
---|---|
Seasoning mixtures | Garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, onion salt |
Spice blends | Onion powder, garlic powder |
Dry rubs | Garlic powder, garlic salt, granulated garlic, onion powder, onion salt, granulated onions |
Pastes | Onion powder, garlic powder, onion salt, garlic salt |
Sauces | Garlic powder, onion powder |
Dipping sauces | Onion powder, garlic powder, granulated onions, granulated garlic |
Dressings | Garlic powder, onion powder |
Batters | Onion powder, garlic powder, onion salt, garlic salt |
Marinades | Garlic, powder, onion powder |
What Is The Best Way To Pair Raw Garlic And Onion When Sauteing?
Have you ever wondered what actually goes first into the pan when sauteing- garlic or onions? In fact, raw garlic contains a lesser water content when compared with onions.
And it is often cut, chopped, or minced into smaller pieces while we usually slice, dice, or cut onions into much bigger chunks. Therefore, adding garlic in the first place into the sauteing pan with a hot oil base will probably burn them faster.
A good hamburger mix: add equal parts black pepper, granulated garlic, grilled onion, onion powder, and some chopped onion. And mix in a little barbecue sauce, which will add even more great flavor.
Johnny Trigg
Therefore, adding onions initially will help you safeguard the pleasant flavor and aroma of garlic. All you do is have a little patience and wait until the onions start to turn translucent and discharge their fragrance.
At this moment, you can mix the garlic and combine them with onions to prevent your garlic from burning and end up giving your dish a bitter, undesirable flavor.
If You Really Want To Add Them Together At Once…
Cutting both garlic and onions into similar-sized pieces or mincing them both together would be a possible way to saute them at once. But, this can affect the quality of the dish you make.
Therefore, you can decide upon the recipe you wish to prepare. However, in this way, onions have the capacity to build a physical heat barrier by encircling garlic and preventing them from burning.
Summing Up
Garlic and onions actually go together very well in many dishes that we prepare on a regular basis. As we have discussed, sauteing is the best way to combine them in cooking when they are in their raw forms. But, in addition, these two could also be integrated when they are in their other forms like granulated, powdered, or salted in many different foods.