Onions! So useful, so versatile. Can’t believe anybody wouldn’t like these buggers.

But, the real question is “are onions good for you?” And that would be a resounding YES! Even though onions are mostly water (almost 90%), they’re still packed with nutrients. They’re loaded with antioxidants, and may contribute to heart health. Top that all off with their antibiotic properties and potential cancer-fighting chemicals, and you have an all-around winner.

Just do you own google search for “health benefits of onions” and you’ll come up with loads of articles and data to support these claims.

So let’s take a look at the common types you’d find in grocery stores and farmers’ markets.

Types of Onions and How to Use Them

These are yellow onions. Probably the most common, and most widely used type of onion out there. They’re versatile and keep for a long time in the fridge. They’re a good all-purpose onion.

Use them for roasting meats, braising meats, sauces, soups, and stews. Fry them in butter with a little browning caramelization and they add so much flavor to so many dishes.

These are sweet onions. I wanted to put them right next to yellow onions, because many people confuse the two. And, truth be told, they do look very similar. The big difference is that they’re a little lighter yellow, and a little flatter than yellow onions.

Sweet onions definitely have more sugars than yellow onions, making them a nice, mild choice if you want fresh sliced onions on a dish. They’re the classic onion slice for hamburgers! Because of their higher sugar content they bruise and rot easily, and don’t keep very long. Refrigerate them to extend they’re usable lifespan.

These are red onions (even though they’re actually more of a purple, IMO). Generally all varieties of red onions run on the mild side. They make great eating when fresh, diced up on a salad. You can fry them, but they truly are best raw.

Use them in all types of salads, sliced in sandwiches, diced into guacamole, and even pickled. Sliced, pickled red onions are an unusual and nice change for a sandwich topping.

White onions are probably the next most common after yellow onions. They are generally pretty crunchy and most varieties can have a pretty sharp zing. These are best used for salsa, chutneys, and stir fries.

These little guys are shallots. They’re definitely part of the onion family, but they’re not a whole lot different than yellow onions, IMO. And they come much smaller than other onions, so prep work can be a bit more tedious.

They DO have a milder and more subtle flavor than the other onions, so using them in dishes where they won’t be overpowered with other flavors is their best application. Best used for things like vinaigrettes, egg casseroles, and garnishes.

Plus a Couple Other Alliums

Technically these aren’t “onions” — as in they don’t really have a bulb that you can chop up into little bits. They’re a little different in that you can also eat a fair amount of the stem. I’ll put these in the “also ran” category of onions.

First off: leeks. They’re not terribly common, with the most likely place to find them being farmers’ markets.

Leeks tend to get very soft when cooked. You can use this to your advantage when you want a smooth texture in something. A farm market vendor once suggested to clean the leeks, roast them (on a sheet pan) and then spread the juicy insides on buttered toast. Yum!

Next is green onions, or spring onions. Similar to leeks a fair amount of the stem can be used.

Eating green onions with ranch dip in the summer was a memory I have from childhood. Dad would grow green onions every summer and mom would prep them by simply cleaning them and setting them on the table like crudites. Some sort of dip or dressing was on the table, also. I can’t believe I liked these as a kid.

So there you have it. A quick rundown of the onion family. They offer flavors that can enhance any dish!