Food Tips & Info > SubstitutionsNovember 14, 2007

Recipe Substitute For Onion

I've only been recently diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (in an out of the hospital a lot to the point we are trying Remicade); but my biggest problem with my diet is I can't have onions or tomato sauces. Does anyone know of some kind of onion substitute because it's in almost every recipe!?

Erin from Louisiana

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Answers

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By
05/13/2011

Onions really upset my tummy to a point where I feel physically sick, makes it really difficult eating out. I just leave it out of all my recipes and the food tastes absolutely wonderful especially if you can add other spices such as cumin, coriander or turmeric.

By TINA (Guest Post) 01/20/2009

APPLES APPLES APPLES
When you core, slice and saute an apple, it has the same taste and texture as a sauteed onion.

By (Guest Post) 10/07/2008

How about ONION POWDER? I would be willing to bet that it would not bother you...it's so processed that it is FAR from the original ingredient!
(You would of course use FAR LESS powder than the amount of fresh onions called for in a recipe!)
My sister and I both hate onions so we use a lot of onion powder in recipes.

By Kathy (Guest Post) 12/08/2007

Hi, I've been a vegetarian for 30 years and do not cook with onions or garlic. I have been using asofetida for many years instead and find it an excellent substitute. It is a very strong powder and a little goes a long way. I even use it when cooking soups instead of onion based soup stock and it works out just fine. I strongly recommend giving it a try!

By Dar (Guest Post) 11/29/2007

Erin, I am on Prevacid and believe you and me I know how you feel. You can try onion powder or onion salt, but you may find that these are to harsh. I love green peppers and they do not always agree with me. You may find you will have to learn to cook all over again. I have learned that bland is bes,t and even then you will be amazed at some of the things that bother you. Some of the things you think you can eat you can not. I would love to help you more, esp recipe wise, for I have been cooking like this for about 30 years. So if you write in maybe we could set it up recipe wise. Take Care and Lots of Luck!

By
11/18/2007

I found a website that had this listed:

Substitutes: white bulbs of leeks OR shallots OR green onions (Cook these for no more than a minute.) OR chopped daikon (salt and rinse first if serving raw) OR garlic OR asafoetida powder (This Indian spice has a strong, pungent flavor and is used as an onion substitute by people who can't eat them for religious reasons.) OR fresh herbs

The website is: www.foodsubs.com/Onionsdry.html

Hope this helps!

By
11/17/2007

my little sis will not eat Onions so she makes all her
recipes without onions and her food is great

By
11/17/2007

I agree with Frontierrog, usually garlic works fine, but I wouldn't use as much, it would just be tasting too much for me. Otherwise, just skip it.
Good luck. Sylvie

By (Guest Post) 11/16/2007

You don't need to use the onions or whatever you can't tolerate. I love onions, but my son hates them but he will use chives to add a little bit of flavor.

By
11/15/2007

Honestly, in the thousands of recipes I have there really aren't many that HAVE to have the onion. Usually it is used just to flavor dishes. Most of the time you can just leave it out. Not sure of a substitute unless it would be garlic??? If you have ulcerative colitis, you might not tolerate it either. I would just leave the onion out! Good luck!

By
11/15/2007

You might try a spice called asafetida. It is usually available at health food stores or Indian Specialty shops.

By Lois (Guest Post) 11/15/2007

I don't have a substitute for you but I do have your same condition! It is tricky when deciding what we can eat. Good Luck

By
11/15/2007

Yeah, I can't have shallots either :(

By Bonnie (Guest Post) 11/15/2007

I would think shallots would work in place of onions unless, of course, you're not supposed to have those either. Good luck.

By
11/15/2007

I use 3-5 cloves of garlic in place of a medium onion.

By
11/15/2007

Just don't put it in a recipe. Seriously, I don't like onions, but just because a recipe calls for it, doesn't mean you have to eat it.

www.foodsubs.com is a great place to look for substitutions for things though. Check out onions there, they have a lot of different substitutions. For instance, here are substitution for a dry onion:

"white bulbs of leeks OR shallots OR green onions (Cook these for no more than a minute.) OR chopped daikon (salt and rinse first if serving raw) OR garlic OR asafoetida powder (This Indian spice has a strong, pungent flavor and is used as an onion substitute by people who can't eat them for religious reasons.) OR fresh herbs"

Hope this helps.

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