caramelize

verb

car·​a·​mel·​ize ˈkär-mə-ˌlīz 

ˈker-ə-mə-,

ˈka-rə-mə-

caramelized; caramelizing

1

transitive : to subject (sugar or the sugar content of a food) to caramelization : to change into caramel (see caramel sense 1) by heating at high temperature

… flan bathed in caramelized sugar and topped with whipped cream …

—Penelope Casas

At a restaurant, some unlucky prep cook gets to peel, slice, and caramelize bags of onions in the morning.

—Stephanie Alleyne

2

intransitive : to change to caramel

Fructose begins to rapidly caramelize at around 200 degrees …

—Matthew Card

: to undergo caramelization

These sweet potatoes caramelize slightly in the oven, which gives them a sweet crunch as their flesh remains creamy.

—Lesley Porcelli

Examples of caramelize in a Sentence

The onions will take five minutes to caramelize.

Caramelize two cups of sugar.

Continue stirring until the sugar caramelizes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Beyond Brat is served with sauerkraut, caramelized onions and spicy brown mustard, while the Sooo Veggie Beyond sausage option is served with arugula, avocado, tomato, crispy onions and basil aioli. —Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024

The fatty, caramelized poultry accompanied by bright pops of parsnip and apple puree left me incapable of putting my fork down. —Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 22 May 2024

Dan goes very traditional German with a potato pancake served with charred cabbage, caraway sauerkraut, mustard butter, and dill, while Amanda gets a little more modern with a rye and caraway spätzle, caramelized onion, and crispy sauerkraut. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 May 2024

Valastro uses his spoon to carefully scoop up the banana custard, vanilla wafers, caramelized banana and some of the fractured shell. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1