Dicing an onion can be an easy skill to perform once you know how to do it. By learning how to dice an onion, you can include the ingredient in any of our delicious healthy meals for any night of the week. You can even transfer your new kitchen skill to other vegetables, once you become confident in the motions. Within this helpful guide, we break down the simple steps to dicing an onion, as well as teaching you the health benefits of this everyday ingredient. Once you have learnt how to dice an onion, you can try the technique out for yourself with the help of our two nutritious recipes. Be sure to let us know how you found our steps, by sharing your finished products with us on social media. We always love to see your own creations!
How to Dice an Onion
Follow our seven simple steps to learn how to dice an onion:
- Cut the onion in half, don’t cut the root
Still with the outer layer on, place your onion on the chopping board, take your sharp knife and cut the onion in half lengthways.
- Peel the outer layer of the onion
Picking up one half of the onion, hover over a bowl and begin to remove the outer layer with your hands. The outer layer is the darker purple or brown shell, which is often thin and flaky compared to the inside layers. You will need to repeat this process with the other half of the onion. Once finished you can place the outer shell in the bin or a compost bin.
- Trim the root, keeping it intact
Once the outer layer has been removed, place the onion halves back onto the chopping board. Using your sharp knife, carefully remove the top and bottom of each half. These are known as the tail ends of the root.
- Tips for dicing an onion
Now you have removed the tail ends, turn your onion lengthways. Keeping your fingers away from the blade of the knife, begin to make long thin cuts into the onion, leaving around a centimetre at the top. This means when you make your cuts, your onion will still be held together at the top. Do not feel like you have to cut very fast, take your time to ensure your fingers are clear of the knife.
- Cut two incisions into the onion
The next step to dicing an onion is to make two incisions in the onion. To do this you want to hold the top of the onion with your non-dominant hand, and with the blade horizontal, start to cut just above the base of the onion. The reason for doing this is to make the finished cubes of onion smaller. Before you repeat, you will want to ensure the strands of onion are all close together, as they can become separated when cut. Repeat the action slightly further up the onion so you have equal thirds to cut.
- Dice the onion
The last step to dicing is to cut through the onion layers. Keeping your onion horizontal, hold the top with your non-dominant hand and begin to slice through to the chopping board. You should end up with little squares of onion which you can add into your cooking. Again be careful to keep your fingers away from the edge of the blade when chopping.
- Tips for slicing an onion
Once you have removed the tail ends of the onion, rotate the vegetable so these cut edges are at the top and bottom of your chopping board. You then want to take your knife and slice through the whole length of the onion. Continue to do this with equal distances between each slice.
4 Tips on How to Prevent Tears When Dicing an Onion
Learning how to dice an onion can cause a few tears, but with our tips we can help minimise the emotions. The part of the onion which causes your eyes to well up is the fumes when you cut into the vegetable. These fumes can be quite strong and when hovering above them, can irritate the eyes, causing them to water. Our top tips to help prevent or minimise the effects are:
- Keep the cut side of the onion face down on the chopping board. This way you are containing the fumes against the board instead of exposing them into the air.
- You can turn on your cooker extractor or kitchen fan. By doing this will draw the fumes into the extractor instead of your eyes.
- If you do not have an extractor or fan you can experience the same effects by cutting your onion near a window. This method works in a similar way to the fan as when you dice the onion the fumes will exit through the window instead.
- It has been found that fresh onions are less likely to cause irritation than older onions. Older onions are more mature which can make their fumes stronger. To reduce the risk of watery eyes, opt for a fresh onion.
How to Store Diced Onions
With some recipes, only half of the onion is required, so what are you meant to do with the other half? Storing your diced onions is easy and can be useful for future recipes. Our top two tips are freezing or keeping in the fridge.
- If you know you will require onion in a dish later in the week, we would suggest keeping your diced onion in the fridge. The best way to keep it fresh is to use an airtight freezer bag and use it within 5 days. You may find storing them this way, the flavour has intensified with age, but this can be a delicious addition to any meal.
- Our second recommendation is if you know you won’t require the diced onion in up to 5 days time. If this is the case, placing your diced onion in the freezer is the best option to avoid waste. Although we should note that you should not place whole onions in the freezer, only diced ones. Follow the same practice as the fridge, by placing them in an airtight bag with as little air inside, and place them in the freezer. You want to ensure you use them within 6 months when storing them like this.
Health Benefits of Diced Onions
The health benefits of a diced onion can provide the body with a surprising amount of nutrition, which you may not have thought of previously. This particular vegetable is nutrient-dense, which means they are high in vitamins and minerals but low in calories. Making onions the perfect addition to any dish. It is for this reason we include sliced and diced onion in an array of our healthy recipes. The nutrition found in onion can include:
- High in vitamin C – This could help regulate your immune health.
- Rich in B vitamins – B vitamins can play a vital role in red blood cell production.
- Great source of potassium – Many people lack the vital nutrient of potassium in their everyday diet.
- Anti-inflammatory properties – These could help to reduce high blood pressure.
- Excellent source of antioxidants – Antioxidants can help your heart health, meaning onions are a heart healthy food to consume.
A combination of all these properties is needed to ensure your body receives all the vital nutrients of a balanced diet.
2 Delicious recipes Including Diced Onions
Put your new diced onion skills into practice with the help of our delicious and healthy recipes. Both recipes that we have selected are full of flavour and easy to make. Perfect when you need to feed the whole family.
Apricot Harissa Chicken Stack & Sweet Potato Fries
Water your tastebuds with our apricot harissa chicken stack and sweet potato fries. Our free-range chicken is cooked in a cumin and harissa marinade then made into a stack with crunchy lettuce and pickled, sliced red onion, all encased in slices of cooked aubergine. To serve, we add a side of sweet potato fries, salad and a harissa dip. A delicious dish for any mealtime.
- Cook time: 30 mins
- Allergens: Sulphites
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Key ingredient: Free-range Norfolk chicken breast
- Calories: 626
- Protein: 49g
- Carbs: 52g
- Fat: 24g
Perfect for a light lunch or dinner, our apricot harissa chicken and diced onion recipe can be served in 30 minutes. Our recommended portion size for this recipe is for two people but can easily be doubled if entertaining more guests.
Why We Love This Diced Onion Recipe
As well as highlighting the health benefits of diced onions, this Middle Eastern cuisine features another healthy ingredient, chicken. Chicken can provide your body numerous health benefits, such as adding protein to your diet. If you are looking to reduce your intake of red meat, then chicken is a great substitute, as it is a lean cut of meat that provides an excellent source of amino acids to the body. Amino acids are needed to help build muscle tissue, which is vital as we grow older. Our apricot harissa chicken recipe uses free-range chicken breasts. The vitamins you can gain from chicken includes: vitamin B12, zinc and iron. These minerals and vitamins all contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.
Ingredients
To create an easy diced onion recipe, you will need these ingredients:
- 2 tbsp Belazu apricot harissa paste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (Sulphites)
- 1 aubergine
- 2 free-range chicken breasts
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 little gem lettuce
- 1 red onion
- 300g sweet potato
- 120g baby plum tomatoes
- 80g coconut yoghurt
Recipe Instructions
To get started on creating your healthy diced onion dish, follow these easy instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/ gas mark 6. Peel the sweet potato and cut into fries. Place the fries onto a baking tray and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Place the baking tray in the oven for 25 mins, turning halfway through.
- To make the harissa yoghurt dip: in a small ramekin add just half the coconut yoghurt, just half the apricot harissa paste and a pinch of sea salt. Mix and reserve for later.
- In a medium sized bowl add the remaining coconut yoghurt, remaining apricot harissa paste, just half the cumin, 1/2 tbsp oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and mix to coat. Place the chicken in a small oven-proof dish and cook in the oven for 20 mins until cooked through.
- Thinly slice the red onion. Place just half into a small bowl with the apple cider vinegar, leave to pickle. Remove the chicken from the oven and add the remaining sliced onion to the oven-proof dish, return to the oven to cook. Cut the base off the gem lettuce, carefully separate the leaves and thinly slice. Chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters.
- Cut the aubergine lengthways from the centre into 4 neat slices just 1cm thick (leftover aubergine can be cut into wedges and added to the tray with the sweet potato fries in the oven). Rub the remaining cumin and a pinch of sea salt into all 4 aubergine slices. Heat a large frying pan with 1/2 tbsp oil over a medium heat and cook the aubergines for 3-5 mins each side until golden and starting to soften. Cover and keep warm.
- Place the sweet potato fries onto two warm plates. To make the chicken and aubergine stack; place one aubergine slice onto the plate, top with the chicken breast, cooked onion, some sliced lettuce, pickled onion and the second aubergine slice. Place the remaining lettuce and chopped tomato salad alongside. Pour some pickling vinegar from the onion over the salad. Serve the harissa yoghurt dip alongside.
Social media and our online blog make finding new, healthy recipes easy! By using these platforms we can highlight our favourite dishes from all around the world. A selection we can provide include: Indian cuisines, Asian cuisines and Mexican cuisines. We are confident we have something for everyone to discover!
Naked Beef Burger, Slaw & Hasselbacks
Dig your fork into our delicious naked beef burger, slaw and hasselbacks. Our grass-fed British beef burgers are so tasty, they don’t even need buns. Here we pair the patties with fried eggs, avocado, tomato and sliced red onion. On the side? Homemade slaw and hasselback potatoes. This showstopper is a perfect bbq recipe for any event you may host this summer!
- Cook time: 45 mins
- Allergens: Eggs, Sulphites
- Cuisine: British
- Key ingredient: Flavourful grass-fed British beef
- Calories: 578
- Protein: 37g
- Carbs: 43g
- Fat: 30g
Our naked beef burger can be the perfect Spring or Summer lunchtime dish, while you dine alfresco. We recommend the portion size of this healthy beef recipe is for a family of four. You can always adapt this if you are dining with less guests. In this case we would recommend you half the ingredients listed.
Why We Love This Easy Diced Onion Recipe
Alongside the diced onion, this recipe features another healthy ingredient, carrots. Carrots are a root vegetable which many people opt for when choosing the perfect addition in their side slaw. Being crunchy, soft and highly nutritious, it’s not surprising to see these brightly coloured vegetables contain so many vitamins and minerals. In particular, carrots are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin K1 and potassium. These particular vitamins contribute to controlling your blood pressure, helping with your vision and can help to promote bone health.
Recipe Ingredients
To create an easy British cuisine, you will need these ingredients:
- 1 avocado
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (Sulphites)
- 300g red cabbage
- 2 x carrot
- 4 x egg (Eggs)
- 4 garlic clove
- 2 red onion
- 1 red beef tomato
- 660g jersey royal pearls
- 500g American flavoured beef mince
Recipe Instructions
To make a healthy dish in 45 minutes, follow these easy instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 220C / fan 200C / gas mark 7. Score the potatoes 6-7 times each, cutting at least halfway through. Place on one side of a large baking tray and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp oil; season with sea salt and black pepper. Bake for 35 mins, until golden and crispy.
- Shape the mince into 4 burgers. Heat a large frying pan with 1/2 tbsp oil on a medium-high heat. Place the burgers in the pan and cook for 3-5 mins on each side, until browned. Transfer to the tray with the potatoes and bake for 15 mins.
- Slice half the onion into rings; thinly slice the other half. Thinly shred the cabbage. Peel the carrots and grate. Finely chop the garlic.
- Make the slaw. To a bowl, add the sliced onion, garlic, carrots, cabbage, vinegar and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Mix thoroughly; season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Peel the avocado, destone and slice thinly into a fan. Heat a medium, non-stick pan with 1/2 tbsp oil on a medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook until done to your liking.
- Slice the tomato and serve with the slaw, potatoes, burgers, fanned avocado and fried eggs. Garnish with the sliced onion rings.
Once you have created this BBQ diced onion recipe for yourself, share with your friends on social media! Remember to tag us so we can see the final creation! You can also discover new nutritious meals, using our blog. A selection of our recent posts include: healthy breakfast options to conquer the morning, 3 healthier cooking oil options to try and how to poach an egg. Read them to gain inspiration for your next healthy meal or to discover a new skill!
More from Mindful Chef
Discovered how to dice an onion and want more ways to include it in meals? Find more recipes incorporating diced onions with the help of Mindful Chef. We have more than 1,000 healthy, delicious recipes available to choose from that you can make each day of the week. Whether you like healthy winter recipes, healthy autumn recipes, healthy summer recipes or healthy spring recipes, we have something delicious for the whole year!
Choosing one of our healthy recipe boxes, makes trying our delicious dice onion recipes covenant and quick. In need of feeding the whole family? Select our family recipe box, alternatively if you want an all vegan selection, our vegan recipe box is the answer. Simply choose your dishes, pick a delivery date and we take care of the rest! The convenient recipe boxes get delivered to your door and inside you will find fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients with an easy recipe card to follow! What’s more, our entire range is gluten free. Try your first box with Mindful Chef today!