Shallots vs. Onions: What's the Difference?

Have you ever had someone exclaim, "My, that smells good!" when all you're doing is sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil? That's the delicious sorcery of alliums, the category of plant that also includes leeks, chives, and shallots — some of the most widely used and versatile ingredients in a kitchen, adding instant flavor and depth to any savory dish.

I have an "onion bag" in my pantry. A paper sack I keep continuously stocked with onions, shallots, and garlic. I highly recommend this, as it's come in handy more times than I can count when a meal is needed on the fly.

Onions and shallots, two bulbous alliums with a papery outer shell that need first be peeled away, are easily confused. Recipes tend to mention exactly which to use, but deciding on your own might seem daunting if you've never set foot in a culinary school classroom.

All About Onions

Onions come in more distinguishable varieties than shallots. Those varieties include white, yellow, and red, with their interior color generally matching their papery exterior (though red onions have an opaque, white-ish flesh). They can be found in a range of sizes, from smaller "pearl" onions to large softball-like orbs.

Though their flavor can range from sweeter (yellow) to sharper (red), an onion will always be more pungent than a shallot. This is especially important to keep in mind when cooking. With their milder, more nuanced flavor, shallots can be swapped out equally for onions, but should you need to swap an onion for a shallot, it's best to opt for sweeter, yellow onions like Vidalia. A good substitution rule to follow is three small shallots for every small onion. Happily, no matter what you choose, it will cook the same way, but your wallet will feel a bit lighter if you choose shallots — they're typically about two to three times the cost.

All About Shallots

Shallots are more delicate than onions, offering wonderful flavor (almost like an onion/garlic hybrid) and succeeding brilliantly in a supporting role in countless dishes and preparations, making them quite popular with chefs. Beneath their golden bronze papery skin, their flesh is pale and ranges from gray to lavender to magenta. Shallots might be rounder, the size of a golf-ball, or longer and more torpedo-like in shape.

Onions grow on their own, but shallots come in clusters, multiple shallots occupying one plant. When left in the ground, shallots clump together, explaining why it's so common to find two or more little bulbs hugging each other close once the papery outer layer is peeled away.

Compared to onions, shallots are slightly more nutrient-dense. Both alliums are rich in nutrients like fiber, manganese, vitamin C, and other key vitamins and minerals, but shallots are higher in some, like vitamin A, zinc, and magnesium.

How to Use Shallots

Shallots, being milder in flavor, make them unbelievably versatile. Raw or cooked, their uses seem endless. Use them raw in dressings or on salads, or quick-pickle them for a bright pop of flavor when sprinkled on top of heavy dishes. Cut them into rings and fry them for a gleeful garnish. Cooked in butter or oil, they're sublime — almost creamy — with a bit of sweetness. Chop and saute them for sauces or heap them in a pot and cook them whole for a melted treat alongside chicken. Shallots do break down more easily during cooking than their larger, heartier cousins, but this isn't a nuisance, and can even be a pleasant situation in many cases, like allowing a richer result when caramelizing.

When choosing a shallot from the store shelves or retrieving one from your pantry, check that it feels heavy for its size and doesn't possess any soft spots – these are indications of a nasty little situation underneath.