Maybe you have had one of those nights where you either don't have time to chop an onion for the dish you are making, or you just don't feel like dealing with onion smelling hands afterwards. Do you reach for the bottle of dried onion on those certain occasions? And is it a good substitute? 

In a pinch, dried onion flakes can be a terrific substitute for fresh chopped onion. As far as flavor goes, you may not notice much of a difference in things like soups, casseroles, and stews.


For every 1/3 cup of fresh onions called for, substitute 1 tablespoon of dried onion flakes.

Now there are some recipes where fresh onion just does not have a substitute, and trying to would have a rather unattractive effect on the end result (think fresh salsa or french onion soup)! In those cases, fresh onion is the best, or at least keep a package of chopped onion in the freezer that you can pull out when you need.

Otherwise, keep a bottle of dried onion flakes on your pantry shelf for those times when chopping is just not going to happen.